Jesus' family opposes him

Jesus' family opposes him

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." Mark 3:20-21

As we can see from these words, Jesus did not have parents and brothers who could sincerely comfort him. Because he did not have true parents and brothers, Jesus found himself in a sad, lonely, and miserable situation; and was forsaken by his clan. When John the Baptist, who should have prepared the way of the Lord, betrayed him, he felt enormous grief and bitterness. We need to become connected to the situation of Jesus by feeling his heart, and, going one step further, we can inherit all of his teachings.

Although Jesus' family and clan were amazed by the miracles surrounding Jesus' birth, because they were ignorant about the dispensation of God, they could not receive him as the Messiah. Originally they should have understood Jesus' heavenly mission and prepared his future path and environment; they should have become the steppingstones for Jesus on his path to fulfill the dispensation of God. Had they done that, Jesus would not have needed to find his own disciples.

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother" Mark 3:31-35

Jesus' mother and brothers did not become his true family members. Instead, they became his enemies on the path he was walking. Furthermore, even Jesus' three disciples, whom he educated with all of his heart and life, who walked with him through the three years of his public ministry, did not become his true family members.

What kind of person would be a true member of Jesus' family? He or she would he a person who resembled Jesus in wanting to spread the word to everyone. He or she would have experienced all of God's anxious and grieving heart as he watched Jesus fighting Satan. Therefore, Jesus' true family member would not be someone who just followed Jesus when he was walking the way of the cross, but would be someone who understood the heart of Jesus throughout his life, up to the time when he had to walk a path toward the cross.

When Jesus came to the earth, the fact that he could not find a true family member was his greatest sorrow and pain. He could not find a true member of his family who would testify on his behalf, fight alongside him when he was battling Satan, and carry the cross on his behalf as he walked toward Golgotha, a person whom he could be proud of before heaven and earth.

What, then, should we do? As Jesus was desperate to testify to God's will of 2,000 years ago, we who are living today should also do our best to testify to his will, with all of our heart and mind. We should become the kind of person who can fulfill the wishes of Jesus, in the same situation as Jesus who fought against Satan, and with the heart of Jesus who was concerned about the fulfillment of God's will despite the opposition of the Jewish authorities and the nation of Israel. Further, to eliminate all the obstructions to fulfilling the will of heaven, we should become the kind of person who can feel the grim resolution of Jesus, who was determined to offer even his life. We should also have the spirit to become a willing sacrificial offering, to carry a cross on behalf of the people.

If you have the character of Jesus, you can communicate with the heart of Jesus, who 2,000 years ago offered himself as a sacrifice on behalf of the Israelites. You should not become a dead offering, someone who surrenders to Satan. If you are imbued with the heart of Jesus, you do not need to be afraid to testify to the will of Jesus, nor will you be defeated in fighting against Satan. Therefore, we in the Last Days should possess a heroic resolution and have the heart to climb over the hill of death, guiding even our enemies to God's loving bosom. Then we can finally become true members of Jesus' family.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: Let Us Become a True Member of Jesus' Family October 18, 1957

Nowhere to lay his head

Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Matthew 8:20

Before you speak of any person as being great, think about the meaning of greatness. Of all the people throughout history, we can speak of only four as the greatest saints: Jesus, Mohammed, Confucius, and Buddha. Did they have big, fancy houses and lots of possessions? No, all of them were persecuted and despised in their own time. Jesus said, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Is that characteristic of a great man?

During his time Confucius was like a "nameless dog," as he put it, the way people pushed him around. He didn't have a regular job, but chose to beg for his food and to travel teaching and learning. Buddha was born into a palace as a great prince, but he gave up all that and embraced hardship instead. He went to the mountains to pray, and discover spiritual truth. No one really wants to live a difficult life, but these four men chose such a life, and today everyone considers them great.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: The Things We Want to Be Proud Of October 25, 1981

With your own parents even trying to kidnap you and persecution coming on all sides, you are writing the greatest poem and creating the greatest masterpiece of art. We are becoming the creators of great things. Expensive trees are the ones that have developed unusual shapes or symmetry in the course of their rugged lives.

Suffering creates the strongest spiritual link among us, and without it we have no deep emotion of being together. If we have been pushed down together and have been hungry together and tried to take care of each other, then a deep heart-to-heart relationship is formed, regardless of whether we are Korean or Japanese or American. The way you can find a heartistic relation-ship with Jesus is to accept suffering. There is no other way.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: The Ones Who Can Receive Gods Love October 1, 1977

Authority on earth to forgive sins

Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."

At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men. Matthew 9:2-8

Today in reverence for the death of Jesus, we believe that the power of redemption lies in the cross, but this is the whole picture. What we have to understand is that while redemption is, of course, available through one's faith in the cross, if people had believed in and lived according to the words Jesus spoke while he was alive, salvation would have taken place there and then.

What can Jesus first take pride in after coming to this earth? Adam and Eve could not substantiate the words of God because of the Fall. They failed to believe in his words. Although man fell and the dispensational history was prolonged for 4,000 years because they did not believe in God's words, Jesus established faith over against Satan as the one center. In other words, Jesus emerged as the king of faith on this earth.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: Jesus Christ, the Pride of God May 16, 1956