God must reign supreme, even over family ties

February 18, 2002

BaptistWay Bible Study for Texas lesson for March 17

God must reign supreme, even over family ties

__Mark 3:7-35
___⁷Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. ⁸ When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. ⁹ Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. ¹¹ Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." ¹² But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.
___¹³ Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons. ¹⁶ These are the 12 he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); ¹⁷ James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
___²⁰ Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
___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."
___²³ So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. ²⁷ In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. ²⁸ I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. ²⁹ But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
___30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."
___³¹ Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
___³³ "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
___³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

____By John Park Jr.
___Some years ago in a different city, I was asked to provide a memorial service for the mother of one of our church members. The deceased had raised the three children by herself and in her later years had moved to a care facility in a city where one of her children lived. Her meager retirement fund ran out, and one of the adult children paid her expenses until she died.
___I don't know if I could have been as noble, Christ-like, generous and charitable if one of my parents had been as horribly abusive to me every day of my life at home. As I listened to them speak, I could hear sadness, disillusionment and hurt. Their home environment had affected each of them in dramatic ways. Unfortunately, the physical scars will never go away, but they all have turned to God to help them recover and hopefully to forgive their mother who never apologized or admitted wrong.
___One of the children is a recovering alcoholic; another had to run away from home at age 15 in order to save her own life. She repeatedly was told by her mother that she was not wanted in any sense of the word.
___Family pain is especially hard to bear. We are prone to think our families will always stand up for us, but sometimes it is possible that those who we wish we could trust the most may disappoint us. This lesson includes a sad glimpse into the adult family relationship of Jesus and the variety of responses from the public to his ministry.
___Understanding the context
___The action in the book of Mark moves quickly. In chapter 1, John the Baptizer prepares the way, and Jesus is baptized and begins his ministry of preaching and healing. Chapter 2 and the first part of chapter 3 continue with more healings and five questions from the religious leaders who were scrutinizing his teaching and behaviors. Scrutiny soon gives way to a plot to kill Jesus.
___In the passage 3:3-35, Jesus experiences the height of popularity and the low of familial and religious disenchantment. In the midst of this roller coaster, Jesus also appoints the 12 apostles.
___Immediate gratification
___The crowds evidently sought Jesus for his healing power. Verse 7 indicates that because of the plot to kill him, Jesus withdrew from the site of the healing in the synagogue to the lake. A large crowd of people followed him, and others heard what was happening in the region, so they arrived as well. The oppressive crowd was attracted because of the healing power of Jesus, and not out of a commitment to the kingdom of God.
___An interesting side note is that because of the crowd, Jesus asked to have a small boat ready for him, but there is no record in this passage that he used it.
___Another aspect of the crowd was the presence of evil spirits, which upon seeing Jesus would fall down before him and testify, "You are the Son of God." As Jesus did many times (1:34), he gave them orders to not tell who he was.
___Seeing dimly
___What an unusual time this was in the ministry of Jesus. The religious elite who anticipated him did not recognize him as the one they sought. The socially disenfranchised were not looking for him but were attracted to him, and according to Mark's chronology, the only ones who did recognize Jesus as the Son of God were the evil spirits who were told to be quiet.
___Nevertheless, Jesus continued to a mountainside and called the 12 apostles for a three-fold purpose: That they might be with him; that he might send them out to preach; and that they would have authority to drive out demons. All he called responded to him positively.
___In the ancient world, it was thought that a disciple could not properly carry out the instructions of the teacher without first spending a great deal of time in the teacher's presence. The Gospel of Mark applies this insight to Christian formation. Mark also is careful to make the point that mission follows a period of developing a relationship with Jesus.
___The biblical use of "apostle" almost is entirely confined to the New Testament, where it can be found 79 times. The number 12 harkens back to the 12 tribes of Israel, but the basis of leadership is no longer tribal, but personal and spiritual.
___Apostles receive first mention in the lists of spiritual gifts. Their duties were preaching, teaching and administration. Their preaching rested on their association with Christ and the instruction received from him and included their witness to his resurrection. Broadly speaking, in the area of administration, they were responsible for the life, discipline and welfare of the Christian community.
___Power source
___Jesus and the 12 disciples left the mountain and went to a house to eat. But once again, a crowd gathered along with the teachers of the law. It became repeatedly obvious to the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus was different.
___His deeds were super-human, therefore his power had to come from some other source--either God or Satan. They accused him of being possessed by the Prince of Demons, who gave him the power to cast out demons. The name Beelzebub has ancient ties to the primitive Baal. The use of this title was to clearly associate Jesus with the power of Satan and practicing magic.
___Jesus used their argument like a boomerang, telling them Satan would not work against himself by casting out evil spirits. Because these teachers of the law were attributing the good deeds of Jesus to the power of Satan, Jesus gave them a caution of eternal consequence. "Those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven." No response from the scribes is noted; I don't imagine anyone was brash enough to give one.
___The scribes were the teachers of the law. They were viewed as significant members of the community, especially as political advisers and diplomats. The Mishnah says they were to be "deliberate in judgment; raise up many disciples; and make a fence around the Torah."
___The vast majority of scribes came from every section of society, some supporting themselves by carrying on a trade. They are mentioned 21 times in the Gospel of Mark and were heavily involved in the trial of Jesus. The scribes are depicted as the custodians of Jewish traditions and the major opponents of Jesus.
___Jesus cautioned them about the dangers of their comment, "He has an evil sprit." To blaspheme the Holy Spirit in this context is to attribute God's good to the work of Satan. This is not to be mistaken as the "unpardonable sin" which is the refusal of a sinner to accept Christ. That is the sin God will not forgive.
___Family disturbance
___Jesus' own family did not accept his identity at this point. By this time, word had spread all over the region concerning the activities and teachings of Jesus. Even Jesus' family had been informed, and they suspected he was out of his mind, so they set out to retrieve him.
___Nine verses later, his family arrives outside of the house where he is ministering. A contrast begins to form when the family of Jesus is standing outside and those who are seated around Jesus are on the inside. Jesus does not go outside to his relatives, but explains to those inside that his kin are not those who are related to him by blood, but those who are related to him by sharing his purpose.
___There are at least two truths here: Sometimes even one's own relatives will think one crazy for doing the will of God; and those whose relatives misunderstand their Christian commitment find a new family in the Christian community, just as Jesus did.
___True family affection should be an incentive and support of service in the larger realm and not a substitute for it. A family should be a harbor from which the ship leaves to sail the seas, not a dock where it ties up and rots. Family is one of God's best gifts, but it is no match for the bountiful blessings that come from being obedient to the will of God. However, many times obedience to God's calling can make the family situation even sweeter, even though that is not always the case.
___Those who chose to be a part of the spiritual family of Christ lived the empowered life. They accepted Jesus' identity and his message and committed themselves to doing God's will. Like the apostles, they desired to spend time with Jesus and to reflect on his teachings, allowing the Holy Spirit to impart the truths into their lives and devoting their lives to the purpose and pleasure of God.
___Jesus still draws a variety of responses. Some say he was a good man, but only a man. Some say he was a prophet of old and spoke wise truths. Some say his claims are exaggerations, and he is only a mythic figure. Some are uncertain and choose to stay undecided, uncommitted and uninterested. The primary question is not, "Who do men say that I am?" But, "Who do you say that I am?"
___Oh, that we would drop our nets and follow him into the house of worship, that we would listen to his teaching, that we would feast on his provision, that we would walk in his ways, that we would be his brothers and sisters and declare with Peter, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"
___In short, that we would, like Jesus, be about our Father's business.

Questions for thought and discussion
___ Do you think Satan would use family members to keep you from doing God's work?
___ Would people say your life has power?
___ Compare or contrast your devotion to Christ with the apostles.
___ Should a Christian have to endure criticism?
___ What do you wish Jesus would heal within you?
___ Do you have any relationships that call you to leave your spiritual family?

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