Do you ever look at the world today and wonder what has happened? Have you ever viewed a particular situation or event and thought people have completely lost their minds. How could they? What are they thinking? What’s wrong with them? What are they doing? I know people have looked at me (you) in the same way. Is she crazy? How could she? What’s she doing? What’s she thinking? Has she lost her mind? Quite possibly!
What does losing one’s mind look like? How does one who can’t find their mind act? How does one who is gone from their senses behave? One (because I don’t want to point fingers at you or me) may act irrational (world’s opinion) – never! One (again, no pointing) may have extreme thoughts (changing things that you never thought you would) – never! One (again, the pointing thing) may become very outspoken and say extraordinary things (speak truth) – never! One (again) may have responses that are not considered appropriate or acceptable responses to a particular situation (take a stand) – never! Anyway, coming round the bend of Robin Hood’s barn, losing one’s mind calls one’s actions into question. So, I ask myself, is losing touch with my senses such a bad thing? Some may think so, but maybe not.
One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.
But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”
Mark 3:20-21
Folks thought Jesus had lost his mind too. Why did they think that? Because, to them, that’s what it looked like. Of course, Jesus did lose His mind on them and went on to chastise and warn them in the strongest way – read the rest of the chapter.
But, they actually thought He had lost His mind because of the way He acted. His fervent displays of healing and supernatural power, was out of the ordinary. Jesus was so bent on addressing the people that pressed in on Him with their cares, their brokenness, their need for healing, that He pulled long hours and didn’t take time out for a meal or a rest. The kind of perseverance that He displayed caused his friends and family to become concerned about Him. Existemi, that’s the Greek word used here for losing one’s mind. It actually means to be displaced, to be outside of, to be astonished, amazed, out of mind, mad. His family and friends tried to rescue Him because they thought he had become some type of fanatic, that He’d lost His mind. So, they showed up. I remember as a kid my parents fetching me from someplace I wasn’t supposed to be. That’s really kind of embarrassing, not for Jesus. His mission was not to be deterred. Check out His response.
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”
Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 3:31-35
Jesus’ family came to fetch Him because they thought He was crazy, because they didn’t understand. Do people look at us the same way? They should you know. Why? Because we are to be like Christ. Our lives must be so radically different that people want to understand.
If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:11-17
As in Jesus’ day, today anyone who displays a zealousness for Christ is considered fanatical and someone who has lost their mind, someone who needs to come to their senses. But the truth is that anyone who displays a zealousness for Christ actually brings glory to God. In a nutshell, if we are out of our minds it is for God and if we are in our minds it is for others. It’s circular. Being crazy is being in the right mind. Being in the right mind is crazy. Humbly delivering the truth (being in the right mind) to others brings glory to God (crazy).
Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
2 Timothy 2:22-26
When folks look at you and ask “Have you lost your mind?” The answer should be a resounding “Yes!” In today’s world losing one’s mind looks normal to us, doesn’t it? So, if our words, our responses, our actions do not look different, if we appear to be like everyone else, if we do not stand out as different, if we look normal by today’s standards, we need to come to our senses. We need to humbly persevere, despite the cost, just as Jesus did.