Family can be difficult. Family are the ones who have seen you at your best and worst. They have seen you when you reached the big milestone, like getting that new job or promotion that you really wanted. They have also seen those things that did not work out the way you had hoped, like the time you tried out that new haircut or moved to a different city. Family can be our greatest supporters and our toughest critics.

Jesus had a family just like you. They saw him in the midst of the day to day. And, like many siblings, Jesus’ brothers were not too impressed. Crowds of strangers gathered around him throughout his earthly ministry. They all wanted to be near Jesus. There was something attractive about this man that drew people to him. But not his siblings. They were not as taken to him as the crowds. In fact, they thought Jesus was out of his mind (Mark 3:21).

But this family’s story goes on. If we continue reading the Bible, we will find that Jesus’ siblings had more to say. In fact, his brother James goes on to write a letter to the church. In it James calls himself a servant of the Lord Jesus (James 1:1). What changed? Earlier James said that Jesus was out of his mind. Now James calls his brother Lord and identifies himself as his brother’s servant. Consider that for a moment. If you have siblings, how many of you would volunteer to be their servant? What could have caused such a seismic shift in James?

The answer is the resurrection. The resurrected Christ appeared to his brother and it changed everything (1 Corinthians 15:7). As James looked into the face of his risen brother, he knew that Jesus was not out of his mind. Quite the opposite, in fact. Everything he said was true. Suddenly the crowds made sense. Who wouldn’t want to draw near to this man, this man who is God? The only option left for James was to make his risen brother his Lord. It was to throw himself at his brother’s feet, giving him absolute command of his life.

Like James, the resurrection calls us to redirect our lives. Jesus is not just a good teacher in a long list of other teachers. He is not simply our wise life coach. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the King of kings who rules over all things. He is the great Redeemer, who is removing the curse of sin from this world. As James encountered his risen Savior, he understood and this realization redirected his life.

Who do you say that Jesus is? Is he out of his mind? Or is he the Lord?

In Him,

Tom