The Litmus Test weblog

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
(Luke 14:26-27)

As Yahshua said these things to His followers, perhaps He thought back to the time when even He had to disregard the words of His own mother, Miriam. That day He had been sitting in the house with His circle of disciples and the crowds of people who hung on His every word. Filled with the Holy Spirit, He was speaking to them in parables, but the priests and the Pharisees were outraged. “Who does this nobody from Nazareth think he is, telling the people that the religion of today is corrupt? We are the ones chosen to teach about God… this man has lost his mind!”

Word had reached His mother and brothers that He had gone crazy and that He had a demon! What could have happened to Him since that day so long ago when He was a small boy and yet He confounded all the teachers in the temple with His deep understanding of the Law and the Prophets? Why weren’t those same men accepting Him now? Surely He must have gone off… Something had gone wrong… She must go immediately and get Him before it was too late.

But remember the words of Simeon back when He was just a little baby and Mary and Joseph had brought Him to the temple to be dedicated? “Behold this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be spoken against. And a sword will pierce even your own soul…” (Luke 2:34-35). What did that mean? Why would the Messiah be spoken against? Shouldn’t He be received with great pomp and ceremony? Certainly something wasn’t right.

So off she went with her other sons to rescue Him. When she arrived at the house it was so packed full of people that she couldn’t even get in. People were sitting and standing anywhere they could, just to hear what He was saying, just to catch a glimpse of Him. And there were the Pharisees, filled with jealousy toward this imposter who was stealing all their loyal disciples away and telling them the truth. How they hated the truth, grinding their teeth at every word that shined a light into their dark souls, revealing that they were really nothing but hollow shells that produced no fruit.