Gospel in Art: Jesus' relatives were convinced he was out of his mind

Apple / Think Different. Ad Campaign, 1997-2002 © Apple Inc., all rights reserved.

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 20 January 2024
Mark 3:20-21

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.

Reflection on the ad campaign

Today's Gospel reading is quite a strange one at first sight, stating that Jesus' relatives thought that 'he was out of his mind'. It is however a very beautiful reading, as it shows that Jesus' family was just an ordinary family, like all of our families, where they are worried about him, question him, challenge him, etc…. Think about it for a minute: Jesus had been preaching to large crowds and healing people from physical and spiritual ailments, to the amazement of a growing number of people who followed him. Furthermore, his style of proclaiming the Word of God set him on a collision course with the Pharisees and scribes who were plotting against him, ultimately leading to his death. No wonder his family was worried and would have been 'convinced he was out of his mind'.

Parents want their children to have a peaceful life and to stay out of trouble. They worry about the kind of people their children hang out with. Jesus did not have a quiet life: He hung out with tax collectors, was seen with prostitutes, actually touched lepers etc.… No wonder his family were concerned. But at the same time they also realised that Jesus was not crazy and doing incredible work.

This passage reminded me of an Apple commercial titled 'Here's to the crazy ones' which ran in 1997, narrated by Steve Jobs (click here to see the ad). The ad features footage of people who impacted our world in a positive way and made a difference. It features Picasso, Einstein, Gandhi, etc… And here is the text narrated by Steve Jobs:

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. But the one thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-3-20-21-2024/