Sunday, June 10, 2012: Mark 3:20-35
We might be tempted to adopt a vague notion of “faith” as the only criterion for inclusion in this family, but Jesus’ teaching will not allow us to separate faith from faithfulness or discipleship from submission.
I worship in a congregation whose members sometimes hesitate before responding to scripture readings with “Thanks be to God!” On one Sunday, after hearing Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats and the strong words of warning at the end of that parable, they were so restrained that the liturgist looked up from his Bible and remarked, “You’re not so sure about that, are you?” It was a penetrating observation. Judgment, warning and division often make us stammer out our thanks. This narrative from Mark contains all three of those elements. Yet its words also call for our thankful response.
The religious leaders of Jerusalem traveled to Galilee to observe Jesus at work but wrongly identified the Messiah as a man possessed by a demon. They were not the only ones: Jesus’ family approached him as if he were insane, which was likely a way of charging him with demonic possession. It is hard to believe that people so learned and so close to Jesus could be so mistaken about who he was. Jesus warned religious leaders that they were perilously close to committing an eternal sin by rejecting the one who sets them free. Then he broke with his family—disregarding his mother—and established a new family composed of those who sit at his feet and do the will of God.
Several strands of the story rise to the surface. Consider the confrontation between Jesus and his accusers. Gentleness and subtlety are not hallmarks of Jesus’ teaching in this passage. Jesus presents himself as a thief who has entered into the strong man’s house—Satan’s house—and tied him up. Now Jesus is moving through the house plundering what was once Satan’s, taking back the lives of men and women that seemed consigned to suffering.
