Mark 3.20-21, 31-35, Matthew 12.46-50, Luke 8.19-21.
Today’s story refers to Jesus, his mom, and his
Y’see
But Jesus has siblings.
They explain away the siblings pretty simply. Either these are step-siblings, ’cause
(Well, now Greek dictionaries say adelfí can mean cousins. But in the first century, before Christians came up with the “actually they were cousins” theory, Greek-speakers used other words, like
Okay. I grew up
Where we should agree is these “siblings” are Jesus’s legal siblings. Just as Joseph isn’t Jesus’s biological dad, but absolutely his legal dad. Adoption counts. Regardless of how these kids were begotten, they were Jesus’s legal siblings. Period.
So let’s talk scriptures. This is the first we see of Jesus’s family in Mark, and what we see is they worry Jesus lost his mind.
Mark 3.20-21 KWL - 20 Jesus goes into a house,
- and the crowd comes together again,
- thus hindering him from eating bread.
- 21 Hearing of this,
- Jesus’s own family comes to take control of him,
- for they say he’s overwhelmed.
Matthew 12.46 KWL - While speaking to the crowds again, look:
- Jesus’s mother and siblings stand outside,
- seeking to speak to him.
Luke 8.19 KWL - Jesus’s mother and siblings come to him,
- and can’t reach him because of the crowd.
This is only the first half of the story. Mark splits it here and inserts a story in the middle about “Beelzebub,” as it’s called.