Today we are told that "Jesus came home" - perhaps to enjoy some peace and quiet. However, so many people came looking for him that there was no time even to eat. The family cannot have been too pleased. At the same time, one might think such popularity would be strongly welcomed, especially by his own family; a kind of reflected glory. On the contrary, he is an embarrassment to them and they even think he is mad. He must be mad because he is in conflict with the religious leaders, with the Pharisees and the Scribes. He must be mad because a genuine rabbi would never be seen happily in the company of sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers and outcasts. What made it worse for the family was that teachers of the Law, who had come all the way from Jerusalem, were saying that he must be possessed by the prince of demons and that it was by the power of the prince of demons that he drove out other demons. From this experience of Jesus with his own family, we his followers must not expect, simply because we sincerely try to base our life on truth and brotherly love, that we will be admired, respected and loved in return. From Jesus' own experience, we must realise that every true follower of Christ has faced misunderstanding, opposition and even verbal and physical violence. And this sometimes from within one's own community. We have the evidence from the long line of martyrs whose feasts we celebrate.