And his mother and his brethren came; and standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
ερχονται ουν οι αδελφοι και η μητηρ αυτου και εξω εστωτες απεστειλαν προς αυτον φωνουντες αυτον
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 8 commentaries
The brothers of the Lord, motivated by jealousy, sought to seize Him, perceiving Him as violent and possessed by demons. Meanwhile, His mother, perhaps driven by a sense of respect, approached to pull Him away from His teaching. This act demonstrated to the onlookers that the One they marveled at was subject to her influence and could be redirected from His ministry.
From where do brothers arise? Relatives of Mary, regardless of their degree of kinship, are referred to as the brothers of the Lord. How can we substantiate this? By examining the Scriptures themselves. Lot, called Abraham’s brother, is actually the son of Nahor, who was Abraham's brother (cf. Gen. 13:8; 14:14). A careful reading reveals that Abraham is indeed Lot's paternal uncle (cf. Gen. 12:5), yet they are addressed as brothers. Why is this so, if not due to their family connection? Similarly, Jacob had Laban the Syrian as his maternal uncle, as Laban was the brother of Isaac’s wife, Rebekah (see Gen. 28:2). Delve into the Scriptures, and you'll see that a maternal uncle and a sister’s son can be referred to as brothers (see Gen. 29:12-15).
Understanding this principle, we can regard all of Mary's relatives as brothers of Christ. More specifically, His disciples are indeed His brothers; even those related by blood would not hold that title if they were not His followers, nor would they be considered brothers without recognizing Him as their Master. For there was a moment when it was conveyed to Him that His mother and brothers were outside the house while He was teaching His disciples. He then asked, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ and with His hand pointed to His disciples, saying, ‘Here are my brothers. Whoever does the will of my Father is my brother and sister and mother’ (cf. Matthew 12:46-50). This confirms that Mary is indeed His mother, for she fulfilled the will of the Father. The Lord exalted her because she adhered to the divine will, not simply because she bore Him in the flesh.
Listen to this, beloved! Furthermore, when the amazed crowd witnessed the Lord performing miracles and unveiling what was concealed by the flesh, some remarked, ‘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’ (Lk. 11:28). His implication was clear: even His Mother, whom you deem blessed, finds her happiness in obeying the word of God, not merely because the Word became flesh and dwelled among us (Jn. 1:14), but because she fulfilled the will of the Word of God Himself, through whom she was created and in whom the Word became flesh. Let not individuals rejoice in transient offspring; rather, they should find joy in being united with God in spirit.
Matthew narrates: While He was addressing the crowd, His mother and brothers stood outside, wishing to speak with Him. In response, He stated: For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother. It is clear that the Evangelist has presented these events in their proper order. He began this account by shifting to a new topic: while He was still speaking to the people. The phrasing indicates the timing of His speech, emphasizing that He was in the midst of His discourse. By noting that He was still speaking, Matthew underscores that He continued to convey the message found in the text. Mark recounts a similar account, placing it right after the Lord's admonition concerning blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: And His mother and His brethren came.
The reference to blasphemy appears slightly earlier in the ongoing dialogue, which Matthew records in greater detail than Mark, while Luke provides an even more expansive account. However, Luke does not maintain the chronological order depicted by Matthew and Mark but introduces the arrival of the brethren earlier in his reflection, treating it as a separate episode with no direct link to the preceding or subsequent narratives. After recounting a few parables of the Lord, he recalls His mother and brethren, beginning his account with: And His mother and His brethren came to Him, and they could not approach Him due to the crowd. Luke does not indicate the specific timing of their arrival. Although he later continues with, On one day He entered with His disciples into the boat, the phrase 'on one day' can refer either to the same day or to a subsequent occasion. Nevertheless, in the account of His mother and brothers, Matthew aligns with Mark and Luke, consistently reflecting both the words of the Lord and the essence of the narrative.
When the Lord had unveiled the schemes of the Pharisees and laid bare the wickedness of their hearts to everyone, they informed Him that His mother and brothers were seeking to see Him, unable to approach due to the throng of people. The Pharisees themselves accused Him of being out of His mind (Mk. 3:21), and out of fear of stronger rebukes, they aimed to illustrate to the crowd that the significance of Jesus' earthly origins, the humble circumstances of His family, and even the disbelief of some among them contradicted their views of Him as the Messiah. They arranged for His relatives to visit Him. The blessed Virgin was prompted by the deep love of a mother for her Son, especially after having been apart for some time. His brothers accompanied her, intending to bring Him back home.
However, the Lord countered this cunning plot of His adversaries. What need is there to point Me to mother and brothers? The Son of Man has a mother and brothers. For the Messiah, these hearers and believers who embrace and embody the word of life, they are indeed both mother and brothers.
The arrival of Christ's mother and brothers took place as described in the accounts found in Hebrews, Matthew, and Mark. Before the news of their approach reached Jesus, it circulated among the throngs surrounding Him, exchanging from person to person. When this word finally reached the ears of a fervent and sensitive woman—possibly one who felt the sorrow of being childless or was troubled by her own children—she could not help but exclaim from her heart, “Blessed is she who bore you and nursed you!” This incident occurred following Jesus’ strong rebuttal against the Pharisees, who accused Him of exorcising demons by Beelzebub’s power (as noted in Luke 11:27-28).
Subsequently, as some demanded a miraculous sign from Him, Jesus received the news of His family’s arrival and, in response, gestured toward His faithful disciples, acknowledging them as His true mother and brothers. He indicated that their spiritual connection was closer to Him than that with His earthly relatives, provided those relatives also adhered to His teachings.
His mother and the so-called brothers approached Jesus. During this time, Jesus' mother and the so-called brothers, who had come to reach Him, were unable to do so due to the throng of people. They stood outside and requested to talk to Jesus regarding their concerns. In response to this request, someone informed Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to speak with You” (Matthew 12:47). The Evangelist John notes that Jesus' supposed brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5); Christ was aware of this skepticism and understood the intention behind their visit. Thus, He turned down their request to speak with Him.
However, His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, did not share their doubts; she believed in Him as the Son of God and approached Him not to hinder His obedience to the will of His Father, but merely to ascertain whether the danger discussed by His fictitious brothers was genuine.
In response to the individuals who informed Him that His mother and brothers were seeking Him, refer to the closely related narrative found in Matthew 12:46-50.
They approached, concerned for His safety, having heard His adversaries declare that He was enraged or influenced by the ruler of demons. A message was conveyed to the Lord: ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside, wishing to speak with You,’ even while His message remained uncompleted. If He had acquiesced to the desires of His relatives, it would have jeopardized the mission of God, not only due to the premature disruption of His preaching but also because His foes could have exploited this moment to propagate the falsehood of His madness. However, Christ clarified that He was ‘not only the son of His mother but also the Lord’ (St. John Chrysostom).
It was as if He were indicating: ‘Why would you distract Me from fulfilling the will of My Father in heaven for the wishes of My earthly mother? Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?’ And gesturing towards His disciples, He declared, ‘Look, these are My mother and My brothers; whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother.’ As Luke the Evangelist articulates, ‘My mother and My brethren are these who hear the word of God and do it’ (8:21). In this statement, the Lord did not exclude His physical mother from the joy of hearing and obeying the word of God, for she had listened to and enacted the word before many others and with greater zeal. Rather, consistent with His mother's own principle of humbling herself and minimizing personal acclaim, He elevated and encouraged everyone who hears and acts upon the word of God. As Blessed Theophylact asserts, He did not abandon natural kinship but enriched it with the kinship found in virtue.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 17 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS