The Walters 5

I was reading in Mark this morning and in chapter 3 the Scripture says Jesus immediate family thought he was crazy (Mark 3:21). This isn’t the only place in the NT where either Christ or his followers are taken for being a bit loony. In Acts 26:1-25 Paul gives an account of his conversion and why the Jews want him axed, to which Agrippa says, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind” (Acts 26:24).

I’ve been accused of being out of my mind too. Unfortunately it was for all of the wrong reasons. I was distancing myself from my family, taking extreme positions on all sorts of issues and generally becoming a legalist. Some of the stances I took were not completely wrong but my motivations (doing things in order to be justified…as if I can keep the standards of God!) were way off base.

But Jesus and Paul were being called crazy for all of the right reasons. Their message was, and is, crazy. What’s the message? Here’s the condensed version: All of humanity is sinful and justly deserves God’s wrath. Jesus is the son of God. He died on the cross as a substitute sacrifice for the sins of mankind. He rose from the grave three days later, vindicating His claims of deity. If we trust Him we will be forgiven of our sin and reconciled to our heavenly Father.

I hope more people call me crazy – for the right reasons. If you’re a Christian I hope more people call you crazy – for the right reasons. Let it be that we are clearly explaining the truth that there is only one way to be reconciled to God, though faith in Christ.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. – 1 Cor 1:22-25