Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 6:3

"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended in him." — Mark 6:3 (ASV)

The hostility of Jesus’ townspeople toward him came out more clearly in the rhetorical questions in this verse. In essence they were asking: Isn’t he just a common ordinary fellow who makes his living with his hands like the rest of us? How is it that he is parading as a rabbi and miracle-worker? The question “Isn’t this Mary’s son?” seems also to be derogatory since it was not customary among Jews to describe a man as the son of his mother; behind this question may be the rumor, circulated during Jesus’ lifetime, that he was illegitimate (cf. Jn 4:41; 9:29). The brothers and sisters of Jesus mentioned here were probably children born to Mary and Joseph. James was likely the oldest and was certainly the best known of Jesus’ brothers. He was closely identified with the church in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 1:19) and was probably the author of the epistle of James (James 1:1). Jude was probably the author of the book of Jude. We know nothing of Joseph and Simon. The townspeople of Nazareth were offended at Jesus, and they refused to believe in him or his word.