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February 23 – Mark 3:13-35

From among His disciples, Jesus chooses twelve to be “apostles.” The Greek word apostolos means “one sent on a mission by another to represent him—an envoy.” (This word occurs in v. 14 in the original Greek.) So, the Twelve were chosen for the special mission of following Jesus closely during His ministry so that they might lead the church after His Resurrection and spread the Gospel to others.

Jesus then continues to live out His mission—bringing the Kingdom of God to earth, redeeming and transforming what the devil tries to destroy. After choosing the Twelve, He goes back to the crowds, who are so eager to hear Him and to see His miracles that He can’t even get a decent meal! But not everyone is excited to see Jesus living out His mission.


Verse 21 tells us that members of Jesus’ family come to “take charge of Him” believing Him to be “out of His mind.” Later, we discover that Mary has even come (v. 31). Didn’t she understand what Jesus was doing? Apparently not. His family obviously had other ideas about how Jesus should have been going about His ministry. Of course, most Jews were expecting a very different kind of Messiah. But God’s work rarely conforms to our expectations—He always has so much more in mind!


Before Jesus’ family sends word to Him, however, Jesus is approached by teachers of the law who have come to put a stop to His ministry. They accuse Him of being in league with the devil, which is preposterous. Jesus’ message and His miracles are destroying Satan’s work. Through Jesus, the Kingdom of God is reclaiming territory Satan had stolen, proving that Jesus is more powerful than Satan.


Jesus uses analogies to explain the religious leaders’ error, but they refuse to believe. This refusal in the face of Jesus’ miracles, compassion, and teaching indicates a willful hardness of heart—a rejection of the clear invitation of the Holy Spirit to put their faith in Jesus and follow Him. Thus, they have committed the only unpardonable sin; in response to direct invitations from the Holy Spirit, they “stand condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18).


The religious leaders refused to answer the invitations to believe that God was making through Jesus’ miracles and teaching, but some people were responding. Some were believing. And they were being adopted into a new family—God’s family (see Romans 8:14-17). So, when Jesus’ mother and brothers arrive to “take charge of Him,” He refuses to go with them, instead proclaiming that those who do God’s will are His family (v. 35). And the first act of doing God’s will is to believe in and follow Jesus as Messiah, submitting to His lead. The religious leaders refused to believe. Those among Jesus’ family who did believe tried to take control rather than submit and follow.


God’s ways can seem mysterious to us. He often acts in ways we don’t understand. Many of the Jews didn’t understand what Jesus was doing because they were looking for a political Messiah who would drive out the Romans and rule from Jerusalem. Jesus came to drive out sin and death and rule in our hearts instead. How much better is that?!


God’s actions are always loving and focused on our souls’ good and our eternity. That’s sometimes hard to see as we deal with temporal struggles. Spend time today submitting your heart and will to your Savior in prayer. Recognize that you are forgiven. Your sins are covered. You are free to follow as His disciple, His envoy, to others.

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My name is Melissa Anderson. I'm a spiritual director and ordained pastor who loves God, people, and words. You can read more about me by clicking the button below.

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