Who Wins?
Can There Really Be Good News? • Sermon • Submitted
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Turn with me in your Bibles to Mark 3:7-35. Mark, the author of these historical accounts of Jesus, is writing this book to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” As we have been studying these passages together for the past few weeks, we can confidently say that Mark is not being mysterious or dodgy. From the very beginning, even the first sentence of Mark chapter 1, he makes it clear: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. He is the good news we are longing for. As Jesus heals, and preaches, touches the unclean and welcomes outsiders to become insiders, we learn that this good news is for everyone. Listen as I read
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him. 13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 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.” 23 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. 26 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.”
Would you pray with me?
The passage today may feel a bit disjointed, but these stories all point to the same thing: Who wins? As Jesus goes to the lake with is disciples, they are met by a huge crowd. This was not just a few hundred people. This very large, extensive crowd numbered in the thousands. The cities and regions that are named here in verse 8 span a large area. If Jesus was in Cortland, it would be like saying that folks came all the way from Scranton, PA, Binghamton and Ithaca and all the way from Baldwinsville and the north side of Syracuse. Can you imagine? Thousands and thousands of people walked from those cities just for the chance of a glimpse of Jesus and a miraculous touch. And this crowd did not wait for Jesus to heal them. They pressed in toward him, trying to force their way closer to touch him. So Jesus had to get in a boat and be pushed off away from shore far enough to discourage mobbing.
It’s in this setting, surrounded by thousands of people who want a healing touch from Jesus that we see his interaction with the impure spirits or demons. They would cry out when Jesus got near them and say You are the Son of God! Jesus would rebuke them and cast them out. Now, we have to understand that in this culture at this time, names were powerful. Your name carried with it the authority and honor of all of who you were. By speaking the name of a deity or spirit, it was assumed that you were invoking the power and authority of that being. So when the evil spirits cry out that Jesus is the Son of God, they might have been attempting to control Jesus by using his name and disrupting his ministry of deliverance…. Besides, who would trust a demon to speak the truth? This is why Jesus commands them to be silent. And his command comes across VERY strong in the original Greek. It is much more harsh than just “be quiet.”
Jesus has ultimate authority over unclean spirits. We’ve seen Jesus authority established in the first few chapter of Mark already. But here in this section each story point to the reality that there’s a war on. Satan and his demons are fighting to get the Kingdom. Who wins?
From the lake Jesus and his disciples go up to the mountain. It’s not a mountain like the Rockies. It’s closer in size to the hill in Cortland and SUNY stands on. It is here on the mountain that Jesus appoints the 12 apostles. It was understood by the Jews at that time that when the Messiah came, he would restore Israel. Part of that restoration was gathering the scattered back into the 12 tribes of Israel. By choosing 12 disciples to be apostles, Jesus makes a bold statement that the new Kingdom is here. The old way of doing things, and the old leadersare no longer necessary. In some ways, this might have felt like a coup to the Pharisees and religious leaders who ran the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus has authority over unclean spirits, and Jesus has authority to establish a new Israel with 12 apostles symbolizing the 12 tribes. Jesus is establishing a new kingdom and a new way of doing things.
In verses 14-15 we read all that the appointment of these 12 meant: to be with Jesus, to be sent out to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons. These were not small things. Jesus just showed us in the few verses before this how he has authority over unclean spirits, and now he is appointing 12 disciples symbolizing the 12 tribes to have that same authority. Jesus seems to be taking over what the Pharisees once enjoyed exercising their authority over. Who wins?
Then Jesus went back to his home. But home was so overrun with people who wanted to be close to Jesus that he and his disciples couldn’t even grab a bite to eat. When his family back in Nazareth heard about what he was doing, they came to get him. Now, it’s possible that they feared for his life. If Jesus truly was a lunatic, he could have been tried and sentenced to death for putting people’s lives at stake with his crazy teachings. His family might also have been concerned for their family honor. If Jesus was crazy, then their whole family might be ostrasized.
While they are on their way, Mark gives us a sandwich. That’s the unprofessional way of saying he starts one story and then sticks another one smack dab in the middle. This was a literary device meant to draw our attention to the meat of the sandwich, the story in the middle.
Here is the meat: the teachers of the law claim that Jesus is only able to cast out demons because he’s actually working with Satan. There was an idea at the time that a higher spirit could control a lower spirit. So it made sense to them, somehow, that Jesus could use the name of a higher spirit (such as Satan) to cast out a lower spirit (a mere demon). The problem with their logic is that it was illogical. Jesus points this out by saying three different ways THIS DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. If you’re fighting against yourself, you’re going to lose! Jesus can’t be working with satan and against satan at the same time. It looks like the Pharisees are the ones who are insane, not Jesus.
Then Jesus talks about the “strong man” which references a passage from the book of Isaiah, a famous prophet in the Old Testament. Isaiah 49:24–25:
“Can plunder be taken from warriors,
or captives be rescued from the fierce?
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives will be taken from warriors,
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;
I will contend with those who contend with you,
and your children I will save.”
Jesus is saying that He is the one who binds up the strong man and plunders his house. Who is the strong man and what is in his house? Well, Jesus most recently cast out demons and gave his disciples authority to do the same. The strong man is Satan, and the plunder in his house are the people that Jesus has come to save. Jesus has authority over demons, authority to establish a new kingdom, and Jesus even has authority over Satan. Who wins? Jesus wins!!
Now to understand why Jesus goes on to talk about blasphemy, we need a bit of background. It was a common practice at that time for Rabbis to argue with one another over minute matters of the law. One of the hot topics they debated during the time of Jesus was if there was an unpardonable sin and what it might be. Jesus picks their current favorite topic for debate and uses it to reveal just how backwards they were. Jesus says that every sin can be forgiven. That is the point! The point is not that there is an unpardonable sin. The point is verse 28 that people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander that they utter, including slander like “He has an impure spirit” that we read in verse 30. Jesus’ argument is that the teachers of the law are so oblivious to their sin against Jesus by not believing him that it might as well be unforgiveable. They will never think to repent of it.
Now if you are worried that somehow you might commit and unpardonable sin of blasphemy, please let me encourage you. Paul, the apostle, identifies himself as a former blasphemer (1 Tim. 1:13). The man who actually tried to completely destroy the entire early church and considered himself the worst sinner ever, became one of the most prolific missionaries and theologians ever. So don’t focus on being afraid of the unpardonable sin. Focus instead on Jesus’ point in that whole passage: every sin can be forgiven. This is the meat of the sandwich! Who wins? Jesus wins so that you can be free.
We end this section with the other slice of bread in our sandwich. Jesus family was coming to get him because they thought he was out of him mind. Now they are here. They can’t actually get to him because of all the crowds of people, so they have to send word to him and Jesus sends word back. Your mother and brothers are here. Who are my mother and brothers? These ones, right here. The ones who do God’s will
This would have been utterly shocking to his family and his listeners. Family ties back then were not something you could just let go of. Your whole identity depended on your family. You were not an individual. You were a FOSTER or a Fick or you were nobody. You did not, could not just leave your family. But Jesus did. He had authority over Satan, authority to establish a new kingdom, authority to forgive any and every sin…and authority to redefine family.
Family no longer meant those who shared a blood line and lived under one roof. Family now meant anyone, anyone, who was with Jesus and did God’s will. Suddenly Jesus biological family were now the outsiders and those sitting around Jesus feet were the insiders. No one was too far outside that they could not be welcomed in if they were willing to be here with Jesus.
Dear ones, this is the invitation from Jesus. He does have all authority over demons, over satan. Jesus does have authority to multiply his authority through those he sends out as apostles. Jesus does have authority to forgive every sin. But discipleship starts with being with Jesus, by being here at his feet. Jesus is inviting you and inviting me to be with him. Just be. This invitation is both comforting and daunting. It’s comforting because we know and believe that Jesus has everything we need. Being with Jesus can utterly change our lives in so many ways. It is daunting because being with Jesus means that we also may suffer with Jesus. It means that we care about the things he cares about, and we are willing to face slander and illogical arguments because we know the truth. Jesus wins. Jesus wins so that we can be free.
Are you free today? Are you free to receive forgiveness? Are you free to just be with Jesus, sitting at his feet and soaking in all his love? Are you free to walk with Jesus wherever that may take you?
I’m going to invite Charles to come up and lead us in a closing song. As he does I want to offer you a challenge. This week, be with Jesus.