Mark 3: 20-35 | There’s family — and then there’s family

THERE’S FAMILY, THEN THERE’S FAMILY

MARK 3:20-35

JUNE 7, 2015

A FELLOW MINISTER ONCE TOLD ME A STORY ABOUT BEING APPROACHED BY A MEMBER OF HIS CHURCH; AN ELDERLY MAN, THE SORT OF LOYAL LAYPERSON GIVEN TO DEEP DEVOTION AND ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH.

“PREACHER,” HE BEGAN, “I WANT YOU TO CORRECT MY THINKING.”

“HOW’S THAT,” RESPONDED HIS PASTOR.

“LAST WEEK, DURING COMMUNION, I HAD A STRANGE FEELING, A FUNNY NOTION, AND I WANT YOU TO SET ME STRAIGHT ABOUT IT.”

“WHAT HAPPENED?”

“IT WAS WHEN THE LITTLE PIECES OF BREAD WERE BEING PASSED AROUND.

YOU HAD SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BEING THE FEAST FOR GOD’S FAMILY, AND WHEN I TOOK THE BREAD I BEGAN TO THINK THAT WE WEREN’T THE ONLY ONES HERE.

I FELT THAT MY MOTHER AND FATHER WERE HERE, TOO. IN MY MIND, I SAW MY BROTHER, SAM, AND MY GRANDPARENTS, AND ALL THOSE WHO’VE GONE BEFORE ME.

PREACHER, I KNOW ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND GONE, AND I’LL SEE THEM IN HEAVEN SOMEDAY, BUT I COULDN’T GET THEM OUT OF MY MIND. I FELT THEY WERE RIGHT THERE AT THE TABLE LAST SUNDAY.

IT WAS A GOOD FEELING, PREACHER, BUT I KNOW I NEED YOU TO STRAIGHTEN ME OUT.”

NO, I DON’T NEED TO STRAIGHTEN YOU OUT,” SAID THE MINISTER SLOWLY. “WHAT YOU FELT WAS TRUE.”

THERE’S FAMILY, THEN THERE’S FAMILY.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK TELLS US THAT JESUS DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TIME TO EAT.

HE WAS SO BUSY WITH MINISTRY; SO PRESSED UPON BY THE CROWDS TO PERFORM BIGGER AND BETTER MIRACLES; SO HOUNDED BY THE AUTHORITIES QUESTIONING BY WHAT AUTHORITY HE WAS PREACHING, TEACHING, AND PERFORMING MIRACLES;

AND NOW, BACK IN HIS HOMETOWN, HIS OWN FAMILY IS STANDING AT THE DOOR, THINKING HIM MAD, AND COME TO TAKE HIM AWAY QUIETLY;

JESUS DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TIME ENOUGH TO EAT.

“HE’S GONE OUT OF HIS MIND,” PEOPLE WERE SAYING.

“HE HAS BEELZEBUL (THE DEVIL) IN HIM,” THE AUTHORITIES PROCLAIMED.

EVEN HIS OWN FAMILY WAS BEGINNING TO BELIEVE SOMETHING ABOUT HIM WAS OFF, AND THEY WANTED TO TAKE HIM AWAY, BACK HOME WITH THEM, WHERE THEY COULD QUIETLY, SECRETLY, DEAL WITH HIM AND WITH HIS APPARENT AFFLICTION.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE OFTEN FORGET, ESPECIALLY THE MORE WE THINK OF THE BIBLE AS GOD’S WORD, IS THE FACT THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE BIBLE WRITTEN BY PEOPLE, BUT BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

EACH OF THESE WRITERS HAS THEIR OWN STYLES; THEIR OWN CHARACTERISTICS; THEIR OWN LITERARY AND LINGUISTIC APPROACHES, AND SUCH IS THE CASE WITH THE GOSPEL OF MARK.

JUST AS WE MIGHT ENJOY HEMINGWAY’S TURN OF A PHRASE; OR JOHN GRISHAM’S OR SUZANNE COLLINS’ DEVELOPMENT OF PLOT; OR CARL HIAASEN’S OR TOM CORCORAN’S ZANY CHARACTERS;

THE AUTHORS OF THE VARIOUS BOOKS OF THE BIBLE HAVE THEIR OWN STYLES, POINTS OF VIEW, AND PARTICULAR THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES.

SO KNOWING SOMETHING ABOUT HOW MARK WRITES – HELPS US UNDERSTAND WHAT MARK WRITES. I WANT TO SIMPLY MENTION TWO THINGS CHARACTERISTIC OF MARK’S WRITINGS THIS MORNING.

FIRST, (AND IT’S GOING TO TAKE ME A LITTLE WHILE TO GET AROUND TO THE SECOND THING, SO BEAR WITH ME…)

FIRST AND MARK DOES THIS OFTEN: HE LIKES TO START A STORY, THEN INTERRUPT IT WITH ANOTHER STORY, AND THEN RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL STORY ONCE MORE.

IN OUR PASSAGE FOR THIS MORNING MARK TELLS US THAT JESUS HAS GONE BACK HOME. HE TELLS US JESUS IS SO BUSY HE DOESN’T HAVE TIME TO EAT.

MARK THEN BEGINS TO TELL US THE STORY OF HOW JESUS’ FAMILY HAS SHOWN UP WHERE HE IS TEACHING AND PREACHING, AND THINKING HIM OUT OF HIS MIND, HOW THEY WANT TO TAKE HIM AWAY.

THEN MARK INTERRUPTS THIS STORY BY TELLING ANOTHER – OF HOW JESUS DEALS WITH HIS CRITICS AND DETRACTORS, SPECIFICALLY, THEIR CHARGE THAT WHAT HE SAYS AND DOES IS DONE NOT BY THE POWER OF GOD, BUT BY THE POWER OF SATAN. THIS IS HOW THEY DESCRIBED THE BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL IN BIBLICAL TIMES.

“HOW CAN SATAN CAST OUT SATAN?” JESUS ASKS.

IT DOESN’T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE – HOW WOULD THE FORCE THAT SEEKS TO DESTROY GOOD AND ESTABLISH EVIL – BE CASTING OUT EVIL AND ESTABLISHING GOOD?

IT IS, TO SAY THE LEAST, COUNTERINTUITIVE.

“IF A KINGDOM IS DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF IT CANNOT STAND. IF A HOUSE IS DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF, THAT HOUSE WILL NOT STAND.”

(BY THE WAY, ALL OF THESE ARGUMENTS WERE WHAT WERE USED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR AS ARGUMENTS FOR PRESERVING THE UNION.)

THEN, ALBEIT IN A RATHER COMPLICATED SERIES OF EXPRESSION, MARK HAS JESUS EXPLAIN WHAT HE’S REALLY DOING.

SATAN IS NOT CASTING OUT SATAN, GOD IS CASTING OUT SATAN.

SATAN HAS NOT RISEN UP AGAINST SATAN; GOD HAS RISEN UP AGAINST SATAN.

AND THEN THIS – “BUT 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.”

NOW STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM, WITH ALL OF THIS TALK ABOUT GOOD AND EVIL, ABOUT GOD AND SATAN, ABOUT JESUS AND HIS DETRACTORS, IN ACTUALITY, IT IS JESUS WHO IS DOING THE BREAKING AND ENTERING HERE;

IT IS JESUS WHO TIES UP THE STRONG MAN –SATAN;

AND IT IS JESUS WHO PLUNDERS THE HOUSE OF SATAN FOR THE SOULS OF THE PEOPLE WHO SATAN SEEKS TO STEAL AWAY! JESUS IS VICTORIOUS!

THIS IS VERY MUCH IN KEEPING WITH THE MEANING, THE MESSAGE, AND THE METHOD OF MARK’S WRITING.

FURTHER, AND BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST OFT QUOTED PASSAGES FROM THE GOSPEL OF MARK, AND PERHAPS, ONE OF THE LEAST UNDERSTOOD, MARK HAS JESUS SPEAK ABOUT THE ONE UNFORGIVABLE SIN.

FOR MARK, AT LEAST, THERE IS A LIMIT TO GOD’S FORGIVENESS, AND THAT LIMIT IS AT THE POINT OF A TOTAL REJECTION OF GOD.

I MOST OFTEN HEAR THIS VERSE QUOTED WHEN SOMEONE ASKS WHETHER OR NOT A PARTICULAR SIN, OR A PARTICULAR BEHAVIOR, IS FORGIVABLE BY GOD.

CAN GOD ACTUALLY FORGIVE A MURDERER? YES!

CAN GOD ACTUALLY FORGIVE AN ADULTERER? YES!

IS SUICIDE THE ONE UNFORGIVABLE SIN, AS SOME PEOPLE CLAIM? NO!

THEN THE PERSON WILL QUOTE THIS VERSE: “TRULY I TELL YOU, PEOPLE WILL BE FORGIVEN FOR THEIR SINS AND WHATEVER BLASPHEMIES THEY UTTER; BUT WHOEVER BLASPHEMES AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN NEVER BE FORGIVEN, BUT IS GUILTY OF AN ETERNAL SIN…”

ALMOST FOREVER PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO CATALOGUE SINS ACCORDING TO THEIR SEVERITY; THAT SOME SINS ARE WORSE THAN OTHERS.

MOST OF THE TIME IT’S A LOT OF FINGER POINTING AND JUDGING, AND IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS BASED UPON ONE’S OWN OPINIONS AND ABOUT THEIR OWN PARTICULAR BEHAVIORS.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS DIVIDED SINS UP INTO VENIAL AND MORTAL SINS – BUT SINCE I DO NOT HAVE THE TIME NOR THE INCLINATION TO DELVE INTO ALL OF THIS, LET ME GO BACK TO WHAT MARK SAYS JESUS SAYS IS THE ONE UNFORGIVABLE SIN – BLASPHEMING AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT.

AGAIN, WHILE I AM SURE MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE HAVE OFFERED MANY DIFFERENT OPINIONS AS TO EXACTLY WHAT THIS MEANS, THE BEST ANSWER IS THE ONE FROM THE CONTEXT IN WHICH IT IS SAID;

AND IN WHAT IS SAID HERE ABOUT JESUS – “THAT HE HAD AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT…” THAT “BEELZEBUL WAS IN HIM…” THAT “HE HAD GONE OUT OF HIS MIND…”

PLAIN AND SIMPLE – BLASPHEMING AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT – MEANS THAT IT IS UNFORGIVABLE TO JUDGE WHAT IS TRULY GOOD, WHAT IS TRULY GODLY, AS EVIL.

IT IS UNFORGIVEABLE – TO SAY THAT THE GOODNESS, THE GODLINESS OF GOD, IS EVIL.

IN OTHER WORDS, ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK, THERE IS A LIMIT TO GOD’S ABILITY TO FORGIVE – AND THAT LIMIT IS THAT GOD CANNOT FORGIVE THOSE WHO REJECT HIS VERY EXISTENCE – BECAUSE IN THEIR MINDS – HE DOESN’T EXIST!

HOW THEN CAN SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T EXIST FORGIVE THOSE WHO DON’T BELIEVE HE EXISTS?!

NOW, FINALLY, I WANT TO GET BACK TO THE SECOND POINT I SAID I WAS GOING TO MAKE ABOUT THE GOSPEL OF MARK, AND MARK’S WRITING STYLE, HIS MEANING AND MESSAGE, (I TOLD YOU IT WAS GOING TO TAKE A WHILE TO GET HERE);

AND THAT IS THAT MARK HAS VERY DEFINITE IDEAS OF WHAT CONSTITUTES FAMILY IN HIS GOSPEL.

FOR MARK THERE IS FAMILY, AND THEN THERE’S FAMILY; AND HE USES THESE TWO INTERTWINED STORIES TO MAKE THIS VERY POINT.

FOR MARK THERE IS FAMILY – IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE, WHICH WHILE VERY IMPORTANT, MEANS NOTHING IN COMPARISON TO BEING PART OF THE FAMILY OF GOD.

TIME AND AGAIN MARK MAKES A POINT OF COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE TWO, AND THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT IN HIS MIND, AND THUS IN HIS WRITINGS, AS TO WHICH OF THE TWO IS MORE IMPORTANT – THE FAMILY OF GOD.

WE SEE IT IN THE WAY MARK DESCRIBES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JESUS AND HIS MOTHER.

WE SEE IT IN THE WAY MARK DESCRIBES JESUS CALLING OTHERS TO LEAVE FAMILY AND FRIENDS BEHIND, AND FOLLOW GOD.

AND WE SEE IT HERE, AS MARK FINALLY GETS BACK TO THE STORY HE FIRST STARTED ABOUT JESUS’ MOTHER AND FAMILY COMING TO TAKE HIM AWAY.

“THEN HIS MOTHER AND BROTHERS CAME; AND STANDING OUTSIDE, THEY SENT TO HIM AND CALLED HIM. A CROWD WAS SITTING AROUND HIM; AND THEY ASKED HIM, ‘YOUR MOTHER AND BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE OUTSIDE, ASKING FOR YOU.’

AND HE REPLIED, ‘WHO ARE MY MOTHER AND BROTHERS?’ AND LOOKING AT THOSE WHO SAT AROUND HIM, HE SAID, ‘HERE ARE MY MOTHER AND BROTHERS! WHOEVER DOES THE WILL OF GOD IS MY BROTHER AND SISTER AND MOTHER.”

AS MUCH AS IT MIGHT OFFEND OUR MODERN SENSITIVITIES THE AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND, AND WITH REASON, THAT THERE IS A NEW FAMILY TO WHICH WE BELONG IN CHRIST, AND THAT IS THE FAMILY OF GOD.

THAT MAY SOUND LIKE CRAZY TALK TO US: WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN A GOOD FAMILY?!

(BY THE WAY, WE ARE GOING TO TALK MORE ABOUT OUR EARTHLY FAMILIES NEXT WEEK ON MOMS, DADS, TEACHERS, GRADS SUNDAY.)

SO WHILE WHAT THE GOSPEL OF MARK SAYS ABOUT WHAT JESUS SAYS ABOUT FAMILY MAY SOUND COUNTERINTUITIVE TO EVERYTHING WE SAY, AND TEACH, AND MODEL AS HEALTHY, HAPPY FAMILIES;

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS – ACCORDING TO MARK – THIS IS WHAT JESUS SAID AND THIS IS WHAT JESUS MEANT:

THE ONLY REQUIREMENT TO BE A MEMBER OF THE NEW FAMILY OF JESUS IS TO DO THE WILL OF GOD.

SO THERE’S FAMILY – THE ONE INTO WHICH WE ARE BORN; THE ONE OF WHICH WE ARE A PART NOW; AND THE ONE WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AND CHANGE, EVEN LOSING MEMBERS AT TIMES;

AND THEN THERE’S FAMILY – THE FAMILY OF GOD.

WHAT THE ELDERLY GENTLEMAN I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS SERMON EXPERIENCED, AND WHAT HIS MINISTER TRIED TO HELP HIM UNDERSTAND, WAS THAT HIS FEELINGS WERE TRUE:

THERE’S FAMILY – OUR OWN FAMILIES, INCLUDING THOSE DEARLY DEPARTED IN HEAVEN;

AND THEN THERE’S FAMILY – THOSE WITH WHOM WE GATHER AROUND THIS TABLE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST;

AND WE ARE TOGETHER, AND IT IS A GOOD FEELING!

BY THE WAY, LEST WE WORRY ABOUT JESUS AND HIS EARTHLY FAMILY – HIS MOTHER WAS AT THE FOOT OF HIS CROSS; IN SOME ACCOUNTS SHE ACCOMPANIED THE WOMEN WHO WENT TO THE EMPTY TOMB.

THE BOOK OF THE ACTS TELLS US THAT NOT ONLY SHE, BUT JESUS’ BROTHER JAMES WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE FOUNDING OF THE EARLY CHURCH;

AND IT’S PROBABLY PRETTY SAFE TO SAY THAT HIS OTHER BROTHERS AND SISTERS WERE THERE TOO;

AND THAT ALONG WITH JESUS’ DISCIPLES, HIS OTHER FOLLOWERS, AND EVEN JESUS’ OPPONENTS AND DETRACTORS;

THEY ALL CAME TO REALIZE THAT HE WASN’T AS CRAZY AS HE SEEMED;

THAT HE WAS NOT OF SATAN, BUT OF GOD;

THAT THE RESURRECTION WAS HIS VICTORY;

AND THAT HIS DREAM – OF ONE HUMAN FAMILY – AS DEFINED BY HIM – AS A FAMILY RELATED TO EACH OTHER BY DOING THE WILL OF GOD – WAS NO PIPE DREAM, BUT EXACTLY WHAT HE HOPED WOULD HAPPEN;

AND WHAT HE KNEW COULD HAPPEN, IF AND WHEN, PEOPLE LEARNED AND PRACTICED THE WILL OF GOD IN THEIR OWN LIVES, AND IN THEIR DEALINGS WITH OTHERS, AND IN THE LIFE OF THE WORLD.

IN OTHER WORDS – THERE’S FAMILY, THEN THERE’S FAMILY.