Sunday, March 5, 2023

Jerome H. Neyrey on Jesus' Mother and Siblings being "outsiders" in Matthew 12

  

The arrival of Jesus’ mother and brothers occurs within a context of conflict and rejection in Matthew 12. Previously Jesus was engaged in bitter controversy with the Pharisees, who challenged him and attacked his honor (12:1-8, 9-14, 24). Immediately after this, Jesus speaks a series of parables which seem opaque even to his disciples. When these disciples draw him aside and ask why his speech is so parabolic, Jesus distinguishes between insiders and outsiders. To the insiders, who are designated as fictive kin (Pitt-Rivers 1968:408-13), it is given to know the secrets of the kingdom; but outsiders are not given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven (13:10-12). The context of Jesus’ meeting with his blood relatives occurs between conflict and challenge by enemies (12:1-45) and contrast between insiders and outsiders (13:10-17). Thus, when his mother and brothers arrived, they “stood outside” (12:46), a small comment which suggests that they are not “insiders” and disciples who hear his words. This family, then, appears to lack typical family solidarity and unity; its honor and reputation are questionable. (Jerome H. Neyrey, Honor and Shame in the Gospel of Matthew [Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998], 53, emphasis added)

 

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