Mark’s gospel presents a compelling image of Jesus of Nazareth. Mark 1:1 tells us who Jesus is: he is the Christ (the Messiah) and he is the Son of God (God the Son). Mark then proceeds to present the evidence for this claim that Jesus is both King and God.

Along the way, we see several responses to Mark’s presentation of who Jesus is. Although the evidence is overwhelming – chapters 1 and 2 are filled with powerful demonstrations of Jesus’ deity – by the time we get to chapter 3, there are signs that many are rejecting Mark’s thesis.

Mark 3:20-30 offers a shocking glimpse of the negative responses to Jesus’ ministry. Here we see two examples of how people misunderstand their identity: the first is a surprise; the second is not.

The surprising response of his family.

The first negative response comes from an unlikely source: Jesus’ family. When they hear that Jesus’ fame has spread so dramatically that he doesn’t even have time to eat, “they went to take charge of him, saying, ‘He’s crazy'” (Mark 3:21). ).

Take note of the phrase “out of your mind” (NIV). It can also be translated “out of it” (RSV) or “lost sense” (NASB). In other words, Jesus’ family thought he was crazy!

Although Jesus’ mother is part of the family entourage that has come to take him home (see Mark 3:31), it seems unlikely that Mary thought Jesus was a lunatic. When Jesus was 12 years old and separated from his parents in Jerusalem, Luke tells us that “his mother treasured up all these things in his heart” (Luke 2:51).

In stark contrast, we know that Jesus’ brothers were antagonistic toward Jesus, at least initially. Jesus had four brothers – their names were James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon (see Mark 6:3). And according to John 7:5, “His own brothers did not believe in him.”

So the family of Jesus, who probably still lived in Nazareth, came to Capernaum to finish the greatest miracle show on earth. Jesus had left Nazareth and was traveling around Galilee, doing amazing things and drawing crowds of thousands. And now his brothers show up to “take care of him” (NIV), which means they wanted to seize him (ESV), take custody of him (NASB), and take him home (TLB). “Enough is enough! Our brother has lost his mind. Let’s get him out of this mess he’s created before things get out of hand.”

The illogical response of religious leaders.

Mark has already laid the groundwork for what the leaders are about to say about the identity of Jesus. In Mark 2:1-3:6 we read five consecutive episodes of his antagonism towards Jesus. Because he violates their legalistic interpretation of the Old Testament Sabbath law and claims to be God, the Pharisees have already begun plotting his death.

But what about his miracles? Jesus has healed people by the hundreds (thousands?). He has also cast out many demons. There is no way to deny his supernatural power, so the leaders must find an explanation for that. His conclusion: Jesus gets the power of him from the devil. “By the prince of demons he casts out demons” (Mark 3:23).

In light of his plan to kill Jesus, this response may not be surprising, but it is illogical. Jesus immediately exposes the stupidity of his argument with his own irrefutable logic: “How can Satan cast out Satan?” Obviously he can’t. And so Jesus cannot be getting his power from the devil. Duh.

The only plausible conclusion.

This passage takes us back to Mark 1:1: Jesus is God. He possesses supernatural power not because he is possessed by the devil, but because he possesses the very power of God. He is God in a human body. The deity of Jesus is the clear teaching of Scripture, and Mark’s account is consistent with this fundamental teaching of the Bible and the testimony of biblical Christianity for 2,000 years.

CS Lewis, the well-known British author, has made a convincing argument for the identity of Jesus. He says thus: There are only three possibilities. Jesus is a lunatic; Jesus is a liar; or Jesus is Lord. If a person accepts the Bible as an accurate representation of the words and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth, these are the only three possibilities.

Could it be that CS Lewis got his paradigm from Mark 3:20-30? Jesus’ family thought he was a lunatic: “He’s crazy.” The Jewish religious leaders thought that Jesus was a liar, because if Jesus actually got the devil’s power from him while claiming to be God, he was the biggest liar the world has ever known.

But Jesus was not crazy. Do the New Testament gospels present him as a lunatic? Have you read the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? If not, I urge you to read these four books objectively and ask yourself, “Am I reading about the life of a madman?”

And Jesus was not a liar. Is it not self-evident the absurdity of the Pharisees’ conclusion?

And so we come to the only plausible conclusion: Jesus is God. And since he is God, how should we live then?