October 21, 2005
JESUS’ NEW FAMILY
Mark 3:7-35
Among his many other interests and talents, my father was an excellent photographer. He not only took pictures, but he also had his own darkroom where he would develop and print his own pictures. As a boy, I used to enjoy going with him into the darkroom and watching him work. My favorite part of the process was after he had exposed a sheet of white photographic paper and slipped it into the pan of developer. I loved watching the images appear, as if by magic, on the white paper, with the subtle shadings of grey and black emerging into recognizable faces and objects.
Studying a Gospel is a little like that. It is fascinating to watch Jesus’ ministry and God’s kingdom plan unfold little by little. In some ways, our familiarity with the Gospel stories can hinder that process. Because we know how the story ends, we tend to see what we are looking for and to read the ending back into the beginning. I think it is helpful to try and keep a fresh set of eyes, to watch things develop as though we were one of the disciples, seeing things as they happened, without knowing the rest of the story.
Today, we are picking up the story in Mark 3:7, and we will go through the end of the chapter. We are watching Jesus’ public ministry unfold and develop. The setting is still in Galilee, around the lake. But his reputation is spreading far beyond Galilee, and the crowds are growing. (Read 3:7-12)
It is a wonderful picture, isn’t it? Jesus teaching beside the lake, the small boat standing by to take him off if the crush of the crowd became too severe; the people pressing in to try and get close enough to touch him. Some who came were under the influence of unclean spirits or demons. Whenever these individuals came close to Jesus’ presence, they would fall down and cry out, “You are the Son of God.” At first glance, it may seem strange that Jesus should forbid them from speaking out. Let me use an illustration, going back to my father’s darkroom. My father was very particular what kind of light was allowed into the room while he was working. He had a red light bulb which shed a dim light in the room, enough to work by, but not enough to damage the sensitive paper. But any other light that came into the room had the potential to spoil a picture and make him start all over again. As Jesus’ ministry unfolded, he was very careful that the right light be shed upon his credentials. The demons represented the wrong kind of light. Jesus’ response to them was similar to my father’s if someone opened the darkroom door while he was working. He did not want the testimony of these demons to muddy the waters of his ministry.
This period of large crowds and huge popularity forms the context and background for two very significant developments in Jesus’ ministry. They both represent significant watersheds in the growth of the Kingdom of God. One of these developments was positive, the other was negative. Let’s look at the positive one first.
This first I. A Positive Kingdom Event was: The Appointment of the Twelve Apostles. Let’s read it together. (Read 3:13-19)
This reading is not terribly exciting. It’s just a list of names, most of whom we know little or nothing about. But in the development of the Kingdom of God, this was huge. It was so important that the parallel passage in Luke tells us that Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before choosing them. These men represent a key part of God’s strategy for his kingdom. The focus of Jesus’ earthly ministry will change from this point on. His public ministry will not come to an end, but he will spend an increasing amount of his time and attention in training, teaching and preparing these men for their role in the Kingdom of God. He had two purposes in choosing them, related in verse 14: That they might be with him and that he might send them.
These two purposes are captured in the two titles that are used to describe this group of men: First they were called disciples. This captures the first purpose: They were with him. It was for the purpose of building relationship and also for training and equipping. The word disciple in some ways is almost the equivalent of an apprentice. They were learners. But this should never be separated from the next purpose: that he might send them. This is where their second title, “apostle” comes from. The word apostle means simply “one who is sent.” After they were trained, he would send them to preach and to drive out demons; to extend his ministry and to multiply it. We will see Jesus sending them out from time to time even while he was with them – to expand the impact of his kingdom message, but also to give these men practical experience in ministry.
The role of these men in the history of the church was immense. Paul gives us an idea of their impact in Ephesians 2:20, where Paul in describing the church as the “household of God” describes it as built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
The impact of these men was not based on their natural ability or sophistication, or because they came from the learned and wealthy and influential classes. Most of them were from the rural province of Galilee. They were men of their community; fishermen, a tax collector, and who knows what other trades and occupations. Their significant role in the development of God’s plan did not grow out of their human potential. It began with their association and training at Jesus’ side. There is a wonderful verse in Acts which confirms this. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the apostles carried on his ministry with great boldness. Even the opponents of the Gospel recognized their effectiveness and its source. In Acts 4:13, we read: When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
So, on the developing page of Mark’s gospel, we see the faces of these twelve men emerging as they grow into the significant roles God had chosen for them.
The second watershed event in this chapter is II. A Negative Kingdom Event: The Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
We know from last week’s message that the Pharisees and other religious leaders were becoming increasingly vocal and vehement in their opposition to Jesus’ ministry, and particularly to his claims that he was the Messiah. In the passage in front of us this morning, we see their hearts hardening to the point of no return. Look at verse 22: And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”
What is the accusation? The scribes and the other leaders could not deny the supernatural character of Jesus’ miracles. The evidence was too visible, too public, too widely known. So they fell back on another strategy. There are two sources of supernatural power. There is the Kingdom of God, and there is the kingdom of Satan. They accuse Jesus of doing his miracles, particularly his exorcisms, by the power of Satan himself.
Jesus answers their accusation with clear logic starting in verse 23: So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.”
Jesus’ ministry among the demon possessed was clearly one of deliverance. He was freeing people from Satan’s grasp. He was breaking the power of demons over people. “Why would Satan do that?” Jesus asks. “Why would he oppose himself? Why would he fight against his own servants? That explanation for my power simply makes no sense. But there is an explanation that does make sense.”
Reading again from verse 27: In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong men. Then he can rob his house.
Jesus’ point is clear. In the analogy, Satan is the strong man. The men and women who were demonized or possessed of unclean spirits are his possessions. Jesus is delivering them from Satan’s bondage. He is plundering Satan’s kingdom. “How could I do that,” Jesus asks, “unless I was stronger than Satan? Satan isn’t fighting Satan. The Ruler of another Kingdom, a mightier Kingdom, has come to wage war against Satan and to free those who have been subject to his tyranny. This is the Kingdom of God”
Then he adds words that have puzzled Bible readers for generations. I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin. He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.” (verses 28-30)
What is this unforgivable sin, this “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”? The word “blaspheme” means literally “to say something evil or harmful.” In this case, it was a very specific evil thing that they were saying about the Holy Spirit. It is elaborated in the text itself in the explanation given in verse 30: He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.” Think carefully with me. They were saying, “He has an evil spirit.” Who were they talking about? Jesus. So how does this accusation constitute saying something evil about the Holy Spirit? Aren’t they saying something evil about Jesus? Yes, but it’s deeper than that. They said that Jesus did his works of power and exorcism “by the prince of demons.” Now, how did Jesus do his works of power? By whose power was he ministering and doing miracles? By the power of the Holy Spirit who had descended on him at his baptism. So when the scribes ascribed Jesus’ miracles to an evil spirit, they were calling the Holy Spirit a demon, in fact, the prince of demons!
So, that is the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that Jesus condemns in these verses. But why is it identified as a sin that cannot be forgiven? And is it a sin that men may be guilty of committing today? There are different opinions among Bible scholars on these questions. Here is my opinion. I believe this event represented a turning point, a watershed in Jesus’ relationship with the Jewish nation and particularly the Jewish leaders. I believe this was a historic sin that required certain historic conditions. Jesus, God’s Son, the promised Messiah was on earth. He came to proclaim and institute the Kingdom of God among men. He came to the Jews as the Old Testament promised. He proclaimed himself as Messiah and did miracles in their presence as proof of his identity and authority. He did those miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Now scribes, religious leaders have come down from Jerusalem, representing the religious establishment, the headquarters of religious Judaism. And they declare their verdict that Jesus is doing his miracles by the power of Satan! So Jesus, in his judicial role, pronounces a judgment against them.
He says to them, in effect, “You have crossed a line. You could have been forgiven any sin but that.” Why? Is it because the Holy Spirit is somehow more important and more sacred than God the Father or God the Son? No, it is because of the Spirit’s role as the witness, as the one who testifies to the Father and the Son and who convicts men’s heart of their sin. When these religious leaders rejected the Spirit’s witness, and even went so far as to attribute his power and works to Satan, they had cut themselves off from Spirit of truth, from the only One who could lead them to faith in the only One who could save them. There was nothing left for them now but judgment. It was an awful and climactic declaration of judgment, and Jesus’ earthly ministry began to change that day in light of the finality of their rejection of his ministry.
So, is this a sin that we need to fear committing today? No. The historical conditions with Jesus on earth performing miracles by the power of the Spirit, the place of the Jews as God’s chosen people, and the role of the religious leaders in the life of the nation, none of these conditions apply today. This, as I said, was an historic sin in the life of the nation Israel and their leadership and this passage is written primarily to record that historic turning point.
But having said that, I would say that there is a risk of a similar response to the Holy Spirit that poses an equal risk to individual human beings. That is the risk of hardening our hearts against the voice of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16:8: When he (the Holy Spirit) comes he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. When we harden our hearts to his convicting ministry, we take two risks. First, we take the risk that over time and repeated rejections, our hearts may grow so hard and calloused that we can no longer hear his voice. We may become impervious to the one voice that tells us the truth and points to the One and Only Savior. Secondly, we take the risk that our time of opportunity to respond may run out. No one of us is promised tomorrow. “Now is the day of salvation.” It is the only one we are promised for sure.
We have looked at A Positive Kingdom Event: The Appointment of the Twelve Apostles. We have also looked at A Negative Kingdom Event: The Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ words of judgment that came out of that. Before we conclude the message, I want to quickly look at III. A Developing Kingdom Principle.
This is found in another subplot that is woven in and around the two incidents we have just been considering. It starts in verse 20-21: Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
The translators of the NIV have taken a certain amount of liberty by translating the phrase “his family”. The KJV translates this “his friends”. The literal text is ambiguous. It simply says “those alongside or close to him.” We know it cannot mean his disciples, because they were in the house with Jesus. So the NIV have concluded that this must refer to those who were physically close to him. In light of the final paragraph in the chapter, I believe they are correct.
Let’s read verses 31-32: Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
Their concern for him was genuine and well-meant, but misguided. His mother certainly believed in him and his Messianic identity, but did not fully realize the implications of his ministry and calling. At this point in time, his physical half-brothers did not believe in him as Messiah. His actions look to them like the actions of an unbalanced religious fanatic. They are embarrassed and concerned for his well-being and they come to take him away.
When the message is passed to Jesus that they are outside waiting to see him, he seizes the opportunity to teach an important Kingdom Principle. Look at verses 33-35: “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Here is the Developing Kingdom Principle: In the Kingdom of God, spiritual relationship takes precedence over blood relationship.
Jesus is not cutting ties with his family in these verses. We know that he continued to care about them and to care for them, particularly his mother. What he is saying is that there is something more important. There is a higher priority, a stronger loyalty. It is loyalty to God’s Kingdom Purposes, and to obedience to his will. Jesus looked around at his inner circle, which would have included his twelve disciples, and said, “This is my new family. Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
I believe this developing principle is the unifying theme that connects the two kingdom events that make up the rest of the chapter. The positive event was choosing the twelve, who would serve him in obedience. The negative event was the rejection of the religious leaders, men who thought their blood relationship to Abraham ensured them a place in the kingdom. Now, he turns away from his well-meaning but misguided blood relatives and points to his disciples. “This is what it’s all about. The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom based on faith in me and obedience to God’s will. Those values take precedence over any blood relationship.”
It is an important principle. It is sometimes a very painful principle, as the boundaries of the Kingdom of God may create walls of separation within our earthly families. But ultimately it is a wonderful, incredible truth. Listen to Jesus’ words. “Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus, the Messiah, the Lord of the universe, calls us his family; his brothers and sisters. Isn’t that incredible? The kingdom we embrace when we follow Christ is no tyranny of fear. It is a spiritual family: the family of God.
Jesus and his words and actions always leave us with a choice. There are choices in this text, are there not? There is the choice of rejection; the decision to turn away in unbelief; to harden your heart yet again to the voice of the Spirit of God. Or there is the choice of faith; the response that the disciples made to follow Christ and to do God’s will; a choice to join the family of God. May God guide you to make the right choice!