For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
All Commentaries on Matthew 12:50 Go To Matthew 12
Jerome
AD 420
From this is taken one of Helvidius’ propositions I ask then, after which manner these are called the Lord’s brethren in the Gospel? According to nature? But Scripture saithnot, neither calling them sons of Mary nor of Joseph. By nation? But it is absurd that some few out of all the Jews should be called brethren, seeing that all the Jews who were there might have thus been called brethren. By affection, either of a human sort, or of the Spirit? If that be true, yet how were they more His brethren than the Apostles, whom He instructed in the inmost mysteries. Or if because they were men, and all men are brethren, it was foolish to say of them in particular, Behold, thy brethren seek thee. It only remains then that they should be His brethren by kindred, not by affection, not by privilege of nation, not by nature.
He that delivers this message, seems to me not to do it casually and without meaning, but as setting a snare for Him, whether He would prefer flesh and blood to the spiritual work; and thus the Lord refused to go out, not because He disowned His mother and His brethren, but that He might confound him that had laid this snare for Him.
He did not then, as Marcion and Manichaeus say, disown His mother, so as to bethought to be born of a phantasm, but He preferred His Apostles to His kindred, that we also in a comparison of our affections should set the spirit before the flesh.
