Mark 3:20-21 Jesus is Insane!
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 9, 2018 Mark 3:20-21
Note1: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Note2: These two verses were difficult for me to understand. I needed more information, so I used commentaries a lot here.
Then he went home. Such a large crowd gathered again that Jesus and his disciples couldn’t even eat. When his family heard about it, they went to restrain him, because they kept saying, “He’s out of his mind!”
(Understanding the Passage) Where did he go when he went home? It must not have been Nazareth because Nazareth rejected him. It was probably Peter’s house in Capernaum, especially since this is Peter’s account. Some translations don’t say that they went back home. I haven’t been able to figure out the original Greek or figure out why the translations are so different. I originally pictured them in a house, but maybe this simply means that they went back to the area. The main point seems to be that they were going without food because of all the people surrounding them. They needed to eat but the crowd was so big that they couldn’t even eat. Maybe, I’m wrong, and he is in Nazareth, and that is the reason that family is around to object to what He is doing.
I don’t understand why His family thought that Jesus was crazy simply because of the large crowds or because of the twelve disciples. Maybe reports came back to the family that Jesus was not eating and that made them think that they had to do something for His health. Clark (see quote below) suggests that Jesus’ enemies had reported this rumor of insanity to the family in order to make trouble for Him, and they believed it. Middle Eastern families do believe that they have the obligation to control their family members if they get out of control. Barnes says (quote below) that it was the change from a normal carpenter that they had known for 30 years to someone wandering around claiming to be a Messiah breaking the religious rules and (in their eyes) performing for crowds. They could not comprehend His apparent change from normal to extraordinary. They could not accept that the ordinary man they thought they knew was the Son of God.
How did they try to restrain Him? What did they think they could do? Was this the same as in Matthew 12? “But while He was yet speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Then one said to Him, Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You. But answering, He said to the one speaking to Him, Who is My mother? And who are My brothers? And stretching out His hand to His disciples, He said, Behold, My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in Heaven, that one is My brother and sister and mother.” (Mat 12:46-50). I think it is because the story of the man with the withered hand on Sabbath is a short time before this in Matthew. If so, then I understand Mat 12 better. Why did He reject them and not speak with them? Because their purpose in coming was to try to restrain them. It is similar to when He called Peter Satan when Peter was trying to say that Jesus would not die. Jesus’ mission was so important that He would not let anyone’s selfish desires get in the way. The brothers were not innocently standing outside just wanting to lovingly speak with their brother. They were there to physically restrain Him and take Him away. If He had allowed such a conflict, it would have caused a scene that would have caused people to doubt His message. Instead, he avoided that problem by simply rejecting their special relationship to Him and teaching the people a lesson that loyalty to God is more important than even family loyalty.
His mother should not have let the others bring her with them. She knew that the others were wrong and may have come to try to control the brothers, but her presence actually gave them authority and thus, Jesus had to include her in the rejection to maintain His authority to minister for His Father. He was giving her a pointed reminder that she was not doing the will of His Father, but that He was. It’s ironic that the very crowds that caused Jesus problems with not being able to eat kept His relatives from being able to restrain Him.
Verses 31-35 say the same thing as Matt 12 that I just talked about. Why does Mark separate the two incidents? Maybe there were two different groups. Some versions translate family as friends or those who were with Him. We know that it was not the apostles, so maybe it was former neighbors or former friends who knew Him from when He was a carpenter, or maybe it was extended family. When they did not succeed, they may have sent the report home to His mother and brothers, and they arrived later.
Guzik says “Jesus constantly faced the rejection of the religious and political leaders of the day, and in a way their hatred of Jesus made sense – He actually threatened their status quo. Undoubtedly, it was far more painful and challenging for Jesus to deal with the way His own people rejected Him. It isn’t easy to be profoundly misunderstood as you try to walk with God. “When the Lord said ‘a man’s enemies will be those in his own home’ (see Mat_10:36), He may well have been speaking from bitter experience.” (Cole)”
Clark says “His friends – Or, relations. On this verse several MSS. differ considerably. I have followed the reading of the Syriac, because I think it the best: οἱ παρ’ αυτου signify merely his relatives, his brethren, etc., see Mar_3:31; and the phrase is used by the best writers to signify relatives, companions, and domestics. See Kypke in loc.”
“They said, He is beside himself – It was the enemies of Christ that raised this report; and his relatives, probably thinking that it was true, went to confine him. Let a Christian but neglect the care of his body for a time, in striving to enter in at the strait gate; let a minister of Christ but impair his health by his pastoral labors; presently ‘he is distracted;’ he has ‘not the least conduct nor discretion.’ But let a man forget his soul, let him destroy his health by debaucheries, let him expose his life through ambition, and he may, notwithstanding, pass for a very prudent and sensible man!”
Schoettgen contends that the multitude, and not Christ, is here intended. “Christ was in the house: the multitude, οχλος, Mar_3:20, pressed upon him so that he could not eat bread. His disciples, or friends, went out, κρατησαι αυτον (scil. οχλον), to restrain it, viz. the multitude, to prevent them from rushing into the house and disturbing their Master, who was now taking some refreshment. This conjecture should not be lightly regarded.”
Barnes says “He is delirious or deranged. The reason why this report gained any belief was, probably, that he had lived among them as a carpenter; that he was poor and unknown; and that now, at 30 years of age, he broke off from his occupations, abandoned his common employment, spent much time in the deserts, denied himself the common comforts of life, and set up his claims to be the Messiah who was expected by all the people to come with great pomp and splendor. The charge of ‘derangement’ on account of attention to religion has not been confined to the Saviour. Let a man be made deeply sensible of his sins, and spend much of his time in prayer, and have no relish for the ordinary amusements or business of life; or let a Christian be much impressed with his obligation to devote himself to God, and ‘act’ as if he believed there was an ‘eternity,’ and warn his neighbors of their danger; or let a minister show uncommon zeal and spend his strength in the service of his Master, and the world is not slow to call it derangement. And none will be more ready to originate or believe the charge than an ungodly and infidel parent or brother, a self-righteous Pharisee or professor in the church. At the same time, men may endanger themselves on the bosom of the deep or in the bowels of the earth for wealth; or may plunge into the vortex of fashion, folly, and vice, and break in upon the hours of repose, and neglect their duties to their family and the demands of business, and in the view of the world it is wisdom and proof of a sane mind! Such is the consistency of boasted reason; such the wisdom and prudence of worldly men!”
Meyer says “The Pharisees circulated this infamous charge-not because they believed it, but to satisfy the questions that were being asked on all sides. What they affirmed they knew to be untrue; but for selfish reasons they would not confess what they really thought. Such denial of truth is a deadly and unpardonable sin, because it injures the sensitiveness of conscience and produces moral death.”
“Family ties, Mar_3:31-35. The family of Jesus needed to be taught, though with the utmost delicacy, that they must not attempt to control His public ministry. All who love God and do His will are welcomed into the divine family circle and become blood relations of the Son of God.”
MHCC says “Christ calls whom he will; for his grace is his own. He had called the apostles to separate themselves from the crowd, and they came unto him. He now gave them power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. May the Lord send forth more and more of those who have been with him, and have learned of him to preach his gospel, to be instruments in his blessed work. Those whose hearts are enlarged in the work of God, can easily bear with what is inconvenient to themselves, and will rather lose a meal than an opportunity of doing good. Those who go on with zeal in the work of God, must expect hinderances, both from the hatred of enemies, and mistaken affections of friends, and need to guard against both.”
(Revelation of God) Jesus loves us too much to let us try to manipulate Him. He is not a weak-willed parent who spoils the child and gives him/her whatever he/she wants regardless of whether it is good for him/her. Instead, He will tell us directly when we are overstepping the boundaries and acting with presumption if that is the kind of approach that is needed.
(Application) I pray to always listen to Your admonitions and obey. Search my heart and tell me when I am straying into presumption. Help me to humbly follow You rather than assuming that I know better than You. Remind me that Your ways may look like they will only lead to failure, but they will always lead to the best possible outcome, so I need to follow Your wisdom rather than assume that I know better.