How Does Jesus Feel About You? - Mark 3:20-35 Series

The Galilean Ministry Part 25

6/17/2018

Summary: Verdicts on Jesus are really verdicts on the people rendering those verdicts. Jesus’ family thought he was insane and the scribes thought he got power from Satan. Jesus disproves both by his brilliant response destroying the scribes’ position logically and then issuing a stunning warning about unforgivable sin. Then, just as he had recreated Israel on new foundations, he does the same with family, making the family of Christ-followers more important than natural family. He loes you like a brother and like his own mother.

Mark 3:20 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 Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." 23 So Jesus called them and spoke 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 and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. 28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.” 31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent for him, calling 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.”

Introduction

Your eternal destiny hangs on two things: who you think Jesus is, and how you respond to his words. We have been studying through the book of Mark, and we are at a section now where Mark is about to address both of those. Here at the end of ch.3 we’re going to see various theories on who Jesus is, and then next week, in ch.4, Jesus is going to teach us all about the various ways people respond to his words.

There’s a story of a man who went into the museum and said to the curator, “I don’t think much of these paintings.” To which the curator said, “These paintings are not on trial; you are.” Those paintings have already been established as great works of art. So that guy’s opinion of them says nothing about them; but says a lot about him. It says he doesn’t know anything about art. When someone looks at the sun and concludes that it’s dark – that says nothing about the sun. It only tells you that that man is blind. When you evaluate something that is truly great, that thing isn’t what’s on trial – you are.

In this passage we see some of the verdicts people rendered about Jesus, and Mark is going to show us that those verdicts tell us nothing about Jesus, but everything about the hearts of those who rendered them. When it comes to the question of your opinion of Jesus, remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is not on trial – they are. Jesus has already been proved to be who he is. God the Father already made that crystal clear. People come into the courtroom thinking they are sitting on the bench as the judge. But as soon as they drop the gavel and give their verdict they discover that they are sitting not on the judge’s bench, but in the defendant’s seat. And the Lord Jesus Christ is sitting not in the defendant’s seat where they thought He was, but on the judge’s bench. So let’s watch as Jesus does that with two different groups here.

Jesus Examined

Family Verdict

Jesus comes down from the mountain after appointing the Twelve, and he’s right back into the chaos of the crowds.

Mark 3:20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.

The crowds have become unmanageable. They almost crushed him before he went up on the mountain. Now they are following him into his own kitchen so he can’t even get a bite to eat. The whole thing is getting out of control.