But he said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.
αυτος δε ειπεν μενουνγε μακαριοι οι ακουοντες τον λογον του θεου και φυλασσοντες αυτον
11 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 13 commentaries
In this answer He sought not to disown His mother, but to shew that His birth would have profited her nothing, had she not been really fruitful in works and faith. But if it profited Mary nothing that Christ derived His birth from her, without the inward virtue of her heart, much less will it avail us to have a virtuous father, brother, or son, while we ourselves are strangers to virtue.
He honors those who adhere to the teachings of God, not to diminish the honor of His mother, but to illustrate that her blessing in giving birth to and nurturing Him was contingent upon her possession of all other virtues. This is expressed in a timely manner. Those who were envious and refused to heed His message derided those who did, and He finds particular favor with those who listened despite such hostility. It is also possible that He speaks for the benefit of the healed deaf man, encouraging him to not only hear the word, but to cherish it, ensuring that the gift of hearing does not become a source of condemnation.
Where do the Lord's brothers originate? The relatives of Mary, regardless of their degree of kinship, can be considered as His brothers. How can we substantiate this claim? We turn to the Scriptures for confirmation. Abraham's brother is identified as Lot, who was the child of Abraham’s brother (cf. Gen. 13:8; 14:14). Upon examination, it becomes apparent that Abraham was indeed Lot's paternal uncle (cf. Gen. 12:5), yet they are referred to as brothers. This designation surely implies a familial connection. In the same way, Jacob had Laban the Syrian as his maternal uncle, since Laban was the brother of Jacob's mother, Rebekah, the wife of Isaac (see Gen. 28:2). The Scriptures reveal that a maternal uncle and the son of a sister can also be described as brothers (see Genesis 29:12-15).
With this understanding, it is clear that all of Mary’s relatives are connected to Christ as brothers. However, the true disciples are His brothers, for even relatives would not hold that title unless they were His followers, nor would they be considered brothers without acknowledging Him as their Master. Once, when news reached Him that His mother and brothers were standing outside, while He was speaking with His disciples, He inquired, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Then, indicating His disciples, He declared, "These are My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father is My brother and sister and mother" (cf. Matthew 12:46-50). It follows that Mary is also His mother, as she fully obeyed the will of the Father. The Lord honored her for fulfilling that divine will, highlighting that her role was not merely about giving physical birth. Listen carefully, beloved! Furthermore, when the amazed crowd witnessed the Lord’s miracles and the unveiling of hidden truths, some among them exclaimed, "Blessed is the womb that bore Him" (Luke 11:27). Yet He replied, "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it" (Luke 11:28). He was conveying the message that His Mother’s blessedness stems from her adherence to God's word, not solely because she bore the Word made flesh (Jn. 1:14). Rather, blessed is she for executing the will of that very Word through whom she was created and in whom He became flesh. Let men not take delight in ephemeral lineage; their joy should arise from their spiritual unity with God.
Among the believers, Mary is considered more blessed due to her faith in Christ than merely for giving birth to His physical form. When someone proclaimed, "Blessed is the womb that bore you," the Lord responded, "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it" (Lk 11:27). Ultimately, to His relatives, who were not faithful to Him, what advantage did their familial connection provide? Likewise, Mary’s close relationship with Him would have offered her no benefit if she had not held Christ more joyfully in her spirit than in her physical womb.
“Blessed is the womb that carried You.” Jesus accepted this commendation from His mother and bestowed it upon His disciples, for while He was present in Mary for a limited time, He abides in His followers eternally. He proclaimed, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” The implication here is that Mary's blessedness, having borne the Lord, was momentary, whereas the fellowship of the disciples with the Lord is everlasting. It is evident that St. Ephrem does not dismiss Mary as part of the Lord's disciples.
He declared, "Truly blessed… Explore the twenty-third chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, for ‘whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother,’ and consider the full meaning of this statement.” To uphold the Word of God is to bring it to completion.
While the Scribes and Pharisees were tempting our Lord, and uttering blasphemies against Him, a certain woman with great boldness confessed His incarnation, as it follows, And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, &c. by which she refutes both the calumnies of the rulers present, and the unbelief of future heretics.
For as then by blaspheming the works of the Holy Spirit, the Jews denied the true Son of God, so in after times the heretics, by denying that the Evervirgin Mary, by the cooperating power of the Holy Spirit, ministered of the substance of her flesh to the birth of the only-begotten Son, have said, that we ought not to confess Him who was the Son of man to be truly of the same substance with the Father. But if the flesh of the Word of God, who was born according to the flesh, is declared alien to the flesh of His Virgin Mother, what cause is there why the womb which bare Him and the paps which gave Him suck are pronounced blessed? By what reasoning do they suppose Him to be nourished by her milk, from whose seed they deny Him to be conceived? Whereas according to the physicians, from one and the same fountain both streams are proved to flow. But the woman pronounces blessed not only her who was thought worthy to give birth from her body to the Word of God, but those also who have desired by the hearing of faith spiritually to conceive the same Word, and by diligence in good works, either in their own or the hearts of their neighbours, to bring it forth and nourish it; for it follows, But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
But she was the mother of God, and therefore indeed blessed, in that she was made the temporal minister of the Word becoming incarnate; yet therefore much more blessed that she remained the eternal keeper of the same ever to be beloved Word. But this expression startles the wise men of the Jews, who sought not to hear and keep the word of God, but to deny and blaspheme it.
Why is this Gospel narrative read by the Holy Church during all celebrations of the Blessed Virgin Mary? It is because the Mother of God rendered the highest bodily and spiritual devotion to the God-Man, “keeping all His words in her heart” (Lk. 2:51), mindful of every event that unfolded during His life from childhood and everything associated with Him, “reflecting upon these things in her heart” (Lk. 2:19). To elaborate further, the subsequent chapter of Luke's Gospel complements this account with the verse: “Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the teat that thou hast sucked” (Luke 11:27), followed by the Lord's response: “Blessed is he that heareth the Word of God, and keepeth it.” This represents God's response to human assessment!
The human perspective acknowledged Our Lady as blessed solely due to the birth of the God-Man through her; however, the God-Man elevates the honor of the Mother of God by pronouncing those especially blessed who listen to and uphold the Word of God. The Mother of God possesses this blessedness above all others for her profound receptiveness to the God-Man's words, embracing them with a depth of compassion unmatched by any other. Thus, once again, the service of the spirit is esteemed above that of the body, countering human judgment.
The arrival of Christ’s Mother and brothers occurred under the circumstances described by the authors of Hebrews, Matthew, and Mark. Prior to the news reaching Him about His relatives approaching, word began to circulate among the crowd surrounding Him. As this information spread, it evidently reached the ears of a somewhat sensitive and fervent woman, possibly one without children or discontented with her own, leading her to exclaim from her heart: “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” This reaction followed Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees’ accusations, asserting that He cast out demons by Beelzebub’s power, as described in Luke 11:27-28.
In response to those who sought a miraculous sign from Him, Christ acknowledged the news of His mother's and brothers' approach. In reply, He indicated His faithful disciples, designating them as His true mother and brothers, establishing a deeper spiritual connection with them than with His physical kin, provided they also remained loyal to Him.
In an effort to console the woman, Jesus remarked that it is not just the one who is privileged to bear Him as a mother that is considered blessed, but rather, all those who listen to the teachings of God and adhere to them, blessed are those who fulfill the will of God.
Blessed are those who listen, etc.: see the note on Luke 10:42. Those who listen, comprehend, and respond in faith to the commands of God's word.
While a woman in the crowd listened to the Lord's teaching, she joyfully exclaimed, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breast that nourished You." However, the Lord redirected this praise towards a deeper truth, offering the woman a lesson and a blessing of her own: "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 13 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS