Jesus came to Nazareth, His hometown, accompanied by His disciples. On the Sabbath he was asked to speak in the synagogue and those who listened were astonished, marveling at His wisdom and wondering about its source. They also wondered about the miracles He was performing.
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him, Mark 6:3.
He came to his country, to his own people in order to bless them, but marvelled because of their unbelief, and that prevented him from doing a miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them, but instead "he went round about the villages, teaching" Mark 6:6.
Why couldn’t he do anymore miracles there? It’s because they scrutinised him, judged him, and criticised him and said he is one of us, a common, and so they stumbled over Him and failed to believe Him. When they could not believe He left them and traveled around other villages teaching.
One day while he was busy with ministry work, his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him trying to interrupt what he was doing. Mark 3:21 says, "...his family...set out to restrain him, because they said, "He's out of his mind." "He’s beside himself."
They thought they had a claim on Him taking precedence over other matters. If you’re a preacher you know what I’m talking about, how your family comes, and they send word for you, and say call him/her to us. But Jesus said, whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.
He’s not dishonouring family values though, that God established at creation, but is simply asserting that physical relationship is not the proper access to Him, but doing the Father’s will gives evidence that one is properly related, and also worthy noting that when it comes to preaching, "a man's foes shall be they of his own household," Matthew 10:36.
"And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God," Luke 9:59-60.
Following Jesus means giving priority to him, and sometimes you lose all the comforts in this life. You lose even your loved ones for his name’s sake. Matthew 16:25 says, ‘For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
"Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting," Luke 18:28-30.
Family love is important, don’t get me wrong, but his disciple gives priority to him, and should be prepared to lose all the comforts in this life in order to please him, not pleasing his or her life, house or parents, or friends, or wife, or children, or habits, but be committed to Him.
God bless you,
Laurence
www.muzembi.org - Simple Gospel Summation
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