Kingdom culture
by Jeremy Lie
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He replied to him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ (Matthew 12:48)
Read Matthew 12:43–50
Whenever we approach a text written at a different time, in a different language and for a different culture, we ought to come as guests. We are not the experts; we are not the hosts. We need to set aside our own agendas and ways of understanding the world and try to see the text through the lens of the world in which it was written. And today’s text is no different.
We all have different relationships and experiences with our families, and family can mean many things, depending on who you ask. However, crucially, when Jesus talks about family, it is important to understand the cultural significance of family in the ancient Middle East.
We live in what is known as an individualist culture, meaning the individual is placed at the top of our value system. We make decisions based on personal morality, whether we will be found guilty or innocent for acting in a particular way. Jesus lived in a collectivist culture, meaning the motivating questions were not based around individual expression or fulfilment but on what brings honour or shame to the community and, perhaps most importantly, the family. For Jesus to essentially disown his family was wildly radical. So why did he do it?
As important as family was in Jesus’ culture, the kingdom culture he is announcing and inaugurating is of far more value. The kingdom of heaven is not reduced to a single culture or bloodline; it is a family united by faith. This idea went against what the Jewish people believed and were being taught. It was a challenging and confronting notion for Jesus’ disciples.
Can we relate to how Jesus’ disciples might have felt at that moment or how Jesus’ mother and brothers would have reacted? What parts of our lives and ways of understanding the world do we hold onto that Jesus invites us to let go of? I encourage you to meditate on that question as we pray.
Heavenly Father, we live in a particular time and place. But you transcend space and time. Teach us more about your kingdom family and culture. Help and challenge us to place our own biases and assumptions aside as we learn to sit at your feet and soak up all you have to teach us. Amen.
Jeremy is a chaplain at Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School (LORDS) in Queensland. He loves working with young people as they journey through life and search for connection and meaning. He is particularly passionate about reshaping conventional ideals of masculinity and empowering young people to view vulnerability not as a show of weakness but as a sign of strength.
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