Message of Abbot Paul - Saturday 21st January 2023

Today’s Gospel passage is very short, one of the shortest in fact, just two verses from Mark, (Mk 3: 20-21). Here they are. “Jesus went home, and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.”

Where was the home of Jesus? By this stage his centre of activity had become Capernaum, so this is the home Mark refers to. We know that crowds followed him wherever he went and that it was difficult, if not impossible, for Jesus and his companions to have any time to themselves. Mark emphasises this fact by telling us that they didn’t even have time to take a meal, so great were the crowds at the door.

 

Mark isn’t one for beating around the bush. He invariably tells it straight. His relatives thought that Jesus was out of his mind. Even Mary, who had so much to ponder in her heart, must have been mystified at this stage, but neither she nor Joseph are mentioned by name. Mark simply speaks of relatives. We are not told of the outcome of this visit, but it’s clear that they were unsuccessful in their attempt to take charge of him, for Jesus continues his mission uninterrupted. Jesus, like many young people, was not understood by his own family and was often misunderstood by his disciples. Little wonder we often find him difficult to understand!