31And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. [3:32] And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you." [3:33] And he answered them: "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" [3:34] And looking around at those sitting in a circle around him, he said: "Here are my mother and my brothers. [3:35] Whoever does the will of God — that one is my brother and sister and mother."
MRK 3:31-35
Jesusʼ Mother and Brothers
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Mediterranean culture, kinship ties were foundational to social identity and honor. The arrival of Jesus’s mother and brothers would have signaled a claim on familial obligation, as family members often mediated social and religious expectations. The crowd surrounding Jesus, likely a mix of disciples and curious onlookers, represented a fluid, unstructured gathering, contrasting with the formalized kinship structure. Jesus’s response, redefining family as those who do the will of God, would have been striking. In a society where blood ties dictated loyalty and inheritance, this reorientation toward a spiritual kinship based on obedience to God’s deliberate will challenged conventional norms. The verb , describing Jesus’s deliberate gaze, underscores his intentionality in redefining relationships. For listeners, this would have resonated with the broader Jewish and Greco-Roman emphasis on communal identity while subverting traditional hierarchies.
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How other translations render this
MRK 3:31
- KJV
- There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
- BSB
- Then Jesusʼ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him,
- Koinōnos
- And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.
MRK 3:32
- KJV
- And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
- BSB
- and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You.”
- Koinōnos
- And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you.
MRK 3:33
- KJV
- And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
- BSB
- But Jesus replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”
- Koinōnos
- And he answered them: "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?
MRK 3:34
- KJV
- And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
- BSB
- Looking at those seated in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
- Koinōnos
- And looking around at those sitting in a circle around him, he said: "Here are my mother and my brothers.
MRK 3:35
- KJV
- For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
- BSB
- For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.”
- Koinōnos
- Whoever does the will of God — that one is my brother and sister and mother.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
MRK 3:31
- brothers:The word translated 'brothers' here could refer to siblings born of the same parents, or it could be used more broadly to include other close male relatives like cousins.
MRK 3:32
- a crowd:The word translated 'a crowd' often implies a large, undifferentiated mass of people, sometimes with a sense of being unorganized or even unruly.
MRK 3:34
- having looked around on:The phrase 'having looked around on' suggests a deliberate, encompassing gaze, taking in everyone present rather than just a quick glance.
MRK 3:35
- will:The word translated 'will' refers to a strong desire or purpose, not merely a passive wish, but an active intention or determination.