Mark 3:33
But Jesus replied, "Who are My mother and My brothers?"
Who are My mother and My brothers?
Who
The word "who" in this context is a question that invites reflection and introspection. In the Greek, "τίς" (tis) is used, which is an interrogative pronoun. This question is not merely seeking information but is designed to provoke thought and challenge the assumptions of those listening. Jesus often used questions to lead His audience to deeper spiritual truths, encouraging them to look beyond the surface and consider the spiritual implications of their relationships and priorities.

are
The verb "are" in Greek is "εἰσί" (eisi), which is the present indicative form of "to be." This indicates a state of being or existence. Jesus is not questioning the physical reality of His family but is pointing to a deeper, spiritual reality. The use of "are" suggests a present and ongoing state, emphasizing that the true family of Jesus is defined by spiritual kinship rather than mere biological ties.

My
The possessive pronoun "My" signifies ownership and personal relationship. In Greek, "μου" (mou) is used, indicating a close, personal connection. Jesus is redefining the concept of family, suggesting that those who do the will of God are as intimately connected to Him as His biological family. This redefinition challenges the traditional Jewish understanding of family and community, emphasizing spiritual bonds over blood relations.

mother
The term "mother" in Greek is "μήτηρ" (mētēr). In Jewish culture, the mother held a significant role in the family, often seen as the heart of the household. By questioning the identity of His mother, Jesus is not dismissing His earthly family but is elevating the spiritual family. This statement would have been radical in a society that placed great importance on familial ties, highlighting the transformative nature of the Kingdom of God.

and
The conjunction "and" in Greek is "καί" (kai), which is used to connect words or phrases of equal importance. Here, it links "mother" and "brothers," indicating that both are part of the familial unit Jesus is addressing. This conjunction serves to unify the concept of family, whether biological or spiritual, under the new covenant Jesus is establishing.

My brothers
The phrase "My brothers" in Greek is "ἀδελφοί μου" (adelphoi mou). The term "brothers" can refer to both literal siblings and spiritual brethren. In the context of Jesus' ministry, "brothers" extends to all who follow Him and do the will of God. This inclusive language breaks down barriers of ethnicity, social status, and gender, inviting all believers into a familial relationship with Christ. Historically, this would have been a radical departure from the exclusive nature of Jewish kinship, emphasizing the universal call of the Gospel.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is teaching and responding to those around Him. His response in Mark 3:33 highlights His teaching on spiritual kinship.

2. The Crowd
A group of people gathered around Jesus, listening to His teachings. They are witnesses to His response about who His true family is.

3. Jesus' Mother and Brothers
They are mentioned in the context of seeking Jesus, which prompts His teaching on spiritual family. Their presence sets the stage for Jesus to redefine familial relationships in spiritual terms.
Teaching Points
Redefining Family
Jesus challenges the traditional understanding of family by emphasizing spiritual bonds over biological ones. This teaches us to value our spiritual relationships and community in Christ.

Spiritual Kinship
The passage encourages believers to see fellow Christians as family, united by faith and commitment to God's will.

Prioritizing God's Will
Jesus' response underscores the importance of aligning our lives with God's will, which is the true mark of being part of His family.

Inclusivity in the Kingdom
The teaching opens the door for all who do God's will to be considered part of Jesus' family, highlighting the inclusive nature of the Gospel.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jesus' response in Mark 3:33 challenge our understanding of family? Reflect on how this might change your interactions with fellow believers.

2. In what ways can we prioritize spiritual relationships in our daily lives, as Jesus suggests in this passage?

3. How do the parallel accounts in Matthew and Luke enhance our understanding of Jesus' teaching on spiritual kinship?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced the support of your spiritual family. How did this align with Jesus' teaching in Mark 3:33?

5. How can we actively seek to do the will of God in our lives, thereby affirming our place in Jesus' spiritual family? Consider connections to other scriptures that emphasize obedience and faith.
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 12:46-50
This parallel passage in Matthew provides additional context to Jesus' teaching on spiritual kinship, emphasizing the importance of doing the will of God.

Luke 8:19-21
Another parallel account that reinforces the idea that spiritual relationships are prioritized over biological ones when it comes to the kingdom of God.

John 1:12-13
This passage speaks to the concept of becoming children of God through belief in Jesus, which aligns with the idea of spiritual family.

Galatians 3:26-29
Paul’s teaching on being one in Christ Jesus, regardless of earthly distinctions, echoes the theme of spiritual kinship.
RetirementR. Green Mark 3:7-35
Divine RelationshipsJ. Vaughan, M. A.Mark 3:31-35
Doing the Will of GodM. F. Sadler.Mark 3:31-35
Kinship to JesusE. Johnson Mark 3:31-35
Relationship to ChristH. Bonar, D. D.Mark 3:31-35
Spiritual Kinship with ChristG. Petter.Mark 3:31-35
Spiritual RelationshipMark 3:31-35
The Different Phases of the Love of ChristE. F. Goulburn, D. C. L.Mark 3:31-35
The Kinsmen of ChristExpository Discourses.Mark 3:31-35
The Mother and the Brethren of JesusA.F. Muir Mark 3:31-35
The Real RelationshipJ.J. Given Mark 3:31-35
The Result of Relationship with JesusC. M. Southgate.Mark 3:31-35
The Test of RelationshipMark 3:31-35
People
Alphaeus, Andrew, Bartholomew, Beelzebub, Boanerges, Herodians, James, Jesus, John, Judas, Matthew, Peter, Philip, Simon, Thaddaeus, Thomas, Zabdi, Zebedee
Places
Capernaum, Galilee, Idumea, Jerusalem, Jordan River, Judea, Sea of Galilee, Sidon, Tyre
Topics
Answereth, Answering, Brethren, Brothers, Replied, Saying
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 3:31-34

     5682   family, significance

Mark 3:31-35

     2535   Christ, family of
     5719   mothers, responsibilities

Library
And Judas Iscariot
AND JUDAS ISCARIOT TEXT: "And Judas Iscariot."--Mark 3:19. There is something about the name of this miserable man which commands our attention at once. There is a sort of fascination about his wickedness, and when we read his story it is difficult to give it up until we have come to its awful end. It is rather significant, it would seem to me, that his name should come last in the list of the Apostles, and the text, "And Judas Iscariot," would suggest to me not only that his name was last, but
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

'He is Beside Himself'
'And when His friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on Him: for they said, He is beside Himself'--Mark iii. 21. There had been great excitement in the little town of Capernaum in consequence of Christ's teachings and miracles. It had been intensified by His infractions of the Rabbinical Sabbath law, and by His appointment of the twelve Apostles. The sacerdotal party in Capernaum apparently communicated with Jerusalem, with the result of bringing a deputation from the Sanhedrim to look into
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ's Relations
'Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother.'--Mark iii. 35. There was a conspiracy to seize Jesus because He is 'mad,' and Mary was in the plot! I. The example for us. (1) Of how all natural and human ties and affections are to be subordinated to doing God's will. Obedience to Him is the first and main thing to which everything else bows, and which determines everything. If others compete or interfere, reject them. Out of that common obedience new ties
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Anger and Grief of Jesus
He looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts.'--Mark iii. 5. Our Lord goes into the synagogue at Capernaum, where He had already wrought more than one miracle, and there He finds an object for His healing power, in a poor man with a withered hand; and also a little knot of His enemies. The scribes and Pharisees expect Christ to heal the man. So much had they learned of His tenderness and of His power. But their belief that He could work a miracle did not
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Mistakes of Christ's Foes and Friends
'And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth He out devils. 23. And He called them unto Him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24. And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27. No man can enter into a strong man's
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ's Kindred
'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.'--Mark iii. 31-35.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Ambassadors for Christ
'And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodlans against Him, how they might destroy Him. 7. But Jesus withdrew Himself with His disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judaa 8. And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaa beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things He did, came unto Him. 9. And He spake to His disciples, that a small ship should wait on Him because of the multitude,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Necessity of Divine Influences. [*Continued]
Luke xi. 13.--"If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." In expounding the doctrine of these words, in the preceding discourse, the argument for the necessity of Divine influences had reference to the more general aspects of man's character and condition. We were concerned with the origin of seriousness in view of a future life, and the production of a sense of moral corruption and
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

Jesus Angry with Hard Hearts
But I must not let imagination mislead me: they did nothing of the kind. Instead of this, they sat watching the Lord Jesus, not to be delighted by an act of his power, but to find somewhat of which they might accuse him. When all came to all, the utmost that they would be able to allege would be that he had healed a withered hand on the Sabbath. Overlooking the commendation due for the miracle of healing, they laid the emphasis upon its being done on the Sabbath; and held up their hands with horror
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 32: 1886

Mutual Help.
(Female Friendly Society.) S. MARK iii. 35. "Whosoever shall do the Will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and My mother." There are just two points which I want to put before you to-day. First, what you as Christian women ought to be. Secondly, how you can help each other to be so. On the first point I would ask you to remember the glory and dignity of womanhood. You get this dignity from Jesus Christ, who was born of a woman, and who said, "Whosoever shall do the Will of God, the
H. J. Wilmot-Buxton—The Life of Duty, a Year's Plain Sermons, v. 2

The Eccentricity of Religion
"They said, He is beside Himself,"--MARK iii. 21. THE most pathetic life in the history of the world is the life of the Lord Jesus. Those who study it find out, every day, a fresh sorrow. Before He came it was already foretold that He would be acquainted with grief, but no imagination has ever conceived the darkness of the reality. It began with one of the bitterest kinds of sorrow--the sorrow of an enforced silence. For thirty years He saw, but dared not act. The wrongs He came to redress were there.
Henry Drummond—The Ideal Life

The Hardening Operation of Love.
"Being grieved for the hardness of their heart."--Mark iii. 5. Love may also be reversed. Failing to cherish, to uplift, and to enrich, it consumes and destroys. This is a mystery which man can not fathom. It belongs to the unsearchable depths of the divine Being, of which we do not wish to know more than has been revealed. But this does not alter the fact. No creature can exclude itself from the divine control. No man can say that he has nothing to do with God; that he or any other creature exists
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Life and Character of John
"Volat avis sine meta, Quo nec votes nec propheta Evolavit altius: Tam implenda quam impleta, Numquam vidit tot secreta Purus homo purius. (Adam of St. Victor.) The Mission of John. Peter, the Jewish apostle of authority, and Paul, the Gentile apostle of freedom, had done their work on earth before the destruction of Jerusalem--had done it for their age and for all ages to come; had done it, and by the influence of their writings are doing it still, in a manner that can never be superseded. Both
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

Whether the Sin against the Holy Ghost is the Same as the Sin Committed through Certain Malice?
Objection 1: It would seem that the sin against the Holy Ghost is not the same as the sin committed through certain malice. Because the sin against the Holy Ghost is the sin of blasphemy, according to Mat. 12:32. But not every sin committed through certain malice is a sin of blasphemy: since many other kinds of sin may be committed through certain malice. Therefore the sin against the Holy Ghost is not the same as the sin committed through certain malice. Objection 2: Further, the sin committed through
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Great Schism
If a house be divided against itself.--Mark iii, 25. From such a revival as that of the Great Awakening, parties must of necessity arise. Upon undisciplined fanaticism, the Established church must frown. But when it undertook to discipline large numbers of church members or whole churches, recognizedly within its embracing fold and within their lawful privileges, a great schism resulted, and the schismatics were sufficiently tenacious of their rights to come out victorious in their long contest for
M. Louise Greene, Ph. D.—The Development of Religious Liberty in Connecticut

The Abrogation of the Saybrook Platform
That house cannot stand.--Mark iii, 25. The times change and we change with them.--Proverb. The omission of all persecuting acts from the revision of the laws in 1750 was evidence that the worst features of the great schism were passing, that public opinion as a whole had grown averse to any great severity toward the Separatists as dissenters. But the continuance in the revised statutes of the Saybrook Platform as the legalized constitution of the "Presbyterian, Congregational or Consociated Church,"
M. Louise Greene, Ph. D.—The Development of Religious Liberty in Connecticut

The Apostle Judas
"And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed Him." MARK 3:19 (R.V.) THE evidential value of what has been written about the apostles will, to some minds, seem to be overborne by the difficulties which start up at the name of Judas. And yet the fact that Jesus chose him -- that awful fact which has offended many -- is in harmony with all that we see around us, with the prodigious powers bestowed upon Napoleon and Voltaire, bestowed in full knowledge of the dark results, yet given because the issues of
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Withered Hand
"And He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had his hand withered. And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse Him. And He saith unto the man that had his hand withered, Stand forth. And He saith unto them, Is it lawful on the sabbath day to do good or to do harm? to save a life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their heart, He
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Characteristics of the Twelve
"And He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, and to have authority to cast out devils: and Simon He surnamed Peter; and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and them He surnamed Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder; and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeaus, and Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot which also betrayed Him." MARK 3:14-19 (R.V.) THE pictures
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Christ and Beelzebub
"And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on Him: for they said, He is beside Himself. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the devils casteth He out the devils. And He called them unto Him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if an house be
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

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