A Strong Man
Preaching
Preaching the Parables
Cycle B
"Why is this man so popular?" This question appeared on the cover of Time magazine beside a smiling picture of former President Ronald Reagan. Inside the magazine many facts were presented to help prove that he was indeed very popular in America. According to a Gallup poll taken after six years of his presidency, 68 percent of the American people approved of his leadership, and he had a higher rating over a longer period of time than any other second--term president since such polling began.
The feature article went on to say that he was so popular especially because of the relative success of his presidency, because he was proving to be one of the strongest leaders of the twentieth century, because he restored the prestige and authority of the Office of the Presidency, because of his deep personal authenticity, and because during his term America had an economic recovery lasting over 43 months - the longest in our history.
Why is this man Jesus so popular? Jesus did not have a national periodical like Time to analyze his popularity, but it nevertheless was a matter of great concern to many. Multitudes came to hear, teach, and preach, and many came to be healed. Evil spirits were driven out by the authority of his word and by the power of God. He was extraordinarily popular beyond all doubt - but why? Certainly it was largely due to his miracles and teaching. But how was he able to cast out demons? Such actions obviously required supernatural power, but was it the power of God or of Satan? Scribes speaking for the day's religious leaders claimed Jesus used the power of Satan but in answer to this charge, Jesus defended himself with the parables of the divided kingdom and the strong man. In this chapter, we will deal with both parables and with the circumstances surrounding them as given in today's Gospel Lesson, Mark 3:20--35.
Context
Context Of The Church Season And Day
The parables for this third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 5) take us into the Pentecost season, the last and longest season of the church year. It is the season of the Holy Spirit, and it is also the season of the church since it is the Spirit which creates the church. Over a period of 28 Sundays, we deal with the work, gifts, and fruit of the Spirit, and during this period we should consider the teachings and the mighty acts of God in Christ. It is a time of growth - growth in mind, heart, and spirit. And it is because green is the color of growth that the liturgical color of the Pentecost season is green.
During the Pentecost season, there is no special significance to the Sundays, when a minor or major festival falls on one, the festival takes precedence over the ordinary Sunday.
In the Pentecost season, there is no clearly defined theme that binds together the Lessons, Psalm, Prayer, and Hymn of the Day. The Psalm usually harmonizes with the First Lesson, and the Prayer and Hymn invariably deal with the Gospel. For thirteen Sundays the First Lesson gives biographical accounts of David. Over a period of 26 Sundays, the Second Lesson consists of readings from four of the Epistles. Except for eight Sundays, the Gospels are taken from Mark. This wide variety of Scripture selections gives us a broad choice of texts and subjects.
Context Of The Lectionary
As we have just seen, each Lesson is independent of the other two because they were not chosen on a thematic basis. Nevertheless, the Lessons certainly do not contradict each other, and, indeed, several similarities can perhaps be found.
The First Lesson. (1 Samuel 16:14--23) King Saul was tormented by an evil spirit, so his servants suggested that he get someone to play the lyre for him. David was highly recommended so Saul sent for him. David entered Saul's service, and his playing refreshed Saul so that the evil spirit left him. In today's Gospel, Jesus is accused of being insane and of using the devil to exorcise evil spirits. But Jesus was not a son of Saul but, rather, a son of the David who possessed the spirit of the Lord. It was by the power of God, therefore, that David's son, Jesus, exorcised evil spirits.
The Second Lesson. (2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1) Paul is telling about the hardships of his ministry, but all of his suffering is for the sake of the Corinthian Christians. Both Paul and the Corinthians have the same spirit, the same faith, the same hope of eternal life, and the same grace. There is here a connection with the Gospel in which Jesus speaks of the fall of a divided kingdom and house. If Jesus were in league with the devil, then Satan's house would be divided against itself and would fall. But just as Paul and the Corinthians have oneness, so the Father and Jesus are one.
The Gospel Lesson. (Mark 3:20--35) Jesus was immensely popular because of his teaching and miracles. The crowd was so demanding of him that there was no time for him even to eat. The people began saying Jesus was crazy. This caused Jesus' family to find him and to take him away from the violent crowds. The scribes held that Jesus drove out demons by the power of Satan, but in response Jesus tells the parable about a kingdom, which if divided falls. He also tells a second parable of a strong man overcome. Jesus goes on to say that to claim that Jesus is a devil is to commit the unpardonable sin. When his family arrives, Jesus is told that his mother and brothers are outside waiting for him, and he reveals that his family consists of all who do the will of God.
vv. 20--22 - the situation: charges against Jesus by people and scribes
vv. 23--26 - parable of the divided kingdom and house
v. 27 - parable of the strong man
vv. 28--30 - the unpardonable sin of saying that Jesus has an unclean spirit
vv. 31--34 - arrival of Jesus' family to take him home
Context Of The Scriptures
1. Mark. Today's Gospel does not give the background or the setting for the parables. In Mark 3:7--12, however, we learn of the great extent of Jesus' popularity. A great multitude followed Jesus to the Sea of Galilee, and people came from all over Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, Tyre, and Sidon. The crowd was so great that Jesus had to borrow a boat lest the crowd push him into the lake. Christ healed various diseases and cast out unclean spirits. After selecting his disciples, he journeyed home (Capernaum), but the crowd gathered again at his house. It is at this point that the Gospel for the Day begins.
2. Parallel Passages. (Matthew 12:22--32; Luke 11:14--23) Since these parallel passages are not used elsewhere in the Lec--tionary in the near future, a preacher may make use of them here to further clarify the parables of the divided kingdom and the strong man.
In Matthew, Jesus heals a blind and dumb man who was demon possessed. This caused the Pharisees to charge Jesus with being in league with Beelzebul.
In Luke, Jesus heals a man who was speechless, and some of the people claim Jesus did it by the power of Beelzebul.
How does Mark's account differ from Matthew's and Luke's?
A. Only Mark involves Jesus' family in the incident.
B. Matthew and Luke give the setting of the accusation: the casting out of a demon from a sick person.
C. The charge that Jesus was an agent of Satan was made by the Pharisees in Matthew, by some of the people in Luke, and by the scribes in Mark.
D. In Matthew and Luke, Jesus argues that the religious leaders of the day also cast out demons. Would his accusers claim, Jesus asks, that these leaders were agents of Satan? If not, then why is Jesus to be so accused?
Content
The Gospel for this Sunday may be confusing because there are two parables in the pericope. The two are related to each other, however, and the parables are related to the pericope. At first sight we might wonder why the various items are placed together in the same pericope, but preaching on the parable of the strong man we must be certain to deal with the entire pericope, because the various items are connected with each other.
First, there is the immense popularity of Jesus' miracles, and this raises the question of how he performed them. All agree that he has supernatural power, but great disagreement is expressed over whether the power is of God or of Satan.
Second, there are the reactions to his popularity and to his miraculous power of casting out demons. Some people say that he is out of his mind, while the scribes say Christ is an agent of Satan. These accusations cause his family to come to rescue him from the crowd.
Third, Jesus defends himself against the charge of the scribes, and he answers them with the two parables. In the first, Jesus points out that the fate of a divided kingdom or house must be to fall. He reasons from this that if he were in league with Satan and yet doing good by casting out demons, it would indicate that Satan's kingdom would be divided since Jesus would be doing good while Satan does only evil. The parable of the strong man then states that a strong man can still be overcome. Jesus does not say explicitly that he is stronger than Satan, but he clearly implies that he is more powerful. By driving out demons, for example, he proves that he has overcome Beelzebul.
Fourth, Jesus shows how serious is the accusation that he operates as an agent of Satan. He declares that the sin of saying that Jesus has an unclean spirit is unpardonable.
Fifth, by the time Jesus' family has arrived they cannot get into the house to confer with Jesus because of the crowd. Others tell him that his mother and brothers are outside, and in response Christ gives a new understanding of his family - i.e., those who do the will of God are his mother, brothers, and sisters.
Precis Of The Pericope
A large crowd came to Jesus for healing. He and his disciples wee so busy they had no time for meals. His family heard people saying that he lost his mind. Professional Bible teachers - i.e., scribes - came from Jerusalem to claim that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan. To defend himself against this charge, Jesus gave the scribes two parables. One said that a divided kingdom or house could not stand. If he cast out demons by Satan, Satan would be working against himself, and his kingdom would come to an end. Another parable was about a strong man conquered by a stronger man. It is implied that the stronger man is Jesus who overcomes the strong man, Satan, by evicting demons. To say that Jesus is an agent of Satan is so serious that it is an unpardonable sin. By this time Jesus' family had arrived but could not get into the house where Jesus was teaching and healing. When Jesus was told that his family was outside, he replied that his family consists of all those who do the will of his Father.
Thesis: By the power of God, the strong man, Satan, is overcome by the stronger one, Jesus.
Theme: Jesus is stronger than all evil.
Key Words In The Parable
1. "Beside himself" (v. 21) Many people claimed that Jesus was insane. So serious and pervasive was this charge that Jesus' family came to take him home to Nazareth away from the crowds. Could this mean that his mother, brothers, and sisters were ashamed of him, or were they concerned only for his safety?
It is not unusual for deeply committed Christians to be termed insane or mad. Festus said to Paul, for example, "Paul, you are mad; your great learning is turning you mad" (Acts 26:24). Paul writes that it is quite all right to be mad for God: "If we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind it is for you" (2 Corinthians 5:13).
From a secular viewpoint, Jesus could possibly be considered to be out of his mind. He certainly seems crazy to get so involved with people's needs and problems that there is no time for him even to eat. Moreover, it is at least a little crazy to get involved with demon--possessed people since good sense would dictate that the problems of normal people are difficult enough to solve. And, ironically, it was Jesus' healing of evil--spirited people which resulted in Jesus' being accused of being an agent of Satan. But, in the final analysis, we can only say that Jesus was "crazy" in that he had the strength to do what he knew what must be done even though he also knew that such extreme dedication would brand him as insane in the eyes of those who didn't understand his mission.
2. "Possessed by Beelzebul" (v. 22) Beelzebul was a Syrian god. In 2 Kings 2:1, for example, we read that when Ahaziah, king of Israel, fell off the roof of his palace, he sent representatives to ask Beelzebul, god of Ekron, whether he would recover. Among Israelites, however, Beelzebul was a name for the devil.
Why would religious leaders of Jesus' day conclude that Jesus was an agent of Satan? Consider the following:
Mark 2:15--17 - Jesus kept company with publicans and sinners.
2:18--22 - Jesus refused to have his disciples fast as John the Baptizer's disciples did.
2:23--28 - Jesus violated Sabbath laws.
3:1--6 - Jesus healed on the Sabbath day.
3:7--12 - Unclean spirits witnessed to Jesus as the Son of God.
3. "Divided" (v. 24) Jesus answered the charge of the scribes by pointing out that a divided kingdom or family cannot stand. If it were true, in other words, that Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebul, it would then mean that Satan's kingdom was divided against itself. Satan works only for evil; Jesus works only for good.
Unity is one of the goals of Jesus' ministry. In Ephesians, Paul emphasizes the oneness we have in Christ, and says that his coming to earth was "to unite all things in him" (Ephesians 1:10). Because of Christ, then, humanity was no longer divided into competing camps of Jews and Gentiles, but were now all members of the church (Ephesians 3:6). By means of the Cross, humanity was united with God, for in Christ God reconciled the world to himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). Before Christ, we were divided through our hostility toward each other until Christ then became our peace and united us to the Father and to each other in the family of God. Consequently, we have "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:4).
4. "Strong" (v. 27) The second parable in this pericope deals with a strong man overcome by a stronger man. As is customary in many of his parables, Jesus leaves the interpretation of certain aspects up to his audience. Since the demons are exorcised by Jesus, for example, it would imply to us that Jesus is stronger than Satan, king of evil spirits, and this also proves that Jesus is not an agent of Satan, but his conqueror.
God's people are assured in this parable, and throughout Scripture, that God will always be the victor in the end. Yahweh promises, "I will fight against whoever fights you, and I will rescue your children" (Isaiah 49:25). Jesus tells his disciples, "Be brave! I have defeated the world" (John 16:33). At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus promises, "I will build my church and not even death will ever be able to overcome it." In Ephesians, Paul visualizes the ultimate triumph of Christ: "God puts all things under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as supreme Lord over all things" (Ephesians 1:22). And in the end, Satan will be destroyed: "The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone" (Revelation 20:10).
5. "Never" (v. 29) We are often advised to "never say never" - but Jesus did. Anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will "never" be forgiven because it is the unpardonable sin. This causes deep concern for many people because they fear that they may have, or will, commit it. Why would Jesus place such powerful emphasis upon this sin? To say that Jesus has an evil spirit rather than the Holy Spirit is to turn him to Satan; to claim, as the scribes did, that he performed miracles by the power of Beelzebul is to do Jesus the worst possible injustice. This is unpardonable because if anyone is of the opinion that Jesus is of Satan then this also claims that Jesus as God's Son did not die for the sins of the world. But since forgiveness is only made possible by the Cross, it would not then be possible to be forgiven. Moreover, because the Holy Spirit is God who convicts us of sin and points us to Christ as Savior, to reject the Holy Spirit means to refuse to be brought to God for forgiveness.
Contemplation
When we reflect upon the context and content of today's Gospel lesson, preachers are faced with the question of what aspect of the pericope should be preached. The choice will probably depend upon the need of the specific congregation, or upon a pressing problem in the community at large. It would be difficult, however, to preach on just one specific aspect of the pericope because each part is related to the overall theme: does Jesus cast out demons by the power of God or of Satan?
Homily Hints
1. How do you account for Jesus' popularity? Jesus' healing and teaching drew multitudes to him. In ministering to the crowd, he was too busy even to get a bite to eat. He miraculously cast out demons. How do you explain his success? What motivates him? Is his power derived from God or from Satan? In today's Gospel we see several reactions to his ministry:
A. The crowd said "He is beside himself" - v. 21
B. Religious leaders said, "He has an unclean spirit" - vv. 22, 30
C. Jesus' family: ashamed of Jesus, they came to take him to seclusion - vv. 21, 31
It needs to be noted that in this account no one has a word of support, defense, or commendation for Jesus. Why were the newly--appointed Disciples silent in the face of the accusations leveled against Jesus? Jesus was forced to defend himself by arguing that he worked by the power of God.
2. Seeing it whole. The pericope (Mark 3:20--35) tells the whole story surrounding the parables. The parables need to be seen in the light of this context which grants the parables a relevant message. The pericope includes:
A. The situation - Jesus' popularity resulting from exorcising demons - v. 20.
B. The charges against him - by the crowd and by scribes - vv. 21--22.
C. Jesus' defense - two parables - vv. 23--27.
D. Consequence of the false charges - the unpardonable sin - vv. 28--30.
E. Status of those who side with Jesus - the family of God - vv. 31--32.
3. One stronger than the strongest. Jesus tells the parable of a strong man being overcome. By casting out demons, he knows that he is stronger than Satan.
This shows us that strength is not necessarily to be found in:
A. Physical strength. Consider the boy David and the giant Goliath, for example (1 Samuel 17). Here David said, "This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand."
B. Equipment. David could not even wear Saul's armor, and compare Goliath's mammoth sword with David's tiny sling and five stones.
C. Numbers. Gideon, for example, showed that a dedicated minority of 300 can defeat an army (Judges 7).
On the other hand, strength is to be found in:
A. God the Father - "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
B. God the Son - "I can do all things in him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).
C. God the Spirit - "God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self--control" (2 Timothy 1:7).
4. The battle of life. Life is a battle between good and evil, between Christ and Beelzebul, and it is a never--ending fight. The struggle goes on both inside each individual and within society as a whole. The parable of the strong man therefore reflects a familiar situation.
A. The contest - good or evil, Christ or Satan, truth or falsehood?
The conflict in Paul's experience - Romans 7:13--25.
B. The conquest - the one who overcomes is Christ, and we are one in Christ.
Love is stronger than hatred.
Life is stronger than death.
Hope is stronger than despair.
Truth is stronger than falsehood.
5. The great divide. In defending himself against the charge that his casting out of demons indicated that he was in league with Satan, Jesus gave the parable of the divided kingdom and house. He pointed out that since a divided kingdom must fall, if he were an agent of Satan exorcising evil spirits, then he would also be working against Satan. Lincoln made this parable famous when he quoted it in saying that America could not exist half "slave" and have "free" and today the same is true with South Africa.
The truth of this parable is expressed in many areas of everyday life. A divided married couple will eventually be divorced or separated; a divided mind leads to the confusion James wrote about in noting "A double--minded man, unstable in all his ways ..." (James 1:8), and even a church can be crippled by internal strife as can be seen in the split between Fundamentalists and Moderates, or between Charismatics and Traditionalists. It was because this sort of internal discord was a problem in Paul's churches, that he appealed "Complete my joy by being of the same mind having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind" (Philippians 2:2).
What is the solution to such separation, schism, or division? It is, quite simply, being on one side or the other: God's or Satan's. To serve both is impossible, says Jesus: "You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). We must be either for or against Christ and there is no middle ground. It is only when we are one in Christ that we will be one with each other; the closer we come to Christ, the closer we will be to each other.
6. The new family. Jesus' family has an important role in today's parable. When his mother, brothers, and sisters heard that people were claiming Jesus to be crazy, they came to take him home to Nazareth. They were seemingly embarrassed by the report and possibly were even ashamed of him - they wanted to get him out of the public eye if he were a mad man. When they came to get him, however, they could not get in the house because it was so crowded. When word reached Jesus that his family was outside asking for him, he gave us a new concept of family: the family of God.
According to Jesus, God's family does not consist of:
A. Only those related by blood.
B. All those created as humans. All people are human beings but not all are children of God.
C. Only those of like race or religion.
God's family does consist of those who do the will of God.
7. The glory of madness. In today's Gospel, people say about Jesus: "He is mad. He is crazy. He is out of his mind. He is beside himself." Mentally ill people need our help and care, but there is a type of madness that is a glory.
This special kind of madness may take two forms:
First, it may occur when we are mad at the wrongs in our world. It is time that we got "mad" at injustice, poverty, discrimination, pornography, and crime. Paul commanded, "Be angry and sin not." WE need to get mad enough to stop the evils of our day.
Second, we may be deemed mad because of the intensity of our devotion and sacrifice for Christ. Paul called himself a "fool" for Christ, for example, and all who are devoted to Jesus may seem to be crazy to the world at large.
Contact
Points Of Contact
Today's lection has four points of relevance to contemporary society and church people.
1. Division. Both the world and our church experience the problem of disunity. Half of American families are divided by divorce; war signals the lack of unity among nations; strikes indicate that labor and management cannot join in harmony; racial violence reminds us that races may be opposed to each other.
2. Interpretation. How does one explain the marvelous work of Jesus? Is he actually out of his mind - in league with the devil - or is he an agent of God's power? If we conclude that Jesus exorcises demons by the power of God, then we also obligate ourselves to accept him as Lord.
3. Strength. People want and need strength for their tasks and trials. Our enemy is a strong man, and to overcome him, therefore, we must also be strong. According to the parable, Satan is strong, but the one who invades his stronghold is still able to triumph. Since Jesus drove out the demons leagued with Satan, he is stronger than Satan. People today need the confidence and comfort that God will ultimately win, that people in Christ will have victory over the world. Consider for a moment: How many people who feel themselves to be weak are in your congregation? The parable will speak to them.
4. Family. In today's America, the family is in a crisis - divorce, separation, spouse brutality, child abuse, alcoholism, and drugs - all threaten to destroy it. So today's family - as Jesus' family in this pericope - may feel ashamed of Jesus when we are in a crowd.
In this passage, Jesus enlarges his family to include all those who do the will of God. Christ becomes our brother in the family of God, and the church consists of God's family into which we are adopted through baptism. Members of the church are our brothers and sisters because they are in Christ and do the will of God. In a day when forty percent of Americans are single, many may feel that they have no family. If they do the will of God, however, they do have a family: the family of God.
Illustrative Materials
1. God or Satan? The scribes claimed that Jesus was possessed by Beelzebul and cast out demons by the power of Satan. John Huss, an early reformer, was burned at the stake in 1415 for his Protestant heresy. Before he was burned to death, his accusers placed a crown of paper with painted devils on his head. In place of a crown of thorns, therefore, Jesus might well have worn the same crown of devils.
2. Who is stronger? Since a stronger person can overcome a strong one, the goal is for each of us to be the stronger. This is the key to the nuclear arms race. One superpower is ever trying to be stronger than the other to prevent being overcome. Greater nuclear capability is claimed to be a deterrent to a nuclear attack. Dr. Brzezinski, a national security advisor in the Carter administration, wrote in a May, 1986, periodical:
We have to face the fact, painful though it may be, that we cannot get rid of nuclear weapons. It is the reality of nuclear weapons that has certainly contributed to an unprecedented degree of restraint in the American and Soviet conduct of the intense and highly conflictual rivalry between the two superpowers. In any other age, these superpowers would have come into direct conflict many times over in the course of the last forty years. It has been the existence of nuclear weapons that has made both sides more prudent, more restrained.
3. Mad. Today's Gospel tells us that many people claimed that Jesus was a "mad" (crazy) man. Mark put it in more respectful words: "He is beside himself." There are times when we should be "mad." Mothers who lost children by a drunken driver organized themselves into an organization called MADD, "Mothers Against Drunk Drivers." None of them are "crazy" but they're properly "beside themselves" with righteous anger.
Saint John Chrysostom said, "Whoever is without anger, when there is cause for anger, sins."
Addressing a graduation class at the University of Michigan in 1983, Lee Iacocca said, "I want you to get mad about the current state of affairs. I want you to get so mad that you kick your elders in their figurative posteriors and move America off dead center."
The feature article went on to say that he was so popular especially because of the relative success of his presidency, because he was proving to be one of the strongest leaders of the twentieth century, because he restored the prestige and authority of the Office of the Presidency, because of his deep personal authenticity, and because during his term America had an economic recovery lasting over 43 months - the longest in our history.
Why is this man Jesus so popular? Jesus did not have a national periodical like Time to analyze his popularity, but it nevertheless was a matter of great concern to many. Multitudes came to hear, teach, and preach, and many came to be healed. Evil spirits were driven out by the authority of his word and by the power of God. He was extraordinarily popular beyond all doubt - but why? Certainly it was largely due to his miracles and teaching. But how was he able to cast out demons? Such actions obviously required supernatural power, but was it the power of God or of Satan? Scribes speaking for the day's religious leaders claimed Jesus used the power of Satan but in answer to this charge, Jesus defended himself with the parables of the divided kingdom and the strong man. In this chapter, we will deal with both parables and with the circumstances surrounding them as given in today's Gospel Lesson, Mark 3:20--35.
Context
Context Of The Church Season And Day
The parables for this third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 5) take us into the Pentecost season, the last and longest season of the church year. It is the season of the Holy Spirit, and it is also the season of the church since it is the Spirit which creates the church. Over a period of 28 Sundays, we deal with the work, gifts, and fruit of the Spirit, and during this period we should consider the teachings and the mighty acts of God in Christ. It is a time of growth - growth in mind, heart, and spirit. And it is because green is the color of growth that the liturgical color of the Pentecost season is green.
During the Pentecost season, there is no special significance to the Sundays, when a minor or major festival falls on one, the festival takes precedence over the ordinary Sunday.
In the Pentecost season, there is no clearly defined theme that binds together the Lessons, Psalm, Prayer, and Hymn of the Day. The Psalm usually harmonizes with the First Lesson, and the Prayer and Hymn invariably deal with the Gospel. For thirteen Sundays the First Lesson gives biographical accounts of David. Over a period of 26 Sundays, the Second Lesson consists of readings from four of the Epistles. Except for eight Sundays, the Gospels are taken from Mark. This wide variety of Scripture selections gives us a broad choice of texts and subjects.
Context Of The Lectionary
As we have just seen, each Lesson is independent of the other two because they were not chosen on a thematic basis. Nevertheless, the Lessons certainly do not contradict each other, and, indeed, several similarities can perhaps be found.
The First Lesson. (1 Samuel 16:14--23) King Saul was tormented by an evil spirit, so his servants suggested that he get someone to play the lyre for him. David was highly recommended so Saul sent for him. David entered Saul's service, and his playing refreshed Saul so that the evil spirit left him. In today's Gospel, Jesus is accused of being insane and of using the devil to exorcise evil spirits. But Jesus was not a son of Saul but, rather, a son of the David who possessed the spirit of the Lord. It was by the power of God, therefore, that David's son, Jesus, exorcised evil spirits.
The Second Lesson. (2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1) Paul is telling about the hardships of his ministry, but all of his suffering is for the sake of the Corinthian Christians. Both Paul and the Corinthians have the same spirit, the same faith, the same hope of eternal life, and the same grace. There is here a connection with the Gospel in which Jesus speaks of the fall of a divided kingdom and house. If Jesus were in league with the devil, then Satan's house would be divided against itself and would fall. But just as Paul and the Corinthians have oneness, so the Father and Jesus are one.
The Gospel Lesson. (Mark 3:20--35) Jesus was immensely popular because of his teaching and miracles. The crowd was so demanding of him that there was no time for him even to eat. The people began saying Jesus was crazy. This caused Jesus' family to find him and to take him away from the violent crowds. The scribes held that Jesus drove out demons by the power of Satan, but in response Jesus tells the parable about a kingdom, which if divided falls. He also tells a second parable of a strong man overcome. Jesus goes on to say that to claim that Jesus is a devil is to commit the unpardonable sin. When his family arrives, Jesus is told that his mother and brothers are outside waiting for him, and he reveals that his family consists of all who do the will of God.
vv. 20--22 - the situation: charges against Jesus by people and scribes
vv. 23--26 - parable of the divided kingdom and house
v. 27 - parable of the strong man
vv. 28--30 - the unpardonable sin of saying that Jesus has an unclean spirit
vv. 31--34 - arrival of Jesus' family to take him home
Context Of The Scriptures
1. Mark. Today's Gospel does not give the background or the setting for the parables. In Mark 3:7--12, however, we learn of the great extent of Jesus' popularity. A great multitude followed Jesus to the Sea of Galilee, and people came from all over Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, Tyre, and Sidon. The crowd was so great that Jesus had to borrow a boat lest the crowd push him into the lake. Christ healed various diseases and cast out unclean spirits. After selecting his disciples, he journeyed home (Capernaum), but the crowd gathered again at his house. It is at this point that the Gospel for the Day begins.
2. Parallel Passages. (Matthew 12:22--32; Luke 11:14--23) Since these parallel passages are not used elsewhere in the Lec--tionary in the near future, a preacher may make use of them here to further clarify the parables of the divided kingdom and the strong man.
In Matthew, Jesus heals a blind and dumb man who was demon possessed. This caused the Pharisees to charge Jesus with being in league with Beelzebul.
In Luke, Jesus heals a man who was speechless, and some of the people claim Jesus did it by the power of Beelzebul.
How does Mark's account differ from Matthew's and Luke's?
A. Only Mark involves Jesus' family in the incident.
B. Matthew and Luke give the setting of the accusation: the casting out of a demon from a sick person.
C. The charge that Jesus was an agent of Satan was made by the Pharisees in Matthew, by some of the people in Luke, and by the scribes in Mark.
D. In Matthew and Luke, Jesus argues that the religious leaders of the day also cast out demons. Would his accusers claim, Jesus asks, that these leaders were agents of Satan? If not, then why is Jesus to be so accused?
Content
The Gospel for this Sunday may be confusing because there are two parables in the pericope. The two are related to each other, however, and the parables are related to the pericope. At first sight we might wonder why the various items are placed together in the same pericope, but preaching on the parable of the strong man we must be certain to deal with the entire pericope, because the various items are connected with each other.
First, there is the immense popularity of Jesus' miracles, and this raises the question of how he performed them. All agree that he has supernatural power, but great disagreement is expressed over whether the power is of God or of Satan.
Second, there are the reactions to his popularity and to his miraculous power of casting out demons. Some people say that he is out of his mind, while the scribes say Christ is an agent of Satan. These accusations cause his family to come to rescue him from the crowd.
Third, Jesus defends himself against the charge of the scribes, and he answers them with the two parables. In the first, Jesus points out that the fate of a divided kingdom or house must be to fall. He reasons from this that if he were in league with Satan and yet doing good by casting out demons, it would indicate that Satan's kingdom would be divided since Jesus would be doing good while Satan does only evil. The parable of the strong man then states that a strong man can still be overcome. Jesus does not say explicitly that he is stronger than Satan, but he clearly implies that he is more powerful. By driving out demons, for example, he proves that he has overcome Beelzebul.
Fourth, Jesus shows how serious is the accusation that he operates as an agent of Satan. He declares that the sin of saying that Jesus has an unclean spirit is unpardonable.
Fifth, by the time Jesus' family has arrived they cannot get into the house to confer with Jesus because of the crowd. Others tell him that his mother and brothers are outside, and in response Christ gives a new understanding of his family - i.e., those who do the will of God are his mother, brothers, and sisters.
Precis Of The Pericope
A large crowd came to Jesus for healing. He and his disciples wee so busy they had no time for meals. His family heard people saying that he lost his mind. Professional Bible teachers - i.e., scribes - came from Jerusalem to claim that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan. To defend himself against this charge, Jesus gave the scribes two parables. One said that a divided kingdom or house could not stand. If he cast out demons by Satan, Satan would be working against himself, and his kingdom would come to an end. Another parable was about a strong man conquered by a stronger man. It is implied that the stronger man is Jesus who overcomes the strong man, Satan, by evicting demons. To say that Jesus is an agent of Satan is so serious that it is an unpardonable sin. By this time Jesus' family had arrived but could not get into the house where Jesus was teaching and healing. When Jesus was told that his family was outside, he replied that his family consists of all those who do the will of his Father.
Thesis: By the power of God, the strong man, Satan, is overcome by the stronger one, Jesus.
Theme: Jesus is stronger than all evil.
Key Words In The Parable
1. "Beside himself" (v. 21) Many people claimed that Jesus was insane. So serious and pervasive was this charge that Jesus' family came to take him home to Nazareth away from the crowds. Could this mean that his mother, brothers, and sisters were ashamed of him, or were they concerned only for his safety?
It is not unusual for deeply committed Christians to be termed insane or mad. Festus said to Paul, for example, "Paul, you are mad; your great learning is turning you mad" (Acts 26:24). Paul writes that it is quite all right to be mad for God: "If we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind it is for you" (2 Corinthians 5:13).
From a secular viewpoint, Jesus could possibly be considered to be out of his mind. He certainly seems crazy to get so involved with people's needs and problems that there is no time for him even to eat. Moreover, it is at least a little crazy to get involved with demon--possessed people since good sense would dictate that the problems of normal people are difficult enough to solve. And, ironically, it was Jesus' healing of evil--spirited people which resulted in Jesus' being accused of being an agent of Satan. But, in the final analysis, we can only say that Jesus was "crazy" in that he had the strength to do what he knew what must be done even though he also knew that such extreme dedication would brand him as insane in the eyes of those who didn't understand his mission.
2. "Possessed by Beelzebul" (v. 22) Beelzebul was a Syrian god. In 2 Kings 2:1, for example, we read that when Ahaziah, king of Israel, fell off the roof of his palace, he sent representatives to ask Beelzebul, god of Ekron, whether he would recover. Among Israelites, however, Beelzebul was a name for the devil.
Why would religious leaders of Jesus' day conclude that Jesus was an agent of Satan? Consider the following:
Mark 2:15--17 - Jesus kept company with publicans and sinners.
2:18--22 - Jesus refused to have his disciples fast as John the Baptizer's disciples did.
2:23--28 - Jesus violated Sabbath laws.
3:1--6 - Jesus healed on the Sabbath day.
3:7--12 - Unclean spirits witnessed to Jesus as the Son of God.
3. "Divided" (v. 24) Jesus answered the charge of the scribes by pointing out that a divided kingdom or family cannot stand. If it were true, in other words, that Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebul, it would then mean that Satan's kingdom was divided against itself. Satan works only for evil; Jesus works only for good.
Unity is one of the goals of Jesus' ministry. In Ephesians, Paul emphasizes the oneness we have in Christ, and says that his coming to earth was "to unite all things in him" (Ephesians 1:10). Because of Christ, then, humanity was no longer divided into competing camps of Jews and Gentiles, but were now all members of the church (Ephesians 3:6). By means of the Cross, humanity was united with God, for in Christ God reconciled the world to himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). Before Christ, we were divided through our hostility toward each other until Christ then became our peace and united us to the Father and to each other in the family of God. Consequently, we have "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:4).
4. "Strong" (v. 27) The second parable in this pericope deals with a strong man overcome by a stronger man. As is customary in many of his parables, Jesus leaves the interpretation of certain aspects up to his audience. Since the demons are exorcised by Jesus, for example, it would imply to us that Jesus is stronger than Satan, king of evil spirits, and this also proves that Jesus is not an agent of Satan, but his conqueror.
God's people are assured in this parable, and throughout Scripture, that God will always be the victor in the end. Yahweh promises, "I will fight against whoever fights you, and I will rescue your children" (Isaiah 49:25). Jesus tells his disciples, "Be brave! I have defeated the world" (John 16:33). At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus promises, "I will build my church and not even death will ever be able to overcome it." In Ephesians, Paul visualizes the ultimate triumph of Christ: "God puts all things under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as supreme Lord over all things" (Ephesians 1:22). And in the end, Satan will be destroyed: "The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone" (Revelation 20:10).
5. "Never" (v. 29) We are often advised to "never say never" - but Jesus did. Anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will "never" be forgiven because it is the unpardonable sin. This causes deep concern for many people because they fear that they may have, or will, commit it. Why would Jesus place such powerful emphasis upon this sin? To say that Jesus has an evil spirit rather than the Holy Spirit is to turn him to Satan; to claim, as the scribes did, that he performed miracles by the power of Beelzebul is to do Jesus the worst possible injustice. This is unpardonable because if anyone is of the opinion that Jesus is of Satan then this also claims that Jesus as God's Son did not die for the sins of the world. But since forgiveness is only made possible by the Cross, it would not then be possible to be forgiven. Moreover, because the Holy Spirit is God who convicts us of sin and points us to Christ as Savior, to reject the Holy Spirit means to refuse to be brought to God for forgiveness.
Contemplation
When we reflect upon the context and content of today's Gospel lesson, preachers are faced with the question of what aspect of the pericope should be preached. The choice will probably depend upon the need of the specific congregation, or upon a pressing problem in the community at large. It would be difficult, however, to preach on just one specific aspect of the pericope because each part is related to the overall theme: does Jesus cast out demons by the power of God or of Satan?
Homily Hints
1. How do you account for Jesus' popularity? Jesus' healing and teaching drew multitudes to him. In ministering to the crowd, he was too busy even to get a bite to eat. He miraculously cast out demons. How do you explain his success? What motivates him? Is his power derived from God or from Satan? In today's Gospel we see several reactions to his ministry:
A. The crowd said "He is beside himself" - v. 21
B. Religious leaders said, "He has an unclean spirit" - vv. 22, 30
C. Jesus' family: ashamed of Jesus, they came to take him to seclusion - vv. 21, 31
It needs to be noted that in this account no one has a word of support, defense, or commendation for Jesus. Why were the newly--appointed Disciples silent in the face of the accusations leveled against Jesus? Jesus was forced to defend himself by arguing that he worked by the power of God.
2. Seeing it whole. The pericope (Mark 3:20--35) tells the whole story surrounding the parables. The parables need to be seen in the light of this context which grants the parables a relevant message. The pericope includes:
A. The situation - Jesus' popularity resulting from exorcising demons - v. 20.
B. The charges against him - by the crowd and by scribes - vv. 21--22.
C. Jesus' defense - two parables - vv. 23--27.
D. Consequence of the false charges - the unpardonable sin - vv. 28--30.
E. Status of those who side with Jesus - the family of God - vv. 31--32.
3. One stronger than the strongest. Jesus tells the parable of a strong man being overcome. By casting out demons, he knows that he is stronger than Satan.
This shows us that strength is not necessarily to be found in:
A. Physical strength. Consider the boy David and the giant Goliath, for example (1 Samuel 17). Here David said, "This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand."
B. Equipment. David could not even wear Saul's armor, and compare Goliath's mammoth sword with David's tiny sling and five stones.
C. Numbers. Gideon, for example, showed that a dedicated minority of 300 can defeat an army (Judges 7).
On the other hand, strength is to be found in:
A. God the Father - "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
B. God the Son - "I can do all things in him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).
C. God the Spirit - "God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self--control" (2 Timothy 1:7).
4. The battle of life. Life is a battle between good and evil, between Christ and Beelzebul, and it is a never--ending fight. The struggle goes on both inside each individual and within society as a whole. The parable of the strong man therefore reflects a familiar situation.
A. The contest - good or evil, Christ or Satan, truth or falsehood?
The conflict in Paul's experience - Romans 7:13--25.
B. The conquest - the one who overcomes is Christ, and we are one in Christ.
Love is stronger than hatred.
Life is stronger than death.
Hope is stronger than despair.
Truth is stronger than falsehood.
5. The great divide. In defending himself against the charge that his casting out of demons indicated that he was in league with Satan, Jesus gave the parable of the divided kingdom and house. He pointed out that since a divided kingdom must fall, if he were an agent of Satan exorcising evil spirits, then he would also be working against Satan. Lincoln made this parable famous when he quoted it in saying that America could not exist half "slave" and have "free" and today the same is true with South Africa.
The truth of this parable is expressed in many areas of everyday life. A divided married couple will eventually be divorced or separated; a divided mind leads to the confusion James wrote about in noting "A double--minded man, unstable in all his ways ..." (James 1:8), and even a church can be crippled by internal strife as can be seen in the split between Fundamentalists and Moderates, or between Charismatics and Traditionalists. It was because this sort of internal discord was a problem in Paul's churches, that he appealed "Complete my joy by being of the same mind having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind" (Philippians 2:2).
What is the solution to such separation, schism, or division? It is, quite simply, being on one side or the other: God's or Satan's. To serve both is impossible, says Jesus: "You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). We must be either for or against Christ and there is no middle ground. It is only when we are one in Christ that we will be one with each other; the closer we come to Christ, the closer we will be to each other.
6. The new family. Jesus' family has an important role in today's parable. When his mother, brothers, and sisters heard that people were claiming Jesus to be crazy, they came to take him home to Nazareth. They were seemingly embarrassed by the report and possibly were even ashamed of him - they wanted to get him out of the public eye if he were a mad man. When they came to get him, however, they could not get in the house because it was so crowded. When word reached Jesus that his family was outside asking for him, he gave us a new concept of family: the family of God.
According to Jesus, God's family does not consist of:
A. Only those related by blood.
B. All those created as humans. All people are human beings but not all are children of God.
C. Only those of like race or religion.
God's family does consist of those who do the will of God.
7. The glory of madness. In today's Gospel, people say about Jesus: "He is mad. He is crazy. He is out of his mind. He is beside himself." Mentally ill people need our help and care, but there is a type of madness that is a glory.
This special kind of madness may take two forms:
First, it may occur when we are mad at the wrongs in our world. It is time that we got "mad" at injustice, poverty, discrimination, pornography, and crime. Paul commanded, "Be angry and sin not." WE need to get mad enough to stop the evils of our day.
Second, we may be deemed mad because of the intensity of our devotion and sacrifice for Christ. Paul called himself a "fool" for Christ, for example, and all who are devoted to Jesus may seem to be crazy to the world at large.
Contact
Points Of Contact
Today's lection has four points of relevance to contemporary society and church people.
1. Division. Both the world and our church experience the problem of disunity. Half of American families are divided by divorce; war signals the lack of unity among nations; strikes indicate that labor and management cannot join in harmony; racial violence reminds us that races may be opposed to each other.
2. Interpretation. How does one explain the marvelous work of Jesus? Is he actually out of his mind - in league with the devil - or is he an agent of God's power? If we conclude that Jesus exorcises demons by the power of God, then we also obligate ourselves to accept him as Lord.
3. Strength. People want and need strength for their tasks and trials. Our enemy is a strong man, and to overcome him, therefore, we must also be strong. According to the parable, Satan is strong, but the one who invades his stronghold is still able to triumph. Since Jesus drove out the demons leagued with Satan, he is stronger than Satan. People today need the confidence and comfort that God will ultimately win, that people in Christ will have victory over the world. Consider for a moment: How many people who feel themselves to be weak are in your congregation? The parable will speak to them.
4. Family. In today's America, the family is in a crisis - divorce, separation, spouse brutality, child abuse, alcoholism, and drugs - all threaten to destroy it. So today's family - as Jesus' family in this pericope - may feel ashamed of Jesus when we are in a crowd.
In this passage, Jesus enlarges his family to include all those who do the will of God. Christ becomes our brother in the family of God, and the church consists of God's family into which we are adopted through baptism. Members of the church are our brothers and sisters because they are in Christ and do the will of God. In a day when forty percent of Americans are single, many may feel that they have no family. If they do the will of God, however, they do have a family: the family of God.
Illustrative Materials
1. God or Satan? The scribes claimed that Jesus was possessed by Beelzebul and cast out demons by the power of Satan. John Huss, an early reformer, was burned at the stake in 1415 for his Protestant heresy. Before he was burned to death, his accusers placed a crown of paper with painted devils on his head. In place of a crown of thorns, therefore, Jesus might well have worn the same crown of devils.
2. Who is stronger? Since a stronger person can overcome a strong one, the goal is for each of us to be the stronger. This is the key to the nuclear arms race. One superpower is ever trying to be stronger than the other to prevent being overcome. Greater nuclear capability is claimed to be a deterrent to a nuclear attack. Dr. Brzezinski, a national security advisor in the Carter administration, wrote in a May, 1986, periodical:
We have to face the fact, painful though it may be, that we cannot get rid of nuclear weapons. It is the reality of nuclear weapons that has certainly contributed to an unprecedented degree of restraint in the American and Soviet conduct of the intense and highly conflictual rivalry between the two superpowers. In any other age, these superpowers would have come into direct conflict many times over in the course of the last forty years. It has been the existence of nuclear weapons that has made both sides more prudent, more restrained.
3. Mad. Today's Gospel tells us that many people claimed that Jesus was a "mad" (crazy) man. Mark put it in more respectful words: "He is beside himself." There are times when we should be "mad." Mothers who lost children by a drunken driver organized themselves into an organization called MADD, "Mothers Against Drunk Drivers." None of them are "crazy" but they're properly "beside themselves" with righteous anger.
Saint John Chrysostom said, "Whoever is without anger, when there is cause for anger, sins."
Addressing a graduation class at the University of Michigan in 1983, Lee Iacocca said, "I want you to get mad about the current state of affairs. I want you to get so mad that you kick your elders in their figurative posteriors and move America off dead center."
