The Gospel Mission of Jesus
Pastor Rong
Translated by Allan Liang
Mark 3:20-30
After calling his twelve disciples, his ministry did not become less busy but rather became more busy, to the point where he was unable to eat. This time, why did people follow Jesus into the house; did they want to be healed? Or they did want to listen to the teachings of Jesus? We believe that Jesus intended to teach them. Our Lord Jesus, the “Son of man came, not to be served, but to serve” and to “lay down his life as the random for many,” obeying God’s will by completing the work of redemption. Our Lord died on the cross, using his sacrificial love and precious life to complete the ultimate act of service. When Jesus performed great miracles and spoke of the gospel, the people reacted in a myriad of ways. Some viewed Jesus as one of the prophets of the old testament, but here, some viewed Jesus as insane; even his own family did not quite understand him. His family cared for Jesus, but sadly could not see the greater purpose of his work, sharing in the view that he was not entirely sane. Yet after the death and resurrection of Jesus, his earthly brother James became a leader in Jerusalem, proving the validity of his resurrection. Jesus worked to the point of neglecting even to eat, causing his relatives to say that he is out of his mind; truly there are some called by God, who out of their unquenchable fervor, do things commonly seen as out of the ordinary and even bordering on insanity. Our Lord, busy to the point of not having time to eat, could indeed have asked the people to leave a while a return after he was rested. Such a request would be both appropriate and consistent with his authority. Thanks be to God for allowing us to see that Jesus served to accomplish the will of his heavenly father. If his father’s will was done, he would be satisfied, regardless of the great costs and efforts of such obedience. We remember the instance of Jesus preaching to the women by the well. When his disciples went to the city to buy food for him, Jesus responded “I have food, which you do not understand.” His disciples were quite naturally confused. Jesus added: “my food is obeying the will of Him who sent me, and doing his work.” This is how our Lord viewed his ministry. But out of misunderstanding, Jesus’ family tried to stop him, thinking it was for his own good. Hence, it is crucial for us to learn how to discern what is the true will of God, as opposed to the will of man. In doing so, we will be able to serve alongside God rather than against him. Please meditate and pray about: The more we are like Christ, the more we will be prone to experience the pains of misunderstanding from our family and friends. If we aim to pursue the things of this world, earthly people will gladly praise us. However, if we are to follow Jesus with all our hearts, the world will mock us and speak all sorts of insults against us. Are we willing to lay down everything for our Lord Jesus?