Misunderstood!

Mark 3:20-21

When Jesus returned to the house where he was staying, the crowds began to gather again, and soon it was so full of visitors that he couldn’t even find time to eat. When his friends heard what was happening, they came to try to take him home with them. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

Food for thought!

This Reading is very disturbing. Jesus is misunderstood! In his life Jesus was misunderstood almost on a daily basis. Right from the beginning Jesus was misunderstood. Although he made the world, the world did not recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people, the Jews, he was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive him. (John 1:10-12). Jesus was the most misunderstood man that ever lived. Many things he said  were misunderstood; also many of his deeds, the miracles, were also misunderstood. 

Jesus was misunderstood by his inner family; by his disciples; by his wider family; by the romans; and by the world. Today's gospel reading is about one of those moments when Jesus was misunderstood. He was taken to be mad, to be out of himself, that is, to be crazy and deranged! The matter becomes even worse, when we notice that it is not strangers considering Jesus to be crazy; it is his own people, his friends. As we know, everything in the life of Jesus happened for a purpose: our edification.

So, what is the lesson behind this incident? Well, often it is our dear ones like mother, father, husband, wife, brother, sister and friends, or even those people we know and who know us, that misunderstand us. It is not uncommon for people to misunderstand us and even to label us as they wish. They labelled Jesus as being out of himself. If they called this to Jesus, why will they not call you and me? So, next time people call you names for doing what you believe to be the work and will of the Father, remember Jesus. Don’t get angry because the people have misunderstood or misrepresented you. 

The reason they called Jesus looks to be his busyness; Jesus was just too busy with the Father’s work that he had no time for his family. Jesus is teaching us that our duty, our obedience is first and foremost to the Father in heaven. The rest is rest.