Luke 8:19-21

Applebury's Comments

Spiritual Kinship
Scripture

Luke 8:19-21 And there came to him his mother and brethren, and they could not come at him for the crowd. 20 And it was told him, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 21. But he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these that hear the word of God, and do it.

Comments

Thy mother and thy brethren.Mark reminds us that some of Jesus-' friends thought that He was beside himself with the dream of messiahship. They tried to rescue Him from the crowds that followed Him (Mark 3:21). It is possible that His brothers felt the same way about Him, for John says that they did not believe on Him (John 7:5). But they were concerned about Him, for they had grown up with Him and must have had a very high regard for Him as their older brother. Of course, they did not know the facts about His birth that could not be shared with them by their mother until after His resurrection. It was the force of the resurrection that compelled them to believe that He was truly the Messiah. The Epistle of James begins with this statement: James, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are correct in assuming that this is James the Lord's brother (Galatians 1:19), we have in this remarkable statement the genuine faith of Jesus-' brothers after they had become convinced that He was the Son of God.

What a wonderful older brother He must have been to them; what a wonderful Lord He became to them!

My mother and my brethren are these that hear the word of God.The parable of the sower shows us how to understand the Word of God. The parable of the lamp indicates that it can be understood. The lesson on spiritual kinship shows the results of hearing the Word of God and obeying it. Once, only the little family at Nazareth knew Jesus as their older Brother; now all who obey the word spoken by Him can enjoy this privilege. See Hebrews 2:11-12.