Mark 3:20-21 - World English Bible

What is insanity? When we hear the word, our modern ears assume people speak of a medical condition, a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes inappropriate behavior. But, sometimes, the word refers to a social judgment on a person in his right mind who acts out in ways unexpected and unappreciated. Mark 3:21 obviously indicated not the organic sense of insanity, but the social meaning. Jesus behaved in a way that stepped outside of acceptable cultural norms. His so-called "friends" (actually relatives) came to take hold of him (in the modern parlance, perform an intervention).

Why did they seek to seize Jesus? Simply put, the carpenter from Nazareth had dared to rise above his place in the pecking order and become a traveling holy man, one who spoke and acted with God's power. The crowds responded to his presence to the extent that the Lord and his disciples couldn't even share a meal together. Certainly, his old friends thought, there must be something wrong; the boy we knew was garnering way too much attention; his ambitions were way too great.

But, there was another reason they came to take hold of Jesus. They didn't believe; their familiarity with him blinded them to the truth; their parochial vision could not and would not take in the bigger picture.

Does your familiarity with the faith blind you to the presence and power of God in your life?