Are You In or Out?

Mark 3: 31- 34
3 July 2011

“Then Jesus went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And Jesus called them to him, and spoke to them in parables. ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
‘Truly, I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but who ever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’ – for they said, ‘He had an unclean spirit.’
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘You mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.’ And Jesus replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother (Mark 3: 19b- 34).’”

This is such busy passage that I decided to split it in two. I said last week that there is a common thread in this event and the thread is really a question. What do we make of Jesus? Last week I focused on Jesus pronouncement that all sins and blasphemies are forgivable except for the one against the Holy Spirit. I said that this blasphemy is a total rejection of God in Christ. Indeed, when someone denies that God could possibly be in Jesus, it is to deny who God is and what He can do.

This week I want to focus on Jesus’ family. As I mentioned last week, Jesus’ mother and his brothers thought He was out of His mind. He had gone insane, not eating, not looking after Himself and making the religious authority upset. They – and they should know – had pronounced Him to be nothing but the devil himself. It goes to reason that they wanted to take him away to save him from himself.

But as they arrived to the house where Jesus was healing exorcising and teaching, they couldn’t get in. There were too many people there. So they were stuck outside. I think the imagery of Jesus’ mother and brother standing outside the house, unable to get in, is more than just physical. I think Mark wants us to know that because of what his family thought He was. And because they believed God was not in Him they now stood outside of a relationship with Him. This is quite something to think that Jesus’ own family was now on the outside because of their unbelief that He was God’s very Son.

As they were unable to enter the house, they sent word to Jesus that his family wanted to see him. What Jesus answers is even more disturbing. “My mother and brothers are looking for me? What are you talking about my family is looking for me? You who do the will of God are my mother and brothers.”

I have often been troubled by this passage. How can Jesus disown His own family – his own mother and brothers? What had they done that was so terrible that He would reject them? The answer, I am afraid is as simple as it is distressing. He disowned them because they didn’t believe who he was.

I say this is distressing because if he can quickly disown his own mother and brothers, can the same happen to me? I know the answer, and I think you do too. He can. No matter what we wish the answer to be, this event clearly shows what it takes to be in the house – or the kingdom -- and part of the family. It takes belief.

In order to be part of the kingdom of God -- and part of God’s family we have to believe that God did indeed send Jesus and that He is who He says He is. That is the first fundamental step into His family. It is not doing good things. It is not being a good person. It is not to living a good and honest life, not cheating others. It is not being kind to others. The very first step into God’s family and his kingdom is faith. It is belief that God is at work in the world and part of that work is Jesus, the Christ.

But that is not to say that this is the end of the story. This is not to mean that this is all there is for us to be part of the kingdom. There is an “and” – and it is a large one at that. The “and” of the believe is to do God’s will. It is to put into practice our faith.

Faith tells us that God can be trusted to provide. Do we really trust Him to do that? Faith tells us that what we need above all for our lives is a healthy relationship with God. Do seek to foster that relationship through spending time with God, either in prayer or meditation? Faith tells us that God wants us to live a certain way to foster our relationship with Him. Do we seek to find out how He wants us to live and then put what we learn into practice? Do we love, care, forgive, and bring healing, peace and justice the way God does? Or do we have other priorities that take over?

Notwithstanding the fact that we remain broken human beings thus susceptible to fail, is it our priority to live with God and for God? That is what faith is all about. It is the commitment to follow God – and Jesus. But faith is not enough by itself. If we are committed to God, then does it show in the way we live, in the choices we make and in the things we do? If it does, then Jesus gives us a clear assurance. We are in.

I know this is a rather terse statement to make, but I sincerely believe that this is exactly what Jesus is saying through his mother and brothers. They stood outside because not only did they not believe in who He was, they did not follow Him either. And I think that Mark is pushing the point further by making sure those who read his gospel see where Mary and her other sons stood. They stood outside the house.

Once again, Mark asks: Where do you stand when it comes to Jesus? Are you in or are you standing outside? The decision can only be yours.