When family don't understand
| Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." ... 31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." 33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." (Mark3:20-34) |
This seems to trigger a line of thought about betrayal that Mark continues to the end of ch.3.
The first of the betrayals is difficult. Jesus is followed by the crowds to the point that it is even difficult for them to eat. Jesus' family in Nazareth hear of this and they set off to "come and take charge of Him" because, according to them, "He is out of His mind."
They will travel 30km from Nazareth to Capernaum - probably a two day journey on foot.
Then, for effect, while they are ostensibly traveling, Mark then segues to the resistance Jesus experiences from the teachers of the law. This "fills the gap" while the family are traveling. In verse 31 Jesus' mother and brothers arrive. They're figuratively holding the "restraining jacket" with a place booked at the local mental institution. They're here to "take charge" because things have gotten out of hand.
This is one of the reasons I love the Bible. It doesn't sanitise its characters. We're told the truth about each character, the good, the bad and the ugly. Mary, revered and elevated by some traditions, gets it wrong here. She does not understand her Son's mission and she thinks He's "out of his mind."
For Jesus, this is a tough moment. The teachers of the Law (who should recognise Him) have rejected Him. His family of origin who know about Bethlehem, shepherds, wise man and all the wonder of His birth, have succumbed to the sharp tongue of gossip and scandal and don't recognise Him either.
This still happens to people today and Jesus warns about it in Mark 13. Families can get divided over faith in Christ.
But there is another family - the family of faith.
This family of faith will accompany Jesus in His journey, but even they will abandon Him in Gethsemane.
Jesus ultimately walks this road alone, but brings them all back to Himself.
After His resurrection He appears to His disciples and to His brother James.
He rebuilds the bridges that were broken.
I think we can hope for the same.
