The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
Jesus had said anyone who preferred there blood relations to the Kingdom of God was not worthy of him (see Matthew 10:37). Here we see him in some way practicing what he preached, putting the work of the Kingdom even before his obligations to his mother and his cousins. It was not the case that he did not love his mother dearly. He was by no means insinuating that there was any room for laxity in the command to honor one's parents. But it was the case that he came to earth to create a new way of relating to one another that transcended the bonds of blood. This new relationship had its basis in faith and was the reasons why Gentiles as well as Jews could inherit the things promised to Abraham.
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham (see Galatians 3:7).
Mary was related to Jesus both by blood and as one who had heard and responded to the word of God. She heard the call of the archangel Gabriel and responded with her fiat, giving herself entirely to the will of God. Because she was so connected to her Son by faith she was also able to become the mother of those followers of his who became his brothers and sisters. We hear this at the cross when the beloved disciple takes Mary to be his mother. We hear of it again in the book of Revelation:
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (see Revelation 12:17).
Being related to Jesus by faith sometimes means sacrificing natural inclinations and priorities to the greater good of the Kingdom. Mary did this her entire life, from the time she found Jesus teaching in the temple, to the incident in today's Gospel, all the way to taking up her position near his cross. It was this robust response of faith that qualified her to be the mother of Jesus by faith, and in turn the new Eve, the true mother of all the living. But it did not, we assume always feel good in the moment, even for one as pure and perfect as Mary. It was not personal sinful inclination that made her desire the natural goods which she was forced to surrender in favor of greater spiritual goods. It was the fact that she was so pure and perfect, and yet living in a fallen world, that this friction existed. After all, her pure heart was born into a world, that needed her Son to be sacrificed for its salvation.
We who are by no means anywhere near Mary's purity and perfection are bound to encounter the sacrifices entailed in putting Jesus before all else. We will be able to meet these challenges without despair if we maintain a perspective of faith and keep our eyes on the expansive vista of life in the Kingdom rather than allowing our pain to narrow our focus to life in this world. Mary always maintained such a perspective, as we can see expressed when she sang her Magnificat.
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed (see Luke 1:48).
Jesus is about the business of building a transnational Kingdom where all are invited to be related to him by faith. He is building a new and spiritual temple where people everywhere are able to take part in worship in Spirit and truth (see John 4:23-24). As much as the dedication of the temple described in the book of Ezra was a cause for joy, how much more is this new reality Jesus is bringing about? It is even here and now a glimpse of the eternal weight of glory for which all of our present affliction is but a preparation (see Second Corinthians 4:17).
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
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