John’s portrayal of Jesus’ brothers may be contrasted
with his portrayal of his mother. John agrees with Mark in his portrayal of
Jesus’ brothers as non-believers, but he gives a different picture of Jesus’
mother. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ brothers and his mother presented a united
front when they came to call for Jesus, probably out of concern on his behalf
and wishing to take him home with them. Jesus did not heed them, and contrasted
them with people who listened to him and did his Father’s will (Mark 3:21,
31-35). There is no counterpart to this passage in John. In contrast with this
passage, in John, Jesus listens to his mother. When faced with a lack of wine
at a wedding in Cana, Jesus’ mother asks him to sort it out. Jesus seems to
respond rudely to her, but he does what she asks (John 2:1-11). How she
expected him to solve the problem is not said. Did she expect him to perform a
miracle? And if so, why does he heed her request for a miracle and not his
brothers’ request? John does not say whether Mary expected a miracle, but it is
apparent that Mary was certain Jesus could solve the problem that they faced.
In that respect she had more faith in him that his brothers did; she was not
asking Jesus to prove himself to anyone. She was not testing him. (Torsten
Löfstedt, The Devil, Demons, Judas, and “the Jews”: Opponents of Christ in
the Gospels [Eugene, Oreg.: Pickwick Publications, 2021], 305)
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