And looking round about on them who sat about him, he saith: Behold my mother and my brethren.
και περιβλεψαμενος κυκλω τους περι αυτον καθημενους λεγει ιδε η μητηρ μου και οι αδελφοι μου
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Those who truly belong to Christ are those who fulfill the will of God. In stating this, He does not diminish the significance of His Mother; rather, He illustrates that her worthiness of honor comes not solely from her giving birth to Him but also from her remarkable deeds. Were it not for her virtuous actions, others would have taken precedence in the honor of kinship.
From where do brothers originate? The relatives of Mary, regardless of their level of kinship, are referred to as the brothers of the Lord. How can we substantiate this claim? By examining the Scriptures themselves. Lot, who is called Abraham's brother, is actually the son of his brother (cf. Gen. 13:8; 14:14). By reading, one discovers that Abraham is the paternal uncle of Lot (cf. Gen. 12:5), yet they are referred to as brothers. Why is this, if not due to their familial connection? Similarly, Jacob's maternal uncle is Laban the Syrian, as Laban is the brother of Jacob's mother, Rebekah, wife of Isaac (see Gen. 28:2). A careful reading of the Scriptures reveals that a maternal uncle and the son of a sister can also be called brothers (see Genesis 29:12-15).
By applying this understanding, one can identify all of Mary’s relatives as brothers of Christ. However, it is important to note that those disciples were truly brothers; even if they were relatives, they would not have been His brothers without being His disciples, nor would they have been considered brothers had they not acknowledged the Teacher as their own. For instance, when it was told to Him that His mother and brothers were waiting outside while He was speaking with His disciples, He asked, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ and, pointing to 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 is essential to note that Mary is also His mother because she obeyed the will of the Father. The Lord honored her for fulfilling the will of the Father, rather than for merely giving birth in the flesh. Listen closely, beloved! When the amazed crowd witnessed the Lord perform wonders and unveil the hidden truths beneath the flesh, some in astonishment exclaimed, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore Him’ (Luke 11:27). But He responded, ‘Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it’ (Lk. 11:28). His intention was clear: even My Mother, whom you deem blessed, finds true happiness in keeping the word of God, not simply because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14), but because she fulfilled the will of the very Word of God through whom she was created and who became flesh within her. Let us not celebrate the fleeting nature of earthly offspring; rather, let us find joy in our unity with God in spirit.
Let us lift our voices in worship, not merely through our words, but also with the sincerity of our hearts, so that we may be received as His children. For it is written, ‘They are my brothers who do the will of my Father’ (cf. Mk. 3:35; Mt. 12:50; Lk. 8:21). Therefore, beloved brethren, let us fulfill the desires of our Father who has called us to live, and let us earnestly pursue righteousness.
After the Lord unveiled the schemes of the Pharisees and laid bare their wicked hearts, they informed Him that His mother and brothers were seeking to see Him but were unable to reach Him due to the throngs of people. The Pharisees claimed that He was out of His mind (Mk. 3:21), and fearing further accusations while simultaneously trying to highlight the incongruity of Jesus’ background with their expectations of the Messiah, they pointed out His relatives, some of whom still lacked faith. This was a calculated attempt to lead them to the place where Jesus was. The blessed Virgin approached out of deep maternal love for her Son, particularly after a time apart. Her brothers accompanied her in an effort to bring Him home.
However, the Lord thwarted this crafty plot devised by His adversaries. “What do you want with mother and brothers?” He asked. The Son of Man has a mother and brothers. To the Messiah, those who hear, embrace, and embody the word of life are His true family, both mother and brothers.
The arrival of Christ's mother and siblings occurred under the circumstances described in the Gospels of Hebrews, Matthew, and Mark. Before the news of their approach reached Him, it spread among the crowd, moving from person to person. When this message finally reached an eager and emotional woman—possibly one who was without children or dissatisfied with her own—she could not help but exclaim, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed you!” This occurred following Jesus’ denunciation of the Pharisees who accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, as illustrated in Luke 11:27-28. Subsequently, when Christ responded to those requesting a sign from Him, He also learned of His mother and brothers’ arrival. In response, He gestured toward His faithful disciples, acknowledging them as His true mother and brothers, thereby illustrating that His spiritual family holds greater significance than His earthly kin, provided they are also His devoted followers.
Since the message of Her desire to speak with Him reached Him while He was still addressing the crowd, He did not grant Her request. He asked, “Who is My mother? And who are My brothers?” (Matt. 12:48). As explained by Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, Christ essentially indicated, “Why do you seek to divert Me from accomplishing the will of My heavenly Father by the wishes of My earthly Mother? When faced with conflicting desires, I will demonstrate which one must be pursued with utmost conviction. Who are My mother and My brothers? They are those who carry out the will of My Father in heaven, for they are My siblings and mother” (Matt. 12:50).
When Christ sent forth the Apostles to proclaim the Gospel, He asserted, “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37), and He prevented one disciple from attending to his father’s burial. This exemplifies how He intended to guide His followers in observing His commandments and teachings. Therefore, at the first opportunity, He illustrated that the fulfillment of His Father’s heavenly mandate superseded His earthly Mother's desires. However, these statements do not reflect a denial of His Mother or indifference towards Her; rather, He demonstrated His love for Her at the Cross by entrusting Her care to His beloved disciple.
This is what we understand about the events in the life of Jesus Christ during the period when the Apostles were preaching to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6). Our knowledge of this segment of the Lord's ministry is limited, as the Apostles were not present with Him in those moments—those trustworthy witnesses whose accounts were foundational to our Gospels. The absence of details in the Evangelists' narratives supports the authenticity of their writings; they refrained from addressing events of which they were not eyewitnesses or could not gather credible accounts from reliable observers. Furthermore, this lack of detail pertains to a significant duration. Though the Apostles were sent in pairs and spread throughout the Jewish-inhabited areas of Palestine, they could not have rapidly visited even one-sixth of these locations. The exact duration of their preaching remains unknown; what we do know is that they returned prior to Passover (John 6:4), the third Passover since Jesus' Baptism.
To understand the Lord's response to those who informed Him that His mother and brothers were waiting, refer to the comparable passage found in Matthew 12:46-50 and take note.
They approached, believing He was in peril, having overheard His adversaries declare Him as furious or possessed by the ruler of demons. A statement was brought to the Lord: "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside desiring to speak with You," at a moment when the proclamation of Jesus Christ was still ongoing. Had He acquiesced to the wishes of His relatives, it would have jeopardized the mission of God, not only because of the untimely disruption of His message but also because His foes could have exploited this incident to propagate the falsehood of His madness. Nevertheless, Christ emphasized that He was "not only the son of His mother, but also the Lord" (St.
John Chrysostom), suggesting: "Why should I be diverted from fulfilling the will of My Father in heaven for the will of My earthly mother? Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?" He then gestured toward His disciples, proclaiming, "Here are My mother and My brothers; for whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, that person is My brother, and sister, and mother," or as noted by the Evangelist Luke, "My mother and My brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it" (8:21). In these declarations, the Lord did not distance His earthly mother from the joy of hearing and obeying God's word; she had heard and acted on it before many others. Rather, in keeping with His mother's own humility in seeking to evade human accolades, He elevated and encouraged all who both hear and do the word of God, or as Blessed Theophylact elaborates, without rejecting familial ties, "filled it with the kinship of virtue."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 16 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS