Crazy
Sometimes it is good to be a little crazy.
Then he went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. - Mark 3:19-27
In today's Gospel, Mark tells us Jesus' family thought he had gone mad. Imagine your own family thinking you are crazy!
The scribes thought he was possessed, because he had the power to cast out demons. What would our modern day equivalent be?
Would people think us crazy if we visited the sick?
The current virus epidemic has everyone scared, and some acting a bit crazy. But who is to judge what is crazy behavior at this time?
Jesus went to people who others avoided and he freed them from their demons. He took away the stigma, and they called him crazy for it.
Now we could argue that he was not really at risk in doing that, because of who he was. But there is a lesson here for all of us.
Because of whose we are, we should not be afraid to reach out and help those others avoid.
This is where we need to be a bit crazy, crazy enough to come up with ingenious ways to help without exposing anyone to risk.
I know we can do it. We just have to think how, and want to continue to help those in need.
So, let's all put on our crazy hats and be a bit like Jesus. We may find ways to help people through this crisis, and help ourselves in the process.
More to come...