Same as It Ever Was

Paul concludes his analogy where he uses the soap opera of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael to explain situation involving the Judaizers and the new believers in Galatia.  

In this letter, he's doing everything he can to undo the damage these false teachers have done.  

They've infiltrated these churches and convinced them that the only way they can stay saved is through their own good works (Gal 2:4; 3:1-3).  The apostle repeatedly uses the Old Testament as an explosive to blast away at their false gospel.  

Beginning in Galatians 4:22, he uses the story of Hagar and Sarah as an allegory to illustrate just what's going down.  The Judaizers and those who follow them are just like Ishmael and his mom.  The followers of Jesus are like brothers of Isaac, "children of the promise" (Gal 4:28).

Ultimately, the man from Tarsus hopes his readers will understand that the relationship between these two half brothers still exists today.  He wants us to see that history repeats itself.  Here we go again.  

Same as it ever was.

Once again, Paul flips open the pages of Genesis.  He recalls, "But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit..." (v29).  He reminds them that Ish and Ike weren't exactly close.  

Once again, he describes Ishmael as "born according to the flesh."  In other words, this was when Abe and Sarah took things into their own hands to fulfill God's promise (Gen 16:2).  

The writer of Genesis says that the day Abe and Sarah weaned Ike as a baby, Ish mocked his little brother (Gen 21:9).  This is more than a little sibling rivalry.  Hagar’s kid openly talked trash and laughed at his kid brother.

Paul points out that just as Ish ridiculed and insulted Ike, "so also it is now" (v29).  What's happening in now Galatia is the same thing that happened back in Genesis.  In other words, don't fall for the Judaizers' trash talk of Paul and the rest of Jesus' followers.  

That's what Jesus taught His followers on a Galilean hillside (Mt 5:10-12).  Unbelievers will persecute those who trust God.  It’s Christ’s way of saying, “Haters gonna hate."

As a matter of fact, the radical Rabbi/Carpenter says this is pattern of persecution is actually a good thing.  It let's you know that "your reward is great in heaven."  

It happened then.  It's happening again.  Here we go again.  Same as it ever was.

The apostle quotes Genesis 21:10 which describes how Sarah insisted that Abe kick Hagar and Ishmael to the curb so that they would not be included in Isaac's inheritance.  

Paul wants us to know that folks like the Judaizers that teach self-salvation will never be saved through trying to keep the rules.  When the divine will is read, they won't hear their names.  

This family feud continues today.  Forget the Hatfields and the McCoys.  That ain't NOTHING compared to the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael.  Jews and Arabs have been at war ever since.  We're not talking centuries, but millennia!  

Same as it ever was.

Notice in Paul's analogy the different ways he refers to the unnamed Isaac.  He's the child "by a free woman" (Gal 4:22, 23, 30).  He's the boy born through the "promise" (Gal 4:23, 28).  He's kid "born according to the Spirit" (Gal 4:29).  

He wants us to know that they all mean the same thing.  When we're born according to God's promise, we're born according to the Spirit and we're born free! 

Paul concludes his allegory with the bottom line: "So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman" (v31).  

This is what he wants the Galatians to take away from the illustration.  They are NOT like the Judaizers.  They are NOT like Ishmael.  

If you've placed your trust in what Jesus has done FOR you, then you're a child "of the free woman."  

Don't let these spiritual snake oil salesmen fool you with scriptural slight of hand.  And it's still happening today!  That's why we need be aware just like the Galatians.  It happened then.  It's happening again.  Here we go again.

Same as it ever was.

©2012

Jay Jennings

Brother from Another Mother

Family history and genealogy are incredibly popular these days. It's easy to understand why. The United States is a melting pot. 

Other than the native people who were already here when the explorers and colonists set foot on the shores, we all came from somewhere else. 

People want to know where they came from. We want to know who we are.

That's Paul's point here in verses 24-28. Using the story of Hagar and Sarah as an analogy, he draws a distinct difference between the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant. 

He wants the Galatians to understand that while the followers of Jesus may share a few things in common with those who are under the law, they are actually brothers from another mother.

Don't forget that the apostle continues to hammer away at the Judaizers' false gospel taught in the Galatian churches. They've tried to use the Old Testament to teach these new believers that Paul didn't get it right. 

According to the false teachers, Jesus may have saved us but we must make sure we stay saved through religious rule-keeping. 

The Judaizers have clearly picked a theological fight with the wrong person. There may not be anyone on the planet with a better understanding of the OT than the man from Tarsus. 

In this letter to the Galatians, he uses the truth of the Hebrew Bible as a wrecking ball to pound away at their phony gospel.

After bringing up Abraham's two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Gal 4:22-23), Paul uses their story as analogy. "Now this may be interpreted allegorically" (v24). The original text literally reads "which are things allegorized.” 

The Greek verb here is αλληγορεω/allegoreo. It's the idea of trying to convey something other than literal meaning. It means to talk figuratively, to use analogies and to illustrate using comparisons.

Let's be VERY clear here. Paul is NOT saying that the story of Abraham's two ladies in Genesis is some sort of fairy tale fabricated to explain something not understood. 

The story of Abe, his aging wife and their young maid is much more than some sort of risque soap opera. It's actually TRUE! It is history. It is fact. 

We're to read the OT for what it says. It's not to be spiritualized. We are to read it in context of God's bigger story, the Meta-Narrative. In that story, Jesus is the Point of the story. Jesus is the one and only Hero of the Bible. 

And here, Paul is simply using the story of Hagar and Sarah as a way explaining the difference between those living under the law and those living under grace.  

When the apostle's done with his illustration, we'll have a better understanding of who we are and where we've come from.  We'll realize that living under the law is NOT a family heritage.  That's a brother from another mother.

The apostle begins his analogy.  "These women are two covenants" (v24).  Paul compares Hagar and Sarah with two of God's covenant promises.  

The mother of Ishmael plays the part of the Mosaic Covenant, "One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery, she is Hagar" (v24).  

In case you missed it the first time, he repeats it again: "Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia" (v25).  She reps the promise Yahweh made with His people through Moses on the mountain just after He freed them from 400-plus years of Egyptian slavery.  

It included the Ten Commandments but actually numbered a grand total of 613 commands.   That’s right, the Mosaic Covenant was 613 conditional commands.  

In order to gain God's blessing, the people had to obey them perfectly, completely and flawlessly (Ex 19:5-6).  

Read that again. There were 613 backbreaking commands.  Take a look at the impossible standard God dictated to Moses that's listed in Exodus 19-31.  

And it really didn't make it any difference if there was one or 613.  Before the Big Mo could make it back down the mountain, the people were partying like rock stars in front of a golden cow (Ex 32).

The Mosaic Covenant was NEVER intended to save anyone.  God gave it to His people to let us know that we could never save ourselves through our own performance, even on our best day.  

The law is not a spiritual therapeutic treatment but a diagnostic device.  Paul puts it this way in Romans: "through the law comes knowledge of sin" (Rom 4:20).  It's used to diagnose our disease.  

It is NOT the cure.  He gave us the law to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we need a Savior.  We need Jesus.  The Ultimate Remedy.

But there are those who misuse the law as a means of salvation.  That's like trying to cure an appendicitis with MRI.  It doesn't matter how many times the patient gets scanned, there's no treatment involved.  It only reveals the disease.  

The Judaizers were some of those that used the Mosaic Covenant as the cure.  Paul let's us know that Hagar represents that futile and foolish effort of self-salvation in his analogy.  "She corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children" (v25).  

The "present Jerusalem" is where priests still offered animal sacrifices at the temple altar in the first century.  This was pointless for two reasons.  

First, Jesus' death on a Roman cross fulfilled God's requirement for sacrificial death once and for all (Heb 7:27; 9:12; 10:10).  Second, God's Spirit hit the road and left the temple centuries before (Ezek 10:18; 11:23).  

Hagar is the ultimate femme fatale in this drama.  She's the bad girl that leads us down the bad road.  She is the "present Jerusalem."  

She is the pinup girl for the Judaizers.  She represents slavery.  She represents works righteousness.  She represents self-salvation.

Meanwhile, the other female lead in the story is Sarah, or as Paul describes her, the "Jerusalem above" (v26).  She symbolizes life under the grace of Christ.  

Just as Abraham and Sarah should have trusted in the promise of God to provide a son through Sarah, we should trust in the promise of God to save us through grace by faith in Jesus.  Sarah is free.  And she represents the freedom we have in Christ.  

This reference to "Jerusalem above" is the New Jerusalem that God will drop from heaven when all things are made new at the final fulfillment of His promises (Rev 3:12; 21:1).  

It's God’s heavenly paradise.  And one great and glorious day, heaven comes to earth when His kingdom literally comes.

Then the apostle makes a VERY important description of Sarah (who is strangely unnamed in this analogy).  "She is our mother" (v26).  Let's be clear about this, Paul says.  If you’re a follower of Jesus, Sarah's your mom.  Not Hagar.  

Your spiritual identity is found in the one through whom God pledged to fulfill His promise to Abraham.  Sarah is not only Paul's spiritual mom, but she's also the matriarch for the Galatians and all of those who've placed their faith in Jesus.  

As a follower of Christ, you are not one of Hagar's kids.  You're a brother from another mother.

Paul goes on to quote the prophet Isaiah.  "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!  For the children of the desolate one will be more than the one who has a husband" (v27; Is 54:1).  

He's applying this prophecy to the "Jerusalem above."  Like Sarah, one great day she'll have more kids, grandkids and great grandkids than you could ever imagine.

The apostle connects the dots in verse 28 by writing, "Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise."  By placing our faith in what Jesus did on our behalf, we are Sarah's kids and Isaac's brothers.  

Hagar represents taking things into our own hands and trying to do what only God can.  Sarah plays the part of the one who realizes that the only answer is to place our trust in the Lord.  

If we've trusted in Jesus' perfect life in our place, bloody death in our place and glorious resurrection in our place, we're like Ike and "children of promise."  

And like Ike, a brother from another mother.

©2012

Jay Jennings

It Runs in the Family

My New Grandson

My new grandson looks just like Winston Churchill. Okay, not anymore. But just after his delivery, Jackson was a carbon baby copy of ol’ Winnie. Round face. Chubby cheeks. Button nose. Puffy eyes. The only things missing were the hat and cigar.

Over the past seven months, he’s thankfully taken on a strong resemblance to several members of his family. People see his mom’s eyes. Other folks make out his dad’s smile. Some even say Jackson has his grandpa’s dazzling personality. But is that REALLY my place to say?

Some families have strong physical traits that run powerfully through their descendants. You know what I’m talking about. There’s the legendary Kennedy chin. Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have apparently cloned themselves in their children. And the Kardashians are famous for their…well, um…fame.

Jesus’ Closest Relatives

Did you know there was a day when Jesus talked about His family resemblance? Mark writes all about the day our Savior was hanging out with a bunch of His followers when His mother and brothers show up to see Him (Mk 3:31-34).

When Christ gets word they are outside, He suddenly drops a bomb on His nuclear family in front of the crowd. He says His closest relatives include a lot more people than just His human parents and siblings.

It Runs in the Family

Jesus says they all share a strong family resemblance. What could it be? Full head of hair? Strong nose? The ability to water ski without a boat? Possibly.

But there’s one distinguishing trait that makes Jesus’ true family members unmistakeable. His true mom, His real brothers and sisters are the folks who love to obey their heavenly Dad.

In other words, obedience to God’s will runs in the family.

Rocky’s Story

We find Christ’s description of His spiritual next of kin in the third chapter of an ancient document we call the Gospel of Mark. This is actually the personal account of Jesus’ life from Peter’s perspective, the man our Savior chose to lead His team.

Many of the Lord’s followers back in the early church were totally convinced Pete is the source. The apostle Jesus nicknames Rocky shares the Son of God’s story with his young friend John Mark. That’s how we came to know it as the Book of Mark.

Insane or in Satan?

The scene Mark describes here is, shall we say, “messy.” For those of you who think the Bible is a collection of well-edited and whitewashed stories that make everybody look like squeaky clean, think again.

Mark has already told us that Jesus’ closest family members have shown up outside the crowded house for an intervention (Mk 3:20-21). It’s time to take their big Brother home. They’re convinced He’s not so much the Christ but cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Don’t believe me? Read it for yourself.

While they wait outside, Jesus has an interesting little debate with a team of religious muckety-mucks from the home office in Jerusalem (Mk 3:22-30). They don’t think Christ is cray-cray but instead accuse Him of collaborating with the enemy. And when I say “enemy,” they mean Satan.

Mary Calls a Family Meeting

Once Jesus sets the scribes straight, it’s time to deal with His family. “Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him. They stood outside and sent word for Him to come out and talk with them. There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, ‘Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for You’” (v31-32).

Mary and her boys don’t come inside. Maybe it’s too crowded. Maybe they don’t want to embarrass Jesus in front of His closest friends and followers. For whatever reason, send Him an invitation to chat in the front yard.

His Brothers Don’t Believe Him

Mark has already made it uncomfortably clear how they’re questioning the Messiah’s mental health. His closest family members have serious doubts about all His talk of the kingdom of God. At this point, His own brothers don’t believe Jesus (Jn 7:5). They even openly tease Him (Jn 7:3).

Okay, so Christ’s kid brothers aren’t buying what He’s selling. Is that such a surprise? What would it take for your siblings to believe you’re God? How about walking out of the cemetery after your own burial? That certainly did the trick for Jesus’ brothers.

A Teenage Pregnancy

And what about Mary? You remember her story, don’t you? She gets a surprise visit from an angel named Gabriel who tells her how her teenage pregnancy will result in the Son of God (Lk 1:26-38).

The next thing you know she and her hammer-swinging husband Joe on the road to Bethlehem where they turn a barn into a birthing room (Lk 2:1-7). They get a visit from some smelly shepherds who tell a crazy story about an angelic light show announcing news about their newborn Son (Lk 2:8-20).

Mary’s Treasured Memories

Eight days later, the happy couple take their brand new Baby to the temple in Jerusalem for His bris, that rather delicate surgery done on little Jewish boys (2:21-38). There they meet Simeon and Anna who understand this Child is the one God has been promising to send for thousands of years.

While Mary certainly treasures these moments forever (Lk 2:19, 51), she apparently can’t wrap her maternal brain around all of who Jesus is and what He’s sent to do. And seriously, who can blame her? Do you know any other mother who’s given birth to the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Second Person of the Trinity? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

An Amber Alert for God’s Son

Probably the best example of her misunderstanding her Son happens when Jesus is twelve. When Joe and Mary pack up the fam and head home from Passover, they don’t notice that their oldest Boy isn’t with them until they stop the next night (Lk 2:41-51).

His human parents hustle back to Jerusalem and look for Him everywhere for three days. Imagine hearing of an Amber Alert for the Savior of the world? Eventually they find twelve-year-old Jesus in the middle of a Q-and-A with the greatest Jewish scholars of the day.

Joe and Mary tell Him they’ve been worried sick. Their Son wonders why they didn’t come straight to the temple or in His words, “My Father’s house” (Lk 2:49). That went right over their heads. “They didn’t understand what he meant” (Lk 2:50).

A Crowded House in Capernaum

Fast forward twenty years later to the scene at the crowded house in Capernaum. Has Mary somehow forgotten all these amazing memories? No, but maybe doubt and time began to corrode her trust in God since then.

Don’t think that’s possible? Pretty sure that could ever happen to you? Ever hear the story about God miraculously leading the Israelites out of Egypt with a fiery funnel cloud while splitting apart the Red Sea for a shortcut?

Frosted Flakes and Doubting Thomas

No way they could ever doubt God after that, right? Wrong. It wasn’t long after that God’s chosen people were whining about the free Frosted Flakes He served them every morning (Num 11:6).

Then there’s our old buddy the Apostle Thomas. Here’s a dude who has a front row seat to watch the Son of God perform one miracle after another for three years. Yet Tommy Boy has serious doubts about his friends’ bizarre story of Jesus’ resurrection when he’s not there to see it for himself (Jn 20:25).

Jesus’ Mom Needs a Savior

Maybe you come out of a faith tradition that puts Mary on a pedestal as the perfect mom. She never doubts or questions her oldest Son. But the truth is that Jesus’ own momma was very human. She needed a Savior just like the rest of us (Lk 1:47; Rom 3:23; 6:23).

When it comes to her faith, I’m guessing she’s a lot like you and me. She had her good days. She had her bad days. There were times when her trust in what God was doing through her family ran deep. Other times not so much. This appears to be one of those days of doubt.

When Your Faith Wobbles Wildly

Do you freak out when your faith wobbles wildly? Hey, I’m not afraid to admit it. But the most important thing about your faith is the object of our faith. A weak faith in something or, in this case, Someone strong makes all the difference.

A strong faith in a weak object is a total waste of time. For instance, I might believe with every fiber of my being that I can dunk in my Nike LeBrons.

The Ultimate Object

There’s just one little problem. Me. I’m 5’ 10” and could barely touch the rim when I was in high school. Forty years later, my hops have not improved. No matter what I believe about a pair of high dollar kicks, they won’t do the trick.

But trusting in Jesus is always a sure thing. It’s why Paul tells his friend Timothy, “If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful” (2Tim 2:13). Whenever we place our weak faith in the ultimate Object, it’s a slam dunk!

Jesus’ Family Tree

Back inside the house, Christ doesn’t get up and go outside to talk to His family. Instead He asks the standing room only crowd a couple of questions. “Jesus replied, ‘Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?’” (v33).

One of the favorite pastimes in Galilee is taking a chainsaw to Jesus’ family tree. He didn’t exactly come from the good side of the tracks. It’s an easy target. Even Nathanael, one of His own disciples questions, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46).

Critics in His own hometown love to bring up Jesus’ blue-collar background and trailer park tribe. “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And His sisters live right here among us” (Mk 6:3).

A Strong Resemblance

If I’m in the room, my answer to Jesus’ question about the identity of His family would be those folks outside. But Jesus’ isn’t looking to see who might have His family roster memorized. In reality, Christ wants to know what marks somebody as one of His close family members. Who shares a strong family resemblance?

Before anybody in the house can answer, the Lord fills in the blank for them. “Then He looked at those around Him and said, ‘Look, these are My mother and brothers’” (v34). Matthew tells us that Jesus points to His dozen disciples when He says this (Mt 12:49).

Jesus Connects the Dots

The Message makes it clear. “Right here, right in front of you—My mother and My brothers” (v34 The Message). You gotta figure folks are scratching their heads when He says this. Mother? Brothers? WHAT?!? I thought Your fam is in the front yard? These knuckleheads don’t look anything like You!

That’s when Jesus connects all the dots. “Anyone who does God’s will is My brother and sister and mother” (v35). In his version of this very same story, Dr. Luke quotes Christ as saying that His closest family members “are those who hear God’s Word and obey it” (Lk 8:21).

Notice that obeying the will of God means not just hearing it but doing it. Our obedience to God is in the application, not just the head knowledge of what He says. According to Jesus’ kid brother, knowing what to do without actually doing it is a waste of time (James 1:22-24).

Looking Like Our Heavenly Dad

Jesus wants us to know that obedience to our Father in heaven is what gives us the unmistakable family resemblance. Forget hair color, height, or sense of humor. We suddenly look a whole lot like the Son of God when we do what His Dad says.

As a matter of fact, the Lord is saying that the ties to our spiritual family are WAY stronger than to our blood relatives. That’s certainly great news for anyone who’s human family puts the funk in dysfunction. In case you’re wondering, that would be all of us.

The Savior’s Spiritual Family

The writer of Hebrews talks about our Savior’s amazing spiritual family. “So now Jesus and the ones He makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters” (Heb 2:11).

A guy named Paul backs that up in a letter to believers in Rome. He says that God the Father personally selects His kids in advance to become like His Son. And that Jesus is “the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Rom 8:29).

Our Ultimate Big Brother

If we’ve placed our trust in Christ, He’s our Big Brother. Not only that but our Dad is making us look more and more like our oldest Brother every single day. Let that sink in. We participate in that process every time we do what God says.

Jesus tells the packed house that doing what God wants is what really makes His followers favor the family. That means there’s nothing that we can do to resemble our Big Brother and Heavenly Dad more than willing submission and obedience.

Loaded with Laws

Just what does that mean? Have you seen the Bible? It’s loaded with laws and commands. Jewish scholars have counted 613 commandments in the OT. According to some, the NT has another 1,015 rules and regulations.

If that’s not intimidating enough, Jesus’ little brother James goes so far as to say that if we break one law, we’ve broken all of them (James 2:10). I don’t know about you, but I won’t make past breakfast.

The Top of the To-Do List

That’s what makes the Good News such great news. “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the One He has sent” (Jn 6:28-29). At the top of our Heavenly Dad’s to-do list for us is this: Place our trust in His Son.

Jesus is the only one who’s ever lived to have a perfect record of obedience to His Father’s rules. He batted 1.000. Got ‘em all right. Every single do and do not. Christ did for us what we could never do for ourselves.

Jesus’ Perfect Obedience

Our Savior invites us to place our trust in His perfect obedience. He lived the perfect life that we’ve failed to live. He died the death for our sin and rebellion that we should have died. And if that’s not enough, He rose to a glorious new life that we don’t deserve.

Trusting in Jesus also means following His leadership. We unlock that overflowing life He made available (Jn 10:10) by doing what He says. Guess what? The more we do, the stronger our family resemblance to our Big Brother and Heavenly Dad.

Love God and Love People

A couple of different times, folks approach the radical Rabbi/Carpenter and ask Him to what obedience to God looks like. The Lord responds by summing up God’s law in two simple commands: Love God and love people (Mt 22:37-39; Mk 12:30-32). Notice I said “simple” and not “easy.”

Just before He heads home to heaven, Jesus doubles down on the command to love. “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples” (Jn 13:34-35).

Did you catch the way we are to love? “Just as I have loved you.” Our Savior loved us by serving us (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45). Paul tells his Philippian friends how the King of Kings left the heavenly throne room to became a slave in order rescue you and me (Phil 2:6-8).

To Love Is to Serve

God calls me to love others by serving others. That means putting their needs ahead of mine. It means forgiving them since God has already forgiven me of SO much. Showing them the same kind of amazing grace God’s shown me. Hey, it runs in the family.

It also includes sharing the incredible message of our awesome Big Brother with others. Remember, nobody’s good enough to get into God’s family on their own. We all need a Savior. God the Father is always looking to adopt new kids to reshape into the image of His Son!

It Runs in the Family

Meanwhile back in the Galilean living room, imagine the reaction to what Jesus has just said. The Lord has just given everyone there a sneak preview of His Dad’s soon-to-be growing family.

Jesus’ closest kin is not limited just to blood relatives. It will include those who do what His Father wants. You see, obedience to God’s will runs in the family.

©2017

Jay Jennings

Straight Outta Your Mind

The Joint Is Jumping

Picture the scene. The place is packed. The joint is jumping. So many people that you can barely move much less eat. And they’ve all come to see you.

Suddenly you see a handful of familiar faces in the crowd. It’s your family worming their way through the mob towards you. They’ve come to show you their love and support!

(Insert the sound of a record scratch here!)

But that’s NOT why they’re here. Not even close. They’ve come to take you home. They’ve come to shut you down.

Inspiration or Intervention?

Your family thinks you’ve let things get out of control. They’re actually worried about your mental health. A sane person doesn’t go around saying the things you say or doing the things you do.

They’re not here for inspiration but intervention! 

This is the scene John Mark paints in his bio of Jesus. Yup, that’s right. There’s actually a story in one of the documents of the New Testament where Christ’s own family thinks He’s come unhinged (Mk 3:19-21).

They've come straight outta Nazareth because they believe He's straight outta His mind.

A Messy Story

Maybe you believe the Bible is just a bunch of well-edited spin to get you to swallow some whacky story about a mythical, miracle-working man of God long, long ago, in a land far, far away. I get it. But when you read it for yourself, you get a whole new understanding.

The story of Jesus is messy. The human authors of Scripture make it clear that His closest followers are not exactly the brightest bulbs in the box. His own family thinks He’s lost His everlovin’ mind. And if that’s not bad enough, they embarrass Him in front of the big crowd.

Right after Draft Day

We pick up the scene in Mark’s amazing story of the Messiah right after draft day. Jesus has just selected the original roster of His disciples (Mk 3:13-19). He calls these twelve guys in so that He can eventually send them out.

Right after Christ announces His first dozen draft picks, Mark writes, “One time Jesus entered a house” (v20). Your Bible may put these words in verse 19. A lot of translations do. What’s up with that? Just about every expert believes this phrase has nothing to do with His picking the apostles and should start the next story.

You might say, “Hold up, cowboy! You’ve said God has inspired these documents we call the Old and New Testaments. Who are YOU to play editor?!?” Valid question. Let’s chat.

Chapter and Verse

The original Scriptures ARE absolutely perfect and straight from Almighty God (2Tim 3:16). But little problems like these began to pop up whenever we start translating them from their original languages and assembling them into what we now call the Bible.

The first chapters God’s Word didn’t appear until around 1200 AD. We added numbers to individual verse 300 years after that. These digits made it SO much easier to find specific passages. If you think the Bible is hard to navigate now, just imagine what it was like before we had these address numbers? Yikes!

The point is that while God’s Word IS perfect, chapter breaks and verse numbers are not. This is one example. So Judas Iscariot’s infamous double-cross of Christ in verse 19 has nothing to what happens next.

Jesus Goes Home

We read in this new story, “One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowd began to gather again” (v20). Most First Century homes are small. VERY small. No bigger than a one-car garage or decent sized shed. Galilean homeowners would be lucky if to have more than one room.

Mark tells us how our Savior “entered a house” (v19). John MacArthur thinks a better translation is that Jesus “went home.” In other words, Christ returns to Capernaum where He’s living at the time (Mk 2:1).

This could be the home Pete and Andy’s families share (Mk 1:29). Or the Son of God possibly has His own place in this little Galilean fishing village. One thing for sure, the Lord uses Capernaum as His home office for the first part of His ministry.

Jesus Needs the Rest

If we follow the events in Mark 3, we can see Jesus could use the rest. He heals a guy at the synagogue and has a showdown with the Pharisees who eventually put contract out on Him (Mk 3:1-6).

Then a crazy crowd gathers along the lake where Christ performs a boatload of miracles…from a boat (Mk 3:7-12)! Wrap that up with His careful selection of His expansion team He will train to change the world (Mk 3:13-19).

The 99 Percent

No matter who’s house it is, Jesus isn’t alone for long. “The crowds began to gather again” (v20). Mark chooses a Greek word for “crowds” (Gr. οχλος/ochlos) that we often see used for people in the middle and lower class. A couple of thousand years later, it’s what we’ve come to call the 99 percent.

In other words, these are folks on the outside looking in when it comes to society. It makes sense when you think about it. Galilee is not exactly the dynamic center of culture and finance. We’re talking about Capernaum, a blue collar town in the boondocks of Palestine.

Here We Go Again

Word gets out that the new radical Rabbi/Carpenter is back in town. It’s not long before there’s a flood of folks at His front door. Forget about getting some rest. Christ has to get back to work.

Here we go again. It happened at Pete’s place (Mk 1:32-34). Then there was the time four guys do an end run around the crowd by slicing a hole in the roof to get their disabled buddy in front of Jesus (Mk 2:1-12).

Rocky’s Story

Just how big is this crowd? While we don’t get a head count, we do see that Christ and His crew are up to their eyeballs in ministry. “Soon He and His disciples couldn’t even find time to eat” (v20). The original text literally reads “they are not able even to eat bread” (v20 YLT).

Remember, there’s a pretty good chance this is Pete’s eyewitness account that he’s telling to John Mark. The disciple Jesus nicknames Rocky still clearly remembers how hungry he was when things got crazy in Capernaum.

Working through Lunch

The Lord knows what it’s like to be so busy that you don’t have time to grab a meal. He and the boys work through lunch…and probably dinner as well! As God in human form, Christ gets hungry. But He and His team put their own needs aside in order to serve the folks who’ve packed the place.

There are going to be times we’ll miss a meal when serving others in Jesus’ name. It’s all part of putting others’ needs ahead of our own (Phil 2:3). After all, it’s what He did for you and me.

A Juicy Tidbit

Apparently it was just this lack of lunch that sounded the alarm for the Lord’s human family. “When His family heard what was happening, they tried to take Him away” (v21). Mark is the only Gospel writer to gives us this juicy little tidbit about Jesus.

Behind Mark’s description of “His family” are a couple of words in the original language which literally mean “the ones with Him” or “those near Him.” Some other versions translate it as “His own people” (NASB, NKJV).

Those Closest to Christ

The author wants us to know that these are the people closest to Christ. It’s clearly NOT His newly selected team of disciples (Mk 3:13-19). They’re already at the house missing a meal just like Jesus.

The other clue that cinches the identity of “those near Him” is what we read in just a few more verses in Mark. The author tells us how Jesus’ own mom as well as His brothers would like to have a word with Him (Mk 3:31-32).

His Brothers Aren’t Buying It

The amazing thing is that those who knew Jesus best aren’t buying that He’s the long promised Messiah. His own brothers aren’t going for it (Jn 7:5). The only family member who believes at this point is His weird leather-wearing, bug-eating cousin John who lives alone in the desert (Mk 1:4-11).

Think about it. What would it take for you to believe your big brother is God in the flesh? For Jesus’ family, it all changed the Sunday morning He came walking out of the cemetery. Resurrection from the dead tends to make believers out of hardcore skeptics. Just ask Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-9).

Dr. Luke goes out of his way to list “Mary the mother of Jesus…and the brothers of Jesus” (Acts 1:14) among the 120 people attendance at the upstairs prayer meeting with the apostles after the Son of God headed home to heaven.

From Doubters to Disciples

God transforms Jesus’ family from doubters to disciples. One of those younger brothers is James. He will eventually take the lead of the local church in Jerusalem and writes the earliest document in what we now call the New Testament.

Then there’s His other brother who goes by the name of Jude (Jude 1). God’s Spirit will also inspire him to write a little letter to Jesus’ followers that bears his name.

But that doesn’t happen until AFTER their Brother’s crucifixion and resurrection. On the day Mark describes, it’s a VERY different story. They’ve come with their mother “to take Him away” (v21).

Grabbing the Son of God

I gotta tell you, that description really doesn’t do justice to what His family came to do. Mark uses the Greek verb κρατεω/krateo here. It means to seize, grab, take control, conquer, arrest, restrain, or even rule over someone or something.

The word describes holding on tightly and not letting go. It insinuates force, power, and strength. Matthew picks this term when writing about King Herod’s arrest of John the Baptizer (Mt 14:3).

Putting a Leash on the Lion

Christ’s family hasn’t come to gently put their arms around Him and guide Him to safety. They’re here to grab Him and put an end to all this. In their minds, this has gone on long enough.

Just a little tip…seizing Jesus is NOT happening unless He allows it. It’s not a good idea to put a leash on the Lion of Judah. It’s like the scene in the movie “Man of Steel” where the cops put Superman in handcuffs. “Supes” wears those cuffs only because he wants to.

God Does What He Wants

One of songwriters in the Psalms has a little lyric that goes a little something like this. God only does what He wants to do (Ps 135:6). In the highest heavens. Here on planet Earth. In the deepest parts of the ocean.

Hey man, if death and the grave couldn’t hold Him, what chance does anybody have? That includes you, me, and His own family. Seizing Jesus and trying to control Him is a big mistake. A VERY big mistake.

Out of His Mind?

John Mark then lets us in on the dirty little secret on why Jesus’ relatives are here to break up the party. “‘He’s out of His mind,’ they said” (v21). It’s one thing for Christ’s enemies question His sanity. But His own family? We’re talking about the blessed mother Mary here, not to mention His very own siblings!

Surely this must be some kind of mistake. Somebody must have jacked up the translation. Did some evil atheist slip this in to sabotage Scripture?!?

Nope. This is exactly what went down. It’s more proof that the documents we’ve assembled as God’s Word haven’t been edited and sanitized to make Jesus’ first followers and closest family members look good.

Out to Lunch?

If I’m Mary or James or Jude, I’m scheduling an editorial meeting with Mark to get this dropped from the final edition. But here it is. That’s because the story of Scripture has just one Hero. And His name is Jesus.

The original Greek in this verse leaves little doubt His family’s assessment of our Savior’s mental health. Mark describes how they think He is “out of His mind” (Gr. εξιστημι/existemi). It’s a compound word which literally means to be “out of (Gr. εξι-/exi-) the proper place (Gr. -στημι/-stemi).”

It’s a nice way to say you’re completely out of your mind. Out to lunch. Off your rocker. Whacked out. Out of touch with reality. That’s why Jesus’ family came for Him. Let that sink in for a minute.

A Poached Egg

A boatload of Bible experts back that up. Matthew Poole believes the Son of God’s human relatives “took what He did to be the product and effect of a natural infirmity and imperfect head and disordered reason.” An imperfect head. Such a nice word for bonkers.

McLaren says Mary and the family have come to take Jesus home “where He might indulge His delusions without doing any harm to Himself.” Barnes pulls no punches with his take. They thought He was “delirious or deranged.”

C.S. Lewis writes that for Jesus to do what He did and say what He said, He must be a liar, lunatic, or Lord. Those are the only options. Or in Lewis’ own words, “on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg.”

Crazy…about Jesus!

Christ isn’t the only one in the New Testament that people accuse of being crazy pants. One Roman governor thought Paul was a religious fruitcake for following doubling down on Jesus as God (Acts 26:24). The apostle tells the Corinthians that if his enemies accuse him of being crazy, they’re right. He’s crazy about Jesus (2Cor 5:13)!

Have you ever seen someone so committed to the cause of Christ that you thought they had gone off the deep end? Maybe they weren’t. Maybe YOU’RE the one who doesn’t have a grasp on what God is up to.

Family Feud

Maybe this is exactly what Jesus is talking about when He warns that trusting in Him as Savior and Lord has the real potential to split families apart (Mt 10:34-39). He should know. It certainly happened to Him before His death and resurrection.

Just about every follower of Christ can tell you that you’re own family can be the hardest to reach with the Gospel. Just ask Jesus. His own family didn’t believe Him until He punched death in the throat. Until then, they thought He was cray-cray.

Stacking the Kindling

Here’s some great advice from the Life Application Bible. “Family members require the most patience. They see you are your worst when your guard is down.” Jesus Himself knows how frustrating it can be to share God’s grace with your own family.

Hang in there. Keep your cool. Keep loving them. Remember, it’s NOT our job to convert anybody. Let the Holy Spirit do His thing. Matt Chandler calls it stacking the kindling. That way, whenever He ignites them, they’ll burn hot and bright!

A Check up from the Neck up

Jesus feels your pain. He knows what it’s like to have the ones closest to you reject you. His family didn’t just doubt Him in the beginning, they thought He was in need of a check up from the neck up.

Our job is to love them. Show them grace. Shower them with forgiveness. Pray for them. You never what God might do. He might just work a miracle right before our eyes. Wouldn’t THAT be crazy?!?

©2017

Jay Jennings