Every time I read Mark 3:21, I imagine a pained look on Jesus’ face.
This is the place in the Gospels where His family is saying that Jesus has lost His mind and needs to be taken to back to the family compound.
The preceding verse describes how Jesus and His apostles are so caught up one day in ministry to large crowds that they haven’t been able to eat. That was the trigger that convinced Jesus’ mother and siblings that He was out of control and a threat to Himself.
I know it sounds crazy to us, this idea that the Carpenter of all creation is seen by His family as a “nut case” simply because He misses dinner in order to preach to a crowd.
His family was already sick of His religious activism, though, and tired of hearing all the peer complaints about the eldest son’s whacky religious beliefs and teachings.
They had already felt a lot of pressure, I’m sure, from local Jewish bigshots who didn’t like how Jesus was undercutting the tradtional Jewish power structure.
But Jesus was having a huge, positive impact on countless lives. Many were being physically healed. Even more were being delivered from inner angst and were walking in the peace of God’s forgiveness.
This is what Jesus wanted His family to see and celebrate, I’m sure.
Yet, they came with an agenda to keep Him from doing God’s work.
Oh, how that must have pained His heart.
It’s no wonder that He said in another gospel that His true family is whoever does the will of God.
I’m glad that Jesus didn’t harbor hard feelings toward His mom and His siblings.
Yes, they terribly embarrassed Him by allowing themselves to become pawns in the schemes of the Enemy.
But, if He showed them grace as Hie rejected this scheme with no residual malice, His call later for their support of His ministry might be well-received.
And it was.
They did become believers. In fact, His brother James became a key leader in the Jerusalem church.
I encourage you to be patient and focused on God’s calling if and when a relative starts giving you grief because of your overt faith.
Yes, it stings when a relative thinks you’re not thinking clearly as you pursue your practice of faith.
But you know what’s best.
Stick with it. Lay your wounded feelings on the altar of sacrifice.
God will strengthen you if you press into Him without faltering.
Perhaps some of those relatives will eventually come to believe as did Jesus’ relatives.
Now that would be a wonderful thing.
As always, I love you
Martin