I preached this sermon at the Shimonita Church in the morning and the Isesaki Covenant Church in the afternoon on June 10, 2018.
Mark 3:20-35
One might conclude, from this third chapter of Mark, that things were not going well for Jesus. Perspective of his family Jesus’ family members were worried about him. They try to take him away. V.21 is a bit unclear as to who is saying Jesus was crazy. Some translations say it was the family members themselves. Other translations say it was other people. But either way, his family would rather not have him carrying on as he is. They would rather silence him and get him out of the public eye if his actions are causing anyone to think he is crazy. Either they think he is crazy and are feeling embarrassment and shame, or they are fearful of those who are saying he is crazy and want to prevent more conflict with powerful authorities by shutting him up. They decide it’s time for an intervention. When people aren’t in their right mind it’s only normal for family members to intervene. That’s more or less what we had to do with my wife’s father last December. He was living alone in his house even though his dementia was quite bad. He was no longer able to care for the house at all. He wasn’t able to keep track of any of his finances and lots of bills went unpaid. His house was extremely dirty and all the food in the kitchen was past expiration date. He didn’t know how to wash his own clothes and wore the same thing every day. And yet he insisted that he wasn’t going to leave his home. So we had to intervene and get him out of that home. When my wife went to meet him and bring him to Japan for a visit with us he had no idea that he wouldn’t ever be returning to his home, but it was the only way we could get him out. Jesus’ family members were coming to get him.
Perspective of the scribes… Jesus was also having trouble with the scribes and other Jewish authorities. Earlier in this chapter Jesus healed a man’s disability on the Sabbath. He did it in a public setting, at the synagogue. It is such an ironic story, because Jesus is healing a man in the name and power of God’s spirit. On this day when people gather to turn their hearts and minds toward God and seek God’s mercy, Jesus gives a living, powerful and miraculous example of God’s mercy on this man with a physical disability. Jesus heals him! And yet he gets nothing but criticism for it. His critics are watching to see if Jesus will violate their strict and narrow interpretation of the meaning of Sabbath. Jesus points out how ridiculous they are, and then he angrily heals the man. It actually says he was angry. I think this might be the only miracle recorded in scripture where it specifically says Jesus was angry. From that point on his critics took their hatred of him one level higher; now plotting to kill him! That was how bad things had gotten for Jesus, even though we are still only in the 3rd chapter of Mark’s gospel. So once again, in today’s passage we see the tension between Jesus and his critics. They actually point to his miraculous healings and have the audacity to suggest that those miracles themselves are proof that Jesus is evil. READ v.22
Religion is very different today than it was back then. Even though we don’t like to hear it, we still frequently hear Christians accusing other Christians of heresy. After 3.11 a strange group of people went to Tohoku and began proclaiming that the disaster was God’s punishment on Japan for not believing in Jesus. There were already a lot of Christians doing relief work in the disaster zone and they were very quick to label that group as heretics. There were no churches willing to stand by silently when people claiming to be Christians said things like that. The church also takes a firm stand on groups like Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Unification Church. These are non-Christian groups that try to convince people that they are Christian so the church makes a point of identifying them as non-Christian. But here’s the difference between our world and Jesus’ world 2,000 years ago. In today’s world, at least in most parts of the world, people accept the fact that everyone is free to believe whatever they want. So even if someone points at someone else and says, “he’s a heretic”, a lot of folks are just going to say, “Well, that’s what you believe… but not necessarily what I believe”. There are still a few parts of the world where this isn’t true, but by and large, most people in the world don’t consider religions to be absolute. In Jesus’ days religion was absolute. In Jesus’ days religious leaders had political power too. In Jesus’ days no one dared question the religious authorities. So for Jesus to be labeled a heretic by the scribes, Pharisees and others… that was a really tough situation.
Sure enough, one might conclude, from this third chapter of Mark, that things were not going well for Jesus. But there was one good thing… the people… In spite of what Jesus’ family was saying, and in spite of what the religious authorities were saying, Jesus was extremely popular with the common people. It was likely a big part of why the authorities were so negative, but the crowds keep coming… To the common people, Jesus looked like a savior, one who can help He went out to where the people were. He welcomed them when they came to him. And most incredibly, he did incredible works of healing. He did works of power and might, unlike anything the crowds had ever seen. In fact Jesus is so popular with the people that in some cases it even started to become a problem. READ v.20 They were so overwhelmed by the crowds that they couldn’t even find time to eat! Of course, the irony of it all is that drawing big crowds doesn’t seem to be what Jesus was hoping for at all. Nevertheless, he sees the multitudes and takes pity on them. He can’t help himself… he just wants to help them, and so he does; time and time again.
So then, what does Jesus do in the midst of this complicated situation? To start with, he takes on the scribes with fists up and explains over and over again in parables, why they are wrong about him. READ v.23-26 Accusing him of working for the evil one really seems to have gotten to him. “How can you say such a stupid thing?” “Can’t you see? I’m setting people free from the evil one!” “I’m fighting against the evil one more powerfully and successfully than any of you… and I’m getting results too.” READ v.27 “You say I’m working for the evil one, but I’ve got him tied up and bound.” “Otherwise how can you explain all the people I’m setting free?” Finally, Jesus makes a huge accusation against these spiritual authorities. They are the ones accusing him of wrong doing, and now he turns the attention to them, pointing out how sinful their actions are. READ v.28-30 That is a pretty heavy accusation… Jesus not only says they are sinning, he says their sins are, unlike all other sins, unforgiveable. While such statements have the ring of an overheated debate that is turning towards hyperbole, theologians have regularly found deeper meaning in Jesus’ condemnation. These scribes were the folks who should be the first to recognize God. Think back to Eli and Samuel. Young Samuel was inexperienced and God was rarely revealed in those days. But the wiser, older and more spiritually mature Eli caught on pretty quickly that God was speaking; that this was a divine event; that it was time to pay attention and listen very closely. That is the kind of spiritual sensitivity and maturity that we expect from experts. The scribes were no different. If anyone were to recognize the voice and hand of God, it should have been them. And yet they not only fail to recognize the gravity of what Jesus is doing and saying, they actively try to undermine and subvert it. They accuse Jesus of being in service to the evil one. They wantonly close their eyes and hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit. If continued… that is a hard sin to get around. Blasphemy, as a onetime event is not insurmountable. But continued rejection, especially in the face of direct evidence… that’s an awful lot like sinking sand. An unforgiveable sin…
So you see, Jesus really is turning the tables. Challenging pre-existing power structures that constantly misunderstand him. Putting experts in their place, even on their own turf. Then Jesus surprises us again, by his willingness to put his family loyalties aside in the interest of people around him. READ v.31-35 We tend to place high priority on family, and certainly with good reason. We highly value the family and expect the same from others. When our families face crises, the role of the church is to lovingly come to the aid of that family, to surround them with Jesus’ love and compassion, and to support them. Whether the crises have to do with our children, our spouses or even our parents… the church is called to be a support. But sometimes family ties work against the will of God. All too often the church has failed to come to the aid of women being mistreated by their husbands. Instead the church has told them to remain faithful and just pray for God to change their husband… In other cases, we have been complicit in trying to cover up or hide awkward problems because we fear that they may bring shame to the family, or even the church to which that family belongs. But all we have to do is take a closer look at the bible to see that God never attempts to hide awkward stories from us. Broken and dysfunctional families abound throughout scripture; old and new testaments alike. I am a very strong advocate for the family, but at the same time I can’t ignore what Jesus does here. In a sense he redefines the family. We know from the rest of scripture that he doesn’t reject his family at all. Jesus’ brothers were among his most devoted followers. As he hung from the cross, taking his last breaths, he was concerned for the wellbeing of his mother and asked that she be cared for. But what we see here is that when people forge a spiritual bond in Jesus Christ, they actually become family. The church, the body of Christ, unites people in a bond that can sometimes only be described as family. It is part of the transformation that takes place in Jesus Christ. The people who, only a few verses earlier, were considered a bother and inconvenience, as they prevented Jesus and the disciples from getting a meal… those same people are now referred to by Jesus as family. The church, as Christ’s body, is also a place of transformation. A place where people are drawn together and united in Jesus Christ.
And so our journey together continues. At times we, the church, are called upon to stand up and take a brave stand for what is right. At times we are called upon to identify things that are wrong and make it perfectly clear to everyone that we are committed to living in the will of God; Even if it is inconvenient. Even if it is unpopular. Even if it leads to being misunderstood by others. And yet, as we do so we find ourselves transformed and drawn together in Jesus Christ; we find ourselves amongst family.
Amen
Speaking the Word 