When His family heard it, they went out to seize Him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” Mark 3:21 ESV1
Read Mark 3:20-21, 31-35 & 6:1-6; Matthew 12:46-50 & 13:53-58 & Luke 8:18-21
Close your eyes and imagine yourself walking along the dusty streets of an ancient village called Nazareth.
“Picture Nazareth with a population of around 400 in the first century. The roads [are] unpaved and public buildings [are] few. The houses [are] all one story, made of mud and stones and topped with thatched roofs. The windows of the small dwellings [are] usually high ‘allowing for light and ventilation but keeping passersby from peering in on [occupants] asleep on … straw mat[s] …
[Watch as women] … grind [their] flour, cook, and eat [with their families] in … courtyard[s].’ [See as] neighbors [come] together in … adjoining courtyards … ‘Everyone [is using] limestone or chalk cups, mugs, bowls, and storage vessels.’ … [They are consuming mostly] bread [which makes] … up about 70 percent of their daily calories…
Welcome to life in the first century. They [live] en masse, [eat] with the neighbors, and [travel] in caravans. While no home is perfect, there was one in Nazareth that [houses] a boy who [is] … [This Boy’s name is,] Jesus. [He is] exceptional. Yes, utterly perfect and morally flawless.”2
But so many in Nazareth are unaware of just how special Jesus is.