2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his {f} brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
(f) That is, his cousins.
2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum. From the hilly region of Cana to the low-lying shore of the Sea of Galilee.
His mother, and his brethren. Catholics and some Protestants have held that these brethren were not brothers in the flesh, but kinsmen. The phrase, his brethren, occurs nine times in the Gospels, and once in Acts. The natural interpretation is always that they were his brothers, sons of Mary. Two places (Mt 13:55 Mr 6:3) mention his sisters. Had it not been for the dogma that Mary remained a virgin, a dogma that has no foundation in the Scriptures, it would never have been doubted that these brethren and sisters were her children.
2:12-22 The first public work in which we find Christ engaged, was driving from the temple the traders whom the covetous priests and rulers encouraged to make a market-place of its courts. Those now make God's house a house of merchandise, whose minds are filled with cares about worldly business when attending religious exercises, or who perform Divine offices for love of gain. Christ, having thus cleansed the temple, gave a sign to those who demanded it, to prove his authority for so doing. He foretells his death by the Jews' malice, Destroy ye this temple; I will permit you to destroy it. He foretells his resurrection by his own power; In three days I will raise it up. Christ took again his own life. Men mistake by understanding that according to the letter, which the Scripture speaks by way of figure. When Jesus was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered he has said this. It helps much in understanding the Divine word, to observe the fulfilling of the Scriptures.
