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Answer: According to the author of the Gospel of Mark
(Mark 3:19-21, 31), during the period when he was preaching,
Jesus' relatives, his mother and his brothers, believed
that he was mentally ill. The author of the Gospel of
John comments that "neither did his brothers believe
in him" (John 7:5). Jesus, in turn, rejected them (Mark
3:31-35, Matthew 12:46-50, Luke 8:19-21). Apparently,
Mary, the mother of Jesus, forgot the visits of angels,
magi, and shepherds. The prophecies of Anna and Simeon
completely slipped her mind. Most of all Mary seems
to have forgotten her own impregnation by the Holy Spirit.
It is more than likely that she had nothing to forget
because these episodes never happened. When Jesus started
to preach they had a legitimate concern as to his mental
condition. This incident, rather than later claims that
his family believed in his message, shows that no miracles
surrounded his birth.
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