Category:Jesus' True Relatives (subject)

Jesus' True Relatives is an episode in the Ministry of Jesus, according to the Gospels of Mark (3:19b-21.31-35), Matthew (12:46-50), Luke (8:19-21), and Thomas (99).

Overview

The Gospel of Mark presents the episode as a confrontation between Jesus and his family; they would like to bring back home a son who has gone "out of his mind." The Gospels of Matthew and Luke omit the embarrassing motivation of the visit of the family. Even more, the Gospel of Luke and Thomas softened the tone of the conversation and Jesus' rejection of his own family. (The Gospels of Matthew, Luke and Thomas however preserve some of Jesus' harsher words against family ties.)

The episode of the confrontation between Jesus and his relatives is absent in the Gospel of John, which however states that "not even the brothers of Jesus believed in him"; at the end it is the Beloved Disciple who replaces the brothers of Jesus as the "adopted" son of Mary.

The episode is connected with the rejection Jesus experienced by his own town (see Hometown Rejection), and with Jesus' repeated invitation to his disciples to abandon their own families (see Abandoning Your Family).

Jesus' True Relatives in ancient sources

Gospel of Mark

Mark 3:19b-21.31-35 (NRSV) -- [19] ...Then he went home; [20] and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. [21] When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind"... [31] Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. [32] A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." [33] And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" [34] And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! [35] Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Cf. Mark 10:28-30 [see Rich Young Man] -- 28 Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life.

Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 12:46-50 (NRSV) -- 46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Cf. Matthew 8:19-22 (NRSV) -- 19 A scribe then approached and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 21 Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Cf. Matthew 10:34-39 (NRSV) -- 34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and one's foes will be members of one's own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

Cf. Matthew 19:27-30 [see Rich Young Man] -- 27 Then Peter said in reply, "Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" 28 Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

Gospel of Luke

Luke 8:19-21 (NRSV) -- [19] Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. [20] And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." [21] But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

Cf. Luke 9:57-62 (NRSV) -- 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Cf. Luke 12:51-53 -- 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

Cf. Luke 14:25-26 (NRSV) -- 25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, 26 "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple

Cf. Luke 18:28-30 [see Rich Young Man] -- 28 Then Peter said, "Look, we have left our homes and followed you." 29 And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life."

Gospel of Thomas

Thomas 99 - The disciples said to him, "Your brothers and your mother are standing outside." He said to them, "Those here who do what my Father wants are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter my Father's kingdom."

Cf. Thomas 101 - "Whoever does not hate [father] and mother as I do cannot be my [disciple], and whoever does [not] love [father and] mother as I do cannot be my [disciple]. For my mother [...], but my true [mother] gave me life."

Gospel of John

Cf. John 19:26-27 -- [26] When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” [27] Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Gospel of the Ebionites

2 Clement

2 Clement 9:11 --

Jesus' True Relatives in Scholarship

Jesus' True Relatives in Fiction

External links

Wikipedia

Pages in category "Jesus' True Relatives (subject)"

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Mary of Nazareth