Matthew 12:46-47...What did they want to speak to Him about?

[roseproject]

"While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”-Matthew 12:46-47

I know the point of this section of scripture is about the importance of “spiritual family” through faith and obedience in contrast to the crowd’s over emphasis of the importance of blood bonds.

Just curious though (because this question doesn’t seem to be asked often about this passage), is there any insight as to what Mary and Jesus’ family members were intending on speaking to Him about?

 

[Hereiam]

Perhaps the point was not what they wanted to speak to him about, but that they simply wanted to speak to him.

And, by speaking to him, this could have meant prayer, which is a conversation with Jesus.

And, in his saying that any does the will of his father are like is brothers, sisters, and mother…and if we do the will of his father, our prayers (our longing to speak to him) will be heard just as fervently as the prayers of those who are is family.

Just a thought.

 

[Reuben_J]

You may not believe this but his family/clan really thought that he had gone bonkers, over the edge. They wanted him to cut out whatever that he was doing and indulging in, and to bring him back home so that he would not do that anymore.

 

[Bruce_Killian]

Just curious though (because this question doesn’t seem to be asked often about this passage), is there any insight as to what Mary and Jesus’ family members were intending on speaking to Him about?

Roseproject,
I wondered this same question and here is the conclusion I came to.
My insight is that Mary as queen mother came to ask Jesus something He could not give. Similar to the petition Batsheba asked of Solomon. I believe that Joseph her husband was dying at home in Nazareth and it was God’s will that he die, so Jesus was the unquestioned rightful king of Israel. If Joseph lived he would be the rightful king. Jesus conferred to Mary that is was Joseph’s time to die. See my article on the chronology of Jesus’ life Chronology Of Jesus Page 47-48. I give more detail as to why this was true.
It is of interest that Mary’s younger sister Salome ask Jesus a question He could not grant in today’s gospel because if granted James and John would have been crucified with Jesus on His right and left.
Grace and peace,
Bruce

 

[Zach]

thought that he had gone bonkers, over the edge. They wanted him to cut out whatever that he was doing and indulging in, and to bring him back home so that he would not do that anymore.

Yes. Matthew omits the part in Mark 3:21 that says his relatives came to seize him because they thought he was out of his mind.

 

[Reuben_J]

Reuben_J:

thought that he had gone bonkers, over the edge. They wanted him to cut out whatever that he was doing and indulging in, and to bring him back home so that he would not do that anymore.

Yes. Matthew omits the part in Mark 3:21 that says his relatives came to seize him because they thought he was out of his mind.

After being an ordinary guy for the last thirty years, doing his job at the carpentry helping the family with livelihood, lately they had noticed something strange about him.

There were times he would make a disappearing act all alone by himself into the hills. And those companies he was in were rather of questionable characters. The fishermen among them would be probably innocuous enough but then the tax collector and the outlaw could be a cause for concern.

Then he had said outlandish things about religion and even perhaps made scenes in the synagogue or caused mayhem in the temple. The religious authority had started to notice his activity and was watching him. There could be potential trouble and the relatives were surely anxious enough for him to come to see him.

It made sense for his mother to come with his cousins. They would probably try to coax him or to bring him for a time of family activity or just go home.

His mother would surely know about him, yet there was that safety aspect that he would be in trouble with the authority.

He might explain to his mother but the presence of his cousins would probably oblige him to follow them back.

Of course he did not, as we can see his reaction to them.

 

[PeteFollower]

Glad to know there are folks here who can give like a BTS on what happened ages ago…

 

[Nita]

I read commentary once that said it’s also probable that “they” in Mark 3:21 (for they said, "He is out of his mind.) refers not to his relatives but to the scribes and Pharisees and what they were saying about Jesus.

Matthew 12:26 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons.”
Mark 3:22 The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”

If that is the case, I think Jesus’ mother and relatives probably overheard the scribes and Pharisees, detected the venom in their tone, etc. and came to warn Him.

 

[Rob2]

), is there any insight as to what Mary and Jesus’ family members were intending on speaking to Him about?

@roseproject , isn’t it just natural for a mother to want to speak to her son ?

“Dinners ready”

“Do you need any washing doing ?”

“Will you be home for the weekend ?”

“There’s a chair which needs mending .”

 

[Reuben_J]

Not when she brought a whole retinue of her clan (at least the cousins, since he had no brothers). For them to interrupt him when he was speaking to a crowd would mean that there was something more urgent and pressing. They were concerned for him.

 

[Dan_Defender]

We simply don’t know. ‘Our curiosity often impedes our reading of the Scriptures, when we wish to understand and mull over what we ought simply to read and pass by’ - The Imitation of Christ

 

[Telstar]

This is from the very next chapter, which kinda gives some more insight into the way Jesus’ family and friends, that He had grown up with, felt about His mission and what He was saying and doing. They most definitely thought He was crazy for doing what He was doing. They had ‘known’ Him all of His life, but never really knew Him at all.

"Matthew 13: [54] And coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, so that they wondered and said: How came this man by this wisdom and miracles? [55] Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude:

[56] And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence therefore hath he all these things? [57] And they were scandalized in his regard. But Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. [58] And he wrought not many miracles there, because of their unbelief."

 

[Benadam]

Agree with that much Telstar. I imagine the clan together discussing Jesus and how they got to stop him before the reputation of the whole family is destroyed. How they got to stop Him or distnace from Him. Our Blessed Mother knowing that what they want to do is wrong and perhaps dangerous for her Son is opposing them the whole way there. She is trying to be a peacemaker. and not of the opinion that the rest of the family is.

 

[Seagull]

That is - a fun question to ask

Maybe Mary - wanted to ask - about who exactly - is sitting on his right and left in the Kingdom !
Maybe Mary heard that the mother of James and John - already spoke out for her sons - etc - lol

 

[Nita]

This is from the very next chapter, which kinda gives some more insight into the way Jesus’ family and friends, that He had grown up with, felt about His mission and what He was saying and doing. They most definitely thought He was crazy for doing what He was doing. They had ‘known’ Him all of His life, but never really knew Him at all.

"Matthew 13: [54] And coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, so that they wondered and said: How came this man by this wisdom and miracles? [55] Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude:

[56] And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence therefore hath he all these things? [57] And they were scandalized in his regard. But Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. [58] And he wrought not many miracles there, because of their unbelief."

There is nothing in those verses that indicates anybody thought he was crazy. Also, it would not have been Jesus’ family speaking in verses 55 & 56 – highly unlikely they would comment on themselves saying things like “… Is not His mother…, brethren…, sisters…”

What I find interesting is that the people in the synagogue recognized Jesus’ wisdom and His power to perform miracles (Mt. 13:54) and somehow that offended them. I wonder why? (RSV and NAB translate verse 57 as “took offense” rather than “scandalized”)

 

[Hodos]

The parallel passage in Mark seems to indicate that they were coming to fetch Jesus because they thought he was crazy. Reference Mark 3: 20-21, 31-34. It is actually an interesting passage. We see here that it seems Jesus own family, and really his own disciples didn’t really get it until the resurrection. It is through the resurrection that we finally come to understand what Jesus did and who he is, which also explains why Jesus used the contrast as an opportunity to emphasize that it is those who do the will of God by believing in his son, that are in close relationship with him.

 

[friardchips]

Mary and His brothers (disciples) were outside wishing to see Jesus. We don’t know what they were going to say or ask. Possibly to speak to Him after His extended family (‘relatives’) had thought Him crazy, earlier on. To console. Possibly. Or just to be with Him. To tend. To be tended to.