Matthew 12:46–50

At this moment the Lord was fully engaged in His blessed ministry. The crowds were so drawn to Him that He and His disciples "could not even eat." His "friends," either concerned for Him or upset by what was going on, "went out to seize him, for they were saying, 'He is out of his mind'" (Mark 3:20-21). This incident explains the one we now have to consider... From Luke we gather that they "could not reach him because of the crowd."

As a matter of fact they came in a wrong spirit, as anyone can see by looking at Mark 3:21 and 31.

She saw Him giving Himself to His service, without any thought of self or ease. He followed it day by day, never sparing Himself in even the slightest degree and never tiring. Morning, noon and night He seized every opportunity to be about His Father's business. So far as she was governed by her natural affection, she must have been alarmed for His sake.

They put forward natural claims to take precedence over the carrying on of God's work. That He would not allow... So standing outside, they sent to Him to come out to them. Had He done that, He would have had to pause in His work, for a crowd sat around Him, and He was speaking to them... Either, it seems, He must stop His work, or disown the claim of natural ties. It looked like a cleverly made plan of the enemy, in which His mother was certainly an unconscious instrument.

James was not a "disciple." He was one of the Lord's brothers, and they did not believe the whole time the Lord was living here below. "For not even his brothers believed in him" (John 7:5). "His brothers" were sons of Mary, born after His own birth. Of course we can understand why Roman Catholics have been anxious to make them sons of Joseph and not of Mary. But they were sons of Mary and of Joseph.

The Lord at once takes this opportunity. He shows that He no longer acknowledged mere relationships according to the flesh. He had a special relationship with Israel, the nation from which, according to the flesh, Christ came. He owns it no longer. They would not have Him... But, says the Lord, I am going to have a new thing now — a people according to My own heart... He renounced all earthly connection for the present time. The only tie He acknowledges now is relationship to a heavenly Father, formed through the word of God received into the soul.

So He spoke about the sphere of God's work and service. His words were meant to give His disciples the idea of a relationship nearer and closer than any earthly tie, and altogether different from it. The earthly tie was on a different plane from the spiritual. The one is not meant to set aside the other. The natural must not intrude on the sphere of the spiritual. The spiritual should not set aside the natural.

He commits her to John, the disciple He loved. To have always turned her away was not a lack of natural affection, but faithfulness... Now that His service is finished, His affection is free, and He shows it.

They put family claims first, ahead of the carrying on of God's work. He would not accept that… The house was full, so they could not get in. Standing outside, they sent word asking Him to come out to them. If He had gone, He would have had to stop His work, because a crowd sat around Him and He was speaking to them… They were trying to use family influence to draw Him away from the people around Him. Either He must stop His work, or disown the claim of natural ties.

Even among His friends the cry had gone up that He was out of His mind. His relatives' attempt to speak with Him was no doubt a result of that. The opposition had grown so great that fear for His safety may have moved them, along with a wish to get Him to change course in some ways.

The Lord at once uses the moment to show that He no longer recognised mere natural ties of the flesh. He had a special relationship with Israel, the nation from whom Christ came as to the flesh. He owns it no longer. They would not have Him… But, says the Lord, I am going to have a new thing now — a people according to My own heart… The only tie He acknowledges now is relationship to a heavenly Father, formed through the word of God received into the soul.

As far as this Gospel goes, we should not read the Lord's words as if they only answered behaviour like this. We should read them with what comes before and what follows: they point to the change of era in God's dealings that is beginning. Judaism was a national religion. People were Jews by birth, as the apostle says, though converts from other nations were also let in. Christians are Christians by a new nature only: the spiritual tie is the whole thing.

The Lord was doing the will of God in His blessed service, so He could not allow an interruption even from His mother according to the flesh… Here we see Him as the true and perfect Levite. Moses said of Levi, "who said of his father and mother, 'I regard them not'; he disowned his brothers and ignored his children" (Deuteronomy 33:9, ESV). All this is shown in Christ in the scene we are considering! He was for God wholly and entirely, and so outside of all the claims of natural relationship.

The Lord used their interruption to set aside a merely natural relationship. He showed that from now on what would count is a relationship of a spiritual kind… He owns His disciples as truly related to Him. Weak as they were, they had begun to do the will of His Father in heaven.

Of course, He set aside the merely natural relationship. Yet Mary clearly had a far nearer relationship than that — the same relationship that every believer has. And His care for His mother shows at the cross.

The earthly tie was on a different plane from the spiritual. The one is not to set aside the other. The natural must not push into the area of the spiritual, and the spiritual should not set aside the natural.

The Lord at once uses this moment to show that He no longer recognised mere natural family ties. He had a special relationship with Israel, the nation Christ came from as a man. He owns it no longer... But, says the Lord, I am going to have something new now — a people after My own heart... His only true relations were those who received the word of God and did it... The only tie He owns now is relationship to a heavenly Father, formed as the soul receives the word of God.

As far as this Gospel goes, the Lord's words are not about any behaviour of that kind. Read them with what has gone before and what follows here. They point to the change now beginning in God's way of dealing with people. Judaism was a national religion at heart: people were Jews by natural birth, as the apostle says, though converts from other nations could be admitted. Christians are Christians by new nature only: the spiritual tie is the whole thing.

Someone told the Lord that His mother and brothers wanted to speak with Him. He answered by asking who His mother and brothers were. That was the declaration that He no longer owned His natural ties with the Jewish people.

What precious grace He showed here! In front of everyone He declared that He was completely one with that poor and weak group. They followed Him with such stumbling steps, and yet, through His care and support, they stayed with Him in His trials. They were doing the will of His Father — they were doing it by listening to His call. So they came into the blessed circle of which He was both the centre and the Head, and in which He found His delight... He owned as the closest of all ties those that bound Him to the children God had given Him.

The earthly tie was on a different plane from the spiritual. The one is not to set aside the other. The natural must not push into the sphere of the spiritual, and the spiritual should not set aside the natural.

Of course, while He refused the merely natural relationship, Mary clearly had a far closer relationship than that — the same relationship that every believer has. And He showed His care for His mother at the cross (John 19:26, 27).

Rejected by the Jewish people, He turned away from His natural family and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!" (Matt. 12:49). But now that redemption is accomplished and accepted as the new standing fact... He could announce that His brothers enter the same relationships that He Himself had as risen from the dead and taking His place on high.

The Lord at once uses this moment to show that He no longer owned mere relationships according to the flesh. He had a special relationship with Israel, "from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ." He owns it no longer. They would not have Him... But, says the Lord, I am going to have a new thing now — a people according to My own heart. So He stretches out His hand toward His disciples and says, "Here are my mother and my brothers." His only true relatives were those who received the word of God and did it... The only tie He owns now is relationship to a heavenly Father, formed through the word of God received into the soul.

Jesus publicly breaks the bonds that naturally existed between Himself and the people after the flesh, acknowledging those only which were formed by the word of God, and manifested by doing the will of His Father which was in heaven.

He did not answer this uncalled-for interference with an angry rebuke. It sprang from natural affection, though it was ignorant affection, blind to His heavenly mission. But the Lord used the incident as a text, so to speak, to announce the basic principle of the kingdom that was at hand. His relatives tried to influence Him, and that led Him to declare that obedience to the will of God is the only reliable foundation of divine relationship. It must also come before every other claim.

His new relationships would be with the doers of His Father's will, and with these alone (Matt. 12:46-50). This would clearly exclude the nation of Israel in their unbelief, while it would bring in any and every believing Gentile. Judaism, with its narrow restrictions, was therefore gone.

He gives the dear titles and dear names of family to the person who does God's will in this self-willed world: "whoever does the will of God." Friends, how blessed it is to think of that obedience! It is not a feeling that evaporates. It is not self-esteem, which will come to an end sooner or later. A broken heart can obey. A broken heart can submit. That is what I call real life.

What precious grace He showed here! In front of everyone He declared that He was completely one with that poor and feeble little group who were following Him with such stumbling steps... They were doing the will of His Father by listening to His call, and so they came into the blessed circle where He was both the centre and the Head, and in which He found His delight.

So He spoke about the sphere of God's work and service. His words were meant to give His disciples the idea of a relationship that is nearer, closer, and altogether different from any earthly tie. The earthly tie was on a different plane from the spiritual. The one is not to set aside the other. The natural must not intrude on the sphere of the spiritual. The spiritual should not set aside the natural.

Rejected by the Jewish nation, He turned away from His relatives by blood and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!"... But now redemption is accomplished and accepted as the new standing fact. He has made purification of sins, and His resurrection has given life in abundance. So He could announce exactly this: His brothers enter the same relationships that He Himself had as risen from the dead and taking His place on high.