Jesus was under immense pressure on all fronts.
In Mark 2 it's the Pharisees who take aim at Jesus. How could heclaimto forgive sin? How dare he eat with sinners and tax collectors! How could he dare toviolate their religious standards for fasting? How could Jesus have the nerve toheal on the Sabbath?
Have you ever experienced persecution because of righteousness? When you do good, you are apt to become a target. In Mark 3:6 the Pharisees and Herodians go underground to plot about how they might kill Jesus. Better to murder Jesus than to be upstaged by his wisdom, integrity, or good deeds. There are people who, if you don’t join them in their sins, will abuse you.
Then there was the pressure of training the chosen twelvedisciples.In three short years, these twelve would be charged to carry out Jesus' mission to the ends of the earth. (Mark 3:14) They had so much to learn and experience in so little time.
Further, there was the pressure of the crowds. They flocked to Jesus in droves in order to be healed. In Mark 3:20 we read how the crowds kept Jesus and his disciples from eating. If they were keepingJesus from eating, they were probably keeping him from training the twelve disciples.
There is a chaotic cadence to Jesus' ministry. He'swatching his back, training the twelve, and serving the masses. Asif this weren’t enough, enter Jesus' earthly family. Mark 3:21 (NIV) says, "When his family heard about this(all the pressures) they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.' "
Of all the pressures we face, the pressure of family is perhaps the greatest.
If you are married, you want to please your spouse. If you have kids, you want to keep the peace. If your parents are living, you want their approval. There is no greater force for good than when an entire household is united together for a cause.
But what if the household is divided? What if your spouse doesn’t support you? What if your kids whimper, and grimace, and refuse to cooperate? What if doing what is right causes your parents to shun you? Our families exert a powerful influence over every aspect of our lives.
For the past few weeks I’ve been dealing with gout. It's a condition that is so painful, it brings me to tears. There are mornings I cannot walk. There is no cure for gout. The best you can do is manage it through diet and exercise. So Lara wants pizza,but I should probably eat a salad. She wants to go to a NASCAR race or to the mall, but I can barely walk thirty feet.
Fortunately, Lara is understanding, she’s patient, and she makes a lot of sacrifices. AndI let her buy lots of candles. Nevertheless, I hate disappointing her, hobbling around and such.1 Corinthians 7:33 (NIV) says, "But a married man is concerned aboutthe affairsof this world-- how he can please his wife..."
So let’s put this in a spiritual context. What if obeying God puts you at odds with your family? You feel led to simplify your lifestyle, eliminate debt, change your spending habits, or tithe,but your spouse won’t hear anything of it! You want to attend a Life Group, volunteer at church, help a person in need, pray together, do family devotions, listen to a Christian radio in the car, unplug thetelevisionand internet for a night, and eat more healthy, but your spouse counters your desires atevery turn.
How many times in a given week doyou not obey God in some way because it disappoints your family? The truth is that we are more concernedaboutpleasing our families than we are in pleasingour Father in heaven. Men, you’ll sell your soul for anything and to anyone as long as you don’t have to disappoint your wife. But pleasing God? Now, that we have some perspective, let’s talk about Jesus. He was under incredible family pressure.
Jesus' family did not like negative press.
Look at Mark 3:21 (NIV) again. "When his family heard about this…" Jesus' family was hearing negative reports about Jesus, and they were growing more alarmed by the moment. They hated the negative attention, and they wanted to salvage their family name.
Families are very concerned about their image and aboutwhat people are thinking and saying. Our biggest fear is that our family is being cast in a negative light within our community. Jesus was doing good, but because it cast his family in a negative light, something had to be done to snap Jesus back in line with community expectations.
Jesus’ family did not like losing control over his life.
Look at Mark 3:21 (NIV) further."...they went to take charge of him."The Greek says literally that they went to arrest him. If they couldn’t dissuade Jesus from obeying God, they would try to coerce him, they would pull rank, andthey would drag his stubborn behind all the way back to Nazareth. This is what families do when they are under pressure.
When a family member doesn’t conform, things can get physical. In extreme cases, there can be domestic violence. But in many cases, the attempt to control another family member is more passive-aggressive. The tactics used include the silent treatment,complaining, belittling, nagging, and angry outbursts. Another tactic is to neglect usual family responsibilities."If you won’t give in, you can start doing your own laundry. Andyou can cook for yourself!"
The strategy is to exasperate a family member untilheconforms. At this point, most people resign themselves to the will of their family. "Fine. We'll sleep in instead of going to church. We'llbuy a big screentelevision instead of giving to that need. We'llmind our own business instead of helping our neighbor in need. Fine.We’ll go out drinking if that will make you happy."
Jesus family did not like being associated with him.
Notice what we find in Mark 3:21 (NIV). "...they said, 'He is out of his mind.' " This is yet another family tactic. Ifthey couldnotpersuade, ifthey could nottake charge of Jesus by force, thenthey woulddisassociate themselves from him! They'd say, "Jesus is crazy. He is insane. He isn’t like the rest of our family."
I have an older brother who has committed many crimes. At first our family tried to persuade Chris to make better choices. We poured on the lectures, warned him, and rebuked him--all to no avail. When the small town newspaper published his crimes, our family was deeply embarrassed.
So we stepped up our efforts. We tried to take charge of Chris. He got grounded, got sent to counselors, was sent to programs, and was given consequences. No amount of taking charge dissuaded Chris from his ways.
In resignation then, we did what Jesus' family did. We offered up lame explanations for why Chris made this choice or that choice. Families do it all the time. Theydisassociate themselves from the offending family member. The attitude of Jesus' family was, "He’s not one of us. He's crazy. He'sdifferent."
Jesus redefines the nature of family.
In Mark 3:31-35 (NIV) we have a showdown of sorts. "Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, 'Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.' 'Who are my mother and my brothers?' he (Jesus) asked.Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.' "
You are probably thinking that Jesus' response isn’t very Christian. For Jesus, everything and everyone else was secondary to doing the will of his Father in heaven. This is the first and most important question that we should be asking.What does my Father in heaven want from me? Such a commitment to do the will of God forces us to make a wrenching choice between pleasing our biological family or pleasing God.
Notice that Jesus redefines the nature of family. "Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother." It is true that we should honor our mother and father, but our ultimate devotion is owed to God, who is head of a new family-- the family of God, the Church! Becoming a member of this family is open to all persons regardless of race, class, or gender. The only requirement is that we share Jesus' commitment to obeying God.
You are probably asking yourself, what if? What if I make the wrenching decision to do the will of God, no matter what my family thinks or does to interfere? You should know that Jesus' family eventually came to be Jesus' followers.(Acts 1:14) Instead of rallying around themselves,and calling Jesus away from God’s will,we find them joined together constantly in prayer and rallying around the mission of God. Acts 1:14 could be the model for your family.