Bulletins - Truth Baptist Church,

Holy, Holy, Holy
Blest Be The Tie / Family of God
God Is So Good
Jesus Only Jesus
- - Mark 3:20–35ESV
- - Mark 3:20–35ESV
Jesus will not be controlled
James Edwards points out this text contains the first of (9) sandwiches in Mark’s gospel account
The sandwich is a literary technique where Mark sandwiches a story between two parallel stories
The bread are the parallel cases the issues Jesus family and friends have with Him in V20-21 and in V31-35
In between we have Jesus taking on the religious leaders
Where He proves He is the strong man taking on Satan
Jesus goes home after selecting the (12) apostles
They’re returning to Capernaum and probably the home of Simon and Andrew
And again the crowd flocks to Jesus
Someone probably notices Him coming back into town and word spreads quickly
The crowd is clearly an obstacle because Jesus and those with Him are unable to eat
There is a frenzy at times that surrounds Jesus
Last week the crowd nearly crushed Jesus and this week He can’t eat because of them
And yet Jesus does not send them away, Him allowing them to stay is evidence of His compassion for this selfish crowd
Jesus family/friends hear about what’s going on
This probably isn’t Mary and Jesus brothers because we definitely see them in verses 31 & 32
The ESV says this is “His family” but the Greek is more vague here, pointing to a ambiguity in who wants to seize Jesus
Edwards says this is more accurately translated “the ones around Jesus”
Theres an element of being worried for His wellbeing
But they are presumptuous in believing they know better what Jesus needs than even Jesus
And misguidedly they want to seize almost capture Jesus
Suppress Jesus to control Him
They are motivated to do this, because they believe Jesus has lost His mind
If we skip down to verse 31 & 32 we see a similar scenario, the other slice of bread & parallel passage
Mary and Jesus brother’s come to try and control Him
In both of these situations there is a deep misunderstanding of Jesus
These individual’s think they know better than the perfect Son of God
These groups of of friends and family
Don’t understand why Jesus is taking on the religious establishment
Up until now the real opposition Jesus has faced has been the religious scribes and pharisees
But now we are brought to the realization Jesus’ own family does not believe He is who He claims to be
The Apostle John tell us in John 7 that Jesus own brother’s do not believe in Him
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is doubt in Mary’s mind at this point
She seems to be more aligned with the brother than Jesus
Part of me get’s this, this is tough transition for a Mother,
Jesus family had lived with them for 30 years, in the normal day to day
Its likely Joseph died and as the oldest Jesus became the man of the house
And now Jesus has started His ministry and their relationships have quickly and drastically changed
They have undoubtedly heard about Jesus many confrontations with the powerful Pharisees
And were worried about their families reputation
Remember this is an honor and shame society, one’s individual reputation is a reflection on the whole’s families reputation
They believed Jesus wasn’t taking care of Himself, and seemingly felt a need to protect Him
They are more aligned with Jesus enemies than with Him
Edwards points out Mary and the bros are trying to put a claim on Jesus
"seeking you” is the Greek word zetein (pronounced zee-teen)
It’s used 10 times in the book of Mark, and each instance it describes an attempt to determine Jesus and gain control over Him.”
Today many group and individuals try to control Jesus
We now fight over who Jesus really was, many differing opinions trying to define Him
Political parties
The left insanely tries to wrap Jesus in a rainbow flag and say He was non-binary
While the right simultaneously tries to wrap Jesus in an American flag while holding a Bible in one hand and machine gun in the other
Many other groups attempt to coop Jesus for their own purposes
Often we try to mold Jesus into our image, rather than being molded by Him into His image
Ignore the fact Jesus sets the agenda
When we attempt to control Jesus we aren’t looking for a Savior
We’re looking for a rubber stamp, a validation of our own lifestyles, and choices
Many attempt to twist the Word of God and use obscure interpretations to justify positions Jesus condemns
One example is cults and religions who falsely claim Jesus never said He was God
Even though Christ directly says, “I and the Father are One” or “If you’ve seen Me you’ve seen the Father”
But Jesus refuses to be controlled by His family and friends
Jesus defines who His real family Is
Jesus said that a prophet isn’t respected in his hometown
Proximity to Jesus does not always mean closeness
And doesn’t necessarily lead to faith
Examples of this includes Judas, the religious leaders, and Jesus’ own family
Mark pulls back the curtain on Jesus’ strained relationship with His family
The other gospel writers don’t highlight this fact
They had incredible access to Jesus, they witnessed His signs and wonders
They talked, even had the opportunity to argue with Him
But they were unchanged by Jesus
Some if not all of Jesus brother’s did eventually look to Him in Faith, but it took witnessing Him in His resurrected body to provide the faith they lacked for so long
Edwards says “[this] is a calculated reminder that those closest to Jesus may indeed oppose him, and that proximity to Jesus—even blood relationship or being called by Jesus—is no substitute for allegiance to Jesus in faith and following.”
Think about the dichotomy of family, they are the ones who know us the best
While simultaneously being the one who misunderstand us the most
Jesus answers these controlling parties in v33-35
Someone tells Jesus His Mom and Bros are outside and they have summoned Him
And He takes this opportunity to point out who His real family is
Jesus’ words carry more force because of Mark stressing the families belief that Jesus is “losing His mind”
He asks them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
Now Jesus does not put His family down with this comment, but He’s obviously not supporting them either
Then looking around at those who sat around Him He said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!”
He is talking to the ones who are there sitting at the table or standing in His presents; listen to Him, talking with Him, absorbing Him
These are ones whose only agenda is soaking up more of Jesus
They aren’t imposing their own ideas or agendas, they are listening to the words of Jesus and what He has to say
The ZSB points out Jesus is redefining the meaning of family with this statement
And the idea of family is so interwoven in the idea of the Church
And Jesus goes further Mark 3:35
Mark 3:35 ESV
For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus doesn’t forsake His earthly family, but they are not aligned, at this point,
Or on the same page
Jesus puts the Father’s will over everything
And in carrying out His Father’s will, His earthly family sees a craziness
Jesus models radicalness in His service of God
This radicalness is shown in Jesus never demanding the crowd to leave Him along
Jesus came to serve and He gives Himself up to the service of other’s at the expense of His own health
In His constant confrontations with the religious leaders
He does not allow them to pass off manmade laws as the law of God
Jesus is misunderstood so often, especially by the religious
As Christians we must stand against empty religious systems
And stand firm for the truth of God’s word
Our service of Jesus should model this same radical giving up of self
Making God’s will our #1 priority followed by radical love for our neighbors
Jesus will not allowed Himself to be controlled
He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End
His words continue to speak for Him and against those who try to bend Jesus into their system of choice
Jesus will not be face of a social justice, He won’t provide His endorsement to political candidates
Or anything contrary to what He has spoken in the Gospel accounts
Again we come back to the meaning of discipleship, simply being with Jesus, soaking Him up
Being little moons that create no light on their own
Only reflect the light of the Son.
Now that we’ve look at the bread we get to the meat of the matter
In verses 22-30
Jesus Does the Controlling
There’s an escalation in the religious leader’s opposition of Jesus
Up until now scribes have assessed Him and surveilled Him as a person and tried to judge His character and figure Him out
Now they send in the big guns from Jerusalem
The top scribes that worked out or were affiliated with the Temple
These guys knew the OT scriptures by heart
Their opposition is ratcheting up
They are no longer asking questions or thinking thoughts about Jesus being a blasphemer
But they are direct and plainly stating Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul the prince of demons
Edwards explains to the Beelzebul meaning “Baal the prince”
Baal was seen by the Jews as the chief rival of Yahweh, the God of the OT
Some point to this meaning “lord of the flies”
The commentaries say this is better interpreted “Kingdom of Baal”
They saw Bellzebul as the chief or ruler of the demons
It’s likely these demons embodied deities of the OT in an effort to be worshipped
Paul and the OT prophets saw false god worship as the worship of demons
1 Cor 10:20
These scribes make the blasphemous claim that Jesus casts out demons by the power of the prince of demons
The fact that the demons so quickly and readily acknowledge Jesus might have contributed to the scribes saying this
Matthew and Luke provide some details that Mark does not include Matt 12:22
Jesus just before this had healed a demon oppressed man who was both blind and mute
Jesus casts out the demon and the man was able to again see and speak
This amazed the crowd who began saying, “Can this be the Son of David?”
The scribes unable to deny the exorcism with the healed man standing right in front of them
Resort to name calling, trying desperately to discredit Jesus
By attributing Jesus power to Satan
Jesus uses basic logic to argue against them
And He applies this logic through parables
These are the first parables of Mark’s gospel account
Parables are an earthly illustration that convey a heavenly meaning
So Jesus again calls the scribes over to confront them
And asks them directly, “How can Satan cast out Satan?”
Implying this makes zero sense
A country in civil war, is literally tearing itself down from the inside
These countries rarely last, it’s the providence of God that our made it through
And it took many years of reconstruction
It’s been over 150 years and some of us are still sore the south lost
And the same goes for a family or house that is divided
Their own divisions against each other leads to their self-destruction
The political parties often use this strategy
When politicians within the same party begin attaching each other
Wise politicians from the opposing party know to shut up, sit down and watch it play out
When people eat their own, the end is near
If the religious leaders truly thought Jesus was working through the power of Satan, they would have done the same
Sat down, shut up and watched His ministry crumble without ever having to lift a finger
Their failure to leave Jesus alone proves they didn’t really believe He was powered by Satan
From Jesus words we learn (2) important aspects of principalities and powers
that’s a KJV way to say it, but it comes from Eph 6:12
Ephesians 6:12 ESV
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Paul by the Spirit, warns us our battle is not against people but against invisible powers of darkness
Most of the time we can’t see these powers, but they are constantly working to oppose God and His Kingdom
Jesus says that Satan has a kingdom or house
I’ve been reminded this week, that Satan is a counterfeit
Everything Satan does is modeled and contrived from a copy of what he has seen God do
He is not made in the image of God, and because of that does not have the capacity to create
Logos says “this theological principle is particularly insidious: evil is unoriginal and parasitic, essentially derivative”
Satan’s MO is to take things of God and make an evil copy of it
God has a kingdom, and so Satan has copied this
He also has a kingdom, and he’s setup a hierarchy of his demons with a pattern he has modeled from God’s hierarchy of angelic forces
This order allows him to assign tasks and regions to his demons and legions
And it is a powerful kingdom, and a well oiled, evil machine
Another striking example of Satan copying God is found, in Revelation 12 & 13 there it’s revealed that Satan makes a copy of the trinity in the last days
An unholy trinity
Satan functions as the counterfeit father, the beast from the sea counters Jesus, and the beast from the earth imitates the Holy Spirit
Further proving Satan is an evil copycat
So Satan has a large kingdom that is modeled off God’s kingdom, but purely evil
We also learn Jesus in this metaphor calls Satan a strong man
Jesus confirms Satan has strength
In battle one must know the strength of their enemy
Knowing strengths and weaknesses help in preparing strategy against them
Jesus knows His enemy well
And He alludes to the fact He is stronger
He is going to bind and plunder Satan because of His omnipotence
Jesus in His coming to earth, He invaded enemy territory
In John 12:31 Jesus says that Satan is the ruler of this world
The Apostle Paul in 2 Cor 4:4 calls Satan the god of this world
But that’s lower god
Is 49:24-26 prophetically spoke of Yahweh freeing captives of a tyrant, and rescuing the Tyrants prey
Jesus has invaded Satan’s kingdom, in doing so He overcame and bound Satan
Because of the cross Satan, death, and hell are all defeated foes
Through that defeat, Jesus is plundering this world ruled by Satan
Satan has been allowed to continue for the time being
And we must be aware you and I are no match for spiritual darkness
It’s only in the power of Jesus name we can stand against and overcome the dark kingdom
Every time Jesus casted out a demon during His earthly ministry He was proving He was stronger than Satan
Mark’s first recorded miracle is the casting out of a demon
Matthew included another statement that Mark leaves out
Jesus says...
Matthew 12:28 ESV
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
This verse is important because Jesus centers this divine miracle around the Holy Spirit
Then Jesus in Verse 28 transitions back to the scribes themselves
He solemnly says “truly I say to you” this could be translated Amen
The KJV says Verily, Verily
Jesus is preemptively validating the absolute certainty of what He is about to say
All sins committed by humans are forgivable
That is good news for us! and points to absolute grace of God
Even the most heinous sins cannot put us out of reach of the mercy of God
The depths of God’s amazing grace are deep enough to even forgive former blasphemes against God
But, and this is where it gets heavy
Blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven
It is the only sin there is no coming back from
This idea this sin, strikes fear into our hearts, and we feel the gravity of what is called here an eternal sin
A consequence that is eternal
It’s something that should sober us up, it’s a sin we absolutely want to stay away from
But what is it, how do we define it?
It really show us the depth of charge the Jerusalem scribes bring against Jesus
Basically saying Jesus is in league with Satan
These men are calling Jesus, who is marked by absolute goodness and completely sinless
they are labeling Him as evil on the same level of Satan
Edwards points out that Mark, makes a rare editorial comment in v30 stating these scribes believed Jesus was possessed by an unclean spirit”
The key to this lies in John the Baptist’s proclamation of Jesus in Mark 1:7-8
Mark 1:7–8 ESV
And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
It was at the Baptism that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus and indwelled Him in a special and powerful way
Jesus had a special anointing of the Holy Spirit
Logos says “this represents a fundamental perversion of perception”
And these scribes were seeing the Holy Spirit’s power in the casting out of demons and they were maliciously attributing it to Satan, and his demons
Edwards says, “[this is a] specific misjudgment that Jesus is motivated by evil rather than by good, that he is empowered by the devil rather than by God”
Calling good = evil, and evil = good is the heart of this
Even in our human depravity the vast majority of people can easily distinguish between what is good and what is evil
There’s also the element of their repeated and consistent denial of Jesus
These guys are broken record, grasping for straws to discredit Jesus
ZSB takes it further says “they are cutting themselves off from the only source of forgiveness by rejecting Jesus”
That’s what makes this an “eternal sin”
These religious leaders had the light God’s word, the OT scriptures
They knew them by heart
Those same scriptures unmistakably pointed to Jesus the Messiah
So they could not claim ignorance but rather they are willfully denying the power of the Spirit in Jesus
That willful rejection of the working of the Holy Spirit in ones heart is the Blasphemy of the Spirit
Edwards points out this sin of blaspheme is typically found in the religious
It’s done in full knowledge
The ones who have faith figured out, but want a faith without Jesus
And when they see Jesus they call Him Satan
God keep us from ever calling a work of the Holy Spirit evil
Closing:
Don’t try to control or mold Jesus into what you want Him to be
He is the stone of stumbling and a rock of offense
He is the immovable force we
When anyone tries to move or chip away at Him they will be broken
He is the potter we are the clay
And in humility we say Jesus mold away
Be part of the redefined family of God by sitting at His feet, learning from Him
And Radically follow the will of the Father, saying Father, Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be done
And finally Jesus has bound Satan, and Satan is already a defeated foe
- - Mark 3:35ESV
- - Ephesians 6:12ESV
- - Matthew 12:28ESV
- - Mark 1:7–8ESV
Trust And Obey

Mark 3:20–35ESV

Mark 3:20–35ESV

Mark 3:35ESV

Ephesians 6:12ESV

Matthew 12:28ESV

Mark 1:7–8ESV