And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren?
And he answered them, saying, `Who is my mother, or my brethren?'
And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother or my brethren?
Mark — The Gospel of the servant in motion. The narrative hinges at Peter's confession (8:27). Before: the Servant revealed. After: the Servant suffers.
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
The walk8
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
Luke 2:49“Why were you looking for Me?” He asked. “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
leads to
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”
“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He…
I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”
Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
Through
2 Corinthians 5:16So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
leads to
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.
The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.
The whole web at once: see the Arc.
Voices3
For Jesus, our Creator and Redeemer, pretends not to know His mother, and indicates who is His mother and who are His relatives not through kinship of the flesh, but through union of the spirit, saying: "Who is my mother, and who are my brethren? For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Gregory the Dialogist· Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 3, 604patristic
And he answered them,.... The multitude that sat about him, and informed him of his mother and brethren being without, and desirous of speaking with him: saying, who is my mother, or my brethren? which is said not through ignorance or contempt, but either, as displeased with the interruption given him; or with a view to take an opportunity from hence of expressing his superior value to his spiritual relations; which looks with no favourable aspect on the superstitious notions, and veneration of the virgin Mary among the papists; See Gill on Mat 12:48.
We had the narrative, Matt. xii. The patient's case was piteous; he had a withered hand, by which he was disabled to work for his living; and those that are so, are the most proper objects of charity; let those be helped that cannot help themselves.
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan
The verses this one reaches8
He said of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them.’ He disregarded his brothers and did not know his own sons, for he kept Your word and maintained Your covenant.
Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.
When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
“Why were you looking for Me?” He asked. “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing.
“Woman, why does this concern us?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”
