† 38. Jesus' True Kindred Relatives

In this episode, Jesus is teaching a crowd, but His family are not present. They have chosen to do something other than listen to His teaching.

Jesus here shows us that honoring God must come before honoring family. By no means does Jesus advocate neglecting our families; rather, it’s a matter of priorities.

There can be but little doubt His family did not immediately appreciate this response. But we know some of them eventually came to see the truth.

Acts 1:14
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Galatians 1:19
I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
Jude 1
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James….

Matthew 12

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.
48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

his mother and his brothers stood outside

Why aren’t they inside, listening to Him? We should consider the reception of Joseph, the son of Jacob.

Genesis 37:4–11
When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated [Joseph] and could not speak peacefully to him.

Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

asking to speak to him

Literally, “seeking to speak to Him.” Not merely a matter of semantics, the use of the word “seek” emphasizes the difference between His family’s aims and His disciples’ aims.

Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?

With this question Jesus calls for a redefinition of our family. God the Father must come first, and those who love God are closer to us even than earthly family who despise Him.

Proverbs 18:24
…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

whoever does the will

Disciples are identified by their actions (Matthew 21:28–31).

of my Father in heaven

Jesus's word choice here emphasizes the difference between an earthly father and the heavenly Father.

Hebrews 12:9
…We have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?

Mark 3

31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.
32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”
33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

standing outside they sent to him and called him

Mark’s description is more colorful than Matthew’s. He says directly Jesus's family sent a messenger, but more importantly he says that they were calling aloud or calling out to Him. Thus, while Jesus is inside teaching, His family is outside raising a small stir in a feeble attempt to pull rank.

a crowd was sitting around him

Where Matthew only said Jesus was still speaking to the people, Mark provides this detail to make the situation abundantly clear: Jesus is standing in the middle of a room surrounded by those who are listening. Not only does this provide an explanation for why His family couldn’t get to Him, but it also tells us that the crowd heard the conversation between Jesus and the messenger—after already having heard His family’s voices calling out His name from outside the building.

§ 8. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee Continued