When the service ended, two men introduced themselves to Karen and me at the front of the sanctuary. They welcomed us to Cornville and then the taller of the two turned to me and said “when you live here son, you got to declare which side you’re on”. Karen grinned knowingly and turned her attention to the woman who greeted her. Panic began to set in – how could my new wife – a native Cornvillain and familiar with their strange ways, abandon me like that to these 2 grinning sod busters?

“Ugh, politics already” I thought to myself. I’d hoped by moving away from Seattle there wouldn’t be any partisan politics to contend with. Yet there it was and in church of all places! “Do you mean what political party do I belong to?” “Nah, not that. But you still got to declare.” I must have looked to them like a deer caught in the headlights. “I don’t get it” I confessed. “Red or green” he demanded. “You mean like what’s my favorite color?” His grin was replaced by a look of consternation as he blurted out “Are you daft, boy, John Deere or Case IH?”

When I answered, one of the two turned his back on me and stomped away with a look of disgust; the other put his arm around my shoulder and said “welcome to the family, son”.

Family. We have such funny ideas about what makes a family; brand loyalty; politics; an insurance company; a bank. Fatherless families; defined by a loose association around a common choice. What would become of my big green John Deere family if they saw me out driving a red tractor (Case IH)? Surely they would see it as a kind of betrayal and I’d be called upon to repent or face banishment.

Six months before moving to Illinois, Karen and I visited relatives in Cornville where God inspired her with a word from Genesis 28:15 saying “I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land.” When she returned home Karen wisely kept the word to herself until one Sunday when we were running late for church and slipped into the back row. Looking over the bulletin there was a name I didn’t recognize playing guitar in the praise band. “Who’s that” I asked myself. The Spirit replied “that’s your replacement” which came as quite a shock since normally it was my name in the bulletin. I asked Him “where am I going?” and He answered “you’re moving”. I couldn’t tell you another thing about the service that Sunday – the Holy Spirit had set my mind to spinning. When I told Karen about the experience later that afternoon, she told me about the word God gave her while in Illinois.

Naturally I was resistant since I’m a native of Washington where my relatives live. But the reality is when a long distance relationship like ours leads to marriage, one or the other of us had to resign our job, sell our home, say goodbye to our relatives, and move. Flying between Seattle and Chicago every other weekend like we did when courting just wasn’t an option.

In time I came to accept that moving to Cornville was God’s leading for us though we were both clueless about His purpose. God’s will for us in moving had everything to do with knowing our Heavenly Father and making us into His family to live in His kingdom.

Living in Cornville we spent many years trying to make a spiritual family of our blood relatives. Time and again our hearts were broken by their rejection of the living Jesus in deference to their religious traditions and works of the flesh. When we witnessed about the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, mocking ensued. And yet on some level, they recognized we have an intimacy with Jesus they lack and called on us to give the blessing at holiday meals. Inviting Jesus by prayer to break bread with us we had hoped our relatives, all professing Christians, would remember Him in our conversation and fellowship like Jesus asked us to do. Likewise, that our gathering together would demonstrate our love for Jesus by obeying His commands. But upon saying “Amen”, conversation habitually turned to gossip, reviling others and many other offenses that grieve the Holy Spirit and defile the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 5:11). When we called the behavior out, we were rejected. They didn’t even recognize that the corrections we cited, were rooted in scripture. In the end, the Father prompted us to to wash their feet to effect restoration and healing. All refused (John 13:8) whereupon the Father directed us to shake the dust from our feet, and leave (Matthew 10:14).

It’s a sad fact that many professing Christians lead a divided life. Their Christianity is for church, the ways of the world are for everywhere else. Where everyone at the family home is a Christian, are they the Church when they assemble? Do they abide by the Word of God? Or by house rules?

Returning to Washington, the Father has done much to comfort, heal and teach us. The most eye opening revelation for me has to do with what makes a family, from God’s perspective. The word “family” it turns out, appears just once in the New Testament; specifically Ephesians 3:15 where Paul writes that families are named for Jesus Christ. Thus families from God’s perspective, are of the Spirit, not the flesh. That would be why Jesus said “You must not call anyone here on earth ‘Father,’ because you have only one Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 23:9 GNB) Further study showed me what our culture commonly refers to as “family” is referred to as “kinsmen” or “relatives” in scripture. Some modern translations have introduced the word “family” to scripture in an effort to be more contemporary, but that is not supported by the original Greek manuscripts. A Biblical understanding of “family” helped greatly in understanding what Jesus endured when He returned to His childhood home in Nazareth. Indeed He knows the heartache Karen and I experienced in returning to Cornville.

About Nazareth, Luke writes that their unbelief was so great, Jesus could do only a few miracles there. In their synagogue Jesus read from Isaiah and revealed Himself as the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah. The men of Nazareth were so enraged they drove Jesus from the synagogue with intent to throw Him from a cliff and kill Him (Luke 4:16-30 ESV). Jesus escaped them and left Nazareth because they hindered Him from walking in the fullness of the Spirit’s power. Even after leaving, Nazareth hounded Jesus with their unfaith. Mark wrote that Jesus’ family claimed “he is out of his mind” and attempted to seize him (Mark 3:21). John wrote that Jesus own brothers didn’t believe in him (John 7:5). In yet another confrontation with faithless Nazareth, His mother and brothers came to where Jesus was teaching a large crowd, cited their relationship to Him and sought to interrupt Jesus so they could speak to Him. But Jesus, who knows the hearts of all men, continued teaching and said “whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (Matt 12:46-50, Mark 3:31-35, Luke 8:19-21). I take what Jesus said in two ways; for His disciples it was an admonishment to do the will of God, but for His mother and brothers, it was a rebuke for attempting to interfere with God’s will.

Consider these words of Jesus about the cost and reward of doing the will of God: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29).

Likewise these words from Paul about those who interfere with your faith walk: Do not associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (1 Corinthians 5:11 ESV)

Finally, remember also what Jesus told the man who wanted to follow Him but first wanted to bury his earthly father; “let the dead bury themselves” Jesus said. It may be that the power of God and the spiritual family and fellowship you long for, eludes you because you’re unwilling to release the dead thing you’ve been cleaving to. Letting go the dead has certainly released more of God in our lives.

So friends, is your Nazareth holding you back from walking in the fullness of Christ? A people whose unfaith is so great that it inhibits the power of Christ in you?