And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” Mark 3:20-22 (NASB) With the crowds pressing in on Him, Jesus did not even take time to eat. His friends and family were concerned for Him, but they were missing the point of His ministry. Even those close to Jesus were slow to understand who He was and what He had come to do. Jesus had just delivered one who was possessed with the devil when the multitude came together. Their reaction to Him was mixed. Some felt that he might be the Son of David, while others who considered themselves His friends felt that He had become irrational and was beside himself. Yet there were others who were not nearly so kind, the Scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem bluntly put forth that He had a devil which gave Him power over devils. The family may be the most difficult place to be a witness for Jesus. To be the first or only Christian may go against their grain. Your faith can easily be misinterpreted as criticism. Your zeal may be misunderstood. You may be accused of being a hypocrite because other areas of your life are still falling short of Christ’s ideals. Uncommitted people may view your new commitment to the Bible as unreasonable bigotry. Family members may require the most patience. They see you at your worst when your guard is down. Remember that Christ’s own family rejected and ridiculed Him. Jesus knows what you are facing by trying to witness for Him in your own family. Stay true to your faith. Do not respond negatively to the attacks that occur. In time, you love for your family will have a positive effect.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Jan 2015 20:57:00 +0000