Luk 8:19-21 | RWP | e4.org | His mother and brethren ( η μητηρ κα ο αδελφο αυτου ). ; place the visit of the mother and brothers of Jesus before the parable of the sower. Usually Luke follows Mark's order, but he does not do so here. At first the brothers of Jesus (younger sons of Joseph and Mary, I take the words to mean, there being sisters also) were not unfriendly to the work of Jesus as seen in when they with the mother of Jesus are with him and the small group (half dozen) disciples in Capernaum after the wedding in Cana. But as Jesus went on with his work and was rejected at Nazareth ( ), there developed an evident disbelief in his claims on the part of the brothers who ridiculed him six months before the end ( ). At this stage they have apparently come with Mary to take Jesus home out of the excitement of the crowds, perhaps thinking that he is beside himself ( ). They hardly believed the charge of the rabbis that Jesus was in league with Beelzebub. Certainly the mother of Jesus could give no credence to that slander. But she herself was deeply concerned and wanted to help him if possible. See discussion of the problem in my little book The Mother of Jesus and also on and . Come to him ( συντυχειν ). Second aorist active infinitive of συντυγχανω , an old verb, though here alone in the N.T., meaning to meet with, to fall in with as if accidentally, here with associative instrumental case αυτω .

‏ Luke 8:19-21

His mother and brethren ( η μητηρ κα ο αδελφο αυτου ). Mr 3:31-35; Mt 12:46-50 place the visit of the mother and brothers of Jesus before the parable of the sower. Usually Luke follows Mark's order, but he does not do so here. At first the brothers of Jesus (younger sons of Joseph and Mary, I take the words to mean, there being sisters also) were not unfriendly to the work of Jesus as seen in Joh 2:12 when they with the mother of Jesus are with him and the small group (half dozen) disciples in Capernaum after the wedding in Cana. But as Jesus went on with his work and was rejected at Nazareth (Lu 4:16-31), there developed an evident disbelief in his claims on the part of the brothers who ridiculed him six months before the end (Joh 7:5). At this stage they have apparently come with Mary to take Jesus home out of the excitement of the crowds, perhaps thinking that he is beside himself (Mr 3:21). They hardly believed the charge of the rabbis that Jesus was in league with Beelzebub. Certainly the mother of Jesus could give no credence to that slander. But she herself was deeply concerned and wanted to help him if possible. See discussion of the problem in my little book The Mother of Jesus and also on Mr 3:31 and Mt 12:46.

Come to him ( συντυχειν ). Second aorist active infinitive of συντυγχανω, an old verb, though here alone in the N.T., meaning to meet with, to fall in with as if accidentally, here with associative instrumental case αυτω.

Was told ( απηγγελη ). Second aorist passive indicative of απαγγελλω, to bring word or tidings. Common verb. See on Mr 3:32 and Mt 12:47 for details.

These which hear the word of God and do it ( ο τον λογον του θεου ακουοντες κα ποιουντες ). The absence of the article with "mother" and "brothers" probably means, as Plummer argues, "Mother to me and brothers to me are those who &c." No one is a child of God because of human parentage (Joh 1:13). "Family ties are at best temporal; spiritual ties are eternal" (Plummer) . Note the use of "hear and do" together here as in Mt 7:24; Lu 6:47 at the close of the Sermon on the Mount. The parable of the sower is almost like a footnote to that sermon. Later Jesus will make "doing" a test of friendship for him (Joh 15:14).