Let The Light One In (Mark 4:21-25)

Can you hear fluorescent light bulbs? Those who can usually dislike the buzz and hum above them. Studies show that young students, in particular, have adverse effects when their classrooms are lit by fluorescent tubes.^[1] That said, we don’t usually pay much attention to the sounds of light bulbs.

Unless of course you’re an Israeli security researcher. A team at Ben-Gurion University developed a method where spies take a telescope, an electro-optical sensor, and a laptop, point it at a hanging light bulb that might be visible through a window, and are able to discern the audio in that room.

The sound waves create vibrations on the glass bulb, which cause minuscule changes in its light output. The electrical signals are then analyzed and converted so that listeners can hear exactly what’s going on around that light. They’re calling it “Lamphone.”^[2]

In this text, Jesus wants to speak through a lamp. He urgently insists that we listen to the light and that the way we respond will not only make a difference in this life, but will be definitive in the next.

Mark 4:21 – ²¹ He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand?

In that day, the average house was one room with no windows.^[3] If you wanted light in the house, you had to bring it in. They would use little clay lamps, filled with olive oil and a wick, and set them on a shelf or a carve out in the wall.

Jesus’ questions are very simple, taken from a common sense situation. Obviously they would set the lamp on the stand, rather than under a bed or beneath a basket. Putting a lit flame under something like that was not only silly because the light would be hidden and therefore leave you in the dark, but it might actually cause a dangerous fire in the house.^[4]

But Jesus wasn’t talking about a literal clay lamp. He’s making a much bigger point. Our English translations alter the peculiar way that Jesus phrased this question. What He said was actually, “Does the lamp come for the purpose of being placed under a [basket]?”^[5]

The Lamp comes to your house. That’s the image. Jesus was making reference to the fact that He is the Light of the world.^[6] That His arrival was a new dawn of eternal import.

Remember: He just told His disciples that through the parables He’s giving them the secrets of the Kingdom. That He came to sow the word of God and those who receive it with faith and obedience will continually receive more understanding and knowledge and spiritual fruit from God.

Now, as He continues this discussion, we see not only is He the Sower Who sows the word, but He is the Light Who has come, and hopes to be brought into their lives.

What is the purpose of light? It illuminates. It gives us vision. It reveals. It exposes. It facilitates movement and activity and growth. But, as we see in the parable, only if it’s in the right position.

Christ came to be the central focal point of our lives. He’s not just the old garage light that gets 2 or 3 minutes of use a day. His light is meant to flood our lives, expose everything to His warmth and His cleansing and His inspection. And we need it. We can’t live in the dark – not really. If we can’t see things as they are, if we can’t see obstacles around us, if we can’t see the way ahead, if we can’t see other people around us, what kind of life is that?

So Jesus asks these questions with obvious answers: Do you want light in your house? What wouldn’t these first century Galileans give for 100 watt bulbs! But on a deeper level, this simple parable reveals the sad spiritual reality: That humanity loves darkness, rather than light. That our sin natures cling to the shadows and tries desperately to cover the Light, to overcome it.

Just after the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, Jesus went on to explain that:

John 3:19-21a – ¹⁹ The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. ²¹ But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light

Our sin nature tries to flee from the Light of the world. That’s the first thing Adam and Eve did after they disobeyed God – they hid from the Lord. But God has come to bring light into the dark so that people can finally see the truth, so they can be saved from the darkness of sin. Because in Jesus, the Light of the world, is life. “And that life was the light of men,” John says.^[7]

Now, this parable has multiple layers of application for us as Christians. Because Jesus is the Lamp – He’s the One Who came to shine the light of the Gospel for all humanity. But He said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

What happens now that He has ascended into heaven? Is the world left in darkness? Not at all. He also said to His disciples, “You are the light of the world. Like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. So let your light shine before others.”^[8]

Not only do we want to respond to this parable by properly positioning Jesus in the center of our lives and allowing His light to do all He wants to do in us, but we also respond by remembering the position we’re in as light bearers. Now we bring the Light of salvation to those trapped in the dark.

Mark 4:22 – ²² For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.

Jesus came to reveal. He reveals our sin. He reveals the plan of salvation. He reveals the heart of God. He reveals the power of God. He reveals the true nature of man and the only hope for man. He revealed that He is the One and only Messiah. There will never be a new revelation. There isn’t another, secret universe where God is running a different redemption experiment. When people claim to be the Messiah, or claim to be Jesus, we can confidently say, “No you’re not,” because the Lord has shared with us the secrets of the Kingdom and the plan for His return.

Meanwhile, as His plan unfolds, verse 22 reminds us that our Lord knows everything. In the end, all will be made right. Everything will be accounted for and judged according to His plan and truth.

But this verse isn’t only about the global work of Gd, it’s also what He wants to do in your personal life: That everything in us be brought into the light, nothing held back from exposure to His grace.

Years ago I went to a dermatologist for an issue on my nose. It was my first visit, and the doctor said, “I want to do a whole body inspection.” I wasn’t really on board with that. Just look at my nose and I’ll decide if anything else needs to be examined.

We don’t want to have that kind of relationship with Jesus, the Great Physician. “Ok Lord. Here’s the problem I’m having at work, or here’s the hard time I’m having in my marriage, but leave the rest of me alone – I’ve got it covered. You can give me instruction on this issue, leave the rest alone.”

Instead we want to have David’s outlook from Psalm 139. “Lord, search me and know me. You observe all my travels. You know all my thoughts. You have encircled me and placed Your hand on me and I welcome the floodlight of Your truth and grace and presence to bring me out of darkness and into Your marvelous light.”

Mark 4:23 – ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.”

Jesus was imperative here. His words were more like, “If you have ears, you better listen!”^[9] As we learned last week, parables aren’t just interesting stories. They’re essential truths that we must respond to. That’s why Jesus used parables: So that we would hear the way He wants us to hear.

We “listen” in different ways. Sometimes we listen to extremely important information with absolutely no interest. I haven’t flown in a while, but even when I did I paid no attention to the safety instructions before take off.

Sadly, that’s how many people “hear” the Word of God. But Jesus presents these words as urgent and essential and as the most important consideration of our lives.

Jesus is looking for hearing that is thoughtful and attentive and most of all responsive. That we hear the word of God, believe it, and then take action accordingly. In this case, that we take God at His word that we are in darkness unless we receive His light and then respond by receiving the Light that has come into the world.

Mark 4:24 – ²⁴ And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and more will be added to you.

“Pay attention.” So, again, the Lord is driving, driving into us that we must respond to His teaching. We’re not only to soak in the Gospel and the word of God, but here we see this activity of measuring and growth and reciprocation. It’s as if we’re scooping what we hear into our lives.

We’ve just seen an example of how this plays out. Jesus preached truth to a crowd and a few responded by coming to Him and asking for understanding. Once that happened, the Lord started revealing more to them. And then more. And then more. As they received the word by faith and in obedience, more understanding was given and then more transformation happened and more fruit grew in their lives.

Jesus says here that the sort of measure we use has an impact on what we continue to receive.

I was thinking about how this might apply in a real Christian life and a few pictures came to mind. First, imagine you have a very small view of God – that He’s not really mindful of your life, that He’s not really going to do anything on your behalf, that He’s far off or disinterested or cruel. In that sense, your measure is a tiny little thimble cup. Well, as you go to God’s word with that sort of measure, you’re not going to come back with much that can refresh you. It will be hard to fill up.

Or, perhaps someone falls into a theology that really makes man the center of everything – where you think the Bible is really about you being healthy all the time and wealthy all the time and living your best life now. That’s a measure full of holes. More like a sieve than a scoop. So when you go to God’s word, a lot of understanding is going to leak out.

Whereas if we come to God’s word in humility and surrender, acknowledging that we don’t know everything, we haven’t figured it all out, but we know God is the Supreme King and Creator and the Lover of our souls and that if we will go to His word, there we will find all we need for life and Godliness and that within it it reveals a God of grace and kindness and faithfulness – a God Who calls us and commands us but walks with us day by day – that kind of measure is one that can hold a great supply – one that can fill a life and refresh it and overflow to the lives around us.

Mark 4:25 – ²⁵ For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

This is not the haves versus the have-nots. This is about the haves and the will-nots. Those who choose to stay in the dark rather than let in the Light. Those who did not hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit, but instead keep the door of their hearts closed when the Light came knocking.

They will not only lose out on wisdom and understanding and perspective in this life, but in the end they will miss out on the Kingdom.

Some people will say, “I believe in God.” And they think that’s enough. A tiny pinpoint of light in the dark. The Bible says, “Look, even the demons believe in God.”^[10] People walking in darkness don’t understand that they’re going to lose it all. In Luke’s telling of this verse it says, “Whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”^[11] Ephesians 4 fleshes it out.

Ephesians 4:18 – ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts.

Rather than giving themselves over to the Lord, they gave themselves over to promiscuity and impurity – the love of the dark. So they cover the lamp – they tuck it under their bed. And the result will be a deadly fire instead of a transformed life.

Perhaps to some verse 25 seems harsh. Yet, the truth of this principle plays out in the real world. Use it or lose it. That happens with the vacation that is allotted to many of you at work.

Or consider a well of water. When in use, it gives life, it helps us wash things and grow things and nourish things. But when a well is abandoned, after a time it becomes polluted and toxic. In fact, an abandoned well even threatens the other water supplies in the area.^[12] All simply from not using it.

Clifton Allen writes, “If a man keeps responsive to the way and word of Jesus, he is given more and more. If not, his mind is hardening, God’s wrath is operative, and the limited spiritual insight he once had will be lost.”^[13]

And so not only do we welcome the Light of the world into our lives, we perpetually receive the Light through the Word being sown into our hearts. And we listen to this Light, because through Him we have life. And as we continue in this relationship with the Lord, our part is to keep receiving the word, to keep allowing the light to shine on our hearts, on our actions, on our choices, on our attitudes so that God can continue to illuminate us and cleanse us and grow us and show us what life is really all about.

Soil Sort (Mark 4:1-20)

In 2020, the US was locked down. Travel was banned, parks were chained up, beaches cleared, and schools emptied. So what did Americans do? Gardening. Nationally, we already held the number 3 spot of home-gardening countries, but more than 20 million new gardeners sprung up during the pandemic, bringing the total number of American households planting stuff above 50%.^[1]

The uptick in this wholesome hobby had one problem: Seed shortages. Retailers saw a 200% increase in demand during the pandemic years.^[2] One supplier had to totally shut down their website more than once to try to slow the orders coming in. Multi-year stockpiles of staple veggies like broccoli, carrots, lettuce, peas, and tomatoes were wiped out.

That’s not the end of our seed concerns. A 2023 report shows that we have too small a supply of native seed for the recovery and conservation projects needed after fires, droughts, and floods.

Broccoli and forrest seeds are important, but not nearly as important as the seed discussed in Mark 4. In this chapter, Mark shares four of Jesus’ parables with us. Three of them deal with seed. Not seed that grows a tomato or two, but bears a harvest of life-changing fruit season after season.

Mark 4:1-2 – ¹ Again he began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. ² He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them,

Mark usually focuses on Jesus’ actions and interactions. But this chapter is one of the places where Mark takes the time to tell us some of the content of Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus often used parables. He didn’t invent them. We find some in the Old Testament.^[3] Other rabbis used them, too. But Christ used them “to a degree unmatched before His time or since.”^[4]

A parable is a vivid illustration of God’s truth. The Sunday-school definition is an “earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” I like Ray Stedman’s definition: A vocal cartoon.^[5] Something meant to catch our attention and communicate a point and make us imagine and consider an essential truth.

But parables are not just moral stories. They’re not God’s version of Aesop’s Fables. They aren’t simply helpful proverbs packaged in an interesting way. Parables reveal truth about God, about His Kingdom, about His Way, and about humanity on a level that no worldly teaching can.

Mark 4:3-9 – ³ “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. ⁴ As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.” ⁹ Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Jesus will give us the interpretation in the following verses, so I’m not going to do that here. Instead, as we allow these images to sink in, let’s consider elements from the delivery itself.

Jesus’ message to the crowd begins and ends with an urgent command to listen. Jesus says, “Hear what I’m saying. Anyone who has ears, please listen and consider.” This parable wasn’t just advice, it was core and crucial. Scholars note that the Lord used a term which echoed the opening word of the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”^[6] Pious Jews recited that phrase every single day. That verb doesn’t only mean hear or listen, it also means to obey.^[7]

The point of parables is not that we know something, but that we do something. That we respond to what God has revealed. The truths delivered through these stories play out in our real lives.

Now, we call this story The Parable of the Sower, but really a better title might be The Parable of the Soils.^[8] We’ll learn that the soil is not just inanimate dirt, but has choices and responsibilities once the seed has fallen on it. But first, verses 10 through 12.

Mark 4:10-12 – ¹⁰ When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He answered them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables ¹² so that they may indeed look, and yet not perceive; they may indeed listen, and yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back and be forgiven.”

Does that sound scary? It does if we don’t know the context. On an isolated first reading a person might say, “I guess Jesus doesn’t want certain people to be saved.” But that’s not what’s happening.  Listen to how Matthew records Jesus’ answer to the disciples about why He uses parables:

Matthew 13:13-16 – ¹³ That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. ¹⁴ Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You will listen and listen, but never understand; you will look and look, but never perceive. ¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back— and I would heal them.

Jesus, the Son of God, was on earth, preaching, healing every sickness, working countless miracles, and the general response was disbelief and animosity. The religious leaders accused Him of being demon possessed. The crowds ignored His message. They fulfilled the prophecy foretold by Isaiah.

Consider also the context of the parable. The Sower, Who is first and foremost Jesus, wasn’t being stingy. He was casting seed all over, just as Jesus was spreading His message in many places.

So, it’s not that God doesn’t want to forgive certain people. But, if they won’t repent, then they will perish. Later, in Luke 13, Jesus says it outright twice: “Unless you repent, you will all perish.”^[9] Later, in Revelation 2, the Lord says to churches, “Unless you repent,” then lists deadly consequences.^[10]

And then we have the situational context where Jesus shared this parable, then later the disciples come in response, they follow up on what was revealed, they seek God’s truth, and the Lord says, “Because you’ve done this now you get a gift from God: The secrets of the Kingdom.”

Secrets here is that word used many times in the New Testament: Mysteries.^[11] Paul used it 21 times himself. In the New Testament, “mysteries” are things that can only be known if they are revealed by God, but they are open to anyone who wants to know them and come to God for them.

God wants everyone to be saved. In a different parable, we see a Master who puts on a feast and by the end of the story he’s invited everyone: Friends and neighbors, strangers in the streets, alleys, highways, and hedges, to join him. The only people that don’t are those that won’t.

Verse 10 is a real-life demonstration of what was described in the parable. You had the large crowd, but only some responded to the preaching. It wasn’t only the 12 – there were others who believed there, too. This moment showed the difference between those who listened the way Jesus commanded them, and those who didn’t.

You parents have seen this. You ask your kid, “Why didn’t you do that thing I told you?” They say, “I didn’t hear you.” “But we were in the car and we were making eye contact and you said, ‘Ok.’”

Verses 10 through 12 aren’t about an unfair God. They’re a further differentiation between the crowd and real disciples. A theme Mark has been developing for a few passages now. Remember, in our last passage there was a dramatic picture of those around Jesus, in the house, and those standing outside the house because they would not believe and refused to come in.

Mark 4:13 – ¹³ Then he said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables?

Understanding parables is an important part of the Christian life. They are unique lessons about Christ, His Kingdom, and His way for life. When we ask, “What is this about?” it must always point back to the Lord. But, as we receive the parables, we most of all must ask, “What is my response?”

Jesus tells us to consider the parables thoughtfully. Because the truth is: We also can misunderstand the Lord. We also can be a little numb to His words. Our hearts can start to harden or become distracted. These disciples were struggling with their understanding, so we can, too.

To counteract that, we should continually apply this parable and keep our hearts conditioned to respond. We want to perpetually keep ourselves in verse 20. Because this story is not just about the moment you get saved, but a whole life of bearing fruit as the Lord sows His word into your heart.

In John 8, Jesus said real disciples continue in His Word. And James tells us that Christians must continually receive the implanted word.^[12] So now, let’s hear Jesus’ explanation of this parable.

Mark 4:14 – ¹⁴ The sower sows the word.

Like a seed, God’s word contains everything necessary for life, growth, and fruitfulness. A tomato seed contains what is necessary for the plant. Yes, of course, that seed is unlocked by soil and water and sunlight, but in that seed is what you need. The same is true of God’s word. All we need for life and Godliness is found in it. It grows in us if we participate and prepare ourselves for it.

Mark 4:15 – ¹⁵ Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.

This first soil is a heart where the word of God makes no impact. They are surrendered to another god, who is a devourer and destroyer.

There really is a Devil out there and he really is our adversary. He wants to stop the work of God and the spread of His word. Now here, the soil is presented as somewhat culpable for the failure to receive the seed. But, what can I do if a bird swoops down and gobbles the grain up?

We’ve got a dog at home. I know that if I leave my plate of food on the table, she’s going to come over and eat it. I have to protect that food. Christians: We need to be on guard against the schemes of the Devil. How can I possibly hope to win that fight? We don’t have to. Our Savior overcame him. He rejected every temptation. And now, we live in Christ’s power to overcome temptation. If we resist the Devil, he will flee from us. Endeavor to protect your connection with God in your life.

Mark 4:16-17 – ¹⁶ And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.

This heart soil is quick to be excited about the good news, but underneath those emotions the heart is still hard. There’s stone below the surface. Their mind isn’t really inclined to God, but to how they feel in their circumstances. When the going gets tough, they move on to the next new thing.

Our hearts must be rooted in Christ, not in circumstances. Colossians 2 tells us to be rooted in Him, built up in Him, established in our faith, not our feelings. Now, your faith should feel joy and peace and expectation and excitement but about the Lord, not about our temporal circumstances. That’s how a Christian can sing worship songs while in a dungeon. A heart plowed deep for God’s work.

Mark 4:18-19 – ¹⁸ Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness, of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

In this example, the plant has grown. You can see stem and leaves and roots – but no fruit. It’s too distracted, to consumed with other pursuits, and so it is unproductive. Useless to the farmer.

There are a lot of Christians who are living season after season of fruitlessness. The word is sown into their lives at church or their own devotions, but it doesn’t produce change, it doesn’t produce ministry, it doesn’t produce obedience. But God wants fruit. There are other parables that speak specifically about this: A master coming and finding no fruit and saying, “This is not ok.”

The Pharisees were plants with no fruit. They had libraries of knowledge about the seed, but nothing grew in their lives but weeds and thistles.

Mark 4:20 – ²⁰ And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”

Again, we see a personification in the soil – that it has responsibility to hear the word, welcome the word, and allow it to do its work. When a heart does that, something miraculous happens.

At the time, an average harvest might be 7 or 8 fold. A great harvest would be 10.^[13] God wants our lives to be superabundant with His spiritual fruit.

That fruit, like all fruit, will have seed in it. The soil of your life producing a variety of fruit each season whose pit and core is always the word of God, which then spills out for a new crop.

So now we’ve heard this chief parable. What is our response? What is the state of my heart? Is it hard? Is it soft? Is it distracted? Is it unproductive? Is it attentive? God sows so that we can grow and be a part of His miraculous harvest. He can handle the birds. His seed can withstand less-than-ideal conditions. Are we preparing our hearts, cultivating our lives to receive what He wants to plant? Are we allowing Him to plow and soften us? Are we giving the nutrients of our lives to His seed rather than the weeds of this world? Are we bearing fruit? Do I respond? What sort of soil am I tonight?

The Devil Made Him Do It! (Mark 3:20-35)

Does your family have a “crazy uncle”? If you answered, “No, we don’t have one,” I hate to tell you, but that might mean it’s you.

Last November, a site dedicated to the exchange of ideas on college campuses published an article titled, A Thanksgiving Guide For Crazy Uncles. It opened with these lines:

“This Thanksgiving you might step into the role of the “crazy uncle.” You know the one—big opinions, the loudest voice, met with apathy. But maybe their ideas aren’t dismissed because they’re wrong. They just don’t always bring enough receipts.”^[1]

In our text, Jesus is accused of being out of His mind. Sadly, it isn’t just His foes saying it. Even His own family come from Nazareth to stop Him from preaching His message and performing His ministry. The Lord Jesus is dismissed by both of these groups not because He has failed to bring enough receipts, but because they refuse to accept that He Who He says He is. The works and the words do not matter to them, because they’ve already decided what they want to think about Him.

Mark 3:20 – ²⁰ Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.

It’s hard to appreciate how demanding these crowds were. At times, they pressed so intensely on Jesus that He had to get out in a boat on the water to keep from being crushed.^[2]

Here in the house they are so busy with the needs of this crowd that they don’t have time to grab a piece of bread and shove it in their mouth! Seeing how little consideration they have for Jesus, we are reminded that – as disciples – we must pursue the presence of the Lord, not only pursue His power for us. Christianity is not about making demands of Jesus, but devoting ourselves to Him.

There are a few controversies in the verses ahead: Jesus’ family and the unpardonable sin. For the family issue, it will help if we notice a literary technique Mark uses in this section. He unfolds this scene in what scholars call a “chiastic structure.”^[3]

In a chiasm, Biblical authors present a sequence of ideas and then show the response to those ideas in the reverse order. Tonight we see Jesus with the crowd, the appearance of the family, finally the accusation of the scribes. Then it mirrors back with the response to the scribes, Jesus’ family reappears, and finally Jesus and the crowd again.

So we’ve seen the crowd and once again they are making demands of Jesus as if they are the masters and He is the slave. Not a good place to be. Even still, the Lord was patient and kind and poured out His compassion for them, even when His family shows up and tries to stop Him.

Mark 3:21 – ²¹ When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”

Mark used a colloquial term where my version says “family.”^[4] Yours might say “His own people.” It’s a word that can mean family or relatives or friends. At a certain point in church history, translators and commentators started becoming uncomfortable with the idea that Jesus’ family might act this way. Plus, Catholic doctrine says Mary remained a perpetual virgin. So some groups started to suggest the idea that these were friends or maybe cousins of Jesus, not His mother and brothers.

But remember the chiasm! At the end, Mark is going to specifically show Mary and brothers. So, it seems he wants us to understand this group in verse 21 as Jesus’ literal, immediate family.

Now, Jesus was Mary’s firstborn Son, but she did not remain a virgin forever. She is not the sinless Queen of Heaven as suggested by Roman Catholic tradition. Mark 6 says plainly that Jesus had four half-brothers and at least two sisters. There is zero suggestion in the Bible that they were Joseph’s kids from a previous marriage. They were Mary’s kids.

They’ve come from Nazareth, not to help Jesus out or to tell Him He should work a little less. They were saying that Jesus was out of His mind. That He was psychologically deranged.^[5] According to Mark’s language, they repeatedly said it.^[6] They actually wanted to grab Him and take Him home. The word for “restrain” here is the same that will be used of the Jews arresting Jesus later.^[7]

As we read the Gospels, it’s hard to get a read on Mary’s perspective, but Jesus’ brothers certainly did not believe He was the Messiah until after the resurrection.^[8]

Mark 3:22 – ²² The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

Despite all the good Jesus was doing, there is a swell of opposition against Him. People are coming from Nazareth, coming from Jerusalem, to try to interrupt His ministry. The crowd won’t let Him go, His family doesn’t want Him to stay. They all think it’s their job to take charge of Him and make Him fall in what line they have decided is best.

The scribes are jealous. The family is embarrassed. The crowd is selfish. Meanwhile, Christ is trying to tell them the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and how they can receive everlasting life! It’s an ugly look for humanity. But there are disciples there and they’re not blowing it in this scene.

These scribes are an official delegation from the religious leadership in Jerusalem.^[9] They’re not interested in Jesus’ message. They have started a sustained campaign of vilification against Him.^[10]

Matthew and Luke explain that Jesus healed a demon possessed man who was blind and mute. That prompted the scribes to say, “Well, Him and Satan are working together.” Beelzebul was the name of an old pagan god. The name can mean “Lord of the house,”^[11] which will make Jesus’ next comments very apt. The name also means “Lord of the flies,”^[12] for all you literary fans out there.

The scribes used this name to refer to Satan.^[13] Despite all they’ve seen and heard, they immediately dismiss Jesus in the most blasphemous term, giving the Devil the credit for this work.

People still dismiss Christ today. They say, “Well, there’s too much suffering in the world,” and just wave away the truth of God, the message of the Gospel, prophecy, testimony, all of it.

But Christians can make a similar mistake. When we say, “God wants me to be happy,” and use that idea to dismiss things God is saying or doing in our lives, it may not be as blasphemous as what the scribes were doing, but it comes from the same place in the heart. It’s still rejection of His authority.

Mark 3:23-27 – ²³ So he summoned them and spoke 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 but is finished. ²⁷ But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

First thing first: Jesus summoned them. He called them over. Despite their blasphemy and hatred and jealousy, the Lord took the time to try to help them. He tries to warn them that they are on a path to destruction, not because He wants to gloat, but because He wants to rescue them.

These parables are straightforward. Look at how He tries to drive it home as clearly as He can. He uses different levels of example: Kingdom, then house, the individual. In the other Gospels we see He also pointed out that the Jews also had exorcists, so whose power are they using? He’s trying to show them the truth, that He is the stronger man. That He has bound the Devil. That He is the Deliverer. These words and the deeds that back them up should’ve reminded them of Isaiah 49, which talks about captives being delivered from a mighty tyrant and that when that happens, “all humanity will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior.”

But they would not believe it. They willfully chose to lie to themselves because they weren’t willing to humble themselves.

At first the stronger Man’s conduct is somewhat shocking. Jesus likens it to a thief breaking in to rob a house. But in reality, this isn’t a burglary, it’s an extraction operation. The Savior plunders the Devil of that he wants most: YOU! You are the pearl of great price. And you can either be the devil’s trophy or you can be the Lord’s own special possession.^[14] Choose this day who you will serve.

Mark 3:28-30 – ²⁸ “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. ²⁹ But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”,— ³⁰ because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

There is an unpardonable sin. It isn’t suicide. It isn’t one of the “seven deadly sins.” So what is it? Some scholars say it is when a person attributes the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Others say it’s when a person fully and finally rejects the work of the Holy Spirit, which is to draw people to Jesus.

Others say it was this specific moment and how these scribes responded to seeing an exorcism. So, those scholars say, no one else can commit the unpardonable sin.

On the other hand, other scholars note that Jesus seemed to be genuinely warning these scribes, indicating they hadn’t committed the unpardonable sin yet, but were close.

So what is it? We have a couple helpful clues. First, let’s talk about blasphemy. One definition of blasphemy I find helpful is, “An expression of defiant hostility toward God.”^[15] Now, blasphemies will be forgiven. Jesus said so in verse 28. So what is different about what these scribes were doing?

First of all, they were the expert authorities on the Word of God. Some believe they had the entire Old Testament memorized. They dedicated their lives to knowing what God had said. Now, they had personally witnessed not only a miraculous outpouring of God’s power, but listened to the teachings of Christ. And their response was to defiantly, repeatedly say “He is demon possessed.”^[16]

In trying to understand the unpardonable sin, one commentary says this, “What Jesus is speaking of…is not an isolated act but a settled condition of the soul—the result of a long history of repeated and willful acts of sin. And if the person involved cannot be forgiven it is not so much that God refuses to forgive as it is the sinner refuses to allow him.”^[17]

Meanwhile, there is incredible good news in these verses: “People will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter.” Praise the Lord! Your sins are dealt with once and for all at the cross. And not just a select few individuals. The word “people” there is the “sons of men.” Anyone. Not just the sons of Abraham. Not just the sons of one group or one time, but all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved and forgiven and made right with God.

If you are carrying the weight, the guilt of some sin, you can lay it down at the feet of Jesus. You must lay it down so you can run the race Christ has given you with your eyes on Him, not on your past, not on your unworthiness, but on Him, so that your faith might be perfected.

Mark 3:31-35 – ³¹ His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.” ³³ He replied to them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴ Looking at those sitting in a circle 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.”

It seems the family was unwilling to come into this house. After all, Jesus was ready and willing to summon the scribes to Himself. Do we think He wouldn’t extend the same courtesy to His own brothers? Rather, it looks like they refused to go in. They were probably terribly embarrassed by the reputation Jesus made for the family, at least among religious Jews.

They’re outside demanding that Jesus leave His ministry and come back to them – to follow them. Jesus is not dishonoring His family, but He’s unwilling to choose them over His Father. And He took the opportunity to teach a wonderful truth to those who did believe in Him as Messiah: That God wasn’t just making us slaves, but children in His house. That we can be near to Him and have a real relationship based on love. And to be in that relationship, we simply need to do the will of God.

How do we do that? Luke makes it very plain in his telling of this scene: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the word of God.”^[18]

So we must know the word and do it. We must not dismiss it or wave it away or shape it to our own preconceived notions. Instead, we circle up around the Lord, to hear and do what He says. To recognize that we follow Him, not the other way around. That God’s work is accomplished through Christ and our part is to join that work in faith and devotion and obedience.

As we close, one more reminder. Here we are, gathered together as disciples. Christ reminds us in this text that we are a family. Families can be tough. There’s history and eccentricity and complexity. But we must endeavor to be a loving and healthy family – one that supports one another in grace and compassion and long-suffering. A family whose center is Christ Jesus, operating in the power of the Spirit as directed through the Word. With that perspective, we will see the Lord’s will done in and through us and we will not only be in right relationship to our Savior, but to each other.