The Meaning of Matthew 12:48 Explained

Matthew 12:48

KJV: But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

YLT: And he answering said to him who spake to him, 'Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?'

Darby: But he answering said to him that spoke to him, Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?

ASV: But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But  he answered  and said  unto him that told  him,  Who  is  my  mother?  and  who  are  my  brethren? 

What does Matthew 12:48 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 12:38-50 - Opposing Or Doing God's Will
It was an evil and adulterous age. It had no spiritual appreciation, and was intent on getting an outward and sensible sign. Nineveh itself would have condemned it. The queen of Sheba, without the advantage attaching to the Hebrew race, appreciated Solomon; but the people of this generation had no appreciation of the Christ. They were nearing the last days of corruption and reprobation. They were a deserted palace given over to demons. Seven demons possessed them and urged them, as they did the swine in Matthew 8:31, to destruction.
But amid the general apostasy, there were faithful souls who recognized Jesus as the Son of God and drew near to hear His words. They recognized His kinship to the Father and revealed their kinship to Him. Let us not look back to Nazareth and Bethany with longing eyes. See Solomon's Song of Solomon 8:1-2. We are privileged to occupy a closer relationship than that of natural birth. See John 1:12-13; Galatians 4:1-6; Romans 8:16. O Brother Christ, make us more like thee! [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 12

1  Jesus reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath,
3  by scripture,
9  by reason,
13  and by a miracle
22  He heals a man possessed that was blind and mute;
24  and confronting the absurd charge of casting out demons by Beelzebub,
32  he shows that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven
36  Account shall be made of idle words
38  He rebukes the unfaithful, who seek after a sign,
46  and shows who is his brother, sister, and mother

What do the individual words in Matthew 12:48 mean?

- And answering He said to the [one] telling Him Who is the mother of Me and who are the brothers
δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν τῷ λέγοντι αὐτῷ Τίς ἐστιν μήτηρ μου καὶ τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ ἀδελφοί

  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀποκριθεὶς  answering 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀποκρίνομαι  
Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer.
εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
τῷ  to  the  [one] 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
λέγοντι  telling 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
μήτηρ  mother 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: μήτηρ  
Sense: a mother.
μου  of  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἀδελφοί  brothers 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀδελφός  
Sense: a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother.