Mark 3:20-35.  So far I think Mark has done a good job of presenting the history of Jesus in a way that would be helpful to believers who were facing a lot of hatred from those around them, in modern terms you might say the whole society was bullying them, and worse.  Jesus is working through his plan in a the best possible way.  Remember the word “immediately”, which Mark uses so often,  has with it the idea of the most direct path.  Yesterday we saw Jesus choosing some main guys who eventually would carry on for him after he was crucified, but the work isn’t done yet they have a lot to learn and so do we.

Jesus was very focused on what he was doing, teaching and doing miracles among the people.  After he went up to the mountain to choose his twelve key guys, his first string team, he came back home.  He was so busy and there were so many people that they didn’t even have time to eat.  Now that’s real fasting.  He was so focused on what he was doing that his family thought he was insane.  Years ago I was a new believer, really struggling.  I was in college and working construction and a cousin from Iowa wanted to come out and work with my dad and me.  I had never met him and asked a family member what he was like.  They told me he was a real “Holy roller”.  That’s an old term for someone who is a fanatic about their religion and most people use the term in a negative way.  When he moved in with me I found out that he was a believer in Jesus and he went to Calvary Chapel, a real cool guy who wound up being my best man at my wedding a few years later.  I think his family thought that Jesus and the twelve were “holy rollers”.  Well Jesus was focused and he moving on through his plan, you might say he kept rolling on, and he was holy.  Some religious leaders (the Scribes) came into town and took advantage of what his family was saying and accused him of being possessed, not just by a demon, but by the chief demon.  “Beelzebul” means ruler of the house and was another name for Satan.  They even explain this in their accusation.

In verses 23-29 Jesus responds to their accusation.  Mark tells us that he “began to speak to them in parables”.  The word “parable” means to “lay along side of”.  The idea is of putting two things next to each other to compare them.  In a parable Jesus would use something the audience could understand to explain something else.  Some people think that the parables were part of the “divine mystery” (See Mark 1:21-39 post) and that Jesus was using them to hide what he was saying.  This is a complete misunderstanding of the purpose of parable.  It is true that many people were confused by the parables but it was because the truth was so different from what they were looking for or expecting.  In this parable Jesus uses the idea of a man defending his home against invaders.  The man is strong and his house is difficult to invade, but if someone on the inside is a traitor then the house will be easily invaded.  The insider can tie up the strong man then let those outside in.  He was basically telling them that they were crazy if they thought he was banishing demons by the power of Satan, that would be completely against Satan’s plans and Satan would be defeated.

The real power behind Jesus was the Holy Spirit.  In Mark 2:8 we are told that Jesus was aware of what some scribes were thinking “in His spirit”.  The word “in” can also be translated “by”.  We know fro the New Testament that Jesus is god in a human body.  We also know that He existed as god at the same time as God the father existed as God and at the same time as the Holy Spirit existed as God.  Three very separate persons but one God.  It’s kind of a mystery but that is what the Bible teaches.  In Philippians 2:7 Paul told the believers in Phillipi that Jesus was god but that he “emptied himself” and became a servant.  What that verse seems to be telling us is that although Jesus was and is God, that he didn’t use his “God Power” to do what he did, it seems that he relied on help from the Holy Spirit.  So when the scribes accused him of being filled with Satan and doing the things he did by Satan’s power they were denying what was obvious to most of the crowd, that this power was from God (see Mark 1:22, 27; 2:10, 12).

In verses 28-29 we see a very serious warning about what the scribes were saying.  In those two verses Mark uses a Greek word “blasphemia” which we borrow into the English language as the word “blaspheme”.  The word could be translated “hurtful words” the idea is like slander, telling a lie about someone’s actions or character.  In this case they were accusing God of being the Devil.  The warning is that if we ignore the Holy Spirit, don’t take him seriously, then we are eternally lost.  Jesus is very clear in these verses that God wants to forgive “all sins (disobedience and rebellion toward God)” and “all blasphemies” (all the hurtful things we say).  But if we don’t listen to the Holy Spirit we will be lost forever.  This isn’t talking about not listening wne the Holy Spirit tries to help us honor God each day but is talking about rejecting the Holy Spirit from the beginning, like the scribes were doing.  The Holy Spirit helps us see our need to turn back to God, to repent.  If we don’t listen to that we will never put our eternity into Jesus hands and we will not spend eternity with God.  This is very serious, we need to see God for who he is and not deny him.  According to Hebrew 9:27 we are judged after we die, so in theory you have that long to listen to the Holy Spirit and turn to Jesus.  The problem is that you have no idea just when you are going to die, so in reality now is the time to listen and now is the time to give your life to Jesus.

Verses 31-35 seem a little odd at the end of this story and Jesus seems a little harsh in them, but think about what has happened.  Jesus is working through God’s plan to help the world get right with him.  He has just chosen some main followers to carry on after he dies.  Then he comes home and is healing and teaching.  It’s very crazy, not even any time to eat.  And his family’s response is, “You’re a nut!”  This gives the scribes an opportunity to accuse him of sores things yet, using the Devil for his power.  As we saw a very serious mistake.  Now we see his family standing outside calling him to come out.  I’m sure they still want him to quit, maybe they were saying, “time to come home for dinner.”  Then Jesus tells those who are sitting listening to him that his real family are those who do the things that God the father wants.  By saying this Jesus is telling us that his physical family isn’t “on board”.  They are still trying to stop him from doing what he is supposed to do.  In a way they weren’t acknowledging the Holy Spirit either.  Eternal separation from God is a very serious thing (just read Revelation 20 if you don’t think so).  Jesus’ reaction and words were strong because the situation was so serious.  Eventually we know that at least his some of his family accepted who he was and what he was doing (his half-brother James wrote the book of James and was a leader in the early church).

In this section we see the power of God, the dedication of Jesus, the forgiveness of God, and the seriousness of denying the Holy Spirit.  This section would be very helpful as the believers in Rome were tempted to run away or even deny Jesus.  Also we see that Jesus suffered the same kind of rejection that many of the Roman Christians might have been suffering, from friends, family, and leaders.

Jesus thank you for becoming a man.  I know you can understand, you’ve been through it.  Also thank you for letting the Holy Spirit be the power in your life at that time, that means I have the same power source you did.  Help me always listen and never deny the Holy Spirit.  I do believe he is God and is speaking the truth to me.  Thank you that when I get stubborn or stupid and don’t listen, that you are willing to forgive.  Help me be stubborn less and wise more often.  Help me hear and understand and do.  Thank you for loving me.