Jesus Christ said a lot of hard things. Someone once asked him for permission to attend to the important task of burying his father. Jesus dismisses the request, “leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60 ESV). The message is clear, even if it offends our sensibilities; nothing is more important than the mission. On another occasion, someone informs him that his mother and brothers were outside the venue of his meeting, requesting to speak with him. Jesus is dismissive again. He asks, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48-50 ESV). The message is clear; nothing is more important than the mission.
Normally, our love for God and our love for family don’t come into conflict. However, what if it came down to God or your family? Whom would you choose? Jesus makes it clear what he would choose. And that should also make you clarify your order of priorities. Nothing is more important than the mission. Nothing! You cannot choose anything, including the comfort and love of family over the mission. It would be ridiculous to insist that the earthly father or wife that God chose for you is the reason you cannot pursue your God-given assignment.
Jesus Christ was not anti-family. At the cross, he instructs a trusted disciple to take care of his earthly mother. It would be wrong to think that pursuing your God-given mission means a complete dissociation from family members. The brothers of Jesus Christ (from the same mother) became devout believers and played their part in the mission after his death. So, let us recall the words of Jesus, “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother”. The real message here is that nothing is more important than the mission. So, you can have the love and comfort of a family, as long as that family is in agreement with the mission.
