At the beginning of Mark 3 we find Jesus in a Synagogue again. Mark documents, there he noticed a man with a deformed hand. Should He heal on the sabbath, the holy day, set apart for God, instructed to be devoid of work? The Pharisees didn’t seem to think so, Mark already made that point clear in previous chapters. Perhaps a little different from the meek and mild Jesus we think of at times, knowing their feelings on the subject it seems He chose pick a battle. Calling the man forward Jesus possed the question; “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or destroy it?” Some suggest this was all the more poignant a question as the maccabees restoration of Jewish worship at the temple in Jerusalem only 200 years previously was still widely celebrated and they were revered by many as heroes. Famously the Maccabees had set a modern president when they had concluded they would be justified to fight if they were attacked on the sabbath. Either way it was not a welcome question and nor was Jesus restoring the mans hand. In fact it upset the Pharisees so much and they were so incensed by Jesus they instigated meetings that were in complete opposition to the point of the Sabbath. It seems Jesus was trying to highlight the sabbath was a rhythm God instructed to bring life, instead the Pharisees rushed off to plan how to destroy life.
How could they so spectacularly miss the point? As a team we all have different answers to that question and I expect you might to. But I wonder if there are more times we behave like the pharisees than we would like to admit.
By now it seems the momentum of Jesus’ ministry was in full swing and word had spread throughout Israel about Him. So wherever he goes crowds gathered and people came in search of healing and spiritual freedom. Within the chaos of the crowd pushing forward for healing, the demonic throwing their victims to the ground and shrieking Mark makes note of Jesus finally retreating up a mountain and calling 12 of those who had begun to follow him to go with him. It was not a retreat from a place of defeat but it would appear to be a withdrawal to regroup and launch a new strategy, the commissioning of His new recruits. In the light of the scale of the need they certainly seem like timely appointments. “Then He appointed twelve of them and called them His apostles. They were to accompany Him, and He would send them out to preach, giving them authority to cast out demons.”
It’s hard to follow the timescale of the next event Mark documents, but at some point following this we read Jesus arrived at someones house and shortly more crowds began to gather. Mark infers they were all so desperate for what Jesus and His disciples could do for them they were so busy they couldn’t even find time to eat. And when His family heard about what was happening they said: “He’s out of His mind” I wonder what fuelled their statement. Were they concerned by the Pharisees displeasure? Were they concerned for His health? Were they concerned He was asking to much of His followers? There could be any number of motivations, Mark doesn’t go into detail but as He finishes up schooling the Pharisees His family arrive and Jesus makes a statement that seems somewhat peculiar and out of character to His usual encouragement to honour. “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Then He looked around Him and said, Look these are my mother and brothers, Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” So what is really going on here? Well many of those present would be familiar with what Moses said of the Levites (we can find it in Deuteronomy 33 v 9) “The Levites obeyed your word and guarded your covenant. They were more loyal to you than their own parents. They ignored their relatives and did not acknowledge their own children.” (this is widely believed to have been said in the context of the golden calf incident after Israel’s exit from Egypt and celebrating the Levites devotion to God not advocating an abandonment of parental responsibility.) In this way could Jesus be driving at the idea that our love for God can be seen by our devotion to the things He loves, in this case, His people?
Long may our world come alive as we pursue discovering His heart and better understand His instructions and guidance.