One man: Different opinions.
One Man: Different opinions.
Mark 3:16-23.
The Seattle Times believe Malcom Gladwell has a knack for rendering complex idea into simple and elegant prose. This assertion was obvious in his ground breaking book. In The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference Gladwell made a compelling case for character. He presents character as a more bundle of habits and tendencies, interest and loosely bound together and dependent, on each other at certain times. He said, “most of us are good at character because we are better in controlling our environment. “ His idea was; “take a man from the environment that has built his character,” he will most likely contend with the challenges of the unfamiliar. In our text, Jesus character remained consistent even at different environment, yet people had a different opinion about who he was. Some thought he had a devil others thought he was insane.
In the same vein, the opinion we have about people influences and determine how much we would want to relate to (or with) them. This hold true for businesses, corporations as well as individual(s).
When we have doubts about issues, we are less likely not going to make key decisions. And because our decisions affects our lives in different ways, we wait until the doubts get cleared. While it is true to scrutinize our decisions, especially in the face of doubts, it also important not to allow our doubts control us. Shakespeare said, “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.
People had an opinion about who Jesus was and is, but Jesus knew his mission. He didn’t have any identity crisis. Neither was he swayed by the opinion of those around him, because he understood his mission and purpose; and so should we.
In our text, after the healing and miraculous service, Jesus friends and family had a different opinion about him.
“Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
The scribes had a different opinion.
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”
Jesus had just choosen his disciples and given them authority to do what he was doing, healing the sick and doing good works. Yet, some people still had a negative opinion about him.
One question. How often does the crowd opinion influenced our lives? Do we change our mission and purpose because of the subtle and unspoken opinion of others? I’m talking in positive terms. Of course, we should keep doing what is good, and what we believe promote justice and truth for community. I understand that “Goodness” is becoming a relative terms, but there is a standard of measuring what is acceptable based on what the word says.
Lets take the word for what it says and lean on God’s grace and truth. Lets stand for what is right even in the prevailing negative opinions of men. At the end God’s report and opinion about us outweighs all existing opinions.
Evans Akpo 