Mari Ikeda
❖ Video
❖ Audio
Warnings To The Church (Mark 3:20-35)
A. Supernatural powers cannot be a decisive evidence for our faith (20-22)
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 Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”
B. The mistake of behaving as if we are God (22-30)
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.”
1. Treating God as Satan
2. Jesus’ warning
C. The mistake of believing that Jesus belongs to “my” family (21, 31-35)
21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
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.”
1. Understanding Jesus only within our assumptions of Him
2. What is the true family of Jesus?
Summary
It is the most dangerous for us to falsely believe that we know God and Jesus well enough. This always poses a danger to the church. By this false belief, we make ourselves gods and make misjudgments to others. By this false belief, we fail to understand Jesus’ love and love others only within our limited ability to understand. Let each of us recognize our own limitation, and try to pursue Jesus’ will rather than our own selfish motives, so that we can become a part of the true family of Jesus.
For Discussion
1) What can we do not to make these mistakes?
2) What is the true family of Jesus?