Family Ties May Seek To Choke, Not Bless
Ed, my old neighbor from Saskatchewan, says that if the shoe fits do not wear it. He is telling everyone that Meghan Markle should not have put her foot into Cinderella’s slipper. As the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan will be in a fishbowl in plain view of everyone. She married Prince Harry, but he comes with a royal family. His family is trapped in proper etiquette, traditions, titles, and protocols. According to Ed, being a member of the Royal Family is like being sentenced to a life term in the jail of public life where you must act like a puppet.
All families come with their own unique identity. Most of us did not pick our family of birth. Our parents gave us life and supplied us with siblings and family identity. Some folks remain close to their, parents, siblings and relatives their whole life. Other people are separated from their birth family and relatives, either by distance or by desire. Not all families are tied together by love or goodwill. In fact, some families are dangerous and deadly.
Members of families are always getting recognition, both positive and negative. A hockey player son, when on a team that won the Stanley Cup, brings positive acclaim to a family. A family member accused of a crime results in suspicion of the whole family. People are quick to think in terms of guilt by association. People extend blame and fame to a family because of the success or shame of a family member.
Individual family members may insist on doing their own thing, against the wishes of other family members. The insistence of doing it one’s own way without family support may be wise or dangerous. Family ties may bless or choke an individual. We see this in the Bible with the family of Jesus.
If a family member becomes famous the person’s family will gauge if it is an excellent famous or dangerous fame. Jesus, a carpenter, became a rabbi, gather twelve disciples and went about teaching, healing, and doing miracles. People began to flock to Jesus and his disciples in such numbers that Jesus and his disciples had no time to eat. Opposing powerful religious groups from Jerusalem claimed Jesus was casting out demons from people because he was the prince of demons. Jesus’ family came from Nazareth to take Jesus home for they thought he was getting carried away with himself, he was out of his mind.
His family was concerned for Jesus’ welfare. They felt he needed to come home and take a break from public ministry and to be safe from his enemies. They were also concerned for their family’s reputation; was Jesus, a son and brother a danger to himself? It seems his own family was uncertain about the source of his power to heal, teach, cast out demons, and do miracles. Families are often blind to the talents and gifts of an individual member in their family.
Jesus would not go home with his family. He knew his place was with those who saw him as doing God’s will in his public ministry. They believed Jesus’ teachings and set their hearts on honoring and trusting Him. They tied themselves to Jesus through their faith in him.
