Did Jesus Diss His Mom?

Devotion for Wednesday 3/25

Our Father will always make a way. He will make sure that you will get to your divine appointment – and then let all Heaven break loose.

Read Luke Chapter 8: 19 – 21

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” 21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

 
Did Jesus diss His mom? I know this is a unusual question, but there are folks who actually believe that Jesus dishonored His mother, or actually corrected her in some manner in the above passage of Scripture.

Now think about it: do we honestly think that Jesus dissed His mom? Would Jesus intentionally disrespect His mama with folks surrounding Him, while she was waiting for Him? And then to do it in front of others – to openly embarrass her in front of the crowd? Is this how He expresses His love to His mother? Are you telling me that this is the example we are to follow?

Please remember what the Torah says:

“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Ex 20:12

The Torah is very serious, when it comes to the importance of the family and the honoring of one’s parents in Israel.

The Torah also states:

“Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death.” Ex 21:17

I don’t know about you, but I get the point! Lets see…hmmm…want to live a long life? Honor your parents! Want to live at all? Honor your parents!

The Jesus I know would never do this to His mom. Jesus fulfilled the Torah perfectly, which means that He honored His mom perfectly. Jesus would never fail or sin in fulfilling the letter and spirit of the Torah. Think about it. Only Mary had the perfect Son, which means that Jesus would love and honor her perfectly. Jesus is the perfect example for our lives, and He would be the perfect example as a son.

So, what do we make of this Scripture passage? First, we must remember not to make the mistake of interpreting Scripture without understanding it’s cultural and historical context. Secondly, we must see Scripture as working together, expressing Jesus as it’s focal point.

When we read the Gospels, we understand that Jesus is a Jew, living as a Jew, in the nation of Israel – in the first century. The very fabric of society and culture in the nation of Israel, was governed by the Torah. The Jew of that time would judge Jesus’ teaching (or torah, with a small “t”) and his ministry, by the Torah.

Jewish scholar and rabbi, Jacob Neusner in his book, A Rabbi Talks with Jesus, does this very thing. Neusner, a believing Jew, takes us to Israel and stands with the disciples as they listen to the “torah” of Jesus. In doing this, he is able to share the reaction of a Jew listening to Jesus for the first time.

Here is some of his discoveries:

1) In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses the words, “You have heard that it was said by them of old…but I say unto you…” Neusner states that a rabbi would never speak by his own authority, so that in effect, Jesus is speaking as one equal with God, replacing the Torah with Himself.

Of course as Christians, we understand Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. But to the Jews of Jesus’ day, this “torah” is understood as a discontinuity of Torah teaching from all the way back to Moses – and this helps us to understand their reaction.

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine; for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matt 7:28,29

The word astonished is more to be taken as shock.

2) When, on the Sabbath day, Jesus cries out:

“Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30
“For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.” Matt 12:8

Rabbi Neusner’s reaction is that Jesus is now replacing Himself as the Sabbath. He cites the different passages when Jesus is in constant confrontation with the Pharisees. over the strict adherence to the Sabbath, and is alarmed that He is changing the central observance of the nation of Israel.

The Sabbath is understood as how the Jew may act as God does, in that when God rested on the seventh day, Israel rests in the same manner. But now, through the teaching of Jesus, the Sabbath is to be understood as a Person.

3) His teaching and action at the Temple, especially when He states:

But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. Matt 12:6

“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. JN 2:19-22

Jesus now replaces the Temple with Himself as the center of worship, the place where the Jew would meet and fellowship with God.

4) What is curious, he specifically cites the words of Jesus that got us started in the first place.

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” Matt 12:48-50

Rabbi Neusner understands Jesus’ words as directly confronting the Jewish understanding of the family, that is the very heart of the social order within the nation of Israel. He shares that the Jewish family connects them to the continuity handed down from Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob, Leah and Rachel. This family is of eternal significance, in that the very land of Israel, is handed down by family.

Jesus now relates family relationships to Him, instead of a nation. The people of God is not limited to one people group – now, it is to be understood as the Church, encompassing all peoples, and all nations. Jesus replaces the nation of Israel with himself and His Body, a new family.

Conclusion

The impact of Jesus’ statement is fueled precisely because He did honor His mom perfectly. Notice that the crowd passed Mary’s message when she had arrived – this was the protocol Jesus always practiced in His ministry, that His mom would always have access to Him.

If Jesus did not treat His mother with honor and respect, He would not have been considered worthy to follow. His words would have fallen to deaf ears. He would not have fulfilled the Torah, and we would still be lost in our sins.

Scripture centers on Jesus: every word that He speaks is purposeful, full of meaning – and totally within His character and mission. Christ fulfilled the Torah perfectly, and His kingdom in turn reflects His character and mission.

A Kingdom Principle

The kingdom of God is reflected in Christ, and therefore in His Body the Church. We as the people of the kingdom are to reflect His character and purpose.