Jesus Redefines Family
Matthew 12:46-50
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Matt.12.46 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Ετι: ADV
- δε: CONJ
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- λαλουντος: VERB,pres,act,part,gen,sg,m
- τοις: ART,dat,pl,m
- οχλοις: NOUN,dat,pl,m
- ιδου: INTJ
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- μητηρ: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- αδελφοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- ειστηκεισαν: VERB,perf,act,ind,3,pl
- εξω: ADV
- ζητουντες: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,pl,m
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- λαλησαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
Parallels
- Mark 3:31-35 (structural): Direct parallel narrative: Jesus' mother and brothers arrive while he is teaching; Jesus responds by redefining who his true family is (same episode as Matthew 12:46–50).
- Luke 8:19-21 (structural): Another close parallel account of the incident: Jesus' relatives come to speak with him and he replies that his true family are those who hear and obey God's word.
- John 7:3-5 (thematic): The brothers of Jesus appear elsewhere in tension with him—urging him to go to Judea and (according to John) not believing in him—illustrating the strained family dynamics implied in Matthew's scene.
- Matt.13:55 (allusion): Lists the names of Jesus’ brothers (James, Joseph, Simon, Judas), providing background identification for the family members who appear in Matthew 12:46.
Alternative generated candidates
- While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with him.
- While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, wishing to speak with him.
Matt.12.47 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- δε: CONJ
- τις: PRON,nom,sg,m
- αυτω·Ιδου: PRON,dat,sg,m
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- μητηρ: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- αδελφοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- εξω: ADV
- εστηκασιν: VERB,perf,act,ind,3,pl
- ζητουντες: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,pl,m
- σοι: PRON,dat,sg,2
- λαλησαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
Parallels
- Matt.12.46 (verbal): Immediate parallel verse in the same chapter: nearly identical wording describing Jesus’ mother and brothers standing outside seeking to speak with him.
- Mark 3:31 (verbal): Synoptic parallel recounting the same event—Jesus’ mother and brothers arrive and stand outside, sending to call him.
- Luke 8:19 (verbal): Parallel account of the incident (mother and brothers coming to see Jesus); Luke adds that the crowd prevented them from reaching him and sets up Jesus’ reply about true kinship.
- Matt.12:48-50 (structural): Immediate literary context: Jesus’ response to the report redefines ‘mother and brothers’ as those who do the will of God, completing the scene introduced in 12:47.
Alternative generated candidates
- And someone said to him, "Behold, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with you."
- But one said to him, 'Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to speak with you.'
Matt.12.48 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- αποκριθεις: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- λεγοντι: VERB,pres,act,ptc,dat,sg,m
- αυτω·Τις: PRON,dat,sg,m
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- μητηρ: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
- και: CONJ
- τινες: PRON,nom,pl,m
- εισιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,pl
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- αδελφοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
Parallels
- Matt.12.49-50 (verbal): Immediate continuation of the same episode; Jesus identifies his true mother and brothers as those who do the will of his Father, completing the thought begun in v.48.
- Mark 3:31-35 (verbal): Synoptic parallel recounting the same incident and using nearly identical language—‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’—with the same conclusion that those who do God’s will are Jesus’ family.
- Luke 8:19-21 (verbal): Luke’s version of the episode; preserves the saying that Jesus’ true kin are those who hear God’s word and act on it, paralleling Matthew’s formulation.
- Matt.10:37 (thematic): Related teaching about the priority of allegiance to Jesus over biological family ties—one must not prefer father or mother to Christ, underscoring the cost of discipleship and redefined family.
- Luke 11:27-28 (thematic): A related episode where a woman praises Jesus’ mother and Jesus replies that blessed are those who hear God’s word and keep it, emphasizing obedience to God as the criterion for blessed kinship.
Alternative generated candidates
- But he replied to the one who had spoken to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"
- He answered the one who told him, 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?'
Matt.12.49 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- εκτεινας: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,sg,m
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- χειρα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,3,m
- επι: PREP
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- μαθητας: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,3,m
- ειπεν·Ιδου: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg;INTJ
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- μητηρ: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
- και: CONJ
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- αδελφοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- μου·: PRON,gen,sg,1
Parallels
- Mark 3:31-35 (verbal): Near-verbatim parallel narrative: Jesus is informed that his mother and brothers are outside, he gestures to his disciples and declares they are his mother and brothers—redefining family as those who do God’s will.
- Luke 8:19-21 (verbal): Close parallel account in Luke: the same scene and saying appear, with the same emphasis that Jesus’ true family consists of those who hear and obey God’s word.
- Matthew 12:50 (structural): Immediate follow-up within the same pericope that explains the saying—explicitly defines ‘mother and brothers’ as whoever does the will of the Father, making the theological point underlying v.49.
- Luke 11:27-28 (thematic): Different incident (a woman blesses Jesus’ mother), but thematically related: Jesus redirects honor from biological ties to the primacy of hearing and doing God’s word, echoing the redefinition of kinship in Matt 12:49.
Alternative generated candidates
- And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Behold my mother and my brothers!"
- And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers.'
Matt.12.50 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- οστις: PRON,nom,sg,m
- γαρ: CONJ
- αν: PART
- ποιηση: VERB,aor,act,subj,3,sg
- το: ART,nom,sg,n
- θελημα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- πατρος: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- εν: PREP
- ουρανοις: NOUN,dat,pl,m
- αυτος: PRON,nom,sg,m
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
- αδελφος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- αδελφη: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- μητηρ: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Mark 3:35 (verbal): Nearly identical saying in Mark — those who do the will of God are Jesus’ family, indicating the same tradition of redefined kinship based on obedience.
- Luke 8:21 (verbal): Jesus states that his mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it, closely paralleling Matthew’s emphasis on doing the Father’s will as the basis of family.
- Luke 11:27-28 (thematic): A woman praises Jesus’ mother, and Jesus replies that those who hear God’s word and keep it are blessed — echoing Matthew’s priority of obedient relationship over biological ties.
- John 15:14-15 (thematic): Jesus links intimate relationship to obedience (‘You are my friends if you do what I command you’), a parallel concept to Matthew’s identification of Jesus’ family by doing the Father’s will.
- James 1:22 (verbal): The injunction to be ‘doers of the word, and not hearers only’ resonates with Matthew’s stress that doing God’s will defines true membership in Jesus’ household.
Alternative generated candidates
- For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother.
- For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and my sister and my mother.
While he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak with him.
Someone said to him, "Behold—your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking you." But he answered, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!"
For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.