Mark 3:20-35 Jesus avoids intervention while damning ignorant scholars
To me, this is shows us a very human side of Jesus. Of course, he is human, but because of the miracles and unwillingness to sin against God, and turning water to wine, we usually put him in that “other” category of “not like us”. But he is like us. We too would like to turn water to wine … and make a fortune … and of course give it to the poor.
In this passage, Jesus’ closest friends and family thought he had gotten a little carried away with this Kingdom of God stuff. They decided it was time for an intervention. While his family was on their way, a crowd gathered around Jesus and his disciples, and as these 13 guys sat and tried to eat dinner, the crowd continued making demands.
The story as told in The Brick Testament:
Who should show up, but more “Bible teachers”. Good grief! Give Jesus a break already. These jerks kept hounding Jesus because he was doing things that they couldn’t do … and they couldn’t control him. In their eyes, he was an un-submitting wildcard. But the people loved him. Jesus would teach them, heal them, deliver them from demons, and it made no difference to him if it violated these scholar’s view of God one bit. The Bible scholars and the Pharisees had knowledge about God, but it was very obvious they didn’t know God, or they would have recognized God in Jesus.
Anyway, after they accused Jesus of being demonic himself, he blasted them. I’ve noticed that he has truckloads of patience with people as they make their way to him, but to those who boldly claim to fully know God, they are the only ones he tells to their face they will go to Hell. Everyone else seems to have a chance of Heaven.
I like Eugene Peterson’s version of vs 28-30, “”Listen to this carefully. I’m warning you. There’s nothing done or said that can’t be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God’s Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.” He gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil.’
And then it happens … Jesus’ mom and brothers show up for the intervention.
Who's family doesn't think you're loco when you really dive into the kingdom?
Right as he is telling off the well-respected authorities of God’s word, Jesus finds out that his family is here to “rescue” him from his righteousness. In the novel “Lamb: the Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s childhood pal” Jesus often uses the phrase “Geez,” when he’s frustrated.
THINK:
- If you were Jesus which would be the hardest to deal with: the constant demands of people, or your family thinking you were crazy?
- What did the crowd expect in vs 31-32? For Jesus, what does family mean to him?
- Have you experienced conflict between what God wanted for you and what your family wanted for you?
Mark 3:7-19 Runaway Jesus
Okay, here we have Jesus running away because he was about to be killed. He wasn’t afraid, it just wasn’t his time. I think it’s fairly important to know when it’s our time … to do what we came to do. We ought not die on molehills if we’re destined for dying on mountains. If Jesus had been caught and stoned for breaking the sabbath, where would we be now? He knew “when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em, when to walk away and when to run” (that’s a Kenny Rogers song for you youngsters).
When Jesus delivered some of these people from demonic spirits, they fell down before him and loudly declared who Jesus was: God in a human body. But what’s strange is that Jesus commands them not to tell anyone (vs 12).
Why not tell anyone who Jesus really is? This would be like uncovering the true identity of Batman or even like pulling out old photos of Michael Jackson. But Jesus didn’t want people to know who he was, yet. He had a reason. Jesus had a lot of work to do yet, and if it got out that he was being called the son of God (God manifest in a human body), that he would surely be arrested and killed … too early. He gave up instant recognition for his greatest opportunity.
Then Jesus climbs up a mountain and invites only a few people out of the crowd. How frustrating for the people who were left behind. These 12 would be his closest disciples, his apostles. Except for Judas the idiot … he would kill himself after he sold Jesus out. Isn’t it strange that Jesus willfully chose a guy who he knew would betray him?
THINK:
- What were the crowds looking for in Jesus?
- What do you think he was looking for in the crowds?
- What qualities did the 12 disciples have that urged Jesus to choose them?
- If Jesus overlooked you in the crowd that day, and chose Judas next to you, how would you have felt watching them walk up the mountain together?
- How would you feel if Jesus called you up the mountain that day? Has he called you in some form or fashion to be his follower?
Mark 2:23-3:6 Jesus fudging the lines of “right” and “wrong”?
Here is Jesus … upsetting the religious folks, again. These Pharisees were strict students of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament. They knew what God had commanded about the Sabbath (the 7th day of the week). No work, no fire-building, no traveling. (Numbers 15:32-35; Leviticus 23:1-8) Keeping the Sabbath was as vital as circumcision; it marked who was God’s and who wasn’t. Quite the line in the sand … and God drew it.
But here we have Jesus and his flunkies walking through the fields … picking grain and eating it. Breaking the law. The Pharisees interpreted that as “work”; which meant they we
ren’t of God, of course. They had busted Jesus, finally! Jesus’ responded to their Biblical condemnation with a Bible story … David once ate the food that was strictly, Biblically, only for the priests (1 Samuel 21:1-6). He silenced them.
When Jesus healed the shriveled-hand-man in the temple, it was on the Sabbath. I think Jesus waited all week to do it when it would stir up a curious crowd and then he could teach this lesson: The Sabbath is for people to get rest from a week of busting their humps … not for people to be ruled by the Sabbath. The Sabbath 
is a gift from God, not a burden.
I am compelled to think about today’s different organizations and denominations and how they interpret scripture. Some look at the Bible and say women should be completely silent in the church (1 Cor. 14). Some believe eating medium rare steaks go against the teaching in Acts 15. Some think that you should never marry (1 Corinthians 7). Or that women should wear only dresses (Deut 22) or never cut their hair (1 Cor . 11). What about that holy kiss we are supposed to slap on our brothers when we see them (Romans 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26)?
These are just minor issues in the Bible, but many organizations use these rigid interpretations to separate themselves from the “other” Christians … kinda like the Jews viewed circumcision and chillaxing on the Sabbath. Those who didn’t do it were not God’s people. Wow! How does God view this? Do any of us have it all right?
Are these accurate interpretations of scripture? What would happen if we use Jesus’ method of looking at the Sabbath … Is scripture here for us, or is it the other way around?
THINK:
- What made the Pharisees so upset with Jesus?
- What do we learn about Jesus in these 2 confrontations?
- What was God’s intent of the Sabbath? How was it mis-interpreted?
- How have you seen well-meaning religious rules or institutions hurt people? What causes that?
- Have you ever felt angry at a church or religious institution? How has that experience affected you?
