Mark 3:31-35 31And his mother and his brothers came, and when they were standing outside, they sent to him calling him. 32And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers and your sisters are seeking you outside.” 33And answering them he said, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who were sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. 35For whoever does the will of God, this one is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus’ family appears once again on the scene. The setting is still at the “house” of verse 20. Since his mother and brothers come on the scene, one interpretation of the “house” is that Jesus was in his hometown of Nazareth; otherwise, his family had quite a ways to travel. Mark is not concerned about any of those details but focuses more on people’s response to Jesus, including his family. The house must have been crowded with people sitting around Jesus and he in the middle of the circle. His family could not get in to see him.
Their reason for finding him is not given and is not the concern of Mark. Verse 21 is often take to mean that Jesus’ family thought he was crazy and came to take him home, but the literal translation of this verse can mean other things and does not necessarily mean that his mother, brothers, and sisters came again to take him home because he was out of his mind. There is no indicator here in Mark that his immediate family did not believe in him. The irony of the situation is that the family was on the outside calling in, and the crowds were on the inside giving the news to those outside. Jesus had half-siblings who were likely naturally born from Joseph and Mary. They should have known about Jesus and had some sense of awareness of his sinlessness and the power of incarnation.
The point Jesus makes in verses 33-35 expands the idea of family. Family is not simply those with some type of blood relationship or who live in the same house. God’s family is not determined by blood relationship but faith. Those who were sitting around Jesus were his family. His blood family could join in the family of God through faith, like everyone else, and they did come to believe. The family of God is determined by obedience–doing God’s will. There is no reference to Joseph in this passage or anytime after Jesus was twelve years old in the temple recorded in Luke 2:41-52. The assumption is that Joseph had died, and so the brothers and sisters were taking care of Mary. Life expectancy was not long in that time period, about 35 years old. Mary was even getting old by this point. There are a lot of details about Jesus’ family and early life that are unknown. Telling that part of the story was not the purpose of the Gospel writers.
Mark as the narrator has outlined thus far different responses people had given to Jesus. First, there were the crowds who followed Jesus, seeking healing from disease and demons. They came in faith, however small that may have been, believing that Jesus had the answers they were looking for. Second, the disciples had heeded to the call to follow Jesus. Twelve of these disciples were chosen to be with Jesus, learn from him, and then imitate what he did. Their faith was growing, but they still were like many in the crowd. They believed but they did not understand. Third, Jesus’ family appears again in the biblical narrative after many years. Their attitude towards Jesus is unclear, with hints of unbelief but more of concern for him and curiosity of what was happening. Fourth, the religious elite of the Pharisees and scribes rejected the clear evidence before them and were hardening their hearts against the new movement of the Holy Spirit. Tension with this group would continue to grow in the following chapters and others joined them in opposition to Jesus.
For older posts, click here.