St. Francis de Sales
It shouldn't surprise us that Jesus' family thinks he's crazy. Just look at what he's doing. Listen to who and what he claims to be. Given the Mosaic Law, the religious traditions, the cultural baggage of ancient Israel, Jesus' words and deeds make him seem not only crazy but downright dangerous. If what he says is true, then everything – and I mean everything! – is shaken to its core and has to be rebuilt almost from scratch. Think about it: thousands of years of belief in a yet-to-come Messiah; thousands of years of law, practice, sacrifice, prayer. Persecutions, genocidal exiles, slavery all b/c of one's race and belief. All of this reaches its final form in a young man born of a virgin who lays claim to being the Christ. He's not from a politically connected family. He's not from money or property. His claim to royalty is some 28 generations back into the dusty history of the land. Who is this guy? Even his family and friends thinks he's crazy. He's out of his mind. Well, maybe so. But being “crazy” and “out of your mind” sometimes means simply not see and hearing and speaking like those around you. Sometimes being crazy means being saner than the insane world you were born into.
And what could be saner than being the source of reason and peace himself? What could be saner than being the only-begotten Son of Him Who brought everything that is out of nothing? Jesus isn't irrational or delusional or psychotic. He sees perfectly clearly. He sees the unclean spirits that possess the weak and the strong. He sees the sin that cripples and kills. He sees the lies that an insane world calls truth. And he sees the ugliness that some hold up as beauty. But mostly importantly, he sees you and me and the limits we force on our freedom to love him and follow him. Strange limits like pride, jealousy, unrighteous anger, judgment, fear, and anxiety. Those are the crazy. Those are irrational and delusional. Why? B/c they keep us from reaching out and grasping the source of sanity in an insane world. No, Jesus is not out of his mind. But we are when we pit our limits against his limitless love and mercy. Being sane among the insane is like being the sober one when everyone else is drunk. You can see the stupidity and rejoice that you aren't being a fool.
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