Focus on the Family

A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” [Mark 3:32-35, a portion of the Gospel lesson assigned for this Sunday, the Second Sunday after Pentecost, RCL, Year B].

As most of you have no doubt noticed in your New Testament studies, Mark’s is the fast-paced Gospel. In fact, the gospel writer is so intent upon relating the “good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (1:1, NIV), that he omits altogether the birth in Bethlehem, the shepherds and wise men, and the flight of the family to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. Mark doesn’t even mention Joseph.

It isn’t that these matters are unimportant; it’s just that Mark is compelled to introduce us to the Anointed One, the One who heals the sick, casts out demons, speaks in parables, dies on the cross, and is raised from the dead to reign in Heaven. In reading Mark’s Gospel, it helps to have one’s head on a swivel.

By the time we get to this week’s Lectionary reading—it’s only the third chapter—Jesus has already been busy. He has been baptized by John in the Jordan, completed forty days of temptation in the wilderness, called his first disciples, driven out an unholy spirit (who, by the way, recognized the true nature and identity of our Lord), and healed Peter’s mother-in-law, as well as many, many others in and around Galilee. He has taught in the synagogue with freshness and authority (1:27), healed a paralyzed man—the one lowered to Jesus through the roof and ceiling— in Capernaum (2:1-5), and healed the man with the shriveled hand on the Sabbath (3:5). That last healing act really ticked off the Temple leaders in Jerusalem, but more about that in a minute.

As we move to this week’s reading (RCL, Year B, Mark 3:20—35) Jesus returns to his home town to a hero’s welcome! Well, no, not exactly. To be sure, He does draw large crowds who are interested in his healing powers. The crowd is so numerous, in fact, that when He and the disciples enter a house there, they’re quickly surrounded so tightly that they don’t have enough room to eat (3:20).

But—dare I say it?—all this attention is just a little embarrassing for his mother and siblings. Nice young men just don’t behave this way. They no doubt thought that instead of becoming an itinerate rabbi and healer, he could have continued in the family business—carpentry. His mother, Mary, was probably thinking, “Why can’t my boy settle down, marry a nice Jewish girl, and start a family?” When his mother and siblings heard that He and his band of followers were inside the house, amidst the crowd, they “went to take charge of him,” for they said, “He is out of his mind” (3:21, NIV).

And, of course, as if that weren’t enough, Jesus has gotten under the skin of the “teachers of the law” from Jerusalem. They have accusations of their own. They said he was “possessed by Beelzebul!” By the prince of demons he was driving out demons (3:22).

One would certainly think that between the cries from his family that Jesus is insane, and the shouts from the religious authorities that Jesus is possessed by the evil one, this should be enough to snuff out this unauthorized young troublemaker from backwater Nazareth. If only Jesus would work through appropriate channels. If only he would show deference to the Jerusalem authorities. Putting it in more modern terms, if only Jesus would bide his time, respect his elders, and accept the four-point charge out in the sticks near Murphy (an infamous assignment within the Western N.C. Conference of the UMC), Jesus might have a future in ministry. But the way that Jesus is carrying on, He’s upsetting the status quo, and, as most of us know, those in power will do their best to subvert newcomers. “Just who does this Jesus think he is?”

Well, for one thing, He’s the One who speaks in parables (3:23). “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand … (3:23b-24). This famous statement has been quoted thousands of times over the centuries. But if we concentrate on this part of Jesus’ statement, we miss His real point. Jesus continues the obtuse discussion by telling the Jerusalem leaders that no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. It is only after the strong man has been bound that the intruder can “plunder the strong man’s house” (3:27).

At this point, the folks from the capital city most likely thought, “His folks are right! He is crazy. What’s all this talk about strong men and breaking into houses got to do with anything?” And yet, to those of us who have ears to hear—and many of us in the 21st century hope to be within that special group of listeners?—Jesus’ words are abundantly clear. The strong man that Jesus is talking about is Satan. Since the time of Adam and Eve, when the first two human beings succumbed to the temptation to consume fruit from the one tree that was forbidden to them, humanity has lived under the shadow of Satan.

The people in and around Nazareth—even the people who lived in Jerusalem—knew what it was like to be under the spell of Satan. He was at the heart of sickness, debility, heartache, and broken relationships. He was the strong man who had humanity under his thumb. He represented the oppressive forces in Egypt long ago. He had been part of the Babylonian domination. Indeed, while those in power in Jerusalem would, of course, deny it, Satan was at the heart of the rigidity that the people saw in the Temple. The Temple sacrifices didn’t seem to work, since every year—year after year—the high priest had to offer the sacrifices for the sins of the people, all the while knowing that the same practice would have to be repeated again the following year.

What the people longed for was something different. Could someone come upon the scene who might be strong enough to enslave the enslaver? Hearing Jesus’ words, was anyone strong enough to subdue Satan, the strong man? Jesus’ question begs the question: “Who is stronger than Satan?”

For those who have ears, here’s the good news: Just as John the Baptizer had indicated (Mark 1:7), there was One who is stronger or more powerful. While Satan is strong, Jesus is stronger. Within His parable, Jesus reveals the truth that seems hidden from the teachers of the law in Jerusalem, but which would have been apparent to those who hungered and thirsted in Nazareth. The mystery of the tied up strong man is being revealed parabolically through Jesus himself.

As with all of Jesus’ mysteries, this one is wrapped also in danger. Jesus is told that his mother and siblings are outside and he has an interesting response: “Who are my mother and my brothers?” (3:33). Turning to those who were seated tightly around him, Jesus added, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” (3:35).

Family values—there are no guarantees. Even those who have all the proper credentials—i.e., they share Jesus’ DNA, or those who claim special status because of their leadership roles in Jerusalem—are at risk, for they may miss out on the journey altogether. It is not one’s status, but rather one’s action in responding to the call of God in the person of Jesus Christ that marks what it means to be included within His “family.” Relationships in this family are dynamic; they flow from the encounter and response to Jesus.

The Will of God—here comes the difficult part. Having and enjoying an existence within Christ’s “family” depends upon our doing God’s will. Only, Jesus doesn’t clearly tell us what God’s will actually is. Many of us would like a spreadsheet, or a “to do” list, or at least some sort of data set that tells us what to do and when to do it. But that isn’t the way that Jesus works.

The one who teaches in parables has something much more interesting in mind. We will have trust Him. We’ll have to be content with the journey. We’ll have to submit to the Way. We’ll have to join Jesus and his wonderful, crazy, wayward, awkward, disorganized, bustling crowd of followers as we wander and wonder through Nazareth, Durham, Rock Hill, and Atlanta. His steps will lead us to some territories within which we will not feel comfortable. We will assuredly have to walk beside others whom we might prefer to avoid. But you see, if we’re following in Christ’s footsteps, we can be assured that we’re doing God’s will, and with that assurance, we can take comfort in knowing that we’re part of Christ’s family. We can focus on the family.

Family values—those are the values of our Lord. As we follow him, perhaps even to the other side of His world, we get the pleasure of watching for the unfolding of God’s great kingdom before us.