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Mark 3:31-35

Meet Jesus Old Family

In these verses we encounter Jesus mother and his brothers. This is a curious inclusion becausemost Christians today take the perpetual virginity o Mary as a given! which means that Jesuswould not have had any siblings at all. "is mother isnt named as Mary at this point! which is alsointeresting. #hat does Jesus do when she comes to talk to him$ "e re%ects her&

Meet Jesus 'ew Family

'ot only does Jesus reuse to go out and see his mother (one likes to think )the multitude* insidewould have understood and been able to occupy themselves or a ew minutes+! but he arguesthat the people inside are his )real* amily. ,nd who are those outside who came to see him$They must not be )amily* anymore.

The boundaries o )amily* are e-panded beyond blood relatives! spouses! and even disciples toinclude those who hunger or a relationship with od and are willing to do ods will. It does not!however! include those blood relatives who dont have the )correct* relationship with od.

On the one hand this is a radical redeinition o what it means to have amily and community.Jesus redeines a whole slew o intimate relationships! the boundaries and nature o which hadbeen developed and built up over millennia o Jewish custom. For Jesus! those who worktogether to ulill the #ill o od are the true amily! regardless o any blood kinship they mightaccidentally share. #hat really counts are the choices one makes ater one is born! not the olksone is related to through no personal decisions.

This was! I am sure! very comorting to the early Christians who were e-periencing problems withtheir own amilies. The situation or Christians in the irst and second centuries would have beenrather similar to the situation acing converts to new religious movements today/ suspicion! ear!and above all serious pressure rom more )traditional* amily members who cant understandwhat would pull a person away rom blood and kin! taking up with those no0good hippies living onthat arm.

On the other hand! such passages make the whole )amily values* argument o modernevangelical Christians diicult to uphold. Christianity is no longer a )new religious movement.*Christianity is no longer a radical belie system that takes people away rom parents and siblings1it has stopped being a challenge to the system and now is )the system.* Jesus message simplydoesnt make as much sense in the conte-t o a powerul! dominant! and pervasivelyChristiani2ed society.

3vangelical Christians in ,merica today portray themselves as staunch deenders o amilyvalues 4 not so much because they are simply good people! but rather because they are suchgood ollowers o the principles set down by Jesus. ,ccording to them! asking Jesus ororgiveness and ollowing what od wants o you will naturally make you a better mother! a betterather! a better sibling! and so orth. In short! amily values come rom being the sort o good

Christian Jesus e-pects you to be.

#hat sorts o )amily values* did Jesus promote$ In the gospel stories we dont see him sayingmuch about amilies. #hat we do see! however! isnt very inspiring and doesnt appear to be thesort o role model that one would e-pect or ,merica today.

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Batangas History

3arly 5eginnings6ong beore the 7paniards came! large centers o population already thrived in 5atangas. 'ativesettlements lined the 8ansipit 9iver! a ma%or waterway. Mr. 9obert C. Fo-! an ,mericanarchaeologist! revealed that based on archaeological indings particularly in Calatagan peninsula!the province has been trading with the Chinese since :uan ;ynasty until irst phase o Ming;ynasty in the

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In =! 5atangas became the irst practically organi2ed province in 6u2on. 5alayan was thecapital o the province or years rom H@0