The crowds were huge. At one point, Jesus requested a boat on standby to avoid being physically crushed by the sheer force of thousands swarming and jamming together. There was no relief and no time to have a bite to eat. His family in Nazareth became alarmed and travelled 40 km to Capernaum to put an end to all of this.

Behind the brief verse in Mark 3:21, the family conversation may have gone something like this: “We just have to intervene. Jesus is losing it. He’s beside himself. He is out of His mind. His behaviour is becoming more erratic and irrational all the time. We’ll have to go and physically restrain Him and take Him back home for a complete rest so His mind can be cleared. We must go there immediately.”

At the same time, important people travelled from Jerusalem to check Him out, but they reached a different conclusion. His problem was not a “need for a mental health rest” or even insanity – it was far worse! “He is under the control of the ruler of the demons – Beelzebub,” they alleged. Jesus solidly refuted their conclusions by exposing significant flaws in their reasoning.

Just then, a message arrived. His family from Nazareth had arrived and stood outside calling: “Jesus, please come out of the house. We need to see you!”  But the crowd was huge, so others tried to get the message to Jesus. “Tell Jesus His family has arrived, and they need to see Him immediately!”

That’s when Jesus said:

Who are my mother and my brothers?”And looking about at those who sat around him, He said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother. Mark 3:33-35

The hard opposition to hinder and impede the work of Christ was more than obvious as the scribes attacked and accused Him of being empowered by Beelzebub. However, a much more subtle approach to obstruct and slow down the work of Christ appeared in the form of His family. They wanted Him to come home and rest.

Soft opposition can be more difficult to process than ‘hard’ opposition.

Today, we can often stand up against the obvious and direct attacks of Satan. We deal with such opposition quickly and push forward for the Lord, allowing nothing to hold us back. But then, unsaved family members question us, and we squirm. They don’t have to say very much, but we know they look at us disapprovingly.  We think:

“Maybe I shouldn’t get baptized until my family is more supportive. I don’t want to cause an upheaval in our family. It would break my mother’s heart right now. Later, Lord.”

Sadly, for some “Later, Lord” proves to be “Never, Lord.” Is your family hindering you in your progress for the Lord?

Having said that, in their zeal, sometimes new Christians can do things that cause unnecessary alienation and hinder the Gospel within a family circle by unwisely avoiding reunions, holiday get-togethers, or even weddings or funerals. This is not the teaching of Christ in Mark 3.

Jesus was not belittling human family relationships; He was affirming the family of God. Spiritual ties transcend bloodlines and family bonds. The natural family takes second place to the family of God. Christ’s true and lasting family consists of those who do the will of God. Doing the will of God starts with acceptance of Christ.

On that day, Christ pointed to the disciples who were sitting around Him in a circle and He said words to this effect: “This is my family.”

As much as we enjoy our families, the ties that bind us become fewer as the years go by. We move to different locations, establish our circle of friends, and raise our families. After a week-long family reunion, we are ready to return to our homes and lives. Not so in the family of God. With each passing year, as we walk in the will of God, the greater our enjoyment of God’s family is, and the sweeter Christ becomes to our heart.

May we be on guard for the softer opposition and how we respond to it.