Thursday, October 20, 2011

They Thought Jesus Was Crazy

And They'll Think You Are Too

"And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself." Mark 3:21

When word reached Jesus' family and friends about the great works He was doing in the name of God, they didn't rejoice, sing praises, or seek to join Him.  They immediately went to stop Him.  Why?  They assumed that He had gone crazy.
"Lay hold on" is the word krateō which means: to rule or be master over; to be in possession of, to seize; to retain or restrain.

"Beside himself" is existēmi which means: to be out of one's mind, insane
There is nothing passive in their response to Jesus' ministry.  They intended to overpower Jesus and subdue Him.

What had Jesus been doing to warrant such a reaction?  He had healed the sick, cast out devils, and taught the people the word of God.  More significant perhaps, Jesus had come against the established religious traditions of His day.  By simply manifesting the power of God's Kingdom (in His words and actions), Jesus showed that the religious leaders were not the holy men of God they proclaimed to be.

Yet, it is not just the religious hypocrites who wanted to stop Jesus, it was even those in His own household.

"There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him." Mark 3:31

When the individuals who desired to apprehend Jesus finally arrived, Scripture gives more detail about who they were: Jesus' brethren and His mother.

Jesus gives us the same warning.  We should not be surprised when opposition to the Gospel raises up against us from within our very household.  Anyone who is blind to the truth will think that the truth is nonsensical and will fight against it (II Corinthians 2:15-16, 4:3-4; II Timothy 2:25).

It is often those who have 'known us' who have the hardest time receiving God's work in us and fight us on the journey to know Him more.  They will try to pull you back with words and deeds.  "It doesn't take all of that to serve God", they say.  "You are going too far."  "Nothing is more important than your [earthly] family."   "Blood is thicker than water."  Yet this is not what Jesus said (Luke 14:26).

And if they cannot keep you soulishly tied to them, then they will try to hold you hostage to some representation of yourself before you came to Christ.  "Who are you to preach about Jesus with all that you have done?"  "You are not perfect!"  "I remember when you used to..."  But remember that in Christ we are made new (II Corinthians 5:17)!  You are no longer who you were before and all of your sins have been forgiven.  We don't need to be perfect to stand for Christ and His truths, we simply need to be in Him.

In such situations, we must be mindful of how Jesus responded in such situations; understanding that what was most significant in God's eyes was being a member of the Body of Christ (Mark 3:33-35).

"But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." Mark 6:4 (Also, Matthew 13:57; Luke 4:24; John 4:44)

There is a show which comes on Animal Planet called "Fatal Attractions" which chronicles stories of men & women who take in and befriend wild animals...often to tragic results.  My daughter once said, "Why is it people think they can make a wild animal not be wild?"

Humans are prone to such blind spots.  When God tells us that we will be betrayed by mother, father, sister, brother...He is coming against that blind spot.  He is telling us that the fallen nature cannot be trusted...no matter who it is.

Think it not strange when you face opposition for the faith, even from those closest to you.  Neither expect that such persons will appreciate your testimony and receive from you the word of God due to some earthly relationship or affection. 

In Christ, we have been adopted into the family of God.  When mother or father forsake us, we must remember that Christ has taken us up (Psalm 27:10).  Serve God with your whole heart and do not compromise, not even for the sake of earthly relationships.  Do not be subdued.  Do not be restrained.  Cry aloud and spare not.  Who knows whether such a witness may eventually help bring those you love into the faith as happened with Jesus' mother and His brethren?  But even should it not, you must decide to go on in Christ if we are to be His disciples.

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Matthew 10:34-37

7 comments:

  1. This is so true and it encourages me to stand firm in my faith. Most of my family is not saved including my husband and they don't care to hear the truth of the Word of God through me. I get discouraged sometimes but this is a good reminder that we must not let those close to us ruin our witness. Always focus on Jesus. Thank you for another blessed article.
    Rosaline

    ReplyDelete
  2. This message comes in right on time - I was just having a conversation last night with one of the few, and I mean few people that I can talk to about anything, especially the Bible, and we talked about the fact that thet level of insanity that is in the world is completely out of control. It's nearly impossible to get into any sort of "normal" conversation with people these days without them releasing some venom, intentionally or unintentionally on their part. We also discussed how those who are still caught up in the world and its affairs look at us like we are crazy when we actually voice our stand on issues according to scripture - it's an upside down world. The insane is accepted as normal, and the sane is seen as strange and wierd - ONLY IN SATAN'S WORLD. Finally, I realize that the more you press into Christ and the kingdom of God, the further and further you pull out of this make believe and degenerate world, the narrower the pool of so-called friends and associates becomes. The challenge is being able to hear clearly from the Spirit and do exactly as He leads us becomes some of these same insane people are the ones He will use us to bring to the kingdom if He has a vessel to use. Thanks for the message - right on time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I greatly appreciate your blogs and sermons on the Omega Ministry website. Our Father has been putting me through some great fire for quite a while to purge me of traits unlike His Son. They do encourage me to continue pressing into Christ no matter how others may view my devotion to Him. Some family members have thought I'm crazy, one point considering putting me into a ward for my zeal. Tonight I had some great trying times. People will deceive you for the fruits of Christ being shown in you to gain for themselves. I've learned that Jesus emptied Himself from eternal riches to bring light and love to people who used and abused Him, without Jesus considering His own life. Knowing this about our Savior truly comforts me as He continues to mold me. Your sermons, particularly on witchcraft, sodomy and the spiritual realm have been of great help to me realizing the need for deeper stages of deliverance. Thank you and continue to be obedient to that heavenly Voice to feed His children in due season.

    Aaron in MD

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, I constantly struggle with being a sincere disciple of Jesus. I get some flack for not going with the flow of this world and at times I can get discouraged. It's comforting to know that people such as Joseph (who had no scripture and no church to attend)was able to stand firm even in the midst of jealous brothers!

    Also - Aaron of MD -- I live in Maryland also. Which part of Maryland do you live in? I live in Montgomery County. It's awesome to hear that there is a fellow minded believer in this state! Keep up the faith - I too am encourgaged by Pastor Price's weekly messages from Omega Ministries.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Emily,

    I think accepting that the world will not love those who love the Lord is one of the hardest realities for a Christian to receive, primarily because we still must live in this world. But, once that has settled in the heart, it truly becomes so much easier. As God gives us the confidence to know that our home is above and we are but ambassadors here, the less the inputs from this world will matter.

    Montgomery County? Boy does that bring back memories. I was born and raised in D.C. and went to high school in Silver Spring. My husband and I also lived in Montgomery County before moving South. LOL Small world. :-)

    Finding like-minded believers with whom you can fellowship regularly will also be a great help towards releasing the cares of this world.

    I pray that you are continually encouraged in the Lord!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ha! Wow -- yes, it is a small world! I went to high school in Gaithersburg. Thank you for the encouraging words.

    God Bless!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just saw these new comments. I usually never check the old account associated with this blog. Emily - I live in Germantown and I've lived in Montgomery County all my life. Would you be comfortable speaking outside of this blog? I don't unnecessarily want to fill up the comment section.

    ReplyDelete

In an effort to reduce the amount of spam received, Anonymous posts will no longer be accepted. Comments are still moderated and will appear once approved.

If you have a personal message to relay, please use the "Contact Us" form at the top of the blog. Thank you!