Jesus' answer to his family, that those who follow him are his family is, according to Kilgallen, Jesus' way of underlining "... the fact that his life has been changed to such a degree that family ties no longer come before those whom he teaches about the kingdom of God". Jesus puts loyalty to God above loyalty to family. Family ties were considered very important in the society of the time, and some people even today are troubled by this seeming conflict between Jesus and his family. Jesus however states that his ties, and his respect and love due to his family, will go to those who obey God. Jesus' family is mentioned again in Mark . The story of Jesus and his family is also found in the Gospel of Thomas as saying 99. In Mark , Peter says they have left everything to follow Jesus and he lists the great rewards as well as persecutions they will get for following him.