Word by word Bible study notes

Scripture

Luke 8:19

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.

Observation

Then

• at that time
• immediately or soon afterward
• next in order of time

 His

• possessive form of He, in this case, Jesus

 mother

• female parent
• a term of familiar address for an old or elderly woman
• something or someone that gives rise to or exercises protecting care over something else, origin of source

and

• along or together with; as well as; in addition to
• besides; also

brothers

• male offsprings having parents in common with other offspring
• a male numbered among the same kinship group, nationality, race, profession, etc. as another
• an associate; a fellow member; fellow countryman; fellow man

came (past tense of come)

• to approach or move toward a particular person or place
• to arrive by movement or in the course of progress

to

• used for expressing motion
• used for expressing limit of movement
• used to express point in time

Him,

• pronoun, objective case of he (He), in this instance, Jesus

and

• implies continuation the next thing that happened

could (simple past tense of can)

•  used to express possibility
• used to express "conditioned" possibility (if/then)
• used in asking permission

not

• by use of an auxiliary verb to form a negative.

approach

• come near or nearer to
• come near in quality
• to present, offer, or make a proposal or request to
• to begin to work on

Him

• Jesus

because

• for the reason that
• due to the fact

of

• used to indicate distance
• used to indicate derivation, origin, or source
• used to indicate cause, motive, occasion, or reason

the

• used to specify
• used to mark a proper noun
• used with a title
• used to indicate the best known

crowd.

• a large number of persons gathered closely together
• a large number of persons
• any group or set of persons with something in common
• audience; attendance

Application

I'm not sure what to put for application.  So I'm just going to share a thought.

 They "could not" approach Him because of the crowd.  I am reminded of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.  There was a big crowd -throng- around Jesus and she found her way to touch the hem of His garment.  Was it her desperation that helped lead her to Him?  Maybe His mother and brothers were not desperate for Him?  I don't know, it is just a thought.  (Though, having read in Mark, they did have different motives to see Him...)

Am I desperate for Him on a daily basis?  I know there are moments I am.  But I do know there are times I go to people and ask them if I should do this or that.  I believe God wants me to do something, yet I go to people and ask permission from them.  Instead of running to Him and asking, trusting, obeying, I go elsewhere. 

Just something to think about.

Would I make it past the crowd?  Would I be on the outside needing other people to go to Him to tell Him I want to talk to Him? 

Prayer

Jesus, I don't want to be crowded out.  I want to be there, listening to You.