It May Not Be Easy

24 Jan

Jesus came with his disciples into the house.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, “He is out of his mind.”  (Mk 3:20-21)

Families.

You would think that family would be the greatest source of support any of us could have.  If you thought that, you would be thinking wrong.

Families.

We all know that some families are far from peaceful.  Siblings and parents argue and bicker among themselves on a regular basis.  There may be absolutely no support found in some family units.

We hear that happening even to Jesus.

His extended family members were not all in agreement that Jesus was doing good.  They had probably already had many discussions about the lifestyle of another family member, John the Baptist — remember, he lived in the desert, dressed in camel’s hair, and ate locusts and wild honey — and may have felt as if Jesus was the last straw.

Both Jesus and John drew crowds.  However, the attention that they garnered did not come without trouble.  Jesus and John drew the attention of the Romans as well, which meant trouble brewing.  Since they felt uncomfortable with Jesus’ reputation, some of His extended family members tried to silence Him.

However, Jesus knew that He had a mission entrusted to Him by His Father and He was not going to let anyone keep him quiet.

We have a mission from God as well.  Sometimes our family and friends may not understand why we do what we do or say what we say.  However, if we believe that we are doing the Lord’s will, we need to continue to do so and not allow anyone to silence us.

Jesus warned us that embracing His message may not bring us peace in this life.  However, embracing His message will bring us the chance of eternal life with Him.  Invite family and friends to walk with you.  However, if they come after you and attempt to silence you, make sure that you remain faithful to the Lord.

FAITH ACTION:  Pray for peace in all families that may be torn by strife.