The Gospel of Mark # 9 – “The Unpardonable Sin”
Mark 3:20-35
Intro –
1. ILL – The following series of advertisements reportedly appeared in a daily newspaper: Monday: "The Rev. A.J. Jones has one color TV set for sale. Telephone 626-1313 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Donnelley who lives with him, cheap." Tuesday: "We regret any embarrassment caused to Rev. Jones by a typographical error in yesterday's paper. The ad should have read: 'The Rev. A.J. Jones has one color TV set for sale, cheap...Telephone 626-1313 and ask for Mrs. Donnelley, who lives with him after 7 p.m.'" Wednesday: "The Rev. A.J. Jones informs us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of an incorrect ad in yesterday's paper. It should have read: 'The Rev. A.J. Jones has one color TV set for sale, cheap. Telephone 626-1313 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Donnelley who loves with him.'" Thursday: "Please take notice that I, the Rev. A.J. Jones, have no color TV set for sale; I have smashed it. Don't call 626-1313 anymore. I have not been carrying on with Mrs. Donnelley. She was, until yesterday, my housekeeper.'" Friday: "Wanted: a housekeeper. Usual housekeeping duties. Good pay. Love in, Rev. A.J. Jones. Telephone 626- 1313.'" Mistakes are inevitable in the publishing business.
2. Have you ever been misunderstood? It’s no fun is it?
3. In our text today, Jesus was misunderstood by His family & his foes. Also, one of the statements He makes continues to be misunderstood even today.
4. TEXT – Mark 3:20-35 (read).
5. In the Gospels, Jesus was loved by some & grossly misunderstood by others. This has continued down through the ages. People have often misunderstood who Jesus is!
6. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.”
7. In our text, Notice how Jesus was misunderstood –
a. His family & friends – vs. 21 “He is out of His mind!” *Because He wasn’t eating.
b. His foes – vs. 22 “He is possessed by Beelzebub!” *Because He wouldn’t conform.
8. Whenever Jesus came up against demonic powers, He silenced them (Mark 1:25, 34, 3:11).
9. Why? He would not allow a demon to influence people concerning who He was, He would only allow His own words & works to show His true character.
10. In our text, Jesus clears up some misunderstandings the people of His day had about Him.
I. Jesus Clears up the Misunderstanding about His True Foe – Vs. 23-30
Believe it or not, the Pharisees & Sadducees were not Jesus’ real enemies! In fact, Jesus loved them as much & died for their sins as equally as He did for His Apostles.
However, they were being used by Jesus’ & our true enemy – Satan.
A. Jesus speaks of an undeniable enemy – vs. 23-27
*Jesus calls His attackers to Him and He totally destroys their arguments. His uses 3 illustrations from life that prove Satan cannot be in the business of casting out Satan.
1. A secular illustration – “A kingdom divided”
a. When there is civil war & strife within a kingdom, the stability of that kingdom is compromised & more likely to fall. For a kingdom to be strong it must be united.
b. Satan is out to win the battle between himself & the Lord. He is not going to do anything to weaken himself in that fight. For him to cast out his own demons would be counterproductive.
2. A social illustration – “A house divided”
a. A marriage that faces a constant barrage of fighting is a marriage that cannot stand. A home is not a home unless it is filled with love, unity & peace.
b. Again, Satan is out to win! He is not in the business of fighting with himself.
c. This is also true in the church! Unity gives us great power with God & against our enemy while division destroys us from within! The church maintain a unity of love & purpose in the midst of differing opinions
d. “The church is a gift from God – assembly required!”
e. Jim Putman “Real Life Discipleship” – "As a group, Christians are known more for what we are against than for our love. As a result of our spiritual immaturity, unbelievers don't want what we have, which is understandable. If we are spiritually immature & act like spiritual brats, why would unbelievers want to hang out with us in the church? They can find enough drama in their own lives without joining our drama-filled buildings on the weekends."
f. Eph. 4:2-3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
3. A spiritual illustration – “a strong man’s house”
a. Jesus says that you cannot rob a well-defended home unless you first tie up the defender of that home.
b. The illustration is clear, Satan defends his kingdom, but Jesus had the power to invade Satan’s kingdom & deliver those who are in the devil’s grip. Jesus has power over the devil!
c. 1 John 3:8b (NASB) “…The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
B. Jesus speaks of an unpardonable sin – vs. 28-30
*This is a text that has been misunderstood by many & misapplied by some. The many views on these verses vary from “interesting” to absolutely “bizarre.”
1. The Biblical context – Vs. 30 indicates that the unpardonable sin was attributing to Satan Christ’s authenticating miracles done in the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ is no longer walking among us performing miracles, therefore, I believe this sin is not repeatable today.
2. The contemporary question – Is there a sin that is unpardonable today? Yes. Life-long Rejection Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for sin. There are no second chances after death to receive Christ.
*John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
II. Jesus Clears up the Misunderstanding about His True Family – Vs. 31-35
Kyle Idleman, “Not a Fan” – D. T. R. (Defining the Relationship)…
In this passage, Jesus is going to define some relationships. Specifically, who are the members of His true family?
A. Jesus & His earthly “family” – vs. 31-33
1. Mark gives us an invaluable insight into Jesus upbringing & home.
2. There are those who believe in the “perpetual virginhood” of Mary, but here we learn that Jesus had brothers. *The important thing is that she was a virgin when Christ was born.
3. Jesus family thought He was out of his mind because He wouldn’t take a break from ministry to eat a meal. They figured they could talk some sense into Him.
4. He responds with the question, “Who is my family?” (paraphrase)
B. Jesus & His true “family” – vs. 34-35
1. This is a tense scene & the Lord’s reaction to His family seems cold on the surface. But His response to them was designed to teach some very important truths.
2. Instead of trying to ease the tension, Jesus turns it up a notch. Instead of reaching out to his earthly family, He speaks to all the members of His spiritual family. Jesus used this moment as an opportunity to teach some eternal truth to those who would receive it.
3. Luke 8:21 “He replied, ‘My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.’”
C. Application –
1. Being raised around Jesus doesn’t make us a part of God’s family.
a. Being a lifetime church goer or even “member” will not gain you access to heaven or a personal relationship with Christ.
b. There is only one way to know God – through Jesus (John 14:6).
c. Rom. 10:9-10 “9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
2. Being religious or a spiritual expert doesn’t make us a part of God’s family.
a. Nicodemus is a great example of this truth. He asked the right question to the right person, but got an answer he didn’t expect.
b. John 3:3 “In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’”
c. Later, Nicodemus would believe in Christ & become His disciple.
3. God’s family is made up of those who do His will. *Not a spooky thing – 85% clearly revealed, 10% sanctified preference, 5% special direction.
*What is His will?
a. That we become members of His family – 1 Pet. 3:9 (Quote)
1) John 6:37-40 (turn & read)
2) God sent Christ for one reason – so people could come back into a personal relationship with Him & become a part of His family.
b. That we live like members of His family – 1 Thess. 4:3-4
1. 1 Thess. 4:3-4 “3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,”
2. God expects us to live a life that is pleasing to Him. We are to be different & set apart by our love & lifestyle.
Conc. –
1. 2 questions –
a. Are you a member of God’s true family?
b. Do you live like it?
