Lent 2026 Day 1: Wed 18 Feb
Mark 3:20-22
20 Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat. 21 When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.” 22 And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”
We’re not sure what’s meant by “home”, whether it’s his home town or his family house. The size of the crowd would suggest an open space, and we read later that Jesus’ family had difficulty getting to him, which would be odd in their own house. Jesus has already, in Mark’s account, been to many places around the region.
You will be aware that the four Gospel narratives do not share all the same information, and each writer has his own perspective, from the stories they have heard, of the story they wish to tell. Mark is the action man with a rapid-fire rifle who seldom gives Jesus a break before he’s off to do the next thing. We’ve seen how the religious leaders have already been in dispute with Jesus, and now his family are beginning to question his authority. Only Mark shares the family’s claim that Jesus is mad. It could only be for the honour of the family name that they wished to take him into their custody.
The religious authorities go one step further. Some scribes had turned up from Jerusalem – 90 plus miles is a long way away! What were they doing there? This is where time plays tricks. Had they heard that Jesus was back in his hometown, and then made the journey? If so, the message would first have had to go up to Jerusalem so that they could come down. That would have taken some days. Our text can lull us into thinking that things happened instantly. If the scribes were there already, were they just hanging around on the off chance of spotting Jesus?
However they got there, they were there, and their claim was that Jesus was not just out of his mind but also possessed. They wanted to convince themselves and others that Jesus was a dangerous character, an agent of Satan. Jesus will answer this ridiculous claim shortly.
How easy is it to belittle someone you don’t like? Is there someone you need to see in a kindlier light?
Father God, when the truth hurts or is embarrassing for me, help me accept it both as part of maturing in you and for my own good. Amen.
I will present some readings from Mark read by well-known people, as well as dramatisations. You’ll only need to follow as far as any day’s reading goes, though you may wish to listen on.
Mark 1 (catchup) from the Lumo project. The music is a little heavy to start with, but it’s a good watch. 9 mins.
Some of our excerpts will come from full Gospel projects. I don’t want you to restrict your watching and listening if you are enjoying the rendition, but one chapter is sufficient for any one day!
Paul