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Home Mark 3:31-35 NRSVue

Mark 3:31-35 NRSVue

31Then his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32A crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” 33And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”

Reflection on Mark 3:31-35

Inspiration from 2025-01-28 Daily Prayer

Through his coming amongst us as one of us and by his life, death and resurrection, Jesus has become our brother and made all who seek to follow him his new family. In having the one Spirit of Jesus within us we are united together and become brothers and sisters of each other. Let us join with Jesus in his prayer for unity among all Christians.

Further reflection

Another awkward meeting point of Jesus and his family. They stay outside, no longer part of those around him. The blessing at the end would have made sense to Mary who had heard it already from Elizabeth: ‘blessed is she who believed that the word spoken to her would be fulfilled.’ The word of God is deeper than any biological tie Jesus has; Mary knew that and was not offended but affirmed by what Jesus said here. Our deepest belonging is to God; all other belongings in life flow from that. We come from God and go to God. Our prayer, no matter what its method and tone, with its dryness and struggles, is time given to the prime connection in our life, the relationship with God.

Group solidarity has always been important to the Jews. In Jesus' time the family unit included all one's relatives who not only regarded one another as brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers but identified themselves so strongly with one another that whatever was done to one member was seen as being done to all. The shame of one affected all. So when Jesus' relatives hear people saying that Jesus has ‘gone out of his mind' they leave their homes in Nazareth and come to Capernaum to restrain him so that he does not bring shame on the family.

Jesus said that ‘whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.' Do I truly regard those of other Christian churches as my brothers and sisters?

Jesus does not put limits on belonging, instead his embrace is prepared to take in all who do God's will. I ask God to help me to broaden my horizons, not to let me be limited by a narrow scope of what is comfortable.

Jesus invites me to call God my father and he recognises me as one of his family. What more assurance do I need that Jesus walks with me?