The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.
Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you.”
But he said to them in reply,
“Who are my mother and my brothers?”
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.”
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.Protestants love to use todays passage to make the case that Mary was not a perpetual virgin, and that she had other children. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jewish people called all of their close reletives, brothers and sisters, and to claim otherwise reveals a profound ignorance of history.
What He is saying in this passage, is that you are all His brothers and sisters, and that He is the Father of all. Jesus is teaching to the disciples, and that is not any less important than what his mother and brothers have to say. It is a beautiful expressions of God’s profound love for us all, and His deep desire to be in a close personal relationship with all of us. So we must not be afraid of that truth, but instead embrace it, and bring Jesus fully into our lives.
Further there is a lesson here about taking the teachings of Jesus “literally” vs. “figuratively”. Many people, not just our protestant brothers, get this wrong. If you take everything Jesus said literally, then we would all have to pluck out our eyes, and cut out our tongues, because they often cause us to sin. If we take everything the bible says figuratively, then you will miss the literal meaning of Jesus statement when he said “unless you eat my body and drink my blood, you will have no life in you”. The bible must be read in the context of the situation in which it is said. You must read before and after that segment to get that context, and you must read multiple translations, and even study the greek and Hebrew versions to better understand the words used.
This is a lifelong, pursuit of study and understanding, and it takes time and persistence. There are billions of words written by our church fathers and even modern commentaries, to help with this endeavor. But if I can give one piece of advice here, do not count on your one translation of the bible in front of you to be the definitive version, and the definitive language. And if you do not understand, do not fill in the holes with your imagination. Look for help, and guidance. There is a good reason for everything that Jesus said, and it all works toward the salvation of our souls.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh lord, help me today to hear what you have to say to me, and to not be distracted by the lures of the evil one.