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Jesus left there and went to his home town, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
- Mark 6:1-6

Jesus provoked extreme reactions. If you read the gospels: there are no people who are merely warm about Jesus, no ambivalent “he’s a good guy, I guess” responses. People either oppose him, or they fall down on their knees and give their lives to him.

It wasn't always his healings, teachings, or pronouncements of forgiveness that offended people. In his hometown, it was his ordinariness that was the problem. The people of Nazareth liked the teachings and were open to healings, but not from him. He was too familiar. Isn't this the carpenter? He's just Mary's kid... We know the family!

Are you turned of by the ordinariness of Jesus? Would you like the gospel to be more esoteric than the simple offer of mercy for sinners? Do you think your brothers and sisters ought to be more intellectually, physically, or morally impressive? Do you wish that the church was more 'successful'? Would you like our experience to be more spiritually exhilarating, something other than the daily choosing to put one foot in front of the other - the long obedience in the same direction.

Really, there is nothing ordinary about Jesus. He is the extraordinary come to us in the ordinary. The theological word is incarnation - "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us". He is the meaning of everything, come to meet us. But day to day, it may be that our following of Jesus feels different, perhaps feels less, that the walk we expected.

... Life happens ...

Then, like John the Baptist in prison, we send up the question, "are you really the one"? Is there someone or something more? Jesus had an answer to that.

And he answers us, "blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me".

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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

In the context of a King speaking to an inner group the meaning of this paragraph is astounding, truly astonishing. In the context of reading something inviting us to become wise, helping us grow in wisdom, it is something that should shake our worlds.

These are the words of the king, we are not being told about any old family here, we are getting to know about some dynamics of God's family. This is a member of the trinity saying this. Jesus was saying that allegiance to him, shown by making his priorities our priorities, leads to us being included as part of his crew. This inclusion is not slipping in at the bottom level but we are included as part of the royal family.

Take v34&35 in as a description of your reality, a statement about your position in this creation. When you give your allegiance to King Jesus you become part of his royal family. We are being invited to meditate on this and become wise. Making wise decisions about your life will become easier if you think often about this truth.

Let us remind ourselves that there's opposition out there but the victory Jesus won on the cross means that everything that needed to be done so that we can have victory over all that would oppress us has already been done.

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Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.

-Mark 3: 13-14

The four gospels aim to make us wise by helping us get up close to the life of Jesus and seeing how he lived his life. The gospels invite us to imagine ourselves into the stories that the characters in the story were faced with. Jesus’ actions as King during the time he was walking around on earth are intended as a template for us.

So when Jesus came preaching about God and putting right the evils of this present age, healing diseases and oppression, the bible fits this into the context of God coming to act as the ruling king. God was beginning a promised transformation of this earth. The phrases ‘the kingdom of God ‘ and ‘son of God’ have very similar connotations, the active working of God as King of the world in real time.

Jesus’ action as king involves others. Those who were being blessed by the transformation which had begun and they were being drawn in by this movement of God as king. There was a level of allegiance involved. But Jesus calls people closer, “Come be more involved with the work of the king.”

When we see our calling in the context of a King reclaiming a lost kingdom we can see what our response should be. If the true king of this world is coming to act within this world the correct response is our allegiance, our loyalty. If Jesus is the Son of God the promised King then my actions and purposes need to be aligned to the actions and purposes of the King. Not just for a moment but a set daily allegiance to the King.

If we see our relationship with Jesus in terms of being loyal subjects of the true King of the cosmos we can also realise that all aspects of our existence from the minutiae of life to the grand narrative of humanity can all come together as a coherent whole with Jesus.

Our calling comes from a king who knows who you are and knows your strengths and weaknesses. We can choose to become more wise by meditating on the fact that God has chosen us. We here are called to be TVC to be part of King Jesus’ ongoing transformation of Woolwich, of London, of this world.