Mark 3:1-35
Very few people like confrontation. We don't like to be confronted and we don't like to confront. Most of the time most of us would just like to "get along." As I read this chapter, I am reminded how much the ministry of Christ was surrounded by confrontation. I don't imagine that it was His favorite thing either, but it certainly followed Him wherever He went no matter what He did.
HE WAS CONFRONTED BY PHARISEES: This was His constant companion. It seems that they were always around Him and they were always looking for something to complain about. How He healed, when He healed, with whom He ate, how He ate, these were constantly being scrutinized. Jesus kept on doing what He had come to do and when necessary He confronted and usually confounded them.
HE WAS CONFRONTED BY CROWDS: No matter where He went the crowds were sure to follow. He could heal people who were sick and they wanted to be healed. Were we alive in that day we would have gone out to see Him and sought for Him to heal whatever might be wrong with us or a family member too. When He went to the wilderness, the crowd followed. When He went to the sea, the crowd followed and pressed towards Him so that He had to get in a boat for His own protection. At night and early morning, the crowd was camped outside the door. This kind of atmosphere must have been stifling.
HE WAS CONFRONTED BY DEMONS: Besides the sick, the demons possessed were always bought to Jesus. I am sure that this sort of confrontation was far less stressful for Him than it would be for us, but I am sure that it was taxing, even for Him. Not only did He have to deal with the constant pressure from the physical world, but He was acutely aware of and under attack from the spirit world as well.
HE WAS CONFRONTED BY HIS FAMILY: We are not sure what His family was doing outside of the house that night. We do not know what they wanted, but it does not seem that they were happy with Him. Maybe they were feeling neglected. Maybe they were worried about Him and thought they needed to protect Him from the crowds of people. Maybe they were tired of all the attention He was bringing to the family and were trying to get Him to "cool it." Maybe they believed the rumors about Him and thought that He had gone nuts. We don't know their intentions but we do know that He was confronted by whatever it was that they wanted.
What astounds me as I look at all of this confrontation is the graciousness with which Christ handles it all. He does not get "stressed out" or irritable. He continues to go forward with His plans day by day and is focused on teaching the people, loving the people and training His disciples. He was not affected by public opinion or the pressure that the people exerted on Him. I need to learn this concentration and calmness in the face of confrontation. It is easy to loose our focus or loose our cool when we are faced with confrontation. Jesus did not do that.
HE WAS CONFRONTED BY PHARISEES: This was His constant companion. It seems that they were always around Him and they were always looking for something to complain about. How He healed, when He healed, with whom He ate, how He ate, these were constantly being scrutinized. Jesus kept on doing what He had come to do and when necessary He confronted and usually confounded them.
HE WAS CONFRONTED BY CROWDS: No matter where He went the crowds were sure to follow. He could heal people who were sick and they wanted to be healed. Were we alive in that day we would have gone out to see Him and sought for Him to heal whatever might be wrong with us or a family member too. When He went to the wilderness, the crowd followed. When He went to the sea, the crowd followed and pressed towards Him so that He had to get in a boat for His own protection. At night and early morning, the crowd was camped outside the door. This kind of atmosphere must have been stifling.
HE WAS CONFRONTED BY DEMONS: Besides the sick, the demons possessed were always bought to Jesus. I am sure that this sort of confrontation was far less stressful for Him than it would be for us, but I am sure that it was taxing, even for Him. Not only did He have to deal with the constant pressure from the physical world, but He was acutely aware of and under attack from the spirit world as well.
HE WAS CONFRONTED BY HIS FAMILY: We are not sure what His family was doing outside of the house that night. We do not know what they wanted, but it does not seem that they were happy with Him. Maybe they were feeling neglected. Maybe they were worried about Him and thought they needed to protect Him from the crowds of people. Maybe they were tired of all the attention He was bringing to the family and were trying to get Him to "cool it." Maybe they believed the rumors about Him and thought that He had gone nuts. We don't know their intentions but we do know that He was confronted by whatever it was that they wanted.
What astounds me as I look at all of this confrontation is the graciousness with which Christ handles it all. He does not get "stressed out" or irritable. He continues to go forward with His plans day by day and is focused on teaching the people, loving the people and training His disciples. He was not affected by public opinion or the pressure that the people exerted on Him. I need to learn this concentration and calmness in the face of confrontation. It is easy to loose our focus or loose our cool when we are faced with confrontation. Jesus did not do that.
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