What did Jesus mean by "who is my mother?"

[Montie_Claunch]

I was told by a Fundamentalist Gentleman over the weekend in an attempt to refute the marian doctrines that in the Bible it says Jesus was talking to a crowd and Mary and his “brothers” had come looking for him. The crowd yelled to him that his mother and brothers were looking for him and Jesus tells them, “who is my mother and who are my brothers?” What would be the best way to discuss this with him? Thank you (in advance) and God bless.

 

[LSK]

First of all, establish how Catholics read the Bible. Fundamentalists will read the Bible in a literalist sense - Catholics do not. We read it literally - what is the difference?

A literalist would read the phrase “It is raining cats and dogs” to mean there are kitties and doggies falling from the sky. Someone who reads a book literally will know that the author means it is raining heavily when they see that phrase.

This is why we know, as Catholics, that Jesus was making a point by asking the crowd “who is my mother?” just as we know that the ‘brothers’ mentioned were not other children of Mary’s, rather they were male relatives from the house of David. Remember, there was no word for cousin in use at that time.

Because we do not take one phrase out of the Bible or the Gospels, you must look at the entire section and ask what was Jesus teaching us when he asked "who is my mother?’.

I hope this helps.

 

[Della]

Well, obviously Jesus knew who his mother was. He was making a point here–that anyone who keeps God’s word is “his mother, his brother, his sister”. To say that he was denying Mary’s relationship to him is plainly ridiculous. If he had meant to do that why would he tell John from the cross, “Behold your mother” and to his mother, “Behold your son” as he passed on care of his mother to John? Challenge your friend to find a single Bible scholar of any real worth, Protestant or Catholic, who would interpret “who is my mother” as meaning he was rejecting his mother. It’s just another snatching at straws to try to refute Catholic teaching about Mary, which is probably the only reason he cares about the passage at all, sad to say.

 

[Todd_Easton]

Jesus meant that what really matters in the kingdom of God is doing the will of the Father not mere familial relationships. He meant that the Jews can’t rely on the fact that they are descendants of Abraham according to the flesh to save them nor can Mary and Jesus’ brethren according to the flesh rely on their familial relationship to him to save them. Important as it was, Mary’s true greatness does not lie in the mere fact that she gave birth to Jesus but in her singular willingness to do the Father’s will and it is for her singular willingness to do the Father’s will that she is called the handmaid of the Lord, blessed among women, and blessed by every generation.

 

[dumspirospero]

Please do not take this the wrong way, because I mean no malice…but I have read countless posts of yours that have started with something to the effect of: "I was talking to _____ the other day, and they said: " " I am just puzzled…as a Catholic, it doesn’t seem like you know anything about your faith…which is the case with a lot of Catholics…but it just seems that you have a lot of “run-ins” with a lot of non Catholics who seem to bash our Faith and have a negative perception of our faith…it is just bothersome. It sounds as if you are one of two things: Either you are:

1. A recent or prospective convert to our faith and your whole life has been spent around protestants, or
2. A protestant with an agenda

Personally, I think it is option #1…but with that said, honestly, explore your faith…read books, i.e. Catechism, Church Fathers, etc…learn your faith, so you don’t have to ask every single question you are faced with online.
Montie Claunch:

I was told by a Fundamentalist Gentleman over the weekend in an attempt to refute the marian doctrines that in the Bible it says Jesus was talking to a crowd and Mary and his “brothers” had come looking for him. The crowd yelled to him that his mother and brothers were looking for him and Jesus tells them, “who is my mother and who are my brothers?” What would be the best way to discuss this with him? Thank you (in advance) and God bless.

 

[batteddy]

Important as it was, Mary’s true greatness does not lie in the mere fact that she gave birth to Jesus but in her singular willingness to do the Father’s will

Exactly.

Mary is not holy because she was the Mother of God, she got to be the Mother of God because she was holy.

 

[scylla]

I heard this same kind of statement in a sermon on a Christian radio station. This preacher essentially said “this is where the Catholics have it wrong” and said the Jesus said who is this lady?

A good response to this is to point out that Jesus was the perfect son, and in doing so would honor His mother, not be in violation of the commandments. He would love her perfectly also as the perfect son. He then was just making a point, that anyone who loves Him is part of His family.

This is bringing good old american culture into the Bible, in making the common adolescent statement, “you aren’t my mother\father!” which a lot of kids do to their step-parents(that maybe would fit better with Saint Joseph). So this would be just the common disrespect some kids have for their parents.
“I don’t need you Mom, I am talking to my friends!”

It makes me sad that some people get this interpretation, just as a reaction to Catholic teaching that Jesus loved His mother perfectly.

God Bless
Scylla

 

[adnauseum]

I was told by a friend that many protestants come here and pretend to be innocently questioning our faith but in fact are misrepresenting who and what they are.

I was just wondering if anyone else noticed this, and whether you think such a person is helping, or hurting their protestant religion.

Thanks!