Jesus & His Family
In the midst of the crowd - wisdom, courage, and clarity.
Mark 3:20-35
One of the fun and perhaps eye-opening aspects of reading from Mark’s gospel is seeing some of the details either otherwise missing from the other gospels or at least handled differently by Mark. The other gospels mention the conclusion Jesus makes about his family in our reading today, but Mark’s description of it is - believe it or not - longer and, um, sharper.
He’s out of his mind.
Those words are from his family for us this morning. Not the Pharisees, other religious leaders, government officials, etc. His family. These leaders with authority wouldn’t care about Jesus being out of his mind unless his leadership began to threaten theirs (which we know it will).
Of course his family would be concerned, right? If they love him (and let’s presume they did), the attention he’s getting would be concerning. It leads to a question - just how much did his family know about who he was sent to be? We think we know that at least Mary and Joseph were told some things. But how closely did they hold those things? If they had told other family members, how would that have gone?
We all know that most any parent thinks the world of their child.
Regardless, his family is concerned in Mark 3 and even tries to come and at least talk to him, if not bring him home. We know that Jesus valued his earthly family. He saw to the care of his mother right from the cross.
But here, earlier on, he was sure to set apart those unhelpful temptations from doing the right thing. This is both the wisdom and the courage of Jesus on display.
Mark 3:20-35
Jesus entered a house. A crowd gathered again so that it was impossible for him and his followers even to eat. When his family heard what was happening, they came to take control of him. They were saying, “He’s out of his mind!”
The legal experts came down from Jerusalem. Over and over they charged, “He’s possessed by Beelzebul. He throws out demons with the authority of the ruler of demons.”
When Jesus called them together he spoke to them in a parable: “How can Satan throw Satan out? A kingdom involved in civil war will collapse. And a house torn apart by divisions will collapse. If Satan rebels against himself and is divided, then he can’t endure. He’s done for. No one gets into the house of a strong person and steals anything without first tying up the strong person. Only then can the house be burglarized. I assure you that human beings will be forgiven for everything, for all sins and insults of every kind. But whoever insults the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. That person is guilty of a sin with consequences that last forever.” He said this because the legal experts were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”
His mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent word to him, calling for him. A crowd was seated around him, and those sent to him said, “Look, your mother, brothers, and sisters are outside looking for you.”
He replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Looking around at those seated around him in a circle, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister, and mother.”
Prayer
God,
Thank you for another day in this season of Easter.
The bunnies are hopping all over the place in my yard. I’ve turkeys gobbling around looking for some spring mating. Deer have jumped in front of me on my evening walks. The blossoms are blossoming and buds are budding. My grass is getting greener. Life is bursting all around.
Thank you for these reminders of your hand at work, always crafting life from places that have been otherwise dormant and dead.
Help my life today to reflect this newness.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.