The Human Judgment

Today’s Gospel Text: and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, "He is beside himself." Mark 3:20-21

Reflection: When were you last accused of abnormal behavior for your faithfulness to Christ?

“He is beside himself” they said; – in other words he is emotionally disturbed or gone out of his mind.

There was a serious doubt about Jesus. What did he do that people expressed such a doubt about him. 

Worst still was the reaction of his family (perhaps his cousin brothers or could it be the children of Joseph his foster father through his late first wife) and how those among the crowd could come to such judgment and slander about him?

To what extent people not go through to slander and gossip; the power of gossip to kill and destroy!

I can imagine what would happen if God’s hand were not there in the situation to rescue his servant against such a serious allegation.  It was the worst form of allegation, worst than putting him in a prison or killing him or merely beating.

Then people would at least believe in his message either when he is alive or after death but to allege that a person is out of his head is to create a situation of doubt; destroying the very reason that Jesus came to accomplish by way of Faith and trust in him.

And how could such slander spread so widely? If one person or two person believes is understandable but a whole group of people and whole nations and the whole world (I mean the majority) believes in the lie is a perplexing fact.  Yet this is the truth of us humans and both secular and Biblical history proves it and even this would be a false statement if I do not assert that this keeps repeating, even in our times in daily life.

I am saddened at the nature of man and not lost hope in the saving action of God, who saved Jesus from such a peril so that the work of salvation may be accomplished in all its perfection through him.and in the lives of those who believe in him against all odds. 

Prayer:  "Deliver us, O God of our salvation, and gather and save us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. 1 Chron 16:35

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