Matthew 12:46-50
46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 12:18-27
18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children.21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
The importance of family life to Jesus is important, but His ideas are much different on family, after I read the four gospels...I always thought growing up that family came first and a husband and wife and family would be together forever...Jesus has such interesting comments about family, including His comments on who His mother is, and who His brothers and sisters are...And later He comments about spouses and marriages in heaven...Families in heaven are much different than what we think of families on earth...The family structure and how we feel about family and family life changes in heaven...As one reads the above verses the family house in heaven must be an eternal house of faith and Truth surrounded by Jesus, His Father, and others of faith, worshiping His Father and doing His Father's will...Life in heaven is not like life on earth...Our minds want to think so much in earthly terms and ways, that is very difficult to imagine and think about heaven...
We are completely influenced by the things on earth and what we do on earth...We want to explain the things of heaven and spirit in earthly terms...Earthly thoughts permeate our minds...I used to think of husband, wife, and family relationships as something eternal, but now Jesus gives us different ideas on marriages in heaven...Jesus teaches us the eternities...Jesus teaches us that the Spirit is the eternal...A father plays a role on earth, as does the mother, as do the brothers and sisters...This group is a close knit group on earth...And maybe the family is the closest group of people on earth...
Since Jesus is divine He seems sometimes like a mysteriously and solitary Man on earth...Yet, He grew up in the house of Joseph and Mary...He has a mother (had a father) and has brothers and sisters...But He is completely influenced by His Father in heaven...And is much more persuaded by His Father, than His family on earth...
One time Jesus brothers and mother wanted to talk to Him...They stood outside were He was teaching and waited...There was a crowd and large following, listening to Him teach...This Solitary Man, even though He had family, continued to teach as His family awaits Him...There seems to be a great difference between the spirit and our bodies while we are on earth...When He asks “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?”, He may be teaching us that He is Divine...Is it possible that His family who grew up with Him showed some overlooked some of the great things He was doing, because of their familiarity with Him?...He teaches us we are all brothers and sisters...And that includes our mothers and fathers...Jesus teaches us that our mothers and brothers are those who do the will of His Father in heaven...Those completely of Spirit will do the will of God...Maybe even though Jesus had a resurrected body, the body will no longer be and the Spirit will survive the earthly body...Regardless, men and women live on...These people continuing doing God's will are the children of the Living God...Men and women must be resurrected or He is not a God of all living...If all men and women die, He might be called a God of the dead...But the soul and spirit of the man lives on, and thus we are blessed with the God of the Living...
Jesus teaches us that even though Adam and Eve were married when they lived on earth together, that will not be the way heaven is, or the heavenly way...We often try to think of all things in an earthly way, and what we are familiar with...That is just the way our thoughts and our minds work...Jesus wants us to try to think more Spiritually...Marriage is an earthly togetherness an earthly closeness...When we pass away marriage will be much different...Marriage when we rise after we die will change, we will neither marry nor be given in marriage; we will be like the angels in heaven...Man's Spirit lives on...
Children of God are a very close group...Children of God are men and women of faith...Faith and Truth must play a large role in the relationships we have in heaven...Following God's will is paramount...Those of complete faith want to do the will of God...The ties and desires of the flesh will be gone...The ties are with the ones and the resurrected Spirits doing the will of God...Those worshiping God and doing His will will continue to be the children of God...