Doing the will of the Father

 Matt 12:50 - For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.


When Jesus was told that his mother and brethren were waiting for him and desiring to speak with him, He responded by stretching his hand towards his disciples and saying that it is really those who “do the will of my Father which is in heaven” who are his true brethren. It’s notable that He did not point to the multitude and simply say that those who “believe in me” are my brethren like we might expect. I think this highlights the necessity of those who claim allegiance to Christ to faithfully follow Him in discipleship and be about the business of doing His will as our new focus and goal. It is a marked change and transformation that sets a new course and a new pattern of life and what distinguishes us as His people.


Now some will quickly pull out Jn 6:40, which states that it is the will of the father to believe in the Son, to try and minimize what it means to do His will as if “just believing” in mental agreement encompasses the whole of what it means to do the will of the Father. They will say that all that is required is that you “believe what Jesus did for you” and that’s it, you’re good to go. Now obviously, that is a necessary first step in redemption, the very first fruits of our faith, but there is much more involved from that point on in doing the will of the Father. Now that we have been redeemed, we look to Jesus and we follow His lead and instruction in obedience and discipleship as His brethren.


The Gospels are full of Jesus teaching along with many practical examples of what it means to walk in His ways and do the will of the Father, as are the epistles and really the entirety of the Word of God. If “just believing” was all that was needed, then the New Testament would only need to be just a page or two about Jesus going to the cross and a statement saying “just believe it”, not hundreds of pages filled with instruction, admonishment, exhortation and warning. We should be praying and pouring through the scriptures and learning what it means to do His will. If we are not learning His ways and following His instruction in obedience and faithfulness, then we are not doing the will of the father, and if we are not doing the will of the father, we are not His brothers and sisters.


Jesus said: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that *doeth the will of my Father* which is in heaven (Matt 7:21). Getting this right is crucial for us as Christians to be considered His brethren, and to enter into the kingdom of heaven. We are told in Hebrews, speaking of Jesus that: Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of *eternal salvation* unto all them that OBEY him (Heb 5:8-9).


That word “obey” is hupakouō, and it means: to hear under (as a subordinate), that is, to listen attentively; by implication to heed or conform to a command or authority: - hearken, be obedient to, obey.


The authority that we must put ourselves under now as Christians is Jesus. So, we need to be careful that we do not dismiss this important fact or try to minimize what it requires of us in ongoing faith and obedience. That’s our charge and focus now as believers after redemption and a key aspect of what it means to do the will of the father.


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