Yesterday at church, our pastor mentioned a scripture that never stood out to me before.
The book of Mark begins with the story of John the Baptist. Then it briefly shares how Jesus was baptized then tested in the wilderness. Mark shared how Jesus called His first disciples, cast out a demon, healed many, ate with sinners, and appointed the 12 disciples. But then, Mark 3 verses 20 & 21 surprised me:
Mark 3:20-21
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples were not even able to eat. When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him for they said, “He is out of His mind.”
I don’t understand stuff like this where Jesus was concerned. Did no one remember that Jesus’ birth was holy? Especially in His family? It is almost as if Mary blocked what she had been told by the angel when she conceived. Wouldn’t she have shared what God had done in her life with others? Maybe not. She knew He was born of God because she pushed Him to perform the miracle of creating wine out of water. It is very strange to me that His own family would say He was out of His mind. That bothers me.
When I first experienced the Holy Spirit in a tangible way, my life was changed. I suddenly didn’t like off-color jokes anymore. I became very bold and was so excited about Jesus! This made many in my life uncomfortable I’m sure. I remember my husband’s cousin (who had actually taken me to some of these meetings where I learned more about the Holy Spirit) telling me not to be so bold. She wanted me to be careful who I told, etc … But I couldn’t hide what had happened to me. I was once bound by panic and fear and GOD set me free. It was obvious to others that I was different. How could that be hidden? And how could I be quiet about it?
I remember my Mom would always give my husband the credit because she felt I just “snapped out of it” so that we could marry and have a normal life together. It would infuriate me because God alone set me free. It was by standing on His Word that He provided. It was by the blood of Jesus. Oh how I would have loved to have just “willed” it away for my husband. I wouldn’t have gone through years of torment if I could have just made it stop.
Yes, I felt totally misunderstood.
My Daddy once called me crazy because I defended a TV evangelist. I guess people condemn what they don’t understand.
It seems like I have gone against the flow since I was 18. I was always questioning why churches didn’t resemble the Bible. And I am still bucking the mainstream flow of things.
Is it surprising that others would misunderstand us? No. But for the family of Jesus to misunderstand Him … that makes me scratch my head.
Do stories like this make you stop and say, “Huh?”
It must have been some cousins of Jesus, because a few scriptures later His mother and brothers appeared to talk with Him. It was then that He said that those who follow the will of God are His family members. (Mark 3:31-35)
Has your faith ever been different from those in your family? Have you been called crazy too?
