Open The Word | Fungua Neno

⏱️ 6 minutes.

Hello dear friends,

Today, let us look at an interesting perspective that Jesus’ close associates had concerning Him:

And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat a meal.
— Mark 3:20

After going away into the wilderness and, through prayer, selecting His twelve disciples, we see Jesus returning to the city. Mark refers to the place Jesus went as “home,” suggesting that He returned to Capernaum, where Simon Peter’s house was. As we will later see, this was a place Jesus visited often.

Upon His return, He was once again met by the crowds. The people were still chasing after healing and deliverance from the demons that enslaved them. Mark notes that the crowds were so overwhelming that they couldn’t even eat a meal.

And when His own people heard this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”
— Mark 3:21

News spread quickly, reaching those who personally knew Jesus. Mark refers to these people as “His own people,” implying they were close associates. They might have been related to Him or to Joseph and Mary, His earthly parents.

Their response is fascinating. They wanted to take custody of Him. The same word is used later when authorities came to arrest Jesus, but here, it was His close associates. They heard what He was doing and did not believe in Him. Mark tells us they thought He had lost His mind.

This reaction is surprising, especially given the many testimonies of healing miracles and exorcisms Jesus performed. It truly shows the wickedness of the human heart and its capacity for extreme unbelief, even in the face of supernatural evidence.

Many people today claim they would believe in God if He appeared in front of them and told them He was real. But in this passage, we learn that this is not the case. God Himself came down from heaven, took on flesh, stood before people, performed undeniable miracles, and yet many still did not believe.

As believers, we must understand that the reason people do not believe in Christ is not due to a lack of evidence, but rather because of hardened hearts and a love for sin. Jesus explained this:

And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light lest his deeds be exposed.
— John 3:19-20

Later, we see Peter make a similar point on the day of Pentecost as he preached to those in attendance:

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—”
— Acts 2:22

Peter highlights that the miracles Jesus performed were signs to validate His divine mission. Yet, despite these signs, many did not believe in Him.

As believers, when we share and preach the gospel, we should expect similar responses. Sometimes, we might feel the need to change our methodology to win souls for Christ, and in doing so, we may be tempted to alter the simple gospel message. However, we must be cautious not to distort the gospel.

When people refuse to submit to the gospel, repent of their sins, and turn to Christ, it is not because of a flaw in our method; it is because of their love for sin and their hatred for God.

We should anticipate the kind of response that Jesus received from “His own people.” They thought He was mad. There will be times when our own people will consider us out of our minds for sharing the gospel. They may even try to silence us. But we must understand that this is not due to the way we share the gospel, but because of their hardened hearts. Jesus spoke of the persecution believers would face:

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
— John 15:20

It is common today to hear preachers alter the gospel to appeal to the masses, leading to a diluted version of the message, often omitting sin, repentance, faith, and sometimes even Christ Himself. One such distortion is universalism, which claims that everyone will eventually go to heaven, and no one will go to hell. Another is the “free grace” theology, which suggests that one can live any lifestyle, sinful or otherwise, because grace will always cover their sin.

Such presentations of the gospel are foreign to Scripture. The Word of God calls us to sanctification:

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
— 1 Thessalonians 4:3

For God did not call us to impurity, but to sanctification.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:7

Paul also makes this clear:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
— Romans 6:1-2

Regarding universalism, Paul emphasizes that the gospel we preach is exclusive:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
— 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

In this passage from Mark, we see Jesus face opposition from those closest to Him. They thought He was mad and tried to take Him into custody. As believers, we should not be surprised when we face similar opposition. We are no greater than our Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that this word encourages you to share the gospel, anticipate pushback, and persevere in doing what we are called to do.

May you be strengthened by the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.