Mark 3:20-27 — Crazy, Conflicted, or Christ?

Mark 3:20-27

Bread Alone. Photo: Joshua Mitchell

Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” And he called them to him and said to them in parables,

Divided House in Ruins, Photo: Greg Dueker

“How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.”

Comments:

Even though Jesus had called twelve men to be in special relation to himself, he did not isolate himself from other people. He was so busy caring for the hurts and needs of the crowd that he didn’t even have time to eat a piece of bread! Their press and demands were so great on his life that his family said that he had lost his mind because he was so selfless. At that time, his brothers and sisters didn't understand who he really was.

Are there times when we think that the Lord must be crazy because he doesn't do things in a way or at a time that makes sense to us? Yes. So what do we do when this happens? Do we rage and accuse, wheedle and whine, or turn away like some did in those days long ago in Galilee? Or do we lean forward and begin to trust a larger understanding of who he is? This is no pocket-deity like a Ricky-Bobby Jesus, nor is he a mentally ill messiah wanna-be. Over my 34 years of ministry, I have experienced both. Jesus knew who he was and what his mission was and he was committed to it. He was the Creator of the universe come in the flesh…and they were fussing over his calorie count? Does Jesus really need us to micro-manage his agenda? 

In John 4:31-34 Jesus himself would address this concern directly,

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”

So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work…”

Despite my own cognitive dissonance with some of his methods and his timing, as I read through the gospels, Jesus did everything according to the will of the Father. His house was not divided against itself. He was not distracted from the plan. He was no “lord of the flies” (the meaning of Beelzebub), he was Jeshua (meaning “Yahweh is salvation”).

Garden Tomb, Jerusalem

Despite the religious leaders’ efforts to demonize (literally) Jesus for his miraculous works, he was the faithful Son of God doing the will of the Father. Jesus was, in effect, tying up the strong man and plundering his house (i.e., liberating lost souls). There was nothing that the devil could do to stop Jesus. Jesus was knocking down the walls of sin, sickness, and dead religious traditions.

Most of the religious leaders couldn't stand it, and Jesus’ family couldn’t understand it… at that time. What do we do when others don't understand? Are we willing to come across as someone out of their mind for Jesus or will we pretend to "know-it-all" as a fool? Paul Louis Metzger once summed up this section with the insightful title, "Better an Idiot than a Fool." 

So…are we a kingdom divided? Remember, Jesus warned that we cannot serve two masters (Luke 16:12-14). Or will we in faith join Jesus in humble strength to plunder the house of oppression and injustice for the good of the world? That was Jesus' mission which he revealed in the Nazareth synagogue. 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. (Luke 4:18-19)

The people liked the socially acceptable "good parts" but when he mentioned that the Gentiles were also to be included they wanted to kill him. Now, who seems like the crazy party in this story? The one who forgoes his own meal times to serve to needy crowds, or the religious leaders who didn't want the Messianic work to include people they deemed unworthy?

In times like this, we need to think outside the box and participate in Jesus' care for the needy crowds, together, as one church in unity.