Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

This is a weird passage and seems out of place. The passages previous to this one tell us that Jesus has been healing and doing miracles, and He is attracting a great crowd of followers. In the passage directly before this we are told that Jesus has retreated to a mountain, and named his 12 apostles. It is upon returning to the village that we get todays reading. The crowd is pressing in on Him and they were so crowded thay could not even sit and eat dinner. The next verse is where the pharisees will accuse him of being a devil and casting out devils by the power of the devil.

So, why does this passage happen and why is it needed, in the gospels. I read a commentary on this passage, and George Leo Haydock suggestes that maybe it was because they knew that the pharisees were on the way and were about to try to sieze him, and the apostles made up the story of the madness so that they could extract Him from the crowd and prevent the confrontation with the Pharisees. Regardless of the reason, it was ill founded. Jesus would remain, and would have a great controntation with his persecutors, and He would send them away confounded once again.

Please remember that the pharisees wanted to destroy Him from the first moment that they confronted His Teaching, but Jesus did not allow it. When Jesus would finally meet His passion, He would be ready, and He would finally submit to their persecutions. But Jesus had the wit and skill to evade capture as long as He wanted, so He was never afraid of them, and never needed to be protected from confrontation with them. Jesus was always in control. And He still is, and all you need to do is to submit to Him and He will show you grace and knowledge and peace that you never thought possible.

Oh lord, guide me and lead me to the peace that surpasses all understanding. Amen.