In 3:31-35 we see the fifth auxiliary act for the Slave-Savior’s gospel service: not remaining in the relationship of the natural life but in that of the spiritual life. Mark 3:31 and 32 say, “And His mother and His brothers came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a crowd sat around Him, and they said to Him, Behold, your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside seeking you.” After the opposers’ blasphemy, instigated by Satan, the relatives of the Slave-Savior came again to trouble Him by their natural concern for Him. Undoubtedly, this also was motivated by the evil one.
According to verses 33 through 35, the Lord said, “Who is My mother and My brothers? And looking around at those sitting in a circle around Him, He says, Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, this is My brother and sister and mother.” The Lord’s word here indicates His rejection of His relatives’ natural concern. In order to defeat the evil one’s schemes and fulfill His gospel service, He would not remain in the relationship of the natural life. This displayed His absoluteness for God in His humanity.
Looking at those sitting in a circle around Him, the Lord declared, “Behold, My mother and My brothers!” Then He went on to say that whoever does the will of God is His brother, sister, and mother. Here we see that the Lord’s relationship with His followers is not in the flesh but in the spirit. Whoever does the will of His Father is His brother for helping, His sister for sympathizing, and His mother for tenderly loving.
Through His gospel service the Slave-Savior was making the believing sinners His spiritual relatives, those who became His many brothers (Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:11) in the house of God (Heb. 3:5) and His many members for the building up of His mystical Body (Eph. 5:30; 1 Cor. 12:12) to do the will of God.
Today the Roman Catholic Church considers Mary the mother of God. But here the Lord Jesus denied His natural relationship with His mother and said that the one who does the will of God is His mother. This indicates that a sister who does God’s will may have the boldness to declare that she is a mother to the Lord Jesus. Furthermore, it is not presumptuous for all of us to say with boldness that we are the Lord’s brothers.
In 3:31-35 we see that the Slave-Savior did not remain in the relationship of the natural life. Instead, His relationship with His followers was of the spiritual life. From this auxiliary act we see that in order to be powerful in God’s ministry we need to deny the natural relationships. The greatest entanglement to God’s ministry is the natural relationship with father or mother, husband or wife, children or relatives. By denying the natural relationship the Lord Jesus avoided this entanglement.
In these five auxiliary acts for the Slave-Savior’s gospel service we see that there is no ground for the natural concept, the natural understanding, or the natural relationship. In these auxiliary acts everything is spiritual, holy, and divine, altogether contrary to the human concept. If we would follow the Lord to have these auxiliary acts today, we should not give ground to natural concepts or relationships. In order to follow the Lord in these matters, everything must be spiritual, divine, holy, and according to God. Then we shall have the standing and the boldness to carry out God’s work.
I hope that we all, especially the young ones, will be helped and impressed by these auxiliary acts for the Lord’s gospel service. In particular, we need to be impressed never to consider the Lord’s recovery, the Lord’s ministry, and the Lord’s move in a natural way. We should not measure the things of the recovery according to the natural understanding.
All the events recorded in the Gospel of Mark took place under the Lord’s sovereignty. First, in 1:14-45 we have five matters that form the contents of the Slave-Savior’s gospel service. Then in 2:1—3:6 we have five incidents that show us the ways of carrying out the gospel service. As we have seen, we also have the five auxiliary acts in 3:7-35. These five cases, five incidents, and five acts, happened according to God’s sovereignty in an excellent sequence. If we see these matters, we shall know how to carry out God’s ministry. If we see the contents, the ways, and the acts, we shall know what the Lord’s gospel service is, we shall know how to carry out this service, and we shall know how to have the ground, the position, for doing God’s work.