Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 21, 2009

“Behold My mother and My brothers!”

Today’s devotion is Matthew 12:46-50. 
 
46  While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 
                                               
47  Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.”
                                            

 48  But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”

 49  And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!

 50  “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”  Matthew 12:46-50.  

 

Here are some quotes (not contiguous) from Calvin’s Commentary on these verses:

“our Lord teaches a very useful doctrine;  for he admits all his disciples and all believers to the same honorable rank, as if they were his nearest relatives, or rather he places them in the room of his mother and brethren

He tells us also, that there is no tie of relationship more sacred than spiritual relationship, because we ought not to think of him according to the flesh, but according to the power of his Spirit which he has received from the Father to renew men, so that those who are by nature the polluted and accursed seed of Abraham begin to be by grace the holy and heavenly sons of God.

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven.  When he says that they do the will of his Father, he does not mean that they fulfill, in a perfect manner, the whole righteousness of the law;  for in that sense the name brother, which is here given by him to his disciples, would not apply to any man.  But his design is, to bestow the highest commendation on faith, which is the source and origin of holy obedience, and at the same time covers the defects and sins of the flesh, that they may not be imputed.

Although these words seem to imply that Christ has no regard to the ties of blood, yet we know that in reality he paid the strictest attention to human order, and discharged his lawful duties towards relatives;  but points out that, in comparison of spiritual relationship, no regard, or very little, is due to the relationship of the flesh.  Let us therefore attend to this comparison, so as to perform all that nature can justly claim, and, at the same time, not to be too strongly attached to flesh and blood.  Again, as Christ bestows on the disciples of his Gospel the inestimable honor of being reckoned as his brethren, we must be held guilty of the basest ingratitude, if we do not disregard all the desires of the flesh, and direct every effort towards this object.”

Here is the link to the full Commentary by Calvin on these verses –


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