Family

Then he went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat.  When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.”  And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “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 his end has come.  But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.  “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter;  but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”   Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him.  A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!  Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”  Mark 3:20-34

After Jesus has healed, preached, taught, journeyed around, called disciples...did more in the first two chapters than I have in two years of ministry...then he went home.  Are there four words more loaded than those?  Of course, Tom Wolfe famously said, you can't go home again.  On the other hand, Henri Nouwen once said, "home is the place you go where you have to be accepted." What kinds of images does the word, "Home" bring to your mind?  Positive?  Negative?  Is there pain that has not been processed so you don't pass it along?  Let's go deeper...what kinds of expectations do you have around home?  I think we can agree that no home should hurt physically or emotionally.  But beyond that, is home a place of laughter?  Where everyone has their own space?  And more to the point... what is the deal with Jesus' family?

So, Jesus comes home...laundry and twelve friends in tow like you used to from college.  The house is full.  And the family...who perhaps were out at work...come home to chaos.  Some people were restraining Jesus, saying he was possessed by demons, and the family is just trying to do what they can to help.  For families who struggle with mental illness, the family adjust.  Some talk about walking on egg shells; others talk about the struggle to love the family member or reach out for support; still others know that there is a stigma that is strong in our culture.  We call people, "Crazy" as an acceptable description or even joke.  A few years ago, I sat in a class on those who struggle with mental illness where the instructor thoughtfully said, "The brain is an organ just like your heart or lungs...and if you had a problem with your heart or lung you would think nothing of getting treatment.  But we still shy away from raising awareness about the struggles people of with this organ."  That is really good wisdom.  Too often we believe people can just "think positive" or change if they want to do so.  But we don't see that with other illness.

What hurts the most in this passage is at the end, Jesus seems to denounce his family.  One history note might help.  In the days of Mark, there was a disagreement between Jewish and early followers of The Way (Christians).  It was a family fight, which can often be the most painful.  Jewish folks did not see Jesus as Son of God or Messiah.  Then to complicate things...which tends to happen...because there was a fire in Rome...which some say was the community Mark wrote to.  Christians were blamed from the fire by some in the Jewish community.  Brokenness can beget brokenness.  Yet, sometimes we do need to have distance from our family, especially if we cannot interact in healthy ways.

So, does your experience with your family connect or disconnect with Jesus?  Have you felt freed or restrained by your family?  Have you ever felt like your family was contributing negatively to your mental well-being?

I pray you will find a place of home that is healthy and where you can rest in the full grace of God.

Blessings ~