One day when Jesus was teaching the multitudes, someone informed Him that His mother and brothers had come and desired to speak to Him. Jesus knew who His mother and brothers were, but used the opportunity to teach a spiritual truth. Stretching out His hand toward His disciples, Jesus said to the one who told Him of His family’s arrival, “Here are My mother and My brothers!” With His next statement, Jesus explained how or in what way His followers were close relatives. “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” In this passage, Jesus indicated a family relationship of a spiritual nature between His disciples and Himself (Matthew 12:46-50).
Those who do the will of God do not become Jesus’ brothers and sisters by doing it, but demonstrate that they are His brothers and sisters. The apostle John wrote, “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17) We know that a person receives eternal life when they believe in Jesus (John 3:16), and doing the will of God after they come to Christ is evidence of the life they received. That evidence will be brought out on the last day, the day of judgment. Jesus said of judgment day, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) Those who are the Lord’s will have demonstrated, by doing the will of God throughout their Christian lives, that they had a relationship with Christ. To those who do not do God’s will, Jesus will say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (See Matthew 7:23)