A Family Affair

by John Comer

Please believe me when I tell you he is making life most uncomfortable for the whole family. Just having the name James ben Joseph is enough to earn me stares here in Nazareth. And it’s not any easier for my brothers and sisters. We’re all in the same boat, and when we siblings get together we usually discuss the embarrassment he is creating for our mother.

“He,” I presume you know, is our oldest brother, Jesus, who was, we had always thought, as solid as a rock. He had run the carpenter shop and cared for our family. He was active in the synagogue, and no one would have questioned his wisdom or his views about God.

But that’s all changed. He not only left the shop, he moved away and now lives in Capernaum. It’s as though we never knew him. He has quite a following of “believers” who hang on his every word, and go along with him on his itinerant way. He has also lost no time in making some powerful enemies who say he has a demon and is crazy as can be.

It’s hard for me to believe he has actually said some of the audacious things I’ve heard he’s been preaching. Reports of miracles even float about. All this from Jesus? My own brother? I will have to admit that something I don’t understand took place at that wedding in Cana, and our own mother was involved in it. But enough’s enough. If he really wants to do something good he should come back home and help out here.

In truth, we’ve been deeply concerned about him. We don’t understand him, but blood’s blood, and we’ve not wanted to abandon a family member. That’s why we went down to Capernaum when we heard he wasn’t even taking time to eat or take care of himself. He had obviously lost his senses and we wanted to take charge of him. Would you believe it? We couldn’t even get into the house! And then he said that anybody who followed God was his mother, brother, or sister. That hurt. The only reason we went down there was because we knew he needed us.

It got even worse last week. Jesus came home for a visit and brought along his main followers. At Sabbath synagogue things actually appeared to be normal as he stood up to read from the scroll as he  had done so many times before. But it wasn’t long until he had so inflamed the congregation that   they actually tried to kill him. What will become of all this? I don’t know what to think.