Will you becoming to the family supper?

The Gospel this week (Mark 3. 20-35) is an interesting situation. Consider that there are some different groups of people involved in what is going on. Jesus and his disciples are in some family’s home. Jesus mother and brother walk the 30 miles from Nazareth to Capernaum where Jesus was to retrieve him because they thought he was crazy. There were Scribes and Pharisees that were saying that Jesus was not crazy but that he was pure evil. And there were of course all those who wanted more. Those people that were making it impossible for those men to eat and to have some rest – who wanted grace in their lives. So, it is worth considering why people viewed Jesus the way they did and what they were willing to do about it. And of equal import what does Jesus think about people and ministry? That is, what does he think about the people that are with him in ministry? After all, you need to know your family and together, you need to do and be within the Father’s will.

So let’s talk about family. Jesus’ mother (the brains of the operation) and brothers (the muscle to back up the brains) made the trek to find Jesus and bring him home before he got himself into serious trouble. He’s crazy they kept telling each other as the walked. Why else would he act the way that he does? Why would he be baptised? The electrical panel has fallen out on the floor and the wires to his brain are disconnected. It is interesting that when they get to the house, they do not go inside to hear what’s going on or to ask him questions. His mother makes the demand that he come outside the house to them, thinking that would be half the battle. He would not disobey his mother – he wouldn’t dare!

The reply Jesus sends back outside is a question with a thunderbolt: who is my family? Is it not the one who does my Father’s will? Those who do my Father’s will are my family.

Then there are the religious people, the Pharisees and the Scribes. The point out that they think that Jesus gets his power from evil – in large part because he does not act like they do. He is radical in his teaching and constantly pushing beyond the limits of what is sensible and required by the Mishnah (local tradition). The Scribes, using their reputations and knowledge, write Jesus and his ministry off as being a deception of evil. They do this to try and ensure that Pilate eventually will crush Jesus and send him to his death.  This is sad in my mind, because it shows these men to be devoid of hope and openly contemptuous of what God was trying to do through Jesus from them. Despite their best attempts to stifle Jesus and his work, they cannot stop the renewal that is already happening around them.

Finally, there is the people that are coming to Jesus not worried about his mental health or whether he is evil. They experience in him the grace, mercy and rescue of God that they have been looking for – maybe for all their lives. The things that Jesus are doing and saying are magnetic. Jesus is drawing people to himself. The crowd does not speak, only comes and awaits whatever it is that Jesus has to offer.

As part of our Gospel this morning, Jesus tells the “Parable of the Home Invasion” where he is the figure that has broken into Satan’s stronghold and has bound him so that he can plunder what Satan has claimed for himself and return it to God. He points out to those who call him evil that if he were using evil to gain favour and popularity, the kingdom he builds will collapse because it is divided.

So where does this leave us? You have a choice: you can be a child of God or go your own way. It depends on what you do with and about Jesus. Some will consider him a lunatic. Others will consider him to be evil. What do you do with Jesus? Will you call him Lord? Either he is Lord, a lunatic or something worse. In choosing Jesus we can go from the house of oppression to a house of freedom and blessing. You cannot leave him as a great human teacher, like Mohammad or Buddha. Jesus has not left you that choice. You can silence him as a fool. You can kill him for being something demonic or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord. The choice is yours. So, will I see you at family dinner?

Jason+