A Transformed Life

SCRIPTURE: Mark 3:20-21

“Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind.”

Observation:

Can you imagine the thoughts that are going thru Jesus’ family’s minds. Jesus is causing a scene in the neighborhood. He’s provoking their spiritual leaders to anger, he’s drawing lots of attention from the people they do life and business with. “What are they gonna think of us?” “What questions are we gonna have to answer?” “How embarrassing!”

This is not the Jesus they had known and grown up with. Mary knew the promise of God, but not necessarily the step-by-step plan. His brothers knew He was a little different - He was a good kid and had become a good man, a little strange in the sense that he didn’t seem interested in women, always seemed to be right, didn’t fight back with them, never wanted to join in the trouble, etc - but overall He was normal. But the Jesus they had grown up with had not yet been to the desert, been filled with the Holy Spirit, or baptized by John the Baptist.

This Jesus was flying in the face of an entire political, religious, and cultural system. This Jesus was shaking things up, and the entire family would be be suspect. This type of judgement, scrutiny, and attention would only be worth it if what He was standing for was true. At this point they are not sure.

Application:

I think of those who begin their new life in Christ whose family has thought the same of them “He/She is out of his/her mind.” As they give their life to Christ and their lives begin to transform - their values, purpose, attitudes, behaviors, and talk, begin to change - those whom they do life and business with begin to say “This isn’t the person that I know and love.”

Bitter-sweet! Bitter because relational strain is difficult. Bitter because some will never understand. Sweet because this is evidence that your life has truly been impacted by Jesus. Sweet because some will eventually understand and desire the same life that you have chosen. A life in Christ filled with all the fruitfulness that the Holy Spirit has to offer: love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

Prayer:

Father thank you for the great transformation that has taken place in my life. Let me continue to experience it in all of its fullness. Help me to resemble you more and more! Let my life speak life those I do life and business with. In Jesus name. AMEN!