John 7:3-5
…and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” For even his brothers didn’t believe in him. (NLT)

An appropriate Christmas carol for us to sing this season at Southland would require a slight rewrite, but would capture very well the current teaching series we’re in. Have Yourself A Messy Little Christmas could remind us that Jesus, Born in a Barn, entered our world through imperfect and messy circumstances. And that messy beginning wouldn’t just magically fix itself as Jesus got older. Joseph and Mary were faithful people, following all of the directives of the law of Moses. They were also obedient as they accepted the responsibilities given to them to bring our Savior into the world. But even that level of faithfulness and obedience couldn’t guarantee that everything about their home life would be harmonious and easy. The Bible tells us in Matthew and Mark that Joseph and Mary had other children together after Jesus was born. We read in today’s verse from John 7 that there was a moment when even Jesus’ own half-brothers, despite having grown up with Him, didn’t recognize that there was something unique about Him. The Bible says that “even his brothers didn’t believe in him.” You can almost hear the brothers’ sarcasm toward Jesus as you read the verses.

I’m grateful for the honesty of scripture as it paints a true picture of challenging home life, even for Jesus and His godly parents. It’s a reminder that we’ll all have complications in our familial relationships despite doing what we might think are all the right things. And although we all would’ve liked to have parents as faithful and obedient as Joseph and Mary, most of us didn’t. (And I include myself in the imperfect parent category—just ask my kids!) Some of you were raised in a home where the parenting style was driven by rules without relationship. For others, your home was characterized by a relationship without any rules or boundaries. Both are unhealthy and create lasting issues. 

There’s something we share with Jesus in how He related to His family. Like Jesus, there’s a time when we’ll need to forgive our families—to offer grace to them in the same way grace has been offered to us.

Wednesday’s Reflection

Satan is inviting you to hang on to the hurt caused by your family. Jesus is inviting you to let Him have that hurt. Jesus’ invitation is the way to freedom and peace.