The saving relationship

 

“LORD THAT I MAY SEE.”

A SHORT COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY

Gospel

Mark 3:31-35

Who are my mother and my brothers? Those that do the will of God

1.      The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived

2.      and, standing outside,

3.      sent in a message

4.      asking for him.

5.      A crowd was sitting round him

6.      at the time the message was passed to him,

7.      ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’

8.      He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’

9.      And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him,

10. he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers.

11. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’

 

Now his relatives have arrived, including his Mother. There are so many people there than they cannot get to him and so they send a message. The person who gives Jesus the message and maybe his relatives also, including his Mother, think that since they are close relatives, he would drop everything and come and see them. Jesus doesn’t change, but our understanding of him and his mission does. We must grow in our understanding of him. Mary his Mother had to grow in her understanding of her Son and his mission.

Biological relationships have meaning in this world. But Jesus teaches us that there is a deeper and more real relationship. It is our relationship with God. The true family from every family derives its meaning is the Family God. By Baptism we become the children of God. This is not just a fiction but a reality. We truly are the children of God. We are born of the Holy Spirit. This is a true and lasting relationship. It can never by cancelled. Once his child, always his child.

This passage says nothing about the Mary and her relationship with Jesus, but tells us that if out of love we listen to the Father and does his will then our relationship deepens. It is this faith, love, obedience relationship which is the only relationship of any value in the eyes of God.

From the other Gospels we will see that Mary fulfils these conditions to t he fullest degree.