Out of His Mind

“He is out of His mind.” Mark 3:21

In another of my Bibles it says, “He has lost his senses.” Why did Jesus’ own people, His own relatives, conclude that of Him? This time it was because there was a multitude clamoring for His attention, He could not even find time to eat. But if Jesus really wanted to eat, He could surely do it as He found time to pray every day. Eating was not on top of His priorities. Preaching the Word, healing, exorcising, these were what He needed to do in the 3 years He had on earth. 

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Sebastian. I am sure people thought he was crazy too. Instead of enjoying His privileged life as a son of a rich man, an officer of the Imperial Roman army, and Captain of the Praetorian Guard, what did he do? He infuriated Emperor Diocletian by visiting the prisoners incarcerated because of Diocletian's persecution of Christians. When the Emperor found out that Sebastian was a Christian, he ordered him tied to a stake to be used for target practice. Riddled with arrows, he was left for dead. Irene of Rome found him still breathing and nursed him back to life. Once he was well enough to walk, Sebastian went in search of the Emperor and tried to convert him, pleading with him to stop torturing and murdering Christians. Enraged, Diocletian ordered Sebastian clubbed to death! This time, Sebastian was well and truly dead. 

Crazy? Foolish? Insane? Lunatic? Sebastian certainly was a fool for Christ! He bet everything, even his very life, for the truth he believed in. How about us? Are we willing to invest our time, resources, our life, for a retirement plan that is out of this world?