And them not believing in Him would mean they would abandon their own widowed mother, requiring a non-family member to take care of her?
Where is this found in scripture?
John 7:1-5
1After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. 3Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. 4“For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him.
His brothers did not believe in Him at this point. Nor is there any evidence they did at the cross. Hence the need to entrust Mary to John.
We do have evidence that they did come to believe in Him in Acts 1:14. His mother and brothers were there in the Upper Room.
Again...context is your friend.
Yes, context is my friend.
John 6: 67-71
After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him. [68] Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away? [69] And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. [70] And we have believed and have known, that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.
[71] Jesus answered them: Have not I chosen you twelve; and one of you is a devil? [72] Now he meant Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon: for this same was about to betray him, whereas he was one of the twelve.
Here there is a clear distinction between Jesus’ disciples, many of whom left Him, and the chosen 12, whom I believe He is referring to in the immediate next verses as His brethren. We already know that Jesus Himself uses brethren at other times when He is clearly not referring to relatives at all.
In any event, why would the brothers not believing in Him yet mean someone else needed to take care of Mary? I don’t see these two events as related at all. Not one brother was willing to stay with Mary?
Also, Jesus must have known that they would soon come to believe in Him. Why would Jesus use His dying breath to have Mary taken care of temporarily when she would have been fine in the short term in the care of other relatives or friends? We see in the Lazarus story (today’s Gospel by the way) how communities rallied around those who lost a loved one.
And what about the sisters? Since you translate brethren to mean brothers, do you mean the sisters also did not believe in Him? Jesus was 30, there must have been some sisters of marrying age, wouldn’t the sons-in-law have taken care of Mary?
Wouldn’t denying Jesus have actually made them safer from persecution, as it did for Peter initially, so they would have been better able to take care of Mary?
Love,
O2