In our reading this morning from the Gospel of Mark (3:20-35) we heard Jesus telling those who had gathered around to hear him share his teachings and his thoughts, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”[1] Now at first blush this seems to be an all too simple statement that is so very obviously true, however I am going to ask that we look a little deeper into this thought during this time of reflection. Jesus and his disciples have attracted such a large crowd that even the scribes have come down from their seats of power within Jerusalem just to deal with this “outsider” who has somehow gathered crowds larger than their’s were. The scribes have decided that if they are to turn the crowds away from Jesus and back to themselves, then they will have to directly attack the credibility of Jesus himself. In the presence of the crowd they clearly state the claim that Jesus is only able to cast out demons because he has within himself Beelzebul. They have claimed that Jesus himself is working with the Devil.
Rather than choosing to either ignore them or to simple deny their claims, Jesus speaks directly to the issue by pointing out that even the Devil is not so incompetent as to work against his own directives. Jesus also very subtly redirects their attack by pointing out that if someone wants to attack the holdings of a strong man, then they first must tie him up in a manner which will keep him from defending what is rightfully his.
Jesus then turns the attack directly against the scribes by pointing out that all manner of sin can be forgiven. However, those who attack and blaspheme against the Holy Spirit are guilty of an eternal sin that can never be forgiven.[2] In this encounter with the scribes, we do not hear any other response from them. The dialogue now shifts to the real meaning of family.
The mother of Jesus has come with the brothers and sisters of Jesus. They are not able to directly get close to Jesus and so they call out to him. When those who are gathered around Jesus hear their calling, they tell Jesus that his family is calling out to him. The answer that Jesus gives may at first seem disturbing.
In all honesty, I know that I am hard-wired to the sound of my mother’s voice and my sister’s voice; if they call out to me … I will respond. In fact, during our time of worship I always make sure that my cell phone is turned off. However, right after our time of worship I will check for missed calls, but during our time of worship my attention is focused on God and you.
But once again Jesus has another point to make in this encounter. Jesus is dealing with what many of us call “a teachable moment”; for there is now an opportunity to advance a deeper understand of the truth in the lessons he has been teaching. It is my personal belief, and the belief of may others, that we as Christians are part of a family. And that means that each one of you here is a sister or brother to me. You are not some stranger who should be challenged, questioned, or feared. You and I are supposed to be a part of the Family of God, and as such we should always be offering each other the gifts that we share within our biological families. We should deeply care for one another. We should honestly respect one another. We should truly share with one another. When one of us is hurt, we should cry with one another. When one of us is blessed, we should celebrate with one another.
Will we always agree with one another? I doubt it. My own sister hardly ever agreed with me. My own children do not always agree with me. But the true reality is that we are still deeply in love with one another. The true reality is that we look forward to seeing one another. I am looking forward to the promise that Paul gave in his second letter to the Corinthians; “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”[3] I am looking forward and praying to be with all of my brothers and sisters in the presence of God.
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