Mark 6:3 “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

We don’t often think about Jesus’ family when He was growing up. Four brothers are named here and there were multiple sisters, so there were at least seven children in the family and possibly more, depending on the number of girls. As the oldest of the brood, Jesus had plenty of training that would come in handy when dealing with His disciples! Family dynamics are a fascinating study, in turns encouraging, amusing, and tragic. How parents respond to their children, and vice versa, and how siblings respond to each other, has an enormous impact on how we turn out as human beings, and the level of peace, satisfaction, and joy we experience. Affluent societies tend toward fewer children, which can at times be really sad. Only children in particular lack a whole range of interactions that prepare us for life in general. There’s nothing like a house full of siblings to teach you that you aren’t the center of the universe! Numerous studies, not to mention personal observation, tell us that selfishness, being self-centered, never leads to true happiness. Certainly not all only children turn out that way, but they have a major handicap in that direction. An infant is naturally self-absorbed, as well as being curious about the world around them. Wise parents are careful to teach their children from the start to respect others and others’ belongings. If they fail to do so, the odds are high that the children will become selfish and demanding. That certainly isn’t a recipe for happiness! God knew what Jesus needed to prepare Him for ministry, so He gave Him a whole crew of younger brothers and sisters as a training ground. We need to be grateful for the families we have, and allow God to use them to train and grow us as we need, even when the friction level gets high. After all, as was noted all the way back in Proverbs, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

This is very timely for me, because one of my spiritual children and his wife just had their first child yesterday. I’ve been praying a lot for them! With over 40 years of school teaching behind me, I’ve seen a lot of young people, and some of them I could tell you a lot about their family without ever having been told it: siblings, financial level, and the like. My wife and I both grew up with three siblings each, but my father-in-law was one of seven, and my mother-in-law one of 11! We only have two daughters for medical reasons, much as my father only had one sister, likewise for medical reasons. I do a lot of pre-marital counseling as a condition for the weddings I perform, and I always bring this issue up. I don’t have all wisdom, certainly, but I try to steer them toward what I see as the Biblical pattern, since our heavenly Father desires genuine blessing and happiness for us.
After all, families are His idea!

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do pray for my spiritual son and his wife that they would raise their son, and any succeeding siblings, as You desire and intend, to know and love You and be the person You created him to be, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!