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Outside/Inside.

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Mark 3:20-35

20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23 And he called them to him, and spoke 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 will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.

28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

The True Kindred of Jesus

31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

When I was 22 years old, I made a decision.  I was about to graduate from the University of Kentucky with my bachelors in social work. 

At that point, I decided that I wanted to do something that was more than making money, but good for the world.  So, I switched to social work.  Which, in that profession, there is no chance of making money, as my dad would remind me of at the time.  

Now, my dad was a school principal, a good guy who also wanted to make a difference in his community.  And, truthfully, he just wanted me to do well and not struggle.

The kicker came though at 22 when I informed my dad that I was going to shift gears again, and instead of going into social work, I was going to go into youth ministry, where there is no money at all…and, even more, I was going to work for a non-profit youth ministry.  

Now, I thought my dad would be OK with it.  I had worked part-time in college with this non-profit, was involved with it in high school even, and my parents were even fairly significant financial supporters of this organization.

My dad’s response, literally, and I still remember this 34ish years later, “I just paid for 4 years of college for you to do what?!!!”  

I said yep, and off I went…and, yes, I did struggle, mightily.  I had years of eating more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and 25 cent ramen noodles than I can remember.  

But, something happened 2 or 3 years into working for this non-profit.  My dad told me how proud he was of me and that I had grown more in the past few years than he could have imagined.  I was so grateful.  

I don’t know what it is though, but I left that job within a year or two of that conversation to work for a church in Atlanta, GA.  It was kind of like when I had long hair…when my dad said that it had grown on him (pun intended) and that he liked it…I cut it.  

Our passage this morning, at first, can be somewhat unsettling for us in the 21st century.  What does it mean to have a house divided?  For Satan to turn on Satan?  A stronger man?  And the kicker, Jesus’ family coming to reprimand him and Jesus seemingly redefining who his family is?

Well, first of all, just like all scripture reading, we have to cultivate an openness to what God wants to share with us, while also understanding that this was probably written in first century where relationships and families were defined a bit different.  Yet, there’s still some amazing messages for us today.

Jesus’ family is concerned for him and for his safety.  He’s drawing large crowds in a restive time in history and in this place.  Revolution is in the air and a desire to live without the yoke of occupiers from Rome and a religious system that coddled the people while conspiring with the Roman authorities.  

And, folks are drawn to this Jesus who is expressing through his words and actions living a life as full humans not subject to a system or an ism, but in a deep abiding in God’s Presence, God’s reign that is based on deep relationship.

A movement is brewing a drawing in people and with that, the authorities are threatened and trying to pin things on Jesus, saying things, betraying relational integrity and trying to get Jesus out of the picture…and even scapegoating him for their own short givings and failures in living into the promises of God.  Promises that they knew from their religious training, but failed to live into because it would upset the social order that kept them comfortable.

So, his family comes to him, out of concern, but also with a desire to even forcibly take him back home if you will.  Jesus answers his family, his followers, and his detractors with a powerful conversation.  He tells them that if he’s doing all of his miracles because he’s in league with the devil, that doesn’t wash because the devil can’t cast out the devil.  That doesn’t make sense.  And, that a kingdom divided can’t stand, it falls.  Why would the devil want to fail like that?!  

And, no one can enter a strong man’s house and take his stuff unless he has a stronger man…in effect, Jesus is saying that he’s stronger than the devil.

So much in that alone!  One, it says how important it is for us to be reminded that we can’t be a church divided!  That we have to trust one another in order to live as Jesus followers in a world that desperately needs unity.

It also says that Jesus is enough, is with us, and our relational identity in Christ and as the body of Christ is stronger than any division that we experience or even cause intentionally or unintentionally.  

He goes on to say, that God is with us, God’s Spirit is flowing, trust it, even in deep doubt.  And, again, remember, eternal means something about quality rather than quantity.  In other words, blaspheme God, go ahead, but that will not increase your quality of life, you’ll simply continue to be in a place that is disconnected from who you are, who you are with others, and with God…in other words, alone…and not in a good way.

Oh friends, we have come through a time of change…you, me, Westwood First, now, more than ever, we need to recommit ourselves to one another and to the purposes of the church, which is to love our neighbors, each other, well and to trust that God is with us and has a purpose for us…and wants us to be fully human!

Jesus’ family, well they hear Jesus, they don’t forcibly take him.  When he’s told they are outside of the crowded house, he tells his disciples and this followers, that they are his family because of this deeper trust.  He is saying that they are demonstrating true friendship by listening and trusting.  And, that there is a deeper bond than even our worldly attachments, that Jesus is our redeemer-kinsman, our brother, and this relationship is more important than any allegiance or belief or opinion…and this relationship calls us into deeper relationships with one another.

That’s church.  Our families are gifts that we should cherish and nurture and honor…that’s throughout Scripture and our nature.  Church though is a covenant that we enter into with one another, we say that we will work out things together, talk to one another, deeply listen, grow and mature together, be willing to live out what it means to follow Jesus and be God’s people.  Church that is “outside-in” focused.  Which means that we look at the people around us, God loves everyone around us…we find God in engaging the other and in the process inviting them from the outside into the inside of communion.  That’s what Jesus did and does!  

Now, last thing…Jesus’ family doesn’t seem to be offended too long by Jesus’ words.  His mother was one of the few that stayed with him at the cross at great peril to her own life.  She also knew early on the gift to the world that he was and is…and, his brother?  James becomes the leader of the church after Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Carrying the message of Jesus’ life to the world.

So, church family, know that you are loved and out of that love can love others.  Know that our commitment to one another is not defined by isms or belief systems, but abiding love that goes with us throughout our lives!

Revelation!

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Mark 1:21-28

The Man with an Unclean Spirit

21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! Hecommands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.                  

Several years ago, it actually seems like ages ago now, even lifetimes…my family moved to Pasadena, CA where I went to seminary to finished my masters in divinity degree.  It was a great season of adventure and new experiences almost every week.  I went to seminary a bit later in life so I had a young family.  I had received great advice from a professor at my seminary to not only study, but to enjoy this season.  Our family still remembers fondly going to the beach most Sundays after church for picnics, hiking in the mountains surrounding Pasadena, weekend trips to Yosemite, Joshua Tree, San Luis Obispo, King’s Canyon, Mexico, and simply being in LA and experiencing the beauty of the diversity in thought and culture that was seminary and being in Pasadena.

One experience, one story, fits with our discussion on “revelation”, or something being revealed to us and being astonished or overwhelmed.  

I was in a seminary class one day.  I got to class late, which is probably not a surprise to some already here at Westwood First, if not, I’m sure it will at some point, although I am much better these days..  Getting to class late, I had to sit in the back row of this class with a friend of mine Igors who was from Latvia.  The desks in the back where not comfortable and had the small pull out desk spaces…too small for my laptop (this was before the iPad!).  Igors was a good friend, we climbed Mt. Whitney together with some other friends.  He had lived through Soviet rule in Latvia.  This guy was not afraid, which is important to remember.  

Our class had a visiting professor from the UK.  He was an accomplished scholar with a great wit about him.  He had some great stories to share, and, on that day, he experienced another event that would make a great story.

As we were sitting in class, the room began to move, the windows behind our back row desks began to wobble in ways that they were not created to do…the frames around the window looked like they were turning into jello.  Everyone in the class jumped underneath their desks, Igors and I jumped up, we looked at each other, and realized that we had no cover because of our small desks because we were late and that no one else wanted…meanwhile our professor, with his British accent, yelled “earthquake” with a kind of question mark and ran out the door…

This earthquake, apparently a 5 or 6 point something, lasted a few moments with its epicenter just a few miles away from Pasadena.

After it stopped, we joked a bit, looked around for damage, remarked about how LA really is prepared for this sort of thing, and we all left class as our professor decided to cancel it after he came back in the room.  As I was walking home a few blocks away, I looked up in the mountains around me, and was overwhelmed with a sense that I had just experienced something that was overwhelming, that could bring down buildings and these mountains.  I also thought about a revelation that overwhelmed me to the point of tears:  God’s power, this supernatural “other” that causes things to grow, to create, and in the words of the psalmist, can cause mountains to tremble.  When I got home, I found my family safe, but they too had some amazing stories to share.

Our gospel passage this morning gives witness to a powerful God, to an experience that caused those witnessing it and experiencing it to tremble and marvel.  There is a man who has been demon possessed, he is out of his wits.  Some would say he had a mental illness or dismiss it as a possession, either way, he was not healthy and in need of healing.  

In the book of Mark, the author has a theme of painting Scribes and Pharisees, those who were scholars and priests, as folks concerned with power.  They had a system, a way of life, that they wanted to maintain.  Any threat to the status quo, their transactional way of living that kept them at the top of the social structure, they would try to squash through all sorts of power plays, arguments, bullying, social threats, and even physical threats.  They were afraid of Jesus.  His presence and stance on loving others, especially those on the margins that the Scribes and Pharisees wanted to keep on the margins, threatened them.  Jesus was bringing these “other” folks into the synagogues, inviting them to the parties that “they” all attended, including those who were hard to love.  He was inviting folks to question, and even change the system that was in place that prevented folks from experiencing growth.

The “people” in this passage, as it says in verse 22 were astounded by Jesus’ teaching.  He had authority that the Scribes didn’t have.  He had relationship and was  practitioner of loving actions, whereas the Scribes didn’t and were not.  They were amazed, but they still don’t necessarily believe.  Oftentimes we are amazed, but we still have disbelief, we have to ask ourselves, are we looking to be amazed even today?  Or do we want to keep the status quo, stay comfortable and in some sense of control?  As we talked a bit about last week, the Hebrew language has a lot of words for “marvel”…do we want to marvel, to have awe in our lives?

If there’s one thing that the pandemic and many of the cultural events of our lives has taught us, it is that even when we think we are in control, things happen…and just like that earthquake, can shake us to our core.  Something may even be revealed to us in a deep way.  Do we have the courage to embrace this moment, or the revelation that God wants to give us?  It can be scary, but those scary moments, if we stay curious, can open new places of growth within and around us.  

Jesus also had power, power that can penetrate even the darkest places in our lives and in our world…power that even the demons recognized.  Jesus calls out what this man is experiencing.  The demon possessed man can’t hide, and neither can the demons.  Jesus demonstrated a deep sense of who he was and is, rebukes the demons, silences them, and then banishes them from this man.  Jesus has power over even the supernatural, things we don’t see or understand.  Jesus is in effect making a statement, that he embodies the very power of God.  That power is present in all things, all people, even in the darkest places of life.

In those days, and we can relate to it today, folks who had diseases, were possessed with demons, had illness or some kind of physical issue were often labeled and stigmatized by others.  They were to blame for their ailment somehow, or God was judging them.  Folks on the margins were “unclean” and any proper, believing person would not come near them or it would make them unclean as well.  

Yet, as it says elsewhere in Scripture, that was not the case, that Jesus was indignant towards systems that oppress and limit folks.  Jesus came along and healed folks, and as demonstrated throughout scripture, restored folks into community, into relationship with others.  Jesus does come near, does enter into the uncleanliness of our lives, and the opposite happens, through our relationship with God, we are made clean.  There is no place in creation that is not sacred.  No life that is not sacred..  Jesus says to us that God is more powerful than our circumstances, God wants to bring healing, restoration, and growth…oftentimes in ways that we can never truly understand.  

Jesus heard this man’s cries, this man’s prayers.  God also hears our cries and prayers and enters into our lives, is present, and wants to reveal to us a deeper power, more powerful than earthquakes even.  

That power of God’s Presence that called us into being, that rescued/saved us, and that sustains, carries, forgives me as we live this life God’s given us and that we have the privilege of sharing with one another.  Let us attempt to live in this revelation, as best as we can in what comes our way, knowing that God is with us, all of us!