Mark 3:20-35
Back in April of 2024 there was a partial solar eclipse that we could see here. One thing that is interesting to me is how everyone sees it a little differently. There can be millions of people who might see an eclipse but depending on the person and their interests, they see it differently.
·An astronomer might see and think about the mechanics of how it all works.
·A photographer might see the shot of a lifetime.
·A child simply thinks it's amazing.
·An ancient culture might have interpreted it as an omen or something ominous.
·Some people don't even look up because they're too busy.
Same eclipse; different reactions and perspectives.
As we come to Mark 3:20-35 this morning, we're going to see something very similar. Different groups of people who all encounter the same Jesus. They hear the same teaching. They witness the same miracles. They see the same authority over demons. Yet they walk away with completely different conclusions about who He is.
The difference was not Jesus. The difference was the condition of their hearts.
One thing that the bible lays out clearly is that as it relates to Jesus, neutrality is an impossibility. A person can’t stay neutral about Jesus. We all make a choice of who we will follow and pledge allegiance to.
As CS Lewis once famously asserted, “Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or He is Lord.” There is a line in the sand and being neutral isn’t possible. Jesus is either Lord of a person’s life or He is rejected by that person in his pride.
In the verses we’ve come to in our study of Mark today, some of the people that were around Jesus were desperate and needy, some of the people thought Jesus was crazy, and some even claimed that He was empowered by and aligned with demons. Different groups of people that came to completely different conclusions about Jesus.
If someone were to ask you the question today, who is Jesus, how would you respond? How would you describe Him?
Read 20-35
As I read, you probably noticed that there was a desperate crowd, there were concerned family members, and there were even angry religious leaders who thought Jesus was demonic, and in the background were Jesus’ disciples. Now, if you’ve read the rest of Mark or the other gospels, then you know that these various groups would continue to have different responses to Jesus.
Many in the crowds would eventually walk away from Jesus when He didn’t do their bidding and act exactly as they wanted. We know from John 7 that some of Jesus’ own family members didn’t believe in Him but would believe in Him later. The majority of religious leaders, on the other hand, would remain resolute in their opposition to Him, to the point that they would facilitate his crucifixion. And the 12 disciples, with the exception of Judas, we know, would have their ups and down but would remain faithful to Jesus to the very end.
How could the same person illicit so many different responses from other people? Well, I don’t think it is coincidental that the very next chapter is the parable of the sower, which describes the different kinds of soils that the seed of the Word of God falls on. And it describes the different responses of the different kinds of soil.
And the people in our verses today had very various reactions to Jesus as a result of the difference in the soil and condition of their hearts. So, let’s jump into our verses today.
Let’s start with the crowds:
Verse 20:
After choosing and appointing the 12 disciples, Jesus came home it says. Most believe this to mean that He went back to the home of Peter and Andrew in Capernaum. Whatever the case, as we have seen in Mark’s gospel so far, a large crowd gathered around Him to the point that they couldn’t even eat a meal together. Just like earlier in this chapter, in verses 7-12, this was an unruly crowd is the idea. They pressed in so much so that Jesus and the disciples couldn’t even eat.
Now, since we have access to all 4 gospels, there is something we know about the crowds. They were fickle. They followed Jesus when it was convenient or when they thought they could get something from Him.
For example, later in our study, in Mark 6, we will read about Jesus multiplying a few pieces of fish and bread to feed thousands of people by the the Sea of G. And the crowds loved that! Many in the crowds would have most definitely been poor people and a free meal was a welcomed sight, especially a miraculous one. They had found a man who could make a lot of food out of a little and it captivated the crowd. So much so, that the next day they came back wanting more food again.
But Jesus wasn’t going to perform that same miracle again on that day. And after realizing that, the crowd turned on Jesus. After hearing Him teach about Himself being the bread sent from heaven and after realizing that He wasn’t going to feed them again, we read this in John’s gospel: As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
The crowds that we encounter here in Mark 3 and throughout the gospels did, without question, have some true followers of Jesus in it. But by and large throughout the gospels, it seems that the crowds were made up of many unbelievers.
The crowd here in Mark 3 was composed of people who were desperate. They had real needs and they thought that maybe Jesus could meet those needs. Maybe He could heal them? Maybe He could cast out demons out of them? Maybe He could feed them.
And here is what is so shocking and sobering. Even though the crowds saw the miracles of Jesus with their own eyes, even though they heard the teachings of Jesus with their own ears, even though they watched as Jesus successfully challenged the teachers of the Law, even though they experienced Him casting out demons, many of them completely missed who Jesus is despite all of the evidence.
And here is the reason why. Jesus was not who they wanted Him to be. They didn’t want Jesus as He is; they wanted Him as they wanted Him to be. And in an effort to try to mold Jesus into what they desired Him to be like they were guilty of idolatry. Whenever a person picks and chooses what they like about the Lord and rejects what they don’t like, that is idolatry. I think we can often think of idolatry as bowing down to a statue of a false god and that certainly is. But idolatry is more than that as well.
Idolatry is also whenever a person attempts to craft God into the image of what they think or want Him to be rather than who He actually is. And many in the crowds were guilty of that as we will see throughout the gospel of Mark. And many are guilty of that today as well.
First, we see that Jesus was surrounded by a desperate and needy crowd of people!
But what about Jesus’ own people, His own family?
Verse 21:
There was almost a dangerous fanaticism surrounding Jesus as people had seen or heard about Him. Remember earlier in this chapter Jesus had the disciples prepare a boat for Him to preach from rather than preaching from the shore. Otherwise, the desperate crowds were pressing in on Him and His disciples. And His family was concerned. So, they confronted Him.
They said, “He has lost His senses.” To give you an idea of what that phrase means, in Acts 26:24 the same word is used. Here is the verse: While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind!
In II Cor 5:13 the word is translated as, “We are beside ourselves”
The idea of the word that is used here in Mark is to be outside of oneself. Meaning that someone has gone crazy. That is what his own family thought about Him.
They believed that Jesus’ way of life was maybe too extreme. Too different. The crowds, they thought, were dangerous to Him. But they were probably not just concerned for Jesus’ safety, but also for their own family reputation. Jesus’ way of life and His teaching was casting a shadow on the family reputation, perhaps.
And, in some ways, their concern is understandable, especially considering that Jesus’ own brothers didn’t believe at this point. Think about it. Jesus was allowing Himself to be surrounded by outcasts, tax collectors and sinners and desperate people. Even calling one of the tax collectors to be one of His closest disciples. He challenged the accepted religious and societal norms of His day. He said that He Himself had authority over the spirit realm and over the religious authorities. People were traveling extreme distances to see Jesus. And people were quite literally leaving their jobs to follow Him around. And His family was concerned. They thought He had had a mental break, perhaps.
Well, what about the religious leaders?
Verse 22:
Here we encounter the scribes again. Scribes were usually part of the Pharisees. And since they were experts in interpreting the OT law they are sometimes referred to as lawyers. And as a result, they held a lot of sway and influence in Jewish society. And in an attempt to explain away the works of Jesus, the religious leaders blasphemously accused Him of aligning with the devil. Slander is a serious sin as slander is falsehood spoken against a person; but blasphemy is another level since blasphemy is slander that is spoken against God. And in their desire to hold onto their power, their influence, and their wealth the scribes brazenly accused Jesus of being in league with demons.
They said that Jesus was possessed by Beelzebul and that He was casting out demons by the ruler of demons. Beelzebul was a deity of the Philistines. The name Beelzebul was a combination of two words. Baal, which we find in the OT quite often. Baal means master. And then the word, zebul, which means of the house. So, Beelzebul means something like, “master of the house.”
Interestingly, the Jews later changed it from Beelzebul to Beelzebub, which means lord of the flies. It was a play on words to mock the Philistine deity.
But ultimately what the scribes were saying was that Jesus was in cahoots with Satan. And that together they were deceiving the masses. They were saying that Jesus’ authority to cast out demons was not actually His own authority but it was derived by the power of Satan.
And in the following verses, Jesus lays out the illogical fallacy of their accusation.
Verse 23:
Jesus called the scribes to Himself and began to address their blasphemous accusation. And He asked them a very simple, pointed, and logical question. How can Satan cast out Satan? And then He uses two logical analogies.
Verse 24: A Kingdom that has division and infighting cannot and will not endure. That didn’t need a lot of explanation. Historically, there have been many nations that sprung up and died because of internal division.
Verse 25: A house that is divided cannot and will not last.
Verse 26: Finally, he brings this back to their argument. If Satan is divided against himself, then his kingdom cannot stand. In other words, why would Satan empower Jesus to hurt Satan’s own kingdom? Obvious answer….he wouldn’t.
Verse 27: Jesus was saying that the exact opposite of what the scribes were saying was true. While they were accusing Him of being in league with Satan, Jesus was clearly stating that He was actually plundering Satan’s kingdom because He had bound Satan first. In other words, Jesus was stating that He was stronger and mightier than Satan! And you see that all throughout the first chapters of Mark that we’ve studied as Jesus was pushing back darkness everywhere He went, as He was casting out evil spirits.
Think about the progression of what Jesus was saying. He entered the strong man’s house, Satan’s domain. He plundered His property. Why? Because He first bound the strong man, that is, Satan. And we will continue to see that throughout the gospel of Mark. In fact, listen to….
Hebrews 2:14-15: Therefore, since the children share in [m]flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
Side note: I won’t get into this, but I think there is a strong sense in which this verse, Mark 3:27, also has an eschatological meaning as well, meaning related to end times theology. But that is another topic for another day.
Either way, notice that there is no record of the scribes arguing back here. I don’t see any way that they could, to be honest. Jesus’ argument was airtight. In fact, Jesus rather than continuing to expound on His argument against their accusation, simply moved into stating a grave warning.
Verse 28:
First, Jesus starts with reassurance. All sins and even all blasphemies against God can be forgiven of men. He is telling that that there is forgiveness for sin, even more egregious sins, like blasphemy for those who simply confess and repent. Perhaps the greatest NT example of this would be the apostle, Paul. Remember what he said? I Timothy 1:12-14: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant.
God will forgive those who have often blasphemed Him when they confess that, repent of that, and call out to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy.
However…verse 29: but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”
Wait, Jesus just said that blasphemies can be forgiven, but here He says that whoever blasphemes against the HS never has forgiveness. What did He mean? Well, think about the HS as He relates to Jesus. Jesus was conceived of the HS. At Jesus’ baptism the HS was present. In the wilderness the Spirit led Him around and helped Jesus. Jesus was empowered by the HS all throughout His earthly life and ministry.
And the primary ministry of the HS was to point to Jesus. Some verses on that would be John 15:26; John 16:13-14; I Cor 12:3; I John 4:2.
And here is what Jesus was saying. The scribes had seen His power. They had heard His words. They had seen His character. The HS had demonstrated all of those things about Jesus. And yet the scribes rejected that and instead stated a blasphemous lie the Jesus had an unclean spirit! Despite all of the evidence of the HS in the life of Jesus, they rejected Jesus and instead called Him demon possessed. That is why it was blasphemy of the HS. Rather than acknowledging the work of the Spirit they proclaimed that it was the work of the devil.
And if that is what a person concludes about Jesus and he takes that conclusion to the grave, then there is then no hope of forgiveness for that person.
Even in relation to all of us it might not be egregious to the point of saying that Jesus was demon possessed. But when the HS allows a person to hear the gospel and Christ is proclaimed as Lord…..or a person reads the bible, given by the HS, and a person walks away and says, nope, I reject that about Jesus…..what is that? That is blasphemy against the HS. Because that person is ultimately stating that those things are untrue about Jesus, even though they’ve been revealed by the HS.
And, again, if that is the conclusion that a person takes to the grave then there is no hope of forgiveness since they blasphemed the HS by rejecting Jesus.
Verses 31-32:
Now, in the verses we’ve looked at today we find something that Mark does occasionally in his gospel. Some have referred to this as a story sandwich. He started earlier in our text talking about the crowds, then about Jesus’ family. They thought He was crazy. And then Mark ends this section as Jesus talks about family again. Story sandwich.
Here was the arrival of Jesus’ family. And the text tells us that the crowd told Jesus that His family was looking for Him. His mother and His brothers.
Now, we know that Mary believed that Jesus was the Son of God. His brothers did not at this point. They would later. For example, Jesus’ brothers James and Jude would write NT books. But at this point, they didn’t believe.
So, most likely Mary was worried for Jesus’ wellbeing while His brothers were probably a bit embarrassed and worried for their family’s reputation. Either way, they are coming in to try to protect or rescue Jesus or to stop Jesus. And look at Jesus’ response. It is amazing.
Verses 33-35:
Jesus wasn't rejecting His mother or His brothers. We know that from the cross Jesus cared for His mother by entrusting her to John's care. He wasn’t teaching that family doesn’t matter. Scripture consistently holds up the family as God's design for the good of people and society. Instead, Jesus was revealing that there is a relationship that is even deeper than earthly family—a spiritual family created by God through faith in Jesus. Earthly families are brought together by blood, but the family of God is brought together by the blood of Jesus. Physical relationships are temporal, but our relationship with the Lord and His people is everlasting.
Jesus said, "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." When Jesus said that, He wasn't teaching a works’-based religion. Rather, He was teaching that obedience is the evidence of belonging to Him. The book of James addresses that thoroughly.
So, what identifies us as members of God's family? It isn't the earthly family we were born into. People aren’t Christians because they are born into a Christian family. Church attendance doesn’t make a person a Christian. Nor do religious rituals or knowing a lot of bible verses. It isn't even having fond thoughts about Jesus.
What identifies us as being part of God’s family is obedience to Jesus. What did Jesus say in John 14? If you love me, you will obey Me. Obedience comes from knowing and loving God. In other words, a changed life doesn't produce salvation; salvation produces a changed life.
Now, back to what I said at the beginning of this message. Throughout this passage, everyone sees the same Jesus. The crowds saw a miracle worker. His family saw a man who, perhaps, had lost His mind. The scribes claimed that Jesus was a servant of Satan. And the disciples were beginning to see the Son of God.
Jesus' final words in this chapter force all of us into the story. The question is no longer, "Who do the crowds think Jesus is?" The question is, who do you say Jesus is?
Think about this. In all of the groups of people we encounter in these verses, we find people worshiping.
For example, some in the crowd worshiped an idolatrous version of Jesus. As long as Jesus would do what they wanted and be what they wanted, they would follow Him around. But as soon as He didn’t fit their mold, they would depart.
The religious leaders were worshiping power and wealth. And Jesus threatened to disrupt that. So, they blasphemed Him by accusing Him of being in league with Satan.
Some of Jesus’ family, at least at this point, valued peace and reputation over doing the will of God.
And the disciples minus Judas, with each passing miracles and teaching, were beginning to understand and worship Jesus a little more.
Four groups; four different responses. Our response to Jesus shows the true object of our worship.
Who do you say Jesus is? Will you worship Him as He is? Will you surrender to Jesus as He is revealed in His Word?
Let’s bow our heads:
1.Do you know the Lord?
2.Are you living in surrender to Him?
Back in April of 2024 there was a partial solar eclipse that we could see here. One thing that is interesting to me is how everyone sees it a little differently. There can be millions of people who might see an eclipse but depending on the person and their interests, they see it differently.
·An astronomer might see and think about the mechanics of how it all works.
·A photographer might see the shot of a lifetime.
·A child simply thinks it's amazing.
·An ancient culture might have interpreted it as an omen or something ominous.
·Some people don't even look up because they're too busy.
Same eclipse; different reactions and perspectives.
As we come to Mark 3:20-35 this morning, we're going to see something very similar. Different groups of people who all encounter the same Jesus. They hear the same teaching. They witness the same miracles. They see the same authority over demons. Yet they walk away with completely different conclusions about who He is.
The difference was not Jesus. The difference was the condition of their hearts.
One thing that the bible lays out clearly is that as it relates to Jesus, neutrality is an impossibility. A person can’t stay neutral about Jesus. We all make a choice of who we will follow and pledge allegiance to.
As CS Lewis once famously asserted, “Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or He is Lord.” There is a line in the sand and being neutral isn’t possible. Jesus is either Lord of a person’s life or He is rejected by that person in his pride.
In the verses we’ve come to in our study of Mark today, some of the people that were around Jesus were desperate and needy, some of the people thought Jesus was crazy, and some even claimed that He was empowered by and aligned with demons. Different groups of people that came to completely different conclusions about Jesus.
If someone were to ask you the question today, who is Jesus, how would you respond? How would you describe Him?
Read 20-35
As I read, you probably noticed that there was a desperate crowd, there were concerned family members, and there were even angry religious leaders who thought Jesus was demonic, and in the background were Jesus’ disciples. Now, if you’ve read the rest of Mark or the other gospels, then you know that these various groups would continue to have different responses to Jesus.
Many in the crowds would eventually walk away from Jesus when He didn’t do their bidding and act exactly as they wanted. We know from John 7 that some of Jesus’ own family members didn’t believe in Him but would believe in Him later. The majority of religious leaders, on the other hand, would remain resolute in their opposition to Him, to the point that they would facilitate his crucifixion. And the 12 disciples, with the exception of Judas, we know, would have their ups and down but would remain faithful to Jesus to the very end.
How could the same person illicit so many different responses from other people? Well, I don’t think it is coincidental that the very next chapter is the parable of the sower, which describes the different kinds of soils that the seed of the Word of God falls on. And it describes the different responses of the different kinds of soil.
And the people in our verses today had very various reactions to Jesus as a result of the difference in the soil and condition of their hearts. So, let’s jump into our verses today.
Let’s start with the crowds:
Verse 20:
After choosing and appointing the 12 disciples, Jesus came home it says. Most believe this to mean that He went back to the home of Peter and Andrew in Capernaum. Whatever the case, as we have seen in Mark’s gospel so far, a large crowd gathered around Him to the point that they couldn’t even eat a meal together. Just like earlier in this chapter, in verses 7-12, this was an unruly crowd is the idea. They pressed in so much so that Jesus and the disciples couldn’t even eat.
Now, since we have access to all 4 gospels, there is something we know about the crowds. They were fickle. They followed Jesus when it was convenient or when they thought they could get something from Him.
For example, later in our study, in Mark 6, we will read about Jesus multiplying a few pieces of fish and bread to feed thousands of people by the the Sea of G. And the crowds loved that! Many in the crowds would have most definitely been poor people and a free meal was a welcomed sight, especially a miraculous one. They had found a man who could make a lot of food out of a little and it captivated the crowd. So much so, that the next day they came back wanting more food again.
But Jesus wasn’t going to perform that same miracle again on that day. And after realizing that, the crowd turned on Jesus. After hearing Him teach about Himself being the bread sent from heaven and after realizing that He wasn’t going to feed them again, we read this in John’s gospel: As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
The crowds that we encounter here in Mark 3 and throughout the gospels did, without question, have some true followers of Jesus in it. But by and large throughout the gospels, it seems that the crowds were made up of many unbelievers.
The crowd here in Mark 3 was composed of people who were desperate. They had real needs and they thought that maybe Jesus could meet those needs. Maybe He could heal them? Maybe He could cast out demons out of them? Maybe He could feed them.
And here is what is so shocking and sobering. Even though the crowds saw the miracles of Jesus with their own eyes, even though they heard the teachings of Jesus with their own ears, even though they watched as Jesus successfully challenged the teachers of the Law, even though they experienced Him casting out demons, many of them completely missed who Jesus is despite all of the evidence.
And here is the reason why. Jesus was not who they wanted Him to be. They didn’t want Jesus as He is; they wanted Him as they wanted Him to be. And in an effort to try to mold Jesus into what they desired Him to be like they were guilty of idolatry. Whenever a person picks and chooses what they like about the Lord and rejects what they don’t like, that is idolatry. I think we can often think of idolatry as bowing down to a statue of a false god and that certainly is. But idolatry is more than that as well.
Idolatry is also whenever a person attempts to craft God into the image of what they think or want Him to be rather than who He actually is. And many in the crowds were guilty of that as we will see throughout the gospel of Mark. And many are guilty of that today as well.
First, we see that Jesus was surrounded by a desperate and needy crowd of people!
But what about Jesus’ own people, His own family?
Verse 21:
There was almost a dangerous fanaticism surrounding Jesus as people had seen or heard about Him. Remember earlier in this chapter Jesus had the disciples prepare a boat for Him to preach from rather than preaching from the shore. Otherwise, the desperate crowds were pressing in on Him and His disciples. And His family was concerned. So, they confronted Him.
They said, “He has lost His senses.” To give you an idea of what that phrase means, in Acts 26:24 the same word is used. Here is the verse: While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind!
In II Cor 5:13 the word is translated as, “We are beside ourselves”
The idea of the word that is used here in Mark is to be outside of oneself. Meaning that someone has gone crazy. That is what his own family thought about Him.
They believed that Jesus’ way of life was maybe too extreme. Too different. The crowds, they thought, were dangerous to Him. But they were probably not just concerned for Jesus’ safety, but also for their own family reputation. Jesus’ way of life and His teaching was casting a shadow on the family reputation, perhaps.
And, in some ways, their concern is understandable, especially considering that Jesus’ own brothers didn’t believe at this point. Think about it. Jesus was allowing Himself to be surrounded by outcasts, tax collectors and sinners and desperate people. Even calling one of the tax collectors to be one of His closest disciples. He challenged the accepted religious and societal norms of His day. He said that He Himself had authority over the spirit realm and over the religious authorities. People were traveling extreme distances to see Jesus. And people were quite literally leaving their jobs to follow Him around. And His family was concerned. They thought He had had a mental break, perhaps.
Well, what about the religious leaders?
Verse 22:
Here we encounter the scribes again. Scribes were usually part of the Pharisees. And since they were experts in interpreting the OT law they are sometimes referred to as lawyers. And as a result, they held a lot of sway and influence in Jewish society. And in an attempt to explain away the works of Jesus, the religious leaders blasphemously accused Him of aligning with the devil. Slander is a serious sin as slander is falsehood spoken against a person; but blasphemy is another level since blasphemy is slander that is spoken against God. And in their desire to hold onto their power, their influence, and their wealth the scribes brazenly accused Jesus of being in league with demons.
They said that Jesus was possessed by Beelzebul and that He was casting out demons by the ruler of demons. Beelzebul was a deity of the Philistines. The name Beelzebul was a combination of two words. Baal, which we find in the OT quite often. Baal means master. And then the word, zebul, which means of the house. So, Beelzebul means something like, “master of the house.”
Interestingly, the Jews later changed it from Beelzebul to Beelzebub, which means lord of the flies. It was a play on words to mock the Philistine deity.
But ultimately what the scribes were saying was that Jesus was in cahoots with Satan. And that together they were deceiving the masses. They were saying that Jesus’ authority to cast out demons was not actually His own authority but it was derived by the power of Satan.
And in the following verses, Jesus lays out the illogical fallacy of their accusation.
Verse 23:
Jesus called the scribes to Himself and began to address their blasphemous accusation. And He asked them a very simple, pointed, and logical question. How can Satan cast out Satan? And then He uses two logical analogies.
Verse 24: A Kingdom that has division and infighting cannot and will not endure. That didn’t need a lot of explanation. Historically, there have been many nations that sprung up and died because of internal division.
Verse 25: A house that is divided cannot and will not last.
Verse 26: Finally, he brings this back to their argument. If Satan is divided against himself, then his kingdom cannot stand. In other words, why would Satan empower Jesus to hurt Satan’s own kingdom? Obvious answer….he wouldn’t.
Verse 27: Jesus was saying that the exact opposite of what the scribes were saying was true. While they were accusing Him of being in league with Satan, Jesus was clearly stating that He was actually plundering Satan’s kingdom because He had bound Satan first. In other words, Jesus was stating that He was stronger and mightier than Satan! And you see that all throughout the first chapters of Mark that we’ve studied as Jesus was pushing back darkness everywhere He went, as He was casting out evil spirits.
Think about the progression of what Jesus was saying. He entered the strong man’s house, Satan’s domain. He plundered His property. Why? Because He first bound the strong man, that is, Satan. And we will continue to see that throughout the gospel of Mark. In fact, listen to….
Hebrews 2:14-15: Therefore, since the children share in [m]flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
Side note: I won’t get into this, but I think there is a strong sense in which this verse, Mark 3:27, also has an eschatological meaning as well, meaning related to end times theology. But that is another topic for another day.
Either way, notice that there is no record of the scribes arguing back here. I don’t see any way that they could, to be honest. Jesus’ argument was airtight. In fact, Jesus rather than continuing to expound on His argument against their accusation, simply moved into stating a grave warning.
Verse 28:
First, Jesus starts with reassurance. All sins and even all blasphemies against God can be forgiven of men. He is telling that that there is forgiveness for sin, even more egregious sins, like blasphemy for those who simply confess and repent. Perhaps the greatest NT example of this would be the apostle, Paul. Remember what he said? I Timothy 1:12-14: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant.
God will forgive those who have often blasphemed Him when they confess that, repent of that, and call out to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy.
However…verse 29: but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”
Wait, Jesus just said that blasphemies can be forgiven, but here He says that whoever blasphemes against the HS never has forgiveness. What did He mean? Well, think about the HS as He relates to Jesus. Jesus was conceived of the HS. At Jesus’ baptism the HS was present. In the wilderness the Spirit led Him around and helped Jesus. Jesus was empowered by the HS all throughout His earthly life and ministry.
And the primary ministry of the HS was to point to Jesus. Some verses on that would be John 15:26; John 16:13-14; I Cor 12:3; I John 4:2.
And here is what Jesus was saying. The scribes had seen His power. They had heard His words. They had seen His character. The HS had demonstrated all of those things about Jesus. And yet the scribes rejected that and instead stated a blasphemous lie the Jesus had an unclean spirit! Despite all of the evidence of the HS in the life of Jesus, they rejected Jesus and instead called Him demon possessed. That is why it was blasphemy of the HS. Rather than acknowledging the work of the Spirit they proclaimed that it was the work of the devil.
And if that is what a person concludes about Jesus and he takes that conclusion to the grave, then there is then no hope of forgiveness for that person.
Even in relation to all of us it might not be egregious to the point of saying that Jesus was demon possessed. But when the HS allows a person to hear the gospel and Christ is proclaimed as Lord…..or a person reads the bible, given by the HS, and a person walks away and says, nope, I reject that about Jesus…..what is that? That is blasphemy against the HS. Because that person is ultimately stating that those things are untrue about Jesus, even though they’ve been revealed by the HS.
And, again, if that is the conclusion that a person takes to the grave then there is no hope of forgiveness since they blasphemed the HS by rejecting Jesus.
Verses 31-32:
Now, in the verses we’ve looked at today we find something that Mark does occasionally in his gospel. Some have referred to this as a story sandwich. He started earlier in our text talking about the crowds, then about Jesus’ family. They thought He was crazy. And then Mark ends this section as Jesus talks about family again. Story sandwich.
Here was the arrival of Jesus’ family. And the text tells us that the crowd told Jesus that His family was looking for Him. His mother and His brothers.
Now, we know that Mary believed that Jesus was the Son of God. His brothers did not at this point. They would later. For example, Jesus’ brothers James and Jude would write NT books. But at this point, they didn’t believe.
So, most likely Mary was worried for Jesus’ wellbeing while His brothers were probably a bit embarrassed and worried for their family’s reputation. Either way, they are coming in to try to protect or rescue Jesus or to stop Jesus. And look at Jesus’ response. It is amazing.
Verses 33-35:
Jesus wasn't rejecting His mother or His brothers. We know that from the cross Jesus cared for His mother by entrusting her to John's care. He wasn’t teaching that family doesn’t matter. Scripture consistently holds up the family as God's design for the good of people and society. Instead, Jesus was revealing that there is a relationship that is even deeper than earthly family—a spiritual family created by God through faith in Jesus. Earthly families are brought together by blood, but the family of God is brought together by the blood of Jesus. Physical relationships are temporal, but our relationship with the Lord and His people is everlasting.
Jesus said, "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." When Jesus said that, He wasn't teaching a works’-based religion. Rather, He was teaching that obedience is the evidence of belonging to Him. The book of James addresses that thoroughly.
So, what identifies us as members of God's family? It isn't the earthly family we were born into. People aren’t Christians because they are born into a Christian family. Church attendance doesn’t make a person a Christian. Nor do religious rituals or knowing a lot of bible verses. It isn't even having fond thoughts about Jesus.
What identifies us as being part of God’s family is obedience to Jesus. What did Jesus say in John 14? If you love me, you will obey Me. Obedience comes from knowing and loving God. In other words, a changed life doesn't produce salvation; salvation produces a changed life.
Now, back to what I said at the beginning of this message. Throughout this passage, everyone sees the same Jesus. The crowds saw a miracle worker. His family saw a man who, perhaps, had lost His mind. The scribes claimed that Jesus was a servant of Satan. And the disciples were beginning to see the Son of God.
Jesus' final words in this chapter force all of us into the story. The question is no longer, "Who do the crowds think Jesus is?" The question is, who do you say Jesus is?
Think about this. In all of the groups of people we encounter in these verses, we find people worshiping.
For example, some in the crowd worshiped an idolatrous version of Jesus. As long as Jesus would do what they wanted and be what they wanted, they would follow Him around. But as soon as He didn’t fit their mold, they would depart.
The religious leaders were worshiping power and wealth. And Jesus threatened to disrupt that. So, they blasphemed Him by accusing Him of being in league with Satan.
Some of Jesus’ family, at least at this point, valued peace and reputation over doing the will of God.
And the disciples minus Judas, with each passing miracles and teaching, were beginning to understand and worship Jesus a little more.
Four groups; four different responses. Our response to Jesus shows the true object of our worship.
Who do you say Jesus is? Will you worship Him as He is? Will you surrender to Jesus as He is revealed in His Word?
Let’s bow our heads:
1.Do you know the Lord?
2.Are you living in surrender to Him?
