Section 8:19–21
Jesus said that people who obey God’s word are his real family
In this section Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. However, they could not get to him because there were many other people around him. The theme of this section is similar to the theme of 8:4–18. In 8:4–18, the text emphasized that people should listen carefully to Jesus’ teaching. In this section, Jesus said that people who hear and obey God’s message are members of his family. They are as closely related to him as his own mother and brothers are.
Some other possible headings for this section are:
All who obey God are members of Jesus’ family
-or-
Jesus’ True Family (NET Bible)
-or-
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers (Good News Translation)
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 12:46–50 and Mark 3:31–35.
Paragraph 8:19–21
8:19a
Then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then here introduces the next thing that Luke wanted to write about. It does not refer to time. The parallel passage in Matthew 12:46–13:1 indicates that the event in this section probably happened on the same day that Jesus taught the people using parables. Some English versions have “Now” or “And” here. Other versions do not use a conjunction. Connect this section to the preceding one in a natural way in your language.
Jesus’ mother and brothers: Jesus’ mother and brothers are referred to in Mark 3:31 and also in Mark 6:3.
Jesus’…brothers: Church groups differ in what they believe about Jesus’…brothers. The three main views are:
(1) They were the sons of Joseph and Mary, born after Jesus.
(2) They were Jesus’ cousins.
(3) They were children of Joseph from a previous marriage. That is, they were Jesus’ step-brothers.
The Hebrew and Aramaic words for “brother” do not distinguish between biological brothers and cousins. It is good to use a general word for “brother” that could apply to any of the views above. For example, you may have a word that could refer to:
(a) brothers with the same father and mother,
(b) brothers with the same father but different mothers, and
(c) cousins who are children of one of the parents’ brothers or sisters.
If you must use a more specific word, it is recommended that you consult with all major church groups in your language area. You will want to choose a word that is acceptable to the churches.
If your language must distinguish between “older” and “younger” brothers, it is recommended that you use a term for “younger brothers” here. If your language does not use terms that distinguish male and female, such as brother or sister, it may be more natural to use general terms. For example:
siblings
-or-
younger-siblings
came to see Him: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as came to see Him is literally “came to Him.” Several English versions use the word see here, since it occurs in 8:20c. Jesus’ mother and brothers wanted to see Jesus and talk to him. They did not simply want to look at him from a distance. In some languages it may be necessary to make this clear in some way. For example:
came to him (Good News Translation)
-or-
came to ⌊talk to⌋ him
-or-
came to ⌊meet with⌋ him
8:19b
but: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but is most often translated into English as “and.” Here most English versions translate it as “but” because this part of the verse contrasts with 8:19a. Jesus’ mother and brothers were not able to see him as they wanted and expected to. Connect 8:19a to 8:19b in a way that is natural in your language.
they were unable to reach Him because of the crowd: The phrase because of the crowd indicates that many people were sitting around Jesus as he taught (see Mark 3:32). Jesus’ mother and brothers were not able to come to Jesus because they could not get through that large crowd of people. Other ways to say this are:
they could not reach him because of the crowd ⌊of people⌋ ⌊around him⌋
-or-
but they could not ⌊press through⌋ the crowd to join him
In some languages it may be necessary to change the order of information here and first give the reason why Jesus’ mother and brothers could not get near him:
there was a crowd ⌊surrounding him⌋, so they could not get near
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