§ 8. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee Continued

† 33. Jesus is Thought to be Beside Himself

Overview

In this episode, the Lord's earthly family seeks to prevent Him from teaching any further. They seem to think He has taken things too far.

The Scriptures show clearly that the Christ must suffer rejection, even from His own family.

Psalm 69:8–10

I have become a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother’s sons.
For zeal for your house has consumed me,
    and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting,
    it became my reproach.

Job 6:14–23

He who withholds kindness from a friend
    forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed,
    as torrential streams that pass away,
which are dark with ice,
    and where the snow hides itself.
When they melt, they disappear;
    when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
The caravans turn aside from their course;
    they go up into the waste and perish.
The caravans of Tema look,
    the travelers of Sheba hope.
They are ashamed because they were confident;
    they come there and are disappointed.
For you have now become nothing;
    you see my calamity and are afraid.
Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’?
    Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?
Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary’s hand’?
    Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the ruthless’?

Job 19:13–16

He has put my brothers far from me,
    and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
My relatives have failed me,
    my close friends have forgotten me.
The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger;
    I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer;
    I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.

‡ Mark 3:20–21

Mark 3

20  Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.
21  And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

they could not even eat

The Lord and His apostles are so dedicated to teaching that they seem rarely to take breaks.

Mark 6:31

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

when his family heard it

The proof He is "out of His mind" is that He does not take time to eat. We are reminded of what He said in the sermon on the mount.

Matthew 6:31–33

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

they went out to seize him

The family still thinks they can and should pull rank on Jesus.

Mark often uses the word here rendered "seize" in the sense of "arrest":

  • In 6:17, Herod arrests John the baptizer.
  • In 12:12 and 14:1, the authorities seek to arrest Jesus.
  • In 14:44, 46, Judas leads them to Jesus, and they arrest Him.
  • At 14:49, Jesus remarks how they never did arrest Him during His allotted time teaching in Judea.

He is out of his mind

Mark will again make clear the distance between the Lord and His earthly family later in 3:32–25. Mark is not alone in relating that the Lord's family did not believe the way many others in Judea did.

John 7:5

Not even his brothers believed in him.

Paul, too, would be accused of being out of his mind, and would admit that his genuine concern for the church could even be said to reach madness.

2 Corinthians 5:13

For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

2 Corinthians 11:28–29

And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?