There is an old danger associated with living near something remarkable: familiarity can gradually diminish our sense of wonder. A person who lives near the mountains may eventually stop noticing their beauty. Someone who works beside a historic landmark may pass it every day without giving it a second thought. What once captured our attention can become so familiar that we no longer truly see it.

This can also happen in matters of faith. It is possible to be surrounded by the things of God and yet fail to recognize the presence of God Himself. We can become familiar with the stories of Jesus, accustomed to hearing His words, impressed by His works and even associated with those who follow Him without ever personally coming to believe in Him. One of the most sobering examples of this is found in Mark 3:21. As Jesus' ministry began attracting enormous crowds, word reached those closest to Him. Mark writes, “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.’”

The phrase “His own people” appears to refer to those close to Jesus, including His family. They knew Him in ways the crowds did not. They had watched Him grow up. They were familiar with His background, His family and His ordinary life in Nazareth. Yet familiarity with Jesus did not immediately produce faith in Jesus. That should cause all of us to pause. It is possible to be close to Jesus without being convinced about Jesus. It is possible to know the details of His life without embracing the truth of His identity. We can admire His teachings without submitting to His authority. We can be impressed by His compassion without trusting Him as Savior. We can even defend Christian values while never personally surrendering our lives to Christ.

The people in Mark 3 had evidence that should have demanded serious consideration. Jesus was teaching with authority. Lives were being changed. Demons were being cast out. The sick were being healed. Crowds were gathering because something extraordinary was happening. Yet some who knew Him best interpreted His actions as evidence that He had lost His mind. Their problem was not a lack of information. It was a failure to believe. Pay attention to the important difference between being familiar with Jesus and having faith in Jesus. Familiarity can recognize the facts. Faith responds to the truth. Familiarity may say, “I know the story.” Faith says, “I believe He is who He claimed to be.” Familiarity may appreciate the Sermon on the Mount. Faith submits to the One who preached it. Familiarity may acknowledge that Jesus was a remarkable teacher. Faith bows before Him as Lord.

Perhaps that is one of the dangers of growing up around Christian influences. We can hear the name of Jesus so often that we assume familiarity is the same as faith. We may attend church, listen to sermons, know Bible stories and participate in religious conversations while avoiding the most personal question of all: Who is Jesus to me? The crowds in Mark's Gospel were fascinated by Jesus. His family was concerned about Jesus. The religious leaders opposed Jesus. But fascination, concern and even religious involvement are not the same as faith. Eventually, each person must move beyond what others have said about Christ and come to terms with Him personally.

The encouraging truth is that misunderstanding Jesus does not have to be the final chapter. Even some who initially failed to understand Him eventually came to believe. Familiarity can become faith when we are willing to look again, listen carefully and allow the evidence of Christ's life, words, death and resurrection to lead us where it is meant to lead us.

The question is not simply whether we have heard about Jesus. Most people have. The question is whether we have truly believed in Him.

It is possible to live close to the truth and still miss it. It is possible to be familiar with Jesus and remain unconvinced about who He is. But knowing about Christ is never meant to be the destination. The invitation of the Gospel is to move beyond familiarity into faith — to see Jesus not merely as someone worthy of attention, but as the Son of God worthy of trust, surrender and devotion.

Dr. Tony Banning is a longtime Southern Baptist minister who serves as pastor of Whitehouse Fork Baptist Church in Baldwin County and as an adjunct professor at Coastal Alabama Community College. He is the author of “Come Aside: An Invitation to Experience the Presence of God,” forthcoming this winter.