Who are my mother and my brothers?
REFLECTIONS TODAY
Jesus’ kin—his mother and his brothers and sisters— are standing “outside” the house while a crowd is seated around Jesus who is “inside” the house. The crowd listens to Jesus while his kin are outside, seeking him. Jesus responds by saying to those who say that his kin are looking to speak to him, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” (v 33). And looking around at those seated in the circle, he says, “Here are my mother and my brothers” (v 34).
Jesus pronounces a criterion for membership to his family. He fixes his gaze on those “inside,” those listening to his words. If those “outside” are to be part of his new family, they are to join those “inside”: to listen to and do the will of God which Jesus pronounces. In the new order that Jesus has come to establish, the will of God takes priority. Blood ties—or being a member of the race of Israel—held as sacrosanct by the people of the covenant, now give way to this supreme criterion.
Those close to Jesus, those whom he considers as “mother and brethren” are those who do the will of God. To stress this point, Mark writes that early in Jesus’ public ministry, he was misunderstood by his kin from Nazareth. The evangelist does not even bother to distinguish Mary and Jesus’ relatives. Luke, on the other hand, presents Mary as the one who meets the Gospel criterion. Mary believes that the word spoken to her would be fulfilled. She tells the angel Gabriel, “May it be done to me according to your word” (1:38).
Mary is truly the mother of Jesus; she bears him in her womb and she does the will of God. Do you enlarge your “family” to include your neighbors, associates, and parish community? How do you show your closeness to people?
Gospel • Mark 3:31-35
The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent word to him and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.”
But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2025,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.