Mark 3: 31 – 35
Ridiculed For Doing Good
31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.” 33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”
Now, as you know there were two other documents in circulation and they were the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. As you know, Matthew was an apostle who was with our Lord Jesus Christ for over three years and was an eye witness to all that our Lord said and did. Luke, on the other hand was a friend and fellow traveler with the apostle Paul. He later came back to Israel and interviewed the eye witnesses to this event.
So, to get a full picture let us take a quick look at both Gospels and see if there is any other information that would bless us.
Luke 1: 19 – 21 “19 Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” 21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
Matthew 12: 46-50, “46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Why do you think Mary and our Lord’s family came to take Him back home? If we just look at the passages above we will miss some significant facts. Our Compassionate Lord was constantly busy healing all people who came to Him. In fact He was so busy He had little time to eat or rest. In the midst of all the needy people as you are aware of, there were spies sent by the religious leaders to catch our Lord doing or saying something that they can use against Him. If you follow today’s Republican Presidential Candidates you will see the same issues conducted by the media.
In our sinful world there are many today who call evil good and good evil. I can related. For over 20 years I have been slandered, insulted, abused, and misused by those I serve and by those I serve with. I am an evil sinful man but not our Lord. He Is Good and Holy and does not deserve these onslaughts of evil.
The Gospel of Mark gives us a clue on what had transpired before the verses we are studying today.
Our Lord had just cast a demon out of a man and then someone commented that our Lord’s family had come to take Him home because they thought that He was out of His mind.
Look at what it says in the Gospel of Mark chapter 3, “21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”
We see the cause that sparked this evil response to our Holy Master. It was His family.
Only Peter remarks about our Lord’s family, who basically came to take Him back home to Nazareth.
Please note the wording ‘heard it’. News was constantly reaching our Lord’s family. As we find even today most news is distorted. You remember that His town folks wanted to kill Him because He had proclaimed that He Was God’s promised Messiah. So, you know they were not discussing favorable details regarding our Precious Lord.
Just as Mark lists that our Lord was working Himself to death, without taking proper care of Himself. He wasn’t eating right or getting proper rest.
In addition, news must have reached Mary and her sons and daughters that the religious leaders were out to get our Lord Jesus.
Perhaps His family felt that if they informed the leaders that He was out of His mind that they would back off their pursuit of dealing drastically with Him.
In the crowd of people who sought the Lord’s help in healing and the casting out of demons, were spies sent by the Pharisees. They were not moved in observing the wonderful acts of our Lord. They just seethed with hatred towards Him.
Please note that in Matthew version which is in chapter 12 verses 20 through 30 of this event, people were remarking that our Lord Jesus was ‘The Son of David’. Well, anyone could have told them that. When you look at the Gospel of Matthew and Luke you see the genealogy of our Holy Majestic Adoni Yeshua. There were a lot of records available at this time which would prove that He was a descendent of king David. In reality the people were saying that the promised greater son of David, would come to the nation of Israel. The people were commenting that our Supreme Holy One Was in fact the Messiah.
This didn’t set well with all the religious phonies in the crowd. So, when they heard or noticed the comment of our Lord’s family, they used this as an opportunity to shout out accusations against our King.
Again in Mark 3 we read, “22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”
Their response to the whole crowd, that this man who is performing these miracles is not from God, but is an envoy of Satan.
Please take note that these people without their knowing it are acknowledging that ‘miracles’ are taking place.
Mark continues in chapter 3 to explain how our Lord dealt with this accusation, “23 So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.”
You cannot beat common sense. Our Lord merely pointed out that the religious leaders accusations are impossible, because Satan isn’t going to do things that will be against everything he is about. Our bibles tell us that Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. Stop and think, does Satan want anyone to be healed from emotional or physical infirmities? No, he hates us humans because of our Lord Jesus Christ. You might think to yourself now, ‘why is this so?’
Satan was created as the highest angel. He was perfect in every way. One thing I find quite interesting is that he was God’s ‘anointed’ one. You might feel that is wrong but look with me at the book of Ezekiel and see what our Wonderful Holy Spirit tells us about Lucifer, “Ezekiel 28:11-19, 11 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. 16 “By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. 17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. 18 “You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.”’
The Holy Son of God stepped up to the plate and became the correct ‘Anointed’ One from God. He reversed the damage that Satan caused by the shedding of His blood and by His death on the cross.
You see since Lucifer lost the opportunity of ever being forgiven, he hates our guts because we were not born perfect like him and throughout our lives sin. Yet, because of the amazing sacrifice by our Lord we are forgiven and can spend our eternity with our Creator. Wow!
Satan hates us for that so he would find nothing better than to kill off mankind so they will not hear the ‘Good News’ of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are reading this message, then I am assuming that you are a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ. I would ask you this one thing though. Please pass on the ‘Good News’ as often and to as many people as you can. May He bless all your endeavors.
31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.” 33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”
When we look at all three Gospels at first we might take a view point that they are all the same. I would say close, but our Wonderful Holy Spirit sheds some more awesome facts.
All three writers speak about Mary and our Lord’s step brothers. Our Lord response possibly indicates that His step sister’s were there also. So, before you ask Mark tells us this in chapter 6 our Lord’s siblings, “2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.”
It is possible that Joseph was dead by this time period since he is omitted from the family list.
In closing I want to look at how all three Gospel writers indicate something different in how our Lord considers His family.
Luke says, “Are these who hear the Word of God and do it.”
Mark says, “Whoever does the will of God.”
Matthew says, “whoever does the will of My Father in Heaven.’
Of course, the Father Is God. So, from His word what does it say is His ‘Will’. These two seem to answer this question.
Romans 12:1-3 “12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Colossians 1:26-28 “26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
