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Luke 8:19–21
“[Jesus] answered them, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it’ ” (v. 21).
Family stands at the center of human life, so it is not surprising that in the history of Christian theology, there has been much interest in the members of Jesus’ earthly family and their role in the history of salvation. We can discern two main trends in theological discourse about Jesus’ family, especially Mary, His mother. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologians overemphasize Mary’s part in God’s plan, elevating her to a status nearly equivalent to Christ’s in our salvation. On the other hand, many Protestants pay little attention to how Mary serves as a model of faith for believing God’s promises (Luke 1:26–38).
Jesus never sinned (1 Peter 2:22), so we know that He honored His mother according to the fifth commandment (Deut. 5:16). Yet as we see in today’s passage, He afforded her no exalted role in the church or in our salvation. Certainly, she played a key role in the outworking of God’s redemptive plan, but her familial connection to Jesus does not afford her a rank greater than that of other believers. When given a chance to exalt Mary and His siblings over others, Jesus did not do so.
On one occasion while ministering in Galilee, Jesus was told that His mother and brothers were coming to see Him, but they could not get through the crowd (Luke 8:19). Luke does not tell us the context of this attempted visit, but it is likely the same occasion described in Mark 3:20–21, 31–35 when Mary and His brothers thought Jesus was out of His mind and came to get Him, presumably to take Him home. In any case, when Jesus heard that they wanted to see Him, He responded by saying that His mother and brothers are identified not by their blood relation to Him but by their hearing and obeying God’s Word (Luke 8:20–21).
Jesus was not disowning His family; rather, He was expanding it and pointing out that what matters in God’s kingdom is not a flesh-and-blood connection to Jesus but the connection of faith. The highest privilege is to be adopted as His brothers and sisters, having received the forgiveness of sins. John Calvin comments about Mary: “It was of vastly greater importance to be regenerated by the Spirit of God than to conceive Christ, according to the flesh, in her womb; to have Christ living spiritually within her than to suckle him with her breasts. In a word, the highest happiness and glory of the holy Virgin consisted in her being a member of his Son, so that the heavenly Father reckoned her in the number of new creatures.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Basil the Great, an early-church father who contributed much to our doctrine of the Holy Spirit, comments, “Intimacy with the Lord is not explained in terms of kinship according to the flesh, but it is achieved by cheerful willingness in doing the will of God.” Closeness to Christ comes only by faith and repentance, which bears fruit in our seeking to follow His commandments.
for further study
- Ezekiel 37:15–28
- Hosea 2:14–23
- Matthew 12:46–50
- Hebrews 2:5–18
the bible in a year
- 2 Samuel 9–11
- Luke 19:28–48