Thursday: Sandwich Story: Part 2
Daily Lesson for Thursday 18th of July 2024
Read Mark 3:20-21. What experience led Jesus’ family to consider Him out of His mind?
A charge of mental instability is quite serious. Typically this arises from experiences where a person is a threat to his or her own safety. Jesus’ family felt this way about Him because He was so busy that He did not take time to stop to eat. They set out to take charge of Him, and that is where the outer story of the sandwich breaks off, interrupted by the inner story about the scribes charging Jesus with collusion with the devil.
A strange parallel exists between the outer and inner stories of this sandwich story. Jesus’ own family seems to have a view of Him parallel to that of the scribes. The family says He is crazy. The scribes say He is in league with the devil.
Read Mark 3:31-35. What does Jesus’ family want, and how does He respond?
Image © S. M. Davis at Goodsalt.com
This scene may seem strange. If your mother or other family members come to see you, should you not meet with them? The problem was that Jesus’ family at the time was not in tune with the will of God. Jesus recognized that truth, and in this passage He redefines family. Those who do the will of God are His brother, sister, and mother. He is the Son of God, and those who align themselves with the will of God become His family.
The two stories of this Markan sandwich story together contain a deep irony. In the inner story, Jesus says that a house divided against itself cannot stand. At first glance, it seems that in the outer story, Jesus’ own house—His family—is divided against itself! But Jesus resolves this conundrum by His redefinition of family. His real family are those who do the will of God along with Him (see Luke 12:53, Luke 14:26).
Many times throughout history, Christians have found themselves alienated from their own relatives. It is a difficult experience. This passage in Mark reveals that Jesus went through the same trouble. He understands what it is like and can comfort those who feel this often painful isolation.
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Many of us have had to resolve the interaction between family and work. I worked for 6 years in a Seventh-day Adventist boarding academy where work, family and further study often conflicted. It was the sort of job where you were on call 24/7. Ultimately, it wore me out and in the end, I asked for a transfer to a day school just to keep my sanity,
So, I understand Jesus' earthly family and friends being concerned about his well-being. The issue was that Jesus had become very popular; he not only healed people, he spoke encouragingly about hope and purpose in life. In today's jargon he would have been an "influencer". On top of that, the big shots from Jerusalem were concerned enough about this influencer to come up to Galilee to watch him and spread fake news about him. That is what I call pressure.
While the record in Mark sounds as though Jesus was dismissive of his family, we know enough from other Scriptures that his family were with him throughout his life. Even on the cross, Jesus took measures to ensure his mother was looked after. James, his brother became a leader in the early church,
There is one caveat to this story that some of us need to consider. It does not provide a precedent for those of us who feel called to spread the Gospel to abandon our families. If anything we should ensure that our gospel work includes our families.
Amen. Very encouraging words 🙏
Even now, when society is going through such a tough time regarding family ties, God's love is acquainted with it. Jesus is acquainted with what you and I are facing today, our challenges and pains. Because He lived all of the situations a human being can live in, He knows. I can boldly come to Him because He has the most loving approach to me and my loved ones.
Jesus'family was so much concerned to an extent thinking that there must be some mental [craziness] that accounted for His unusual behaviour:-He was so busy that He did not take time to stop to eat.They didn't understand His mission and were not in tune with God's will at this time.When Jesus realized this family division, He explained the situation by referring to His real family as those who were doing the will of God [Luke 12:53,Luke 14:26].
A PERFECT BROTHER
John 7:5 ESV For not even his brothers believed in him.
Mark 3:21 ESV And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
Mark 6:4 NLT Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”
Those who had lived with Jesus for 30 years really did not know him. Not one of Jesus’s brothers is mentioned as a disciple during his pre-crucifixion ministry. Not even a perfect witness (Jesus) guarantees that loved ones will see and embrace the gospel.
Why didn’t they believe?
What made them change? (2 Corinthians 4:6 NLT)
Acts 1:14 ESV All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
After Christ’s resurrection and ascension, His brothers are in the upper room worshiping him as God.
The story of Jesus’ brothers can give us hope for our loved ones who haven’t yet opened the door to let Jesus come in.
Yes, it is a hard thing having to decide whether to receive love and acceptance from one's family members, or do without it because one has accepted the heavenly Father's love and so being excluded from receiving one's family's love. We know that the body of Christ is not perfect, though it is willing to learn to love each other unconditionally.
In my experience and understanding, being accepted or 'loved' by family members mostly means having to conduct oneself according to the family's values, interests, and cultural identity. Family-identities are not always acceptable by someone who decides to live as a Christian because, being a Christian adds a specific spiritual aspect to ‘family-belonging’.
This spiritual aspect makes all the difference, because it defines how one sees and understands the values of ones own and others life - liberty, and how one wants to pursue happiness. Without this spiritual context in common, members of one’s biological family go about their lives following any type of 'reasons' which motivates their choices.
I consider the answer to the question by Jesus: “Who is My mother or My brothers?” to represent the difference between values established by this world and those established by the Word of God governing His Kingdom here on earth. For those giving up the love of their friends or family, it is not 'easy' when deciding in which 'world' to live; one cannot live by having one leg in each.
The hope remains that by expressing brotherly love - the foundational principle of living life in the Kingdom of God - toward all equally, whether one’s own family or the family of God, whether the stranger, friend, or foe, those who's love we lost may also accept the love of the Lord and Savior who's invitation we accepted to live in the Kingdom of God. God's Love is so powerfully inclusive, it is able to overcome all that which separates us in this world.
Mark 3:34-35 - ” And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” And what is the will of our heavenly Father - to love Him with all our being and to love our fellow man.