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Mark 3:20-21

The Word of God

Then Jesus went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind."

Mark 3:20-21
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    • The intensity of the ministry of Jesus is brought out by the assertion that he and his disciples could not even eat. The crowds were claiming Jesus’ attention as though they owned him. They expected him to be there for them all of the time.
    • The family (nuclear or extended?) of Jesus are aware of what is happening and have concluded that things have gone too far. He needs to be restrained, protected from himself as well as from the people. He is out of his mind, he is crazy!
    • Besides, traditional societies have placed a high priority on family honour. Jesus is threatening to bring dishonour to his family if he continues to act in such a foolish way. And what of these controversies he gets embroiled in with the Jewish religious leaders? Jesus’ family will be tainted by his arrogance!
    • Can you empathise with his family’s concerns?
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    • The intensity or passion with which Jesus lived and served people shocked his family and led them to say, “He has gone out of his mind”.
    • You might like to spend time in prayer with Jesus, reflecting about how passionate he is about your life, about appreciating who you are for him, and about realising his dream for you. Talk to him about this and tell him how it both excites you but also how it alarms you, like it did his own family.
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    • One of the most painful experiences for any person is to be ‘let down’ by their nearest and dearest. With Jesus being mobbed all day by the crowds eager for his message and his help, his family were caught off guard. They just couldn’t ‘get their heads around’ the vast change introduced into their everyday world by his new ‘movement’, namely, the preaching of God’s Kingdom.
    • Sometimes the urgent claims of the Kingdom can turn our everyday world upside down.
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    • Why did people think Jesus out of his mind? Because he had abandoned a secure trade as a carpenter for a wandering life; he had run into trouble with the authorities in what seemed like a deliberate way; he had gathered an odd group of disciples round him. He seemed indifferent to financial and social security and the opinion of others.
    • Lord, you ask me to take risks as you did. This is not a comfortable prayer, as I think about what you have in store for me. Give me courage.
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    • Jesus let go everything in becoming human. No one in his village or family really knew him for what he was. He ignored the hope of his disciples that he would be a king. He emptied himself on the Cross. What do I need to be emptied of in order to be fully available to God?
    • Word made flesh; you call us to break free from stifling self-centredness and to find true freedom before you, no matter what it costs.
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    • Jesus’ family considers him imbalanced. He has left the security and safety of Nazareth and his carpenter’s business. He is on course for a head-on collision with the orthodox leaders, and he has recently gathered a crowd of disciples who would do nothing for his career prospects. “He has gone out of his mind!” They totally misunderstood him.
    • Lord, in choosing to live by the Gospel, I too run the risk of being misunderstood and ridiculed. You faced opposition with determination and courage. Grant me your grace to follow you resolutely especially when opposition comes from those near to me.
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    • Those who knew Jesus well seemed to be surprised by how he lived and acted. I pray for the freedom that I need not to be hemmed in by my habits or by the expectations of others.
    • To live freely is to challenge those who accept constraints. I pray for the courage that I may need to let myself be led more by the spirit of God.
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