The ancient world was obsessed with ancestry, lineage, and family ties. Family is indeed important for our socialization and development as people. But there are many who do not have a family: slaves, orphans, widows, refugees, and migrants to name just a few. Some families turn out to be abusive and unhealthy. And in terms of religion, what of those who do not belong to the chosen race, the chosen people of God? How can they have access to God with such a limiting concept?
Jesus, however, provides an entirely different model of family, one in which all people have access. It is not based on ancestry or race. It is based entirely on our desire and effort to do the will of God - to live a life of mercy and love extended to all people. In this model, all in some way belong to the family of God where everyone is brother and sister to one another, and where God is Father of all. It is a place where the Prodigal and the ungrateful older son always have a place in the Father's house.
So, as religion continues to cling to narrow concepts of belonging and where exclusion is a more pressing concern than inclusion, the call of Jesus remains as our ideal to follow. As religions struggle to figure out why it is in such decline, the model of Jesus remains as a blueprint for renewal and transformation - where mercy and loving service are the standard and lights to guide our way to God's kingdom.
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