When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
Parallel translations
- WEB When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.”
- KJV And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.
- NKJV But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”
- NASB And when His own people heard about this, they came out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”
- NLT When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus' own family sets out to seize him, thinking he is out of his mind. It matters because even those closest to him misunderstood his mission.
Overview
His relatives, alarmed by his demanding ministry and growing controversy, conclude he is unbalanced and try to take him home. Their misunderstanding shows how radically Jesus' single-minded devotion to God confounded ordinary expectations. It also frames the teaching to come, that true kinship with Jesus is defined by doing God's will, not by blood.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Acts 26:24At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
- John 10:20Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”
- John 7:3–10So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing.
- Mark 3:31Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him,
- 2 Cor 5:13If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
- 2 Kgs 9:11When Jehu went out to the servants of his master, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?” “You know his kind and their babble,” he replied.
- Hos 9:7The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived—let Israel know it. The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and hostility.
- Jer 29:26‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 3:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.