“But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind.'” Mark 3:21, NKJV
Would anyone claiming closeness with the Lord today say of Him, “He is out of His mind?”
Jesus Christ was not just a world changer. He was the world changer. He had more riding on His shoulders than anyone in history ever has or ever will. Therefore, when He moved into His ministry, things didn’t look like the status quo.
Jesus did things differently. He said things differently. He treated people outside the norm. The miracles, the teachings, the casting out of demons, were in fact, very different from anyone else, causing some to say, “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46) and leaving others amazed by His actions and power (Luke 11:14).
All of this caused a shakeup not only in the communities and towns He visited but also within His own family. At times, they didn’t know what to do.
Familiarity has a way of clouding the vision of those who are closest to you. The disciples who were called to leave everything and follow Him did so without reservation or questioning.
But those closest to Him (Vv. 21, 31) were not comfortable with the choice of the different path Jesus was now on. This ministry He was engaged in, the things He said and did, the way He acted, was out of the box they had conceived Him to be in.
But my friends, He could not be limited to their standards. He could not be shrunk to conform to make them feel more comfortable. He had a radical assignment on His life which called for radical moves.
I would say this is not the same little boy they grew up with, but it is the same one (technically). Only now, there has been a shift in His life that cannot go in reverse.
He is moving full speed ahead toward a destination they could not even fathom. And since His destination is beyond their current understanding, the path He must take and the choices He must make, they are not going to be understood either.
All of a sudden, His life looks strange to their familiar eyes. They cannot comprehend all this preaching business, and they think He is out of His mind!
To say they misunderstood who Jesus was is a gross understatement. They were not even close. They could have walked around the earth a million times and circled back, and still would have been no closer to His true identity and His true mission on earth at this time.
This is not how they were used to seeing Him. They knew Him as the carpenter’s son. They knew Him as Mary’s boy. But Jesus always knew who He was. He always knew His identity. He always knew His destiny. He always knew He was set apart for a one and only unique course in life.
His unique course was to bring salvation to the multitudes. At the beginning of His ministry, in Luke 4, we read of Jesus:
“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (Vv. 17-21)
Jesus was misunderstood early on, so much so that after making such a proclamation, some in the crowds wanted to take His life right then (Vv. 22-30).
And as our opening text here in Mark lets us know, He is misunderstood here as well.
Some accept Jesus Christ with ready and open hearts. Others, some that are even close to Him, thought He was out of His mind.
But even though Jesus did things “differently,” He did them according to the purpose for which He was called.
He could not, would not shrink down because others misunderstood His ministry. He did not give in to the familiar. He did not let discouragement win. He stayed determined to just keep doing what He was called to do, all the way to the end.
And these three things are what each of us can also do.
If the familiar is trying to box you in, “do what Jesus did: He passing through the midst of them went his way,” (Luke 4:30). You keep on keeping on. Jesus didn’t stand around and try to convince them to receive Him. Life is too short for that. His time on earth would declare as some of us say today, ‘Ain’t nobody got time for that.’ We have limited time here on earth, and God needs our gifts and ministries up and running and being effective for His kingdom.” (to read more from this article, head on over to Familiarty Doesn’t Have to Breed Contempt that I previously published).
Does all of this misunderstanding discourage you? Know this: Jesus had every right to be discouraged with the way things were, but He did not give it the opportunity. Discouragement is a pit. The more you swim in it, the deeper it takes you under. The fact is, we do what Jesus didn’t do; we give it the opportunity. Jesus let nothing frustrate Him from doing what He had to do.” (for more, click on Jesus Didn’t Let Discouragement Win).
Friends, as Jesus did, we must Just Keep Doing! Once I wrote in 3 Things to Remember When Rising Above the Accusers of Your Anointing:
“Anybody who has done anything significant for His Kingdom gets talked about and attacked (see Daniel 6:4-5 and Acts 23:28-29). Our job as individuals is to rise above the naysayers and accusers and do what God says; to be about our heavenly Father’s business no matter what.
SO REMEMBER, if you are walking in the will of God, just keep these three things in mind when your anointing is under attack:
-
- JUST because you’re anointed doesn’t mean you won’t be attacked.
- KEEP their possible motives in perspective. Often, the problem isn’t you.
- DOING what God anointed you to do is what matters most, regardless of the accusers.
Therefore, it all boils down to one sure-fire way to rise above the accusers of your anointing:
JUST KEEP DOING!
And that is how I concluded that message and how I will conclude this one as well.
Don’t give in to the misunderstanding of the ministry. Just do what God has called you to do.
It’s never about how people see you. It’s all about how God sees you!
Bonus Tip: When in doubt, talk to a trusted adviser, pastor, leader, or friend. Someone genuinely interested in your spiritual well-being, growth, and work for the Lord.
Blessings~
Text-Free Image by Tung Lam from Pixabay
Copyright © Word For Life Says.com (Sharing any posts or lessons can only be done through the share buttons provided on this site from the original posts, lessons, and articles only. You can reblog from the original posts only using the reblog button provided, or share using the share buttons provided from these social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, etc., and they must be shared from the original posts only. All other repostings are prohibited. Posts and other items of interest found on this site MAY NOT BE COPIED AND PASTED, downloaded, uploaded, etc to another website or entity not listed (physical or electronic). See COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.
