June 9, 2024 Sermon
Sermon title: “Brothers, Sisters, and Mothers”
Scripture: Mark 3:20-35
(Other lectionary suggestions include I Samuel 8:4-20, Psalm 138, and II Corinthians 4:13 - 5:1.)
Mark 3:20-35
Jesus and Beelzebul
20and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 28Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
The True Kindred of Jesus
31Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Is Jesus a fanatic, or what?! I don't really believe that, but to his family, he is acting strangely, saying things like, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus - just like most of us - had a family, and I'm sure they loved him as much as your family loves you. But what I think Jesus is saying here -AND I AGREE with HIM! - is that there really are some things that are more important than family. WHAT? Did the minister just say that? YES, he did: there are some things more important than family! What are some things more important than family? Voting for the right person, not the one your family likes. Think for yourself!! God gave you your great mind to USE! So, USE it and vote for the person you think is the better candidate!
During the Civil War, families were split apart, because some thought slavery was wrong, and some thought slavery was right. But please: you do what you think is right: USE your heart and mind and strength and do what you think God's will is, NOT what your FAMILY says. That's what I think Jesus is saying here.
I love N. T. Wright's take on this: Please listen: “Despite what pious Christian traditions have sometimes said about Mary, Jesus' mother, at this stage at least she clearly didn't have any idea what he was up to. She had brought the rest of the family down to Capernaum from Nazareth to find him and take him away, to stop him behaving in such an outrageous fashion, bringing dishonour to the family name. They thought he was mad.”
With Jesus, “God is doing the unthinkable: he is starting a new family, a new holy people, and is doing so without regard for ordinary human family bonds. Unless you read verses 34 and 35 as deeply shocking, you haven't got the message.”
Says Wright, “The gospel, and allegiance to Jesus, produce a division, often an unexpected and unwelcome one, in every group or society where they make their way. Mark's call to his readers then and now is to stick with Jesus whatever the cost.”
In one part of today's Scripture lesson, somebody suggests Jesus must be in league with the devil, or Beelzebul. That's sort of an old trick: if you can't explain something, blame it on the devil! Or something else you don't understand! But Jesus has a great comeback: if the devil's house is divided, it can't stand (Later on, I think it was Abraham Lincoln who quoted this passage: A house divided against itself cannot stand.) In a way, Jesus is saying, “Good! If the devil's house is divided, it will be falling down soon. And if the devil's house is falling, that means God's kingdom can't be far behind.”
You and I have always thought that God was a forgiving God. So, perhaps it comes as a surprise to hear Jesus saying that whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. What does he mean?
The way N. T. Wright sees it, Jesus's critics have painted themselves into a corner. Says Wright, “Once you label what is in fact the work of the Holy Spirit as the work of the devil, there's no way back. It's like holding a conspiracy theory: all the evidence you see will simply confirm your belief. You will be blind to the truth. It isn't that God gets especially angry with one sin in particular. It's rather that if you decide firmly that the doctor who is offering to perform a life-saving operation on you is in fact a sadistic murderer, you will never give your consent to the operation.”
That's what Wright says, and I'm not sure I understand. But what I get out of this passage is that you and I have some free will: we can choose to believe or not to believe. I don't really believe that it's possible to put ourselves beyond God's grace - BUT if we choose NOT to believe, I don't think God will come running after us! So, I guess I don't believe in an unforgiveable sin - but- again - if I choose to turn away from God, God will respect my choice. “Those who preach and live by Jesus' message must be on the alert for opposition of all sorts,” says Wright, “sometimes subtle, sometimes threatening. And they must learn, too, how to respond.” What do YOU think? Amen.
Pastor Skip
