Then his mother and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. 20 He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” 21 He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” This brief encounter continues a theme that has run throughout this part of Luke’s Gospel: how we hear the word of God. In the parable of the sower, Jesus describes the good soil as those who hear the word, hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance (Luke 8:15). He then warns, “ Take care, then, how you hear ” (Luke 8:18). Now, when His mother and relatives come looking for Him, Jesus brings that teaching to its conclusion. Jesus says, “ My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it ” (v. 21). He reveals that those who receive God’s word and allow it to shape their lives belong to His family. Hearing, therefore, means more than receiving words with our ears or u...
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. 10 While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. 11 The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Jesus sees Matthew sitting at a customs post and simply says, ‘Follow me’ (v. 9). Tax collectors were widely despised. They collected tolls and taxes for rulers associated with Roman power. In practice, a collector could be responsible for turning over a required amount and then charge people more than that amount, keeping the excess for himself. This made the system open to abuse and gave tax collectors ...