Mark 3:31

His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.

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Other translations

WEBBE

His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.

BSB

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him,

KJV

There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.

ASV

And there come his mother and his brethren; and, standing without, they sent unto him, calling him.

BBE

And his mother and brothers came and were outside, and sent for him, requesting to see him.

Original Greek

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The early church

(non occ.) From this it is manifest that His brethren and His mother were not always with Him; but because He was beloved by them, they come from reverence and affection, waiting without. Wherefore it goes on, And the multitude sat about him, &c.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)
(ubi sup.) But mystically, the mother and brother of Jesus means the synagogue, (from which according to the flesh He sprung,) and the Jewish people who, while the Saviour is teaching within, come to Him, and are not able to enter, because they cannot understand spiritual things. But the crowd eagerly enter, because when the Jews delayed, the Gentiles flocked to Christ; but His kindred, who stand without wishing to see the Lord, are the Jews who obstinately remained without, guarding the letter, and would rather compel the Lord to go forth to them to teach carnal things, than consent to enter in to learn spiritual things of Him. (Ambr in Luc. 6, 37.). If therefore not even His parents when standing without are acknowledged, how shall we be acknowledged, if we stand without? For the word is within and the light within.
Bede · d. 735Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)
(ubi sup.) The brothers of the Lord must not be thought to be the sons of the ever-virgin Mary, as Helvidius sayp, nor the sons of Joseph by a former marriage, as some think, but rather they must be understood to be His relations.
Bede · d. 735Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)
Because the relations of the Lord had come to seize upon Him, as if beside Himself, His mother, urged by the sympathy of her love, came to Him; wherefore it is said, And there came unto him his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
Theophylact of Ohrid · d. 1107Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 31–35

It is a great comfort to all true Christians, that they are dearer to Christ than mother, brother, or sister as such, merely as relations in the flesh would have been, even had they been holy. Blessed be God, this great and gracious privilege is ours even now; for though Christ's bodily presence cannot be enjoyed by us, his spiritual presence is not denied us.

Read Matthew Henry on Mark 3 →

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Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.