The Untameable Jesus....

By reading the first chapters of Mark’s gospel, we learn that Jesus’ ministry is rapidly gaining momentum. This is evidenced by the remarkably large crowds that seek out Jesus and the drastic measures that He must take to find solitude and rest. In the opening verses of chapter 3, we read that the intensity grows even more after Jesus healed a man with the withered hand on the Sabbath and, as a result, the Pharisees immediately began plotting how to kill him. In short, Jesus is an untameable force that must be dealt with. The question is how. In these verses, we see three responses by three groups of people who are physically close to Jesus: 1) the crowd who tried to consume him,  2) His disciples who were called into an intimate relationship with and cared deeply about Him and 3) His family who tried to control Him.

In Mark 3:7-12, we see the intensity of the crowds who are consistently coming to Jesus. We know this because of the language used in these verses. Specifically, in verse 9 we learn that Jesus had to have a boat ready "lest they crush him". Verse 10 says they "pressed around him." The Greek word for this phrase is “intense” and implies a physical besieging. So, why this strong desire to be near Jesus? It was simply "to touch him" (Mark 3:10) in order to receive healing. Stated concisely, the crowds wanted the gift, but had no desire to have a relationship with the giver. 

Next, we will look at the disciples, those who were called by Jesus. Unlike the crowd who only wants the product, the disciple wants the person. Now, when looking at those who Jesus called, it is obvious that they were a mess. They were fishermen, government agents, and revolutionaries. They were not the intellectual elite or the most religious members of Jewish society. So, what made them disciples? The answer is this: when Jesus called them, they simply left the crowd and followed Him. Now, we must pause and recognize that simply following Jesus did not make them perfect. Like believers today, they failed often. Three examples of such failures are as follows: 1) James and John asking for thrones (Mark 10:25-27), 2) Peter rebuking Jesus for talking about the cross (Matthew 16:22) and 3) Peter denying Jesus three times at the time of His crucifixion (Matthew 25:69-75). The point is not that they were instantly perfect, but that their trajectory had changed. Why? It was not because they started doing more things for God; rather,  it was because they started being with God. Christian, It is important to recognize that doing things for God and His glory are imperative. However, the priority should be, first and foremost, our relationship with Him. 

The last group that we will study is Jesus' own biological family. In these verses (Mark 3:20-21) we see them step in and attempt to shut Him down while He is ministering to a large and chaotic crowd in Capernaum. In fact, the text says that they went to “seize” him because they believed that "He is out of his mind" (Mark 3:20-21). From their perspective, He was not sleeping or eating. Furthermore, He was angering the most powerful religious leaders in the country and ruining the family reputation. They wanted to bring Him home, feed Him some soup and make Him act "normal" again. They loved Him, but also wanted to control Him. Sadly, this is the state of mind that many born again Christians have today. We have accepted Christ as our Savior, but we are like this anxious family and have failed to make Him Lord over every aspect of our lives. Some examples of this are as follows: Jesus says that we should forgive those who have harmed us, but we say “Lord, they don’t deserve to be forgiven." Jesus says, "Give generously." In response, we say that "I’ll give when I have more money down the road." Jesus says that we must go and share our faith. And we say, "I don't want to look like a fanatic." Like Jesus’ family, we often want a “safe” Jesus – one who is respectable, blesses our dinner and who does not embarrass us in front of our friends. However, in contrast to what we want, Jesus calls us to a gradual, yet transformational and radical life change as we follow Him. 

Friend, Mark 3 definititely tells us that we cannot tame Jesus; thus, we must decide what to do with Him and the truth that He proclaims. Will you respond incorrectly as both the crowds and Jesus' biological family did? Or, if you are not yet born again, will you respond as the imperfect disciples did and follow Him? For those who have already accepted Christ's free gift of salvation, are you yielding every aspect of your life to Him?  if not, will you begin doing so now?....

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