Mark 3:33

3:33-34 In God’s Kingdom, one’s true relatives are determined not by blood but by a faith relationship (see also 10:29-30).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 3:33 . τίς ἐστιν , etc., who is my mother, and (who) my brothers? an apparently harsh question, but He knew what they had come for.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 33. Who is my mother?] See on Mt 12:46-50.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

33. Who is] It is thought that the “brethren” wished to share in His fame, and to prove to the people their connection with Him and their influence over Him. But the tenderness of His love for His earthly mother, which He displayed so clearly upon the Cross, only brings out in stronger relief the devotion, with which He gave Himself up to the performance of the Will of His Father in heaven and the furtherance of His glory. “He despises not His Mother, He places before her His Father.” Bengel.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?

Ver. 33. Who is my mother, &c.] Bishop Ridley is likewise said to have been very kind to his kinsfolks, yet not bearing with them any otherwise than right would require. (Acts and Mon.)

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.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Our Lord does not refuse to go out through any, the least, inattention to his mother; he wishes hereby, to teach us the preference we should give to the business of our heavenly Father, before that of our earthly parents. Neither does he consider his brethren as beneath his attention, but prefers spiritual before temporal duties; and shews us, that a religious union of hearts and feelings is far more lasting, and better rooted than any other ties of affinity or friendship whatsoever. (Ven. Bede)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Who are my mother and my brothers?

Jesus uses this question to teach the people. AT: "I will tell you who are really my mother and brothers" (See: Rhetorical Question)

whoever does ... that person is

"those who do ... they are"

that person is my brother, and sister, and mother

This is a metaphor that means Jesus' disciples belong to Jesus' spiritual family. This is more important than belonging to his physical family. AT: "that person is like a brother, sister, or mother to me" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

will of God

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

33. ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτοῖς λέγει. “To them” means to those who had passed on the message to Him. The Hebraistic pleonasm ἀποκριθεὶς λέγει or ἀποκ. εἶπεν is very freq. in N.T. and LXX., but the curious combination of aor. with pres. is in N.T. almost peculiar to Mk. See on Mar 8:29 sub fin. Nowhere in Jn does ἀποκριθείς occur. Syr-Sin. omits it here. Occasionally the converse is found, ἀπεκρίθη λέγων (Mar 15:9), but never ἀπεκρίθη εἰπών. In Mar 7:28 we have ἀπεκρίθη καὶ λέγει, and in LXX. the more logical ἀπεκρίθη καὶ εἶπεν (Exo 4:1; Num 22:18; Jos 7:20; etc.). Blass, § 74, 3; Winer, p. 327.

Τίς ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ μου; There is no need to surmise that here Christ raised His voice so that His family might hear; Mar 3:34 shows whom He is addressing. He is not repudiating His Mother, still less rebuking her before the whole crowd. Although Joh 2:12 probably does not mean “What does that matter to either of us?,” but amounts to a rebuke (see note ad loc.), yet it was spoken to her privately. Here non maternae refutat obsequia pietatis (Bede). But He never neglected an opportunity of doing good, and this interruption gave Him an opening for teaching an important lesson. It is not blood-relationship to the Son of Man which counts, but loyal obedience to the will of God. Those who have that are bound to Him by closer ties than the ties of family; for the former are spiritual, while the latter are carnal. He is not slighting the latter, but intimating that they do not come first and that they do not last for ever: indeed in this life they may have to be severed (Mat 10:37; Luk 14:26). That much is clear; He is teaching His audience that they can be as strongly united to Him as His nearest relations are. It is not so clear that He is teaching them that healing men’s bodies and saving their souls are more important than care of one’s relations (Euthym.), or that His Mother is to be honoured, not merely because she gave birth to Him, but because of her great virtues (Theoph.).

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

33. καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς3—And answering, he says.

ἀποκριθεἰς λέγει, instead of ἀπεκρίθη, λέγων, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BCL Δ Vulg. Memph. Harcl. καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου, and my brothers, instead of ἢ, or, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BCGL Δ 1, mss. of Lat. Vet. Memph. Pesh.

Jesus does not wish, in this question, to deny or underrate the human relations. But he feels with a strength, not common among men, the Divine relation and the human relations to which this gives rise. Moreover, the present errand of his family has made him feel that they come short of the real connection which alone gives worth to the family relation.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.