阅读经文 

在我成长起来的教会中，我们时常都会唱《真快乐，我是神家中的人》，这首歌对我有特别的意义，因为我们的近亲住在离开我们超过1000英里的地方，我们一生中大部分的时光和侍奉都是与基督里的弟兄姊妹（和叔叔婶婶们）一起度过的。

在今天的经文中，我们看到耶稣与祂最亲近的朋友圈一起生活和侍奉的情景，他们就是那些相信祂和放下一切来跟从祂的人。耶稣和他们一起履行父神的旨意，他们就是耶稣属灵的家人。

耶稣指出跟从祂的人便是祂的家人，此处重点不是要轻看祂的原生家庭，乃是要表达信徒之间的联系是极其重要的。神的旨意是要祂的子民成为一个群体，加强彼此的信心，与喜乐的人同乐，和与哀哭的人同哭。（参罗 12:15）作为跟从基督的人，我们若清楚表明我们“彼此相爱”，（参约 13:35）这就是我们在世人面前的见证了。

我们的原生家庭有时会令我们失望，泼我们冷水，甚至不理会我们。然而，神却呼召我们加入一个更紧密和更宽广的网络——一同成为神的大家庭。当我们彼此相爱、互相支持、寻求神的旨意和一起作工时，我们就是在效法耶稣的榜样，在爱护我们主内弟兄姊妹了。

In the church I grew up in, we used to sing, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.” This song was special to me because our extended family lived more than 1,000 miles away, and we shared most of our life and ministry with our brothers and sisters (and uncles and aunts) in Christ.

In today’s Bible reading, we find Jesus sharing life and ministry with the people in his closest circle, the ones who believed in him and gave up everything to follow him. Together they were doing the will of God the Father. They were Jesus’ spiritual family.

The point of Jesus’ naming his followers as family was not to dismiss the importance of his biological relatives but to show that the connection with fellow believers was vitally important. God wills for his people to be in community, to strengthen one another in faith, to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15). Our witness to the world as Christ-followers can be that we clearly “love one another” (John 13:35).

Sometimes our biological families disappoint, discourage, or dismiss us. But God calls us to a higher and wider network—to be the family of God together. When we love and support one another, seeking to do God’s will and work together, we follow Jesus’ example of cherishing our spiritual brothers and sisters.