Saturday (January 26): "He is beside himself"
Scripture: Mark 3:19b, 20-21
Then he went home; 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, "He is beside himself."
Meditation: Is the Lord Jesus honored in your home? Why would Jesus' relatives be so upset with him when he began his public ministry? On one occasion Jesus remarked that a man's enemies will be the members of his own household (Matthew 10:36). The Gospel of Mark records the reaction of Jesus' relatives when he went home: they came to seize him. They, no doubt, thought that Jesus must have gone mad or become a religious fanatic. How could a good home-body from Nazareth leave his carpentry trade and go off to become an itinerant preacher? Jesus had thrown away the security and safety of a quiet and respectable life close to his family and relatives. He probably expected some opposition or reaction from the highest religious authorities in Jerusalem. The hardest opposition, however, may come from someone close to us, even your own kin. Jesus met opposition with grace and with determination to fulfill his Father's will. Are you ready to obey and follow the Lord even if others oppose your doing so?
"Lord Jesus, help me to put you first in all my thoughts and concerns. And may I always find joy in doing your will, even in times of difficulty or opposition."
Psalm 80:2-7
2 Stir up your might, and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
4 O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry
with your people's prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to
drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors; and our enemies laugh among
themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!