Fanatical: filled with excessive and single-minded zeal. Extreme, radical.
If your family or others have ever told you you are a religious fanatic and taking it too far, you are in good company. That is what they said about Jesus. In fact, they said worse things than that. They said he was either insane or demon possessed.
When you think of this, it is amazing that when people saw God on earth they thought he might be insane or the devil himself.
Jesus said many times, "He who has ears to hear; let him hear." In other words, not all people can hear the voice of God and respond positively to it. But there are some who have the ears to hear correctly. We should pray for God to open our ears, eyes and heart to understand his words.
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by ! By Satan, prince of demons he is driving out demons.” Mark 3:20-22
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” Mark 3:31,32
So, Jesus was in a house and it was full of people. It was so crowded that there was no time or room to stop for lunch and dinner. Many were there who begged to be healed; many just wanted to listen to his words; many were there to find something against him.
Someone must have told his mother and brothers what Jesus was doing. How he was breaking the Sabbath and preaching new and radical ideas. Perhaps they were told the rulers of the church were already plotting to kill him. They became upset and worried, so they all went to that city and house to force Jesus to come home. He would be safe at home. They could hide him away in the house if he had gone crazy. Mary must have felt afraid for Jesus.
As far as we know, Jesus refused to see his family, he said his true family was his disciples and followers. “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
