<p>12:49&nbsp;<em>And he stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said: Behold, my mother and my relatives!-</em>&nbsp;Another mark of an eyewitness account is found in this reference to His stretching out His hand. Given the loss of family many had experienced, this visual image would've remained in their memories, to be drawn upon in the hard times of rejection by family of origin. The Greek&nbsp;<em>epi</em>&nbsp;translated &quot;toward&quot; could strictly mean 'over'- as if the disciples were sitting near to Him. For it was they, rather than the general audience, whom He knew were doing the Father's will.</p>
<p>The Lord implied that those who did God&rsquo;s will were closer to Him than His physical mother or sister or brother (Mt. 12:48-50). It has been observed that &ldquo;in a kinship-oriented society like Israel, it must have been startling for people to hear of a bond that was even deeper than that of the natural family&rdquo;. And so it is in many parts of the world today.</p>