An Intervention

Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

Mark 3:20-21 (ESV)

We are all here because we love him and no one wants to see any thing bad happen to a decent fellow. He is friendly, he is a hard worker – heck he’s family. But I think we can all agree things have progressed to a point where some one has to say something.

I think I speak for us all when I say he has gone off the deep end. Let’s look at the facts: he turns thirty, abandons the family business, disappears for forty days into the desert and shows back up absolutely emaciated, spouting all kinds of hallucinations.

Then he runs off with his those pungent smelling buddies of his and their lousy mouths. And I know for a fact one of them is a zealot. A zealot! You remember what happened to that Theudas fellow. Got wrecked and strung up, he did. He was a zealot. And I just think it is getting to a point where people are starting to notice. Crowds are gathering. And if there is one thing we have learned, and man have we learned it, that Romans don’t like crowds. He knows what people are saying about him and he is soaking it up – coming from God or some nonsense – and he just lets them go ahead and say it. Have you heard him deny it? I haven’t. Fame is addictive; it’s going straight to his head. And that cousin of his is not helping the situation. That is a fellow I don’t mind giving a piece of my mind, I don’t care how many Nazarite vows he has taken.

And can someone tell me why he isn’t married? A young, strong man not interested in marriage, and at his age? I heard from my sister that Matthias’s wife told Mary that their daughter is very interested, and she is an absolute doll. They would be so cute together, can you imagine? By the time I was his age I was pregnant with my fifth, and he shows no sign of settling down. Unnatural. Instead, where is he? Spending time with those thieving, traitorous tax collectors and the painted women, that’s where. Heaven be merciful. It is the sick who need a doctor, I heard him say, like he is some kind of what? I just hope he isn’t playing doctor if you take my meaning.

And I’m not at all insensitive to his upbringing. We all know he had it rough – all the whispers. Of course, we all thought is was very kind what Joseph did for Mary, covering for her and all, even if it did ruin his life. But both of them sticking to her story – comes a point where the lie can be retired; we have all accepted it at this point anyway. Just shows you his own mother was a few gemstone short of an ephod to begin with. And I fear perhaps the fig hasn’t fallen far from the tree. No bastard child can grow up normal.

I just think it is all too much for him. Not knowing who his father is and all. Even when he was a lad he was starting to crack. Remember when he disappeared just before his bar mitzvah? Spent the night in the temple, and comes back talking about YHWH with a bit too much familiarity – “my father’s house” – you remember; we were all there. Poor sod. The little guy just wanted a daddy.

But as hard of life he may have had, there comes a time when enough is enough. This is just getting down right dangerous…and embarrassing. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with the guy? Goes around telling everyone to repent and that the kingdom of God is near. He is too young to know that has been tried, how many times? And does it ever work?

Look, we are his friends, his family, and we love him, but he is clearly outside the camp. I say we go to his house, confront him in front of the crowd so they can see he actually has a family, bring him back down to reality, and so the crowd can see he is just another guy, and didn’t just drop from the sky like manna.