076: Jesus' Mother and His Relatives Attempt to Meet With Him: Public Ministry of Jeus from the First Passover to the Second: Gospel Harmony [LivingWeb Library]

Gospel Harmony Project
Public Ministry of Jesus From 2nd to 3rd Passover

075: Jesus' Friends Think He is Beside Himself

076: Jesus' Mother and His Relatives Attempt to Meet With Him

And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. - Luke 8:21

Book	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Passage	12:46-50	3:31-35	8:19-21	Not in this book
Lectionary	Not in the Lectionary	Proper 5B	Not in the Lectionary
Text	46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.	31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.	19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. 20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.
Manuscripts
Differences
Parallels
Time Frame	Autumn (About Sep-Oct) of 28 A.D. / 780 A.U.C, near the end of his Third Journey, about 1½ years into his public ministry (about half-way through his public minstry).

Hymns

Family of God, by Gaithers

See also:

Event 073: Woman Blesses Jesus' Mother

Quotes

None are so near to Jesus Christ as those who hear the word of God and do it. The union between him and them will live when all other ties are sundered, and will grow more intimate and delightful for ever.

- Family Bible Notes

Later Jesus will make "doing" a test of friendship for him (Joh 15:14).

- Robertson's New Testament Word Pictures

See the highest severity, and the highest goodness! Severity to his natural, goodness to his spiritual relations! In a manner disclaiming the former, who opposed the will of his heavenly Father, and owning the latter, who obeyed it.

- John Wesley's Notes Upon the New Testament (Matthew 12:46-52)

The spiritual relationship outweighs the natural one. Believers are the true "Holy Family."

- Spurgeon Devotional Commentary

Henceforth it is clear that after the flesh he knows no man any more; neither can we hope to know him by birth-right membership, or anything else that is of blood, or birth, or of the will of the flesh. The inner life which is akin to God, and shows itself in holiness, is that which gives us union with our Lord.

- Spurgeon's Commentary on Matthew

By doing the will of God we become his spiritual children, and thus we become related to Christ.

- Fourfold Gospel

The bonds that link together those who are seeking to do the will of God are not only more enduring but more important than the ties of the family.

- Howard Clark Kee, Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary: Matthew, p. 625

His brethren-His kinsmen: they were the sons of Mary, the wife of Cleopas, or Alpheus, his mother's sister; and came now seeking to take him, as one beside himself, Mr 3:21. Mr 3:31; Lu 8:19.

- John Wesley's Notes Upon the New Testament (Matthew 12:46-52)

These are supposed to have been the cousins of our Lord, as the word brother is frequently used among the Hebrews in this sense. But there are others who believe Mary had other children beside our Lord and that these were literally his brothers, who are spoken of here. And, although it be possible that these were the sons of Mary, the wife of Cleopas or Alpheus, his mother's sister, called his relations, Mr 3:31; yet it is as likely that they were the children of Joseph and Mary, and brethren of our Lord, in the strictest sense of the word. See on Mt 13:55.

- Adam Clarke's Commentary

Frequently those who are nearest to the means of knowledge and grace, are most negligent. Familiarity and easiness of access breed some degree of contempt.

- Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, (Matthew 12:46-52)

The Church has always understood these passages as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary. In fact James and Joseph, "brothers of Jesus," are the sons of another Mary, a disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls "the other Mary." They are close relations of Jesus, according to an Old Testament expression.

- Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Missouri: Liguori, 1994) ¶500

To welcome Jesus' word is to welcome "the Kingdom itself." The seed and beginning of the Kingdom are the "little flock" of those whom Jesus came to gather around him, the flock whose shepherd he is. They form Jesus' true family. To those whom he thus gathered around him, he taught a new "way of acting" and a prayer of their own.

- Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Missouri: Liguori, 1994) ¶764

We cannot say that Mark means to exclude the family permanently from following Jesus. Presumably family members could become disciples of Jesus on the same basis as anyone else."

Reginald H. Fuller, Preaching the Lectionary, p. 314

The answer given by Jesus, when at last the message from without reached Him, does not in any way depreciate the sacredness of family relationships, but asserts that the ties which bind the spiritual family of God are even deeper and dearer, and are based upon obedience to the will of God. This is, so to speak, the germ truth out of which grew the early Church.

- C.E. Graham Swift, New Bible Commentary (1954): Mark, p. 814

The tie of human relationship is physical and temporal; the tie to Christ is spiritual and eternal.

- D.D. Whedon, Commentary on the Gospels, Vol. Matthew-Mark, p. 161

I have this to offer you a grand ancestry; to offer all men new vitalities, new surroundings, new kinsfolk. This shows the uniting power of Christianity. The Christian religion never divides men, never splits up a human family and belittles our human relations. The Christian religion would have us all brought into a common sympathy, united by a common spirit of loyalty to the same Saviour... Here, then, is our standing; this very day we are members one of another... Be no longer strangers and foreigners, but of the household of God. We are not isolated individuals; we grasp hands with the ages, the glorious company of the apostles, the holy band of the prophets before them, the noble army of martyrs uniting them both, the holy Church throughout all the world -- this is the household of God. Beauteous picture! Tender relationship! It cannot be realised in all its ideal perfection here and now, but we ought always to cling to the inner and vital truth which it typifies, that the Church is one -- indivisible as the heart that bought it with blood.

- Joseph Parker, People's Bible, Vol. 19, p.231ff

I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God --

- Gloria and William J. Gaither

Status of Gospel Harmony Project

Preparing study notes on a weekly basis for the current 6 pm Sunday Eve. Bible Study at Mt. Carmel UMC
Section groupings are complete until linking to individual event pages is finished
Setting up event pages and linking the section groupings to them
Several sections of events have pages with notes from previous preaching occasions

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