Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to see you.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Some people told him, “Your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to see you.”
- KJV And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.
- BSB He was told, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You.”
- NKJV And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.”
- NASB And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Someone tells Jesus His mother and brothers are outside wanting to see Him. This prompts His redefinition of family.
Overview
A message reaches Jesus that His relatives stand outside seeking Him. The report becomes the occasion for teaching, not a rebuke of His family. Jesus uses it to point beyond natural ties to the deeper bond of the Kingdom.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Mark 6:3Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were offended at him.
- Gal 1:19But of the other apostles I saw no one, except James, the Lord’s brother.
- Matt 13:55–56Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?
- Acts 1:14All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
- John 7:3–6His brothers therefore said to him, “Depart from here, and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see your works which you do.
- 1 Cor 9:5Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 8:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.