8B. The Influential Jesus Household

Jesus with children around him Jesus felt that the household was of great significance in the Early Church. He called himself "the householder" and spoke of "his own household." ¹¹ He described himself as "the master of the household" and his disciples as "servants of the household."¹²

Jesus' brothers, sisters and mother

Jesus' own Household of Faith, his brothers, sisters and family, came to the fore after his resurrection, even though they did not appear to figure largely in his earthly ministry. His brother James became bishop (or president) of the church in Jerusalem after Peter had been executed. The historian Eusebius reported that after James died another relative, a cousin of Jesus called Simon son of Clopas, became the leader of the Jerusalem congregation. Another brother, Jude, composed an epistle which found its way into the canon of the Bible. James and Jude were of the line of David, and blood brothers or at least cousins to Jesus.

JESUS' HOUSEHOLD IS PRE-EMINENT IN THE EARLY CHURCH

The Dynasty of Jesus

The Household of Jesus was so important that Roman leaders in the early centuries tried to destroy it on several occasions. They tried without success to eradicate what they believed to be a "dynasty of Jesus." In AD 70, the Emperor Vespasian ordered a search for Jesus descendants, believing that the line of David was the royal household of the Early Church. James, the brother of Jesus, may have been regarded as the Protector or Prince Regent until the imminent expected return of his brother, the Messiah. Jesus had no children therefore his biological line died out. Even so his brothers, sisters and mother still occupied very highly respected places within the Early Church. This was a threat to the Roman Empire, which they sought to destroy.

The Real Household of Jesus

The real household of Jesus did not die out. His followers, the ordinary people who were Christians, continued his real dynasty. The Emperor Diocletian set up a stone pillar with the inscription, "For having exterminated the name Christian from the face of the earth." Far from wiping it out, the blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church. The Waldesians later represented the church as an anvil with many broken and worn out hammers lying around it. The title reads, "One anvil - many hammers." The real Household of Jesus, the anvil, continued and flourished down the ages despite persecution.

Questions for Discussion

1. What importance did the Jesus' family have in the establishment of the Early Church?

2. How important is your family in your Christian Faith?

"You are fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household." Ephesians 2.19

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