The Life Of Jesus Christ In Its Historical Connexion

While Christ was thus exposing the machinations of the Pharisees and the evil spirit that inspired them, he was informed that his mother and his brothers, who could not approach on account of the throng, were seeking him. [434] As the scene that was going on threatened bad results to the Pharisaic party by making a strong impression upon the people, the Pharisees had sought to break it up, by persuading his relatives that he had lost his senses. [435] His severe discourses, doubtless, appeared to many a bigoted scribe as the words of a madman (John, x., 20), and the Pharisees probably made use of them in imposing upon his relatives. The apparent contrarieties in Christ's discourses and actions could only be harmonized by a complete and true intuition of his personality; to his brothers he was always an enigma and a paradox, and they could, therefore, the more easily, in an unhappy moment, be perplexed by the crafty Pharisees. [436] It is difficult, however, to imagine that Mary could have been thus deceived; she may have followed them from anxiety of a different kind about her son.

But Christ, surrounded by a host of anxious seekers for salvation, heard the announcement undisturbed. To show, by this striking case, that blood relationship did not imply affinity for his Spirit, he asked, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to the seeking souls around him, and to his nearer spiritual kindred -- the disciples -- he said, "Behold my mother and my brothers! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." [437]