Daily Devotional for July 22

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July 22                                                              Mark 3:20-35

For as many years as I can remember my mother returned to
her home in the South each summer. Her sisters, who, like
herself, had left the South in young womanhood, made the
same pilgrimage, bringing their families and, of course, never
failing to boast of their new positions and achievements in far-
away cities. Discussing these annual visits with my mother
years later, I was surprised to hear her interpretation of them:
"Each year we all returned, and soon after greeting each other,
we always seemed to fall back into our traditional roles." The
rivalry, the dependency, the behaviors of childhood always
reasserted themselves.

When Jesus came home, the crowds who had heard of his
preaching and healing elsewhere pressed around him. His fami-
ly was concerned about the scene he was creating. The rumors
were that he was beside himself. He was accused of being
possessed by demons. In the face of this criticism, Jesus con-
tinued his prophetic message. It is the work of the Holy Spirit,
he responded, and he continued his ministry, almost defiantly.
Of course the family of Jesus knew him. Or did they? His
mother, hearing the reports and the rumors, came with his
relatives to get him and bring him home. Certainly, she wanted
to protect her son from danger and to place him in the familiar,
familial safety that was his by right as a member of her family.

For Jesus, however, the decision was clear: he had moved
beyond the roles defined for him by his family. Now his mother
and brothers were those who followed his word and did the
will of God. Now, having moved beyond the family of
Nazareth, he was in the midst of the family of God whose home
is in the heart of God. There he remains for us all.

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From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C