The Character Assassination Of Jesus

THE CHARACTER ASSASSINATION OF JESUS

Mark 3:20-35

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: ONE LINERS

1. My doctor asked if anyone in my family suffered from mental illness. “No,” I said, “we all seem to enjoy it.”

2. I thought the dryer made my clothes shrink. Turns out it was the refrigerator.

3. I went shopping while hungry, now I’m the proud owner of aisle 6.

4. Definition of ‘Camping:’ where you spend a small fortune to live like a homeless person.

B. TEXT

1. Mk. 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.”

2. Mk. 3:22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” 23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak 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 without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

3. Mk.3:31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call 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.”

C. THESIS

1. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, there developed a wonderful atmosphere around Jesus: there was the prophetic, the counter-culture, the miracles, the crowds, the excitement. In fact, His following grew so fast it became seemingly hectic. Jesus’ earthly family and friends didn’t understand his ministry. They began to make rash judgments about Him; they thought He had gone too far.

2. Jesus was anything but irrational. As Robert Coleman pointed out, “His life was ordered by His objective. Everything He did and said was part of the whole pattern...God’s strategy for world conquest. There was nothing haphazard about His life – no wasted energy, not an idle word. He lived, He died, and He rose again according to schedule. Like a general plotting his course of battle, the Son of God calculated to win. Weighing every alternative and variable factor...He conceived a plan that would not fail.” [Robert E. Coleman, “Master Plan of Evangelism,” p. 24.]

3. We’re looking at the reason for His unusual behavior, His response to character assassination, and His statement about the church being one family.

4. The title of this message is, “The Character Assassination of Jesus.”

I. JESUS’ CALL TO SOULWINNING (vss. 20-21)

A. THIS CALL SUPERSEDES ALL OTHER PRIORITIES

1. OUR OCCUPATIONS. When Jesus called His disciples, they (Peter, Andrew, James, John) immediately left their nets and followed Him (Mk. 1:17-18). Levi shuttered his tax office. Dr. Luke closed his medical practice. Jesus’ call supersedes all other occupations and material possessions.

2. IT’S A CALL TO WIN SOULS. Jesus said, “Follow Me and I’ll make you fishers of men.” They said of Jesus, “The zeal of your house has eaten Me up” John 2:17. Zeal = “enthusiastic devotion to a cause.” Jesus demonstrated enthusiasm about winning souls. It’s of the utmost importance. Souls are priceless. Jesus put reaching people before His occupation (Carpenter), before His personal comfort, and before His personal health.

3. ILLUS./HUMOR: Career planning

a. One Sunday morning, as a family was driving home from church after a great service where their Pastor really preached a great message, 9 year old Sam said to his father, "When I grow up, dad, I've decided to be a Preacher."

b. "Well Sam," said his dad, "I have no problem with that. But tell me, why have you now decided to be a Pastor? You were going to be a football player last week."

c. "I know I was," replied Sam, "but during the church service I realized that I’m going to be going to church every Sunday for the rest of my life - and that's a long time. So I decided that it would be funner to be standing and shouting than just sitting and listening!"