When Heaven breaks through

Text: Mark 3:20-35

Today's Bible reading opens with the account of a time when Jesus' own family believed he was insane and the scribes claimed he was under the influence of a demon. It’s a powerful passage that challenges us to consider what it really means to follow Christ in the 21st Century.

First, let’s look at the context of this passage. Jesus had been baptised, was tempted, and began to announce the Kingdom of God. He had been preaching and performing miracles, drawing large crowds of people who were eager to see his miracles. Interesting enough, Mark does not seem impressed with the multitudes that followed Jesus. They interfered with Jesus' ability to teach and minister openly. They made him go into the wilderness. He even had to prepare an escape boat because they were closing in on him (Mark 3:9). They are unhelpful because they are often attracted to Jesus for the wrong reasons. They appreciate the miracles, but not always the message.

After Jesus has chosen His disciples, the crowds follow Him all the way to his home in Capernaum. It's possible that Mark is referring to the fact that many of them want to be disciples of Jesus because they are intrigued by his ministry. The truth is that he couldn't even eat anything. Their ability to take time for prayer, fellowship, or rest was taken by the multitude. It seems they had a never-ending need.

Jesus’ own family was struggling to understand what he was doing. They saw the crowds of people following him and the controversy he was causing, and they thought he had gone too far. They even tried to take him away, thinking he was out of his mind. We will come later to consider more about his family at the end of today’s text, but for now let us say that Jesus’ family is seriously concerned about his mental health and well-being.

The teachers of the law were not impressed with Jesus. The latest news that Jesus had chosen disciples would probably not help. In fact, the other synoptic gospels (Matthew and Luke) bring accusations after incredible miracles. The scribes held a lot of power and influence in the community, and now they saw Jesus as a threat to their authority and the status quo. They accused him of blasphemy and claimed that he was doing his miracles under the power of Satan.

There are already some important lessons to be learned in this passage. If we upset the status quo, we will be met with hostility. Don't expect the harshest criticism to come from strangers; it always comes from those closest to us, sometimes even the nicest of spiritual people. The issue arises when they do not understand what God is doing in our midst or believe they know better than us.

I remember the first time some of my Episcopal peers tried to stop what God was doing through my ministry. In my first year as bishop, my diocese had grown exponentially. In fact, the diocese had more churches and people than all the other dioceses in the province put together. It made people feel jealous. First, the archbishop started telling me not to go to new places. It didn't take long for a formal request to stop making new missions to follow. Then I was asked to transfer the largest churches to other dioceses. The diocese decided to leave because it had to. It's interesting that the province left the denomination in just a few months, that they suffered two divisions in less than a year, and that all the bishops died or left the ministry in less than ten years. On the other hand, the King's Family of Churches had more than 1,200 churches in 32 countries in less than five years. Those who tried to stop God's Kingdom simply vanished.

Now, I want to invite you to imagine what the Lord can do in the next five years at Christ Church if we believe. I imagine we can plant a new church next year in Exeter and another one in Devon by 2025. I believe Exmouth would become a colony of heaven where people could be saved, made whole, equipped, and sent to the four corners of the earth. Do you?

His family and the scribes were both wrong about Jesus. They were outside God’s purpose, and they could not be more wrong, as they believe the wrong things about Jesus. He was the Messiah—God with us. However, they only saw a man who was too familiar or a threat.

Due to this, they claimed that he was insane, Beelzebub-possessed, and capable of casting out demons using the power of the prince of demons. It was a strong accusation and a powerful argument against Jesus.

As we can see from 2 Kings 1:2, Beelzebub was associated with a false foreign god. It was Ekron's Philistinian god. The Pharisees were condemning Jesus by associating him with a false divinity. People were wondering if Jesus was the Son of David, the Messiah descended from David (Matthew 12:23). The Pharisees compared Jesus to the imposter Ahaziah, son of an evil king and a pagan queen, who pledged allegiance to the evil god of Ekron. Furthermore, association with this pagan god resulted in the king's associates dying a fiery death. In other words, Jesus was a malicious spiritual imposter whose allegiance would result in God's direct judgement.

Jesus answers this accusation with a series of arguments, first pointing out that a house divided against itself cannot stand. We know that division is the fastest way to destroy a nation, a church, or a movement. It is never the way forward. Therefore, their arguments were not real, as Jesus’ work was bringing glory to God and advancing the Kingdom of Heaven. It was going against the kingdom of darkness and Stan’s work.

Then, we read one of the most important declarations, too often forgotten, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.”

Jesus is declaring that the time of Satan is over. Yes, he was the prince of this world, but it is the end of that time. Satan's kingdom is crumbling under Christ's attack on its very foundations. Christ’s victory is so far-reaching that the devil has his days counted.

1. Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil (1 John 3:8), as he has overcome Satan’s temptations. His use of binding the strongman is a powerful language of conquest and taking over the kingdom of the strongman. Jesus is the king who establishes the kingdom based on his own obedience.

2. Jesus gives life where Adam brings death. Whereas Adam should’ve cast out the serpent who called into question God’s Word, Jesus overcame the Devil—and indeed bound him (cf. Rev. 20:2)—as part of his faithfulness to his messianic mission.

You see, people are waiting for the thousand years to be a future event, but Jesus just told us that he can’t do what he is doing if he first does not bind Satan. The thousand years have long started it. The church is missing the spiritual kingdom that has begun since Jesus’ first coming, and we will continue until its fulfilment when Christ returns.

This fact becomes even clearer when we consider Revelation 20:1 and Christ's mission to send the other 72 disciples. When they return with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Jesus said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”

The preaching of the gospel, followed by signs and wonders, destroys Satan’s power and authority over this world. Even sins are forgiven, and our names are written in the book of life.

Too many Christians are waiting for the worst to come when we should be risen like a mighty army, taking back the earth in the power of the Holy Spirit, and disciple the nations to obey all that the Lord has said. The Church is a city on a hill, but it feels like we have become too scared, even of our own shadow. Arise and Shine, Church. The Lord is with us!

Jesus then goes on to teach about the unforgivable sin, which he identifies as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He says that anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. This teaching has been the subject of much discussion and debate over the centuries, but it seems to suggest that rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit, particularly in the context of witnessing Jesus' miracles and ministry, is a particularly grave offence that cannot be undone.

3. Jesus forgives our sins, except for those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. Such blasphemy is to believe that the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of Satan. All the work that is contrary to the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Not in vain, the term “anti-Christ” does not refer to a person but to any force, idea, or person that is contrary to the work of Jesus, according to the letters of the apostle John. Therefore, the scribes and pharisees are in a hot spot, and their future salvation is under threat from their own unbelief and statements.

I KNOW I have just given you too much information that goes against everything you have heard from popular Christian speakers and teachers. Some of them are admired and revealed by many good Christians. For that reason, I invite you to come to the study of the Book of Revelation starting on Wednesday morning. We are going to have the same study on two different days: Wednesday morning and Thursday evening. Come and discover what the Church of Jesus Christ has been teaching since the beginning about this amazing book.

Finally, Jesus turns to his family, who have come to take him away, thinking that he has gone insane. Mary is there. Jesus' brothers are there. They sent for Jesus. The messenger said, "Your mother and brother are outside, seeking you" (32). Surprisingly, Jesus responded, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" (33).

Jesus answered his own question with a powerful declaration about the nature of his mission. He said, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." He responds by saying that his true family are those who do the will of God. This statement suggests that Jesus values obedience to God over biological or familial relationships and that his followers are those who prioritise God's will above all else.

This is meant to be shocking. Jesus is declaring the founding of a new family called the Church. It is not based on their relationship or their natural parents, but on their Heavenly Father. Jesus declares all his followers to be joined together in the new Israel. The fulfilment of the prophecy given to Abraham comes to pass in Christ. We are all spiritual descendants of Abraham in Christ. We have been adopted and join the new Jerusalem, the city on a hill, or, in other words, the Church of Jesus Christ.

In this passage, we see Jesus confronting his critics, teaching about the nature of sin and forgiveness, and challenging his followers to prioritise their relationship with God above all else. It is a challenging passage, but one that provides important insights into the nature of Jesus' ministry and message.

This is a powerful message for us today as well. It's easy to get caught up in the expectations of our families or the opinions of others. We might feel pressure to conform to certain standards or to fit in with a certain group. But Jesus reminds us that what really matters is following God's will, even if it means going against the expectations of those around us.

Furthermore, Jesus' response to the accusations of the scribes shows us that following Christ often means being willing to go against the status quo. Jesus was posing a threat to the religious leaders because he was questioning their authority and way of doing things. But Jesus didn't back down. He continued to preach and to perform miracles, even in the face of opposition.

As followers of Christ, we too may face opposition and criticism from those who don't understand or agree with our beliefs. But we are called to stay true to our faith and to continue to follow God's will, even if it means going against the expectations of others.

In conclusion, Mark 3:20-35 challenges us to consider what it really means to follow Christ. It reminds us that our true family are those who follow God's will and that sometimes we may have to go against the expectations of others to stay true to our faith. May we be inspired by Jesus' example and have the courage to follow him wherever he leads us.