Blaspheming The Holy Spirit

For those not familiar with an Anglican Service; there are four Scripture Readings before the Sermon. The Scripture Readings for this day were: 1 Samuel 8:4 - 20; Psalm 138 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 and Mark 3:20-35.

A Little Boy desperately wanted $100.00 ...to buy some toys ...and prayed to God ......for a whole week, ...but nothing happened.

So, ... he decided ...to write a letter to God...requesting ...the $100.00.

When the Post Office got the letter addressed to God ......they forwarded it on ... to the Whitehouse.

The President surprisingly received it... was very impressed, ...touched and amused ...so he instructed his aid ......to send the boy... $5.00.

He thought $5.00 would be a lot... to the little boy.

And... the boy was, indeed, ...delighted by the money.

He sat down ......and immediately wrote a thank you note, ......which read:

Dear God, ... Thank you very much ...for sending the money.

However, ...I noticed ......that for some reason ...you had to send it through Washington DC ...and, as usual, ...they kept ...most of it. (Pause)

Beloved Satan is a Thief and Satan is a Liar.

Satan is a thief and he wants to drag the world down with him.

Satan is a Liar.

The setting we have today in our Gospel Text is early in Jesus Ministry.

Having chosen his twelve, ... Jesus resumes his ministry in Galilee, ... and he finds both popularity ... yet also great opposition.

He is so popular ... that the people crowd him... in such a way... that Jesus and his disciples ... are not able to "eat bread,"... that is, ... to eat anything.

At the same time ... opposition intensifies ... with accusations of demon possession... from the Jerusalem authorities.

His popularity ... Remember this early in His Ministry ...alarms his family... and his friends.

And This concern ... bookends our text in Mark.

"Those who are close to him" and "his family" ... heard about how the crowds were hindering his own self-care and they concluded that he was "out of his mind" or "he is beside himself" -literally in the Greek, "he is not himself". Mark 3:20-21

At the beginning of our text and then again at the end of our text in Mark ... Jesus family ... that is his "mother and brothers" arrive. Mark 3:31-35

Perhaps these two separate groups or two separate encounters to extract Jesus from the Crowds.

Or are they the same .... as Our translation seems to indicate. (NRSV)

However, we read it, ... some believed that Jesus popularity ... was too much.

They felt ... that they needed to extract Jesus... from the situation.

They misread ... what Jesus is doing.

It was early in his ministry and the people didn't understand.

Beloved when we were lost in sin ... we too did not understand.

The people fail to see the prophetic mantle... that Jesus assumed ... at his baptism.

Jesus was called ... to herald ... a new kingdom.

Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done!

Jesus has assembled his twelve ... and he has started the process... to disciple them.

He started to teach them ... Using parables ... stories to help the people remember.

The crowds are overwhelming ... but the mission... is paramount.

This is the context ... in which we hear Jesus raise the question, ......."Who are my mother and brothers?" (Mark 3:33).

Jesus raises questions ... of priorities and relationships.

Is he your Lord ... Is he your Lord.

In answer, ... Jesus looks at those seated around him... perhaps the twelve, ... yet perhaps including more ... as "sisters" are included ... and he says:

"Here are my mother.... and sister.... and brother." Mark 3:35

Something ... has shifted.

We should not misread this ... and think that he is rejecting ... his physical mother... and brothers.

Remember our Lord cared for His mother as he hung on the cross.

He arranged for her protection ... as he gasp for his last breaths.

He acknowledges... that there is more than just physical bloodlines.

There's the Blood line of the Kingdom.

The Blood of the Lamb would be shed.

And when we seek Christ for Salvation.

When we acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord we are covered by the blood.

And we become part of a new Blood line ... The heavenly bloodline of God.

And Between these bookends regarding Jesus ministry... lies an important ... book-mark.

In both Mark 3:22 and in Mark 3:30, ... Jesus is accused of... demon possession.

These Jerusalem Leaders were doing all that they could to stop the Ministry of the Nazarian.

Remember they did not understand.

It is the Teachers of the law from Jerusalem... that make the accusation.

Jesus has attracted great crowds from Judea and Jerusalem... gathering great crowds that came to sit at his feet. (Mark 3:8)