Luke
8:19-21
The mission of the Messiah, 1:5-9:50
5. The words of Messiah, 8:1-56
ii] Jesus' true family
SynopsisJesus' mother and brothers try to see him while he is teaching a group of people gathered in someone's home, but are prevented by the crowd. When Jesus is told that they are outside, he announces that his family consists of those who hear the word of God and do it.
Teaching
In the messianic age of the kingdom, those who respond in faith to the word of God find themselves part of an intimate family community with Jesus himself.
Issues
i] Context: See 8:1-18. The true family of Jesus is the second episode of The dawning of the kingdom in the words of Messiah, 8:1-56, and continues the theme of "the importance of hearing the word of God aright", Marshall.
ii] Structure: Jesus' true family:
Setting, v19:
Jesus' family are crowded out.
Jesus is informed that his family wish to see him, v20;
Jesus' response, v21:
"my mother and my brothers are those who ........"
iii] Interpretation:
Luke continues with the theme introduced in the parable of the sower / soils, namely "responsive hearing", Danker - "the importance of hearing the word of God aright", Marshall. This "responsive hearing", or as Luke puts it, hearing and doing / putting into practice / acting on the revealed word of God (just "doing" in Mk.), entails responding to the word of God in faith.
Fitzmyer suggests that Jesus' words here are actually directed to Mary and the brothers of Jesus, but this seems unlikely. Some have questioned whether the "brothers" are siblings, arguing that they are relatives or even just disciples, given that the word adelfoV is used of "a brother believer." We are not told of how the family reacts, indicating that the importance of the episode rests with Jesus' words and not his family.
What does Jesus mean by "hearing and doing" the Word of God? "All those who through him hear and do God's word are his family", Danker. Yet, what does it specifically mean to "receive / respond to God's word / will", Bock, cf., 6:47, 49? Marshall goes to the heart of the issue when he argues that "hearing and doing" is an oft used catch-all phrase in the gospels for "believing". This seems the likely sense.
So, it is likely that "hearing" and "acting on" the word of God is nothing more than an expression of faith / belief in Christ. Yet, many commentators just leave us with "doing" in terms of "obeying", some without comment, so Creed, Geldenhuys, Nolland, ...; others indicate that the "obeying" is the fruit of right-hearing, "the reception of the word of God proves itself in faithfulness and ethics", Bovon, so Evans, Green, Johnson, Stein, Black, Gooding, ...; and some go for a the stronger "call and discipleship" theme, so Ellis. Such legalistic approaches are less than helpful, so we are best to understand "hearing" and "doing / acting" as believing - this is God's will for us, to believe in his Son Jesus Christ for salvation.
iv] Synoptics:
See 3:1-20. Both Matthew and Mark record this incident, Matt.12:40-50, Mk.3:31-32, with Luke providing a more concise account of Jesus' response. Unlike both Matthew and Mark, Luke records the incident after the parable of the sower. This seems to be an intentional move to link the incident to the theme of hearing the word of God.
Luke does not record why Jesus' family want to see him. Conzelmann's view, that they wanted to see miracles, is unlikely. Mark refers to some friends (family / relations, cf., Bauer) who come to Jesus wanting to extract him from the throng because they thought he was addled (possessed??), 3:20-22, and this may be linked with the visit of the family in 3:31-35. cf., also John 7:3-5. "It is likely that Mark's account in is an attempt by the family to protect Jesus", Bock.
v] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.
Text - 8:19
Hearers and doers of the word, v19-21. i] Setting, v19: Luke does not tell us why Jesus' family want to see him. Mark, in his gospel, seems to imply that Jesus' family is worried about things getting out of hand, what with the great crowds that Jesus is now attracting. So, they try to intervene on his behalf. Anyway, Luke tells us none of this. In fact, we are really not sure to what degree his family believe in him. Obviously, Mary has a deep insight into Jesus' messianic credentials, but it seems that other family members were slow to put their faith in him. Nor are we quite sure about the setting. It would seem Jesus is in a house, squashed full of people, but then in the previous incident Jesus was speaking with a large crowd out in the open. Again, it's not important.
de "Now" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative.
parageneto (paraginomai) aor. "came" - [the mother and the brothers] came [to him]. Come to be present with. "On one occasion his mother and his brothers paid him a visit", Cassirer.
suntucein (suntugcanw) aor. pas. inf. "[no able] to get near" - [and = but they were not able] to reach, meet, come together, contact, get near to. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "able". Mark has the family standing outside the house (is the setting in the open?) and sending a message to Jesus inside. Mark's account carries negative connotations, but the way Luke relates the story, the family is just trying to get into the house to be with Jesus, but is unable to do so because of the size of the crowd.
autw/ dat. pro. "him" - him. Dative of direct object after the sun prefix infinitive "[not able] to get near to."
dia + acc. "because of" - because of, on account of [the crowd]. Causal. "The family was unable to get anywhere near him because the crowd was so densely packed", cf. Junkins.
v20
ii] Jesus' family try to make their way to him, but they are unable to get through the crowd and so a message is passed on to Jesus that his family is outside waiting to see him.
aphggelh (apaggellw) aor. pas. "someone told" - [and] it was said, announced. The passive is used to express how Jesus knew his family had arrived; "and he was told", ESV. Here introducing direct speech.
autw/ "him" - to him. Dative of indirect object.
sou gen. pro. "your" - [that the mother] of you [and the brothers] of you. The genitive is adjectival, relational.
esthkasin (iJsthmi) perf. "are standing" - have been standing [outside]. The perfect expressing a completed action with ongoing consequences. It may be expressing the fact that they have been standing outside waiting for some times.
qelonteV (qelw) "wanting" - wishing, wanting. The participle is usually treated as adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of their "standing", as NIV, but possibly just attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying the verb "have been standing"; "they are standing outside and want to see you."
idein (oJraw) aor. inf. "to see [you]" - to see [you]. This infinitive is usually classified as complementary, although at the same time, it does introduce a dependent statement of perception expressing what the family want.
v21
iii] Jesus now defines his alternate family, a messianic community with its own membership responsibilities, along with the principles upon which the messianic family is based. Jesus' response seems somewhat harsh, as though he has just disowned his family. Of course, Jesus' words do not negate family bonds, but they do emphasise the importance of the new set of relationships found in Christ. In God's new kingdom we discover a set of loving relationships which are eternal in nature. As for the basis of this eternal family, Jesus makes it clear that it rests on both hearing God's word and putting it into practice. As already noted, the language of "hearing" and "doing" is a little confusing to our ears since "doing" sounds very like obedience. The NIV has translated the Greek word "doing" as "put into practice" to help us understand what Jesus is saying. We must take careful note of God's words to us in Jesus, and rest on his promises in faith - believe in Jesus for our salvation. So, Jesus is simply making the point that faith is the basis of God's eternal family.
The inevitable conflict between filial responsibilities and our responsibilities toward our brothers and sisters in Christ, are evidenced in this passage. The issue will be raised again, and is one which believers have continually had to wrestle with. Nolland balances the issue nicely; "family bonds are not so much negated as other bonds are affirmed and focused upon."
apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "he replied" - [but/and] answering [he said toward them]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to say"; a Semitic construction, virtually redundant, see apokriqeiV 1:19. Note Luke's use of the preposition proV to introduce the indirect object "them."
mhthr mou kai adelfoi mou "my mother and brothers" - mother of me and brothers of me [are these]. Fitzmyer takes this phrase as a nominative absolute in apposition to the nominative au|toi, "they/these", giving the translation "my mother and my brothers, they are the ones who listen to the word of God and act on it." We are on safer ground if we follow Plummer who points out that the lack of articles would indicate that the phrase "my mother and brothers" is not a nominative absolute construction, such that here it functions as the predicate with au|toi "these" serving as the subject; "these au|toi are eisin (verb to-be) my mother and my brothers, the ones hearing ....." Either way, the point remains the same.
oiJ .... akouonteV (akouw) pres. part. "who hear" - the ones hearing [and doing]. This participle, as with "doing", serves as a substantive. As noted above, Luke is continuing the theme of the parable of the sower / soils, namely the importance of right-hearing.
tou qeou (oV) gen. "of God" - [the word] of god. The specific intent of the genitive is unclear: adjectival, possessive, "God's word", or verbal subjective, "the word given by God / which God gives", or ablative, source / origin, "the word from God."
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