Today’s Gospel Reading is brief, puzzling, and troubling.
By this time in his earthly ministry, Jesus was attracting increasingly larger crowds, so much that it became “impossible” for him and disciples “even to eat” (Mark 3:20). Little wonder, given that Jesus had healed many, including cleansing a leper and casting out many demons (chapter 1).
At the same time, Jesus was angering the Jewish leaders, naming a despised tax collector (Levi/Matthew) as one of his apostles and presuming to make exceptions to the sacred rules of the Sabbath (chapter 2).
His relatives could do the religious math: If Jesus keeps this up, he will not only endanger himself but also—by extension and association—us, because the governing Romans, for reasons other than the Jewish leaders, would also not appreciate the social upheaval Jesus was generating.
Despite witnessing his miracles and wisdom, some in his native land would take offense at Jesus, not appreciating the prophet in their midst and the Messianic claims and moral demands he was presuming to make (Mark 6:1–6).
In contrast, in today’s Gospel, Christ’s relatives appear anxious about the price their association with Jesus would entail. They too could see his miracles, but how long could Jesus keep it up, especially coupled with his bold preaching? Sooner or later, this was all not going to end well for the Lord, and everyone associated with him. And so, they “set out to seize him” (Mark 3:21).
Anxiety Rises
In the New American Bible translation that is proclaimed at Masses in the United States, Jesus’s relative state, “He is out of his mind” (Mark 3:21), which some scholars argue is too harsh of a translation. However, in the Revised Standard Version—Catholic Edition, which is used in English versions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “He is beside himself” still captures the increasing anxiety of his relatives.
Do we also get anxious about our association with Jesus? Even though we’ve seen him work wonders in our lives and that of our loved ones, as well as through his Catholic Church in general for two thousand years?
Today’s Gospel is not simply an account of something that happened in the Holy Land long ago. Christ’s timeless words have implications for own lives (Hebrew 4:12), as does the associated—and unavoidable—cross of discipleship (Matt. 16:24–26).
How are we to respond when following Jesus becomes difficult in our modern times for one reason(s) or another? We should look to the Blessed Mother, our model of discipleship, who never wavered in following her Son, all the way to the Cross (John 19:25–27) and beyond. Mary reminds us that Jesus is trustworthy, that he is both man and God, the divine Messiah who will always assuage our anxieties and fears (Matt. 6:25, 33; John 14:27).
