Mark 3:20-35
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 Beelzebul!
By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”
3 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
6 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 without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.
28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter,
29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure 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.”
Pentecost 2 Mark 3:20-35 (not from sermons preached. Written 6/4/12)
In the middle of this text Jesus drops a bomb. We have to say a word about that before we can hear what else he has to say.
What ever Jesus means about blaspheming against the Holy Spirit - a sin which cannot be forgiven -
this is for sure: Anyone who fears they have committed it haven’t.
It is a sin which happens when we believe we are right so strongly that we are not open to any other thought or any other possibility. We are not even open to the Holy Spirit having something different to say to us and through us. It is not letting anything - even the Spirit of God which blows over us and through us like the wind - open and even change our closed mind and heart.
It is a reminder that a totally closed mind and heart are headed on a dead end street.
As we struggle with faith, hope, and love in our lives we need the encouragement which comes from the promise of forgiveness, not the threat of condemnation.
The God (Jesus) I meet in the NT is a God who would rather forgive than condemn, and doesn’t like the unforgivable sin any more than we do.
Having said this, we can listen to Jesus words about a divided Kingdom is sure to fail and the true Kingdom is one where all are brothers and sisters.
Dare we say it? Jesus words regarding a divided kingdom remind me of what is happening in our country right now. It is no way to live in our earthly kingdom and it no way to live in the Kingdom of God.
We are called to live in harmony, letting the spirit of goodness, mercy and respect lead us to decisions which must be made for the good of all. For we are family! And only as we live as family will we be able to stand, and standing, be a blessing to others.
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