Behold Your MOTHER where are her "sons and daughters"?

“While Jesus Christ The Messiah was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.’ But He answered and said to the one who told Him, ‘Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and Mother’” (Matthew 12:46-50 KJV).

“One of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Jesus as is written and recorded in,Luke 11:27-28

27And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto Him, Blessed is the womb (birth rite of passage) that bare thee, and the paps (milk of nourishment)which thou hast sucked.

28 But He said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. (KJV)

Also entailed within this reply of Jesus in HIS ministry is brought forth FAMILY in that those who DO (execute) "The Will" of His Father in Heaven are Blessed- and "those" BLESSED are His Mother, Brother and Sister

As we look at "being born again INTO  the state of Confusion" (Babylon) then (sequence) The Lord HIMSELF raises UP (aka: The First Resssurection) and OUT OF confusion and then "translated" becoming FAMILY  (in effect getting to a better "state of MIND" putting on the mind of CHRIST.)

But still it behooves us to look deeper (and more "spiritually") into this. Jesus said those whom DO THE WILL of His Father "become" that FAMILY.

As I look back over a recent encounter of one representing those still debating about the organization of “church” and especially THE WOMANS PLACE have not yet seen the Ekklesia as a FAMILY...the Qahal, an "organisational structure" mentioned in the masoretic text of the Bible, which the Septuagint refers to as the Ekklesia. And so their emphasis is on the proper government of “church”: is it a single pastor, or a plurality of elders? What are the relationships between pastors, deacons and elders? What about the relationships between apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers? What about prophetesses? Or are they for today? What about the women – can they hold "a position" or not? Where are the lines of Authority? Who are we supposed to submit to? Who is our covering? Do we need a covering? Better Yet, What IS This Covering? And so on.

Many disputes arise as to how “church” should be organized and who should submit to whom. Millions of people have been killed over these disputes, and millions more have been abused – spiritually and emotionally, if not physically. These disputes have been with us for two millennia and have never been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

The only way to resolve a dispute along the lines of organization is to let go of the "earthly" altogether and embrace the spiritual reality. But for many (particularly those in leadership and forgive me but Men especially who have been reared in traditional dogmatic church denominationism) this is simply too much to give up. Some will say, “But there IS organization in the Bible.” And I, Teresa D. Smith,  would respond that there IS a "Spirit-and-Truth" order in the Bible, but NOT "organization along the lines" of a corporate hierarchy, bureaucracy, or benevolent dictatorship. Those are all carnal expressions of carnal men. They are not for "the Ekklesia"  as described in the Septuagint.

If we really truly, TRULY SAW "the Ekklesia" we would no longer debate these issues at all. In fact, if we could really SEE "the Ekklesia" for what it IS – A FAMILY – then we will immediately know Who the Head of The Family is, who the elders are, what they are supposed to DO, who has "authority", and who does not (better yet from whom and where THAT AUTHORITY proceeds.) We would no longer be concerned with a "corporate structure" in Ekklesia Church  or the BUSINESS thereof, but we would simply relate to one another as members of the same family. Relating to the "Business" in terms of  The Family in the distribution thereof.

The Ekklesia that Jesus is building is a spiritual house of living stones. This Ekklesia is a Family, and “of Jesus the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:15). Which family? The family of "believers"!!! Some of The Family is in heaven, while some of The Family is on earth. Some of The Family in Heaven do physical battle while some of The Family on earth do the spiritual battle. 

In 2 John 1,  it is written in this Light of the Ekklesia thusly:

The elder,
To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— ² because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:
³ Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
⁴ It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. ⁵ And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. ⁶ And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.


In this Family, God is Father (GodHead), and Jesus Christ (The Messiah)  is the Firstborn among many brothers and sisters (Romans 8:29). When we become a disciple of Jesus Christ we "become" members of a "family", not members of an "organization". This is one of the key differences between a living FAMILY (Ekklesia) and a dead “church” (organization) often DIVIDED against itself into denominations.

That is what Jesus Christ in HIS mission conveys to the people in the two instances illustrated from the Gospels. In the first case His mother and brothers were prevented from approaching Him because of the crowd. The Scriptures say that Jesus was still speaking to the multitudes when someone interrupted HIS teaching to tell Him that His Mother and brothers had arrived and wanted to speak to Him. An ordinary person may have become angry over the interruption, or would have excused themselves from the crowd to go to say hello to his relatives.

But Jesus is no ordinary person; He is the Son of the Most High God. The Learned understand that He was Truly Father (Godhead) in Son (Messiah) TO PAY A PRICE  for "sin" in order to Redeem The Body of Christ (Family not "church" as in "organizational structure" but FAMILIAL structure). What He demonstrates to them (in word and in deed) is that everyone who does the will of God is His brother, sister, and Mother (the make-up of a Family); that is to say, all the members of His family are on equal ground before Him. In this family He plays no favorites, He gives no preferential treatment. He does not have special brothers and special sisters; all are equally precious, all are equally valuable in His sight.

Others may argue over who will be the greatest and seek the recognition and praise from man with their title, degree, position, or gifting, but Jesus said, “It must not be so among you” (Matthew 20:26). If He makes no distinction among brothers and sisters then we dare not do so. And I dare might add if He paid the awesome price on the Cross in HIS shed blood who are we to see a family members ERASED SIN, and shame one and KEEP THEM IN BONDAGE instead of proudly standing as One Of The Family? I am sick to death of the self-righteous who shame and condemn one because of their sexual orientation or an abortion or selling her body for money to feed her child... instead of sharing with them WHO they are NOW in Christ. LIFT UP AND EDUCATE, correct in love..GROW THEM. I immediately think of a song by 10th Avenue North YOU ARE MORE (than the sum of your past mistakes or the problems you've created).

In the second case, as in the first, Jesus is teaching when someone interrupts Him. A woman calls out from the crowd and blesses Mary, the mother of Jesus. Again, an ordinary person may have been disturbed over this interruption, or might have started talking about how much they loved their mother. But once again, we see the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus, and we touch upon the depth of His wisdom and character.

Certainly Jesus loved His earthly mother. At the same time, with His keen discernment, Jesus perceived that this outburst of emotion was mere sentimentality. Though it was intended as a compliment, it came from the flesh, added nothing to His teaching, and only served to distract the people from Himself. With the benefit of 2,000 years of "church" history behind us, we can see how this kind of fleshly adulation over the Mother of Jesus is, in and of itself, a tremendous distraction from Jesus Himself.

And so, for the benefit of the crowd (as well as for our benefit), Jesus speaks a gentle word of correction, one that honors His mother without idolizing her: “Yea rather…” the King James Version says; that is to say, “True enough, but get your eyes off of the earthly and onto the heavenly. There is a greater blessing to be had, and this blessing is not restricted to one person, but this blessing is open and available to all who will have it.” But in the hierachy of FAMILY though it is revealed a sweet morsal of "future" truth in the singular and the plural. A word to the wise is sufficient.

How is this blessing obtained? According to Jesus, those who hear the Word of God and obey it are blessed. And this is not surprising, since everything Jesus ever taught makes a plain distinction between people who merely listen to His teaching and those who actually put His teachings into practice. Blessed are they who hear it and keep it; while those who hear it, and do not practice it, are building on a sandy foundation that will collapse the moment they are challenged.

The principle thing in both cases is: what constitutes someone as a true brother or sister? And in both cases the answer is the same: doing the will of the Father; hearing the Word of God and keeping it. Doing the will of the Father is the same thing as hearing and keeping the Word of God. Simple obedience. Doing what the Father wants. Not hearing only, but hearing and doing.

Now the “church” is full of hearers. If we could qualify someone as a brother or sister merely on the basis of hearing, or a cross worn around the neck, or a Christian Bumper Sticker then just about everyone would be included. It is common in many circles to address others as “Brother So-and-So” or “Sister So-and-So.” and honestly I never "got that". For as I looked into my own earthly family I never addressed them as brother or sister but it was understood as such is the way with Family. Presumably this means that we are all in the same family and we have the same Father. Yet these same “brothers” and “sisters” will never fellowship with anyone outside their little group. Their criteria is narrow – attend the same group as we do, or join the same denomination, and we will be "brothers and sisters". This is a good example of hearing what Jesus says, even preaching what Jesus says, and then failing to put into practice the very truth they have just claimed to believe.

Bear in mind that what makes someone a part of this Family is not hearing, or accepting, or believing, or teaching the will of God – it is doing the will of God. Jesus did not call every religious person, “Brother” or “Sister”. This was a term of endearment for his true disciples. True disciples take it to heart and put it into practice. “IF you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed” (John 8:31). IF, IF, IF. What if you do not continue in His Word? Then you are not My disciples, and you are not My brother, or sister, or My Mother. To be in My Family you have to do the Will of My Father.

What about the others? Jesus would not acknowledge them as brothers and sisters. Why not? Because they did not have the same father. “You are of YOUR father the devil, and the desires of YOUR father you want to do” (John 8:44). They heard the Word of God. They listened to the law and the prophets every Sabbath day. But they did not do the will of God. In fact, they did not desire the will of God at all; they lusted after the same things their father The Devil lusted after, and that will did the devil’s bidding, not the Father’s in Heaven.

On top of all the other trials and tribulations Paul endured, he mentioned being “in perils among false brethren” (II Corinthians 11:26b), and blamed part of his troubles on “false brethren secretly brought in, who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage” (Galatians 2:4). False brothers! It is a strong word. But this is how false Christs, false apostles, false prophets, and false teachers make their beginning – as false brothers and sisters. As is with all things we KNOW them by their fruit. Have you been "gossiped about by one of your false brothers and sisters". The TIME IS NOW to cull out from amongst yourselves my Children those who have a false sense of allegiance. Know when the battle cry is sounded, and the battle begins...who is in the FOXHOLE with you? Will they shoot you in the back, or will they charge out with you on the front line taking back the land which The Devil and his children have "stealthily" STOLEN it from us?

So the question that Jesus asked bears repeating today: Who is my brother? Who is my sister? Who is my Mother? Certainly not everyone who says, “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In similar manner, not everyone who says, “Brother! Brother!” is really a brother or "Sister! Sister!" is really a sister. Yet learning how to be a good brother or a good sister is the first thing Jesus wants to teach us. When we are born into this Family that is all we are – a brother or a sister. Every apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral, or teaching ministry must have, as its foundation, the spiritual depth and maturity of knowing how to “just” be a brother or sister. We skip this necessary preparation at our own peril, and the Family of God in the Kingdom of God suffers as a result.

Jesus says, “I will declare Your Name to My brothers, in the midst of the Ekklesia (Family) will I sing praise to You!” (Hebrews 2:12). Nothing brings more pleasure to the Father’s heart, and gives our Lord Jesus more reason to rejoice, than to be with His brothers and sisters in the midst of the Ekklesia that He is building. If He is in the midst of the Ekklesia then that is where I want to be. May the Lord confirm this word to our heart. May His Will be done. And I will end in repeating the Title of this message today Behold Your MOTHER yet whom is said to be her "sons and daughters"? KNOW IN YOUR HEART YOU ARE SOMEONE WORTH DYING FOR, and I LIVE for you! Amen.