Bible Strands
Mark 6:3
Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus teaches in the synagogue on the Sabbath, prompting the local crowd to question his authority and origins. The townspeople address one another and Jesus directly, noting his known family and trade.
The words — The term τεκτὼν (tektōn) literally denotes a craftsman or builder, identifying Jesus by his trade. The phrase υἱὸς τῆς (huios tēs) translates as "son of the," which the text uses to link him directly to his mother Mary.
The thread — The same hometown skepticism appears in Matthew 13:55, which lists his brothers but substitutes Joseph for Joses. John 6:42 records a parallel reaction of disbelief rooted in the crowd’s knowledge of Jesus’s earthly parents.
Why it lands — The text states the crowd took offense at him because his familiar origins clashed with his wisdom and miracles. The reader must confront how familiarity breeds contempt and how God’s work often bypasses human expectations of status.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
Cross-references
- Matthew 12:46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him.
- Matthew 13:55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
- John 6:42 They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
- Matthew 11:6 Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”
- Jude 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept in Jesus Christ:
- Galatians 1:19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
- Mark 15:40 And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
- Acts 1:13 When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
- Luke 7:23 Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”
- John 6:60 On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”