Mark 3 -- About Family??

“Then Jesus went home, but again a crowd gathered … When his family heard this, they went to get Him, because they thought He was out of His mind… The teachers of the law from Jerusalem were saying, ‘Beelzebul is living inside Him!  He uses power from the ruler of demons to force demons out of people.’”

 

I know that in Jesus’ divine nature He knew that the world was blinded by sin to who He really is and to what He was accomplishing while on earth.  But His human nature had to have felt pangs of sorrow when His own family – His mother and his half-brothers – came seeking to take Him home, thinking He’d lost His mind!  My commentary noted that this was “the only place in Mark where Mary is seen, and her venture was a failure.”  That should say enough right there about attempts to venerate her and cause her to be worshiped.  She was actually seeking to stop His ministry!

 

Jesus used the moment to teach us that “family” is made up of all those who do the will of God.  “Jesus’ half-brothers were not believers, and Jesus felt closer to the believing publicans and sinners than He did to His half-brothers,” my commentary said.  We aren’t to abandon our families, but we are to put God’s will above everything else in life … “We must not permit even our dearest loved ones to influence us away from the will of God.”

 

Father, that lesson lows me the vital importance of leading my family to love You and to seek Your will in their lives, too.  Help me to do that as a dad.  Help me to make their relationship with You a priority for me as well.

 

Your Brother in Christ,

 

Gary Ford