Insider or Outsider?

Insider or Outsider?

Here is an excerpt from "Who Belongs to Jesus?: An Exposition of Mark 3:20-35":

Who belongs to Jesus? “[Whoever] does the will of God,” that’s who. Does that include you?

Jesus’ earthly family thought that they belonged to Jesus, and yet in our passage they are found to be “outside” (v. 31, 32) – outside the house where Jesus was staying, outside the true family that was sitting around Jesus. Physical connection to Jesus, or physical connection to a church, is simply not enough.[4]

As for the religious teachers, they would have claimed to belong to God – but you can only belong to God if you belong to God’s Son. In fact, however, these religious guys were far from God: they were inverting reality and tottering on the edge “of an eternal sin.” It is possible to be hooked on religion and yet be disobedient to God’s will. Religious insiders, represented here by the scribes, are often outsiders to Jesus’ true family. Religiosity and religious respectability are not enough....

Wherever Jesus is, there you will find His true family gathered around Him, following Him as He leads them on the path of doing God’s will. Everyone else is on the outside. 

Where are you? Near to Jesus, or far away?

NOTE: Header Image/Featured Image Photo by Sikes Photos on Unsplash