The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.
Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply,
"Who are my mother and my brothers?"
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother."
This passage is very interesting because throughout history there have been many debates regarding this text. Many scholars are torn as to whether Jesus had brothers or not. Many Catholic theologians believe that here the term brother refers to extended family and maintain Mary never lost her virginity. Many Protestant scholars believe this text does point to Jesus having brothers and possibly sisters. These scholars believe that Mary was a virgin when she had Jesus but after she gave birth to other children. The main point of this text, however, is not whether Jesus had biological siblings, but rather that those who accept God and usher in God's Kingdom are his brothers and sisters.
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