Gospel of Mark Series: Section 3 Part 3 Opposition to Jesus grows.

Welcome to my Gospel of Mark Series. During 2012-13, each week, I will write a post about the Gospel of Mark as I review and explore each of the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. My goal is to understand and pray the Gospel of Mark.  I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel through the liturgical season of Year B.  In today's post, we explore chapter 3:20-35 which is opposition to Jesus grows.  

Jesus returns home, to the lakeside town of Capernaum.  The opposition to Him continues to grow from two sources, the fears of His family for His sanity, and the malice of the scribes from Jerusalem.

Mark uses one of his favourite literary devices by sandwiching one story within another, the opposition of the scribes within the opposition of the family of Jesus.

The scribes from Jerusalem say Jesus the power of Beelzebul, a name for Satan as the price of demons.  Jesus speaks to them in parables, or comparisons, of which Mark gives only brief summaries.  Can Satan fight Satan? A kingdom divided cannot last.  A divided house falls.  A strong man’s home can be burgled only if somone first binds the strong man.  Jesus, we, saw comes as the one to bind Satan and free people from his evil power.

Jesus sees the scribes opposing him as resisting the Holy Spirit.  To resist the Holy Spirit of God is to resist the only power by which a person can begin to experience life as it really is.  The so-called sin against the Holy Spirit is unforgiveable, not because God is unwilling to forgive, but because people refuse to recognise the presence of God’s power breaking into the world, and to welcome its liberating action into their own lives.

When the family of Jesus arrives, they stand as outsiders, with the opposition not with the disciples.  This is the first time we see the mother and brothers of Jesus in Mark’s gospel, but Mark gives us no further information about them.  ‘’Who are my real family?”’  Jesus asks.  Mark want to emphasises that the real family of Jesus are the one who are with Him as disciples, the ones sitting around listening to Him, those to whom He can reveal the secret of the kingdom of God.

In our journal and/or our discussion group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:

• Name the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage of scripture?
• Reflect on the keywords in this passage for they contain the substance and purpose of all the things Jesus said and did-
• Consider my relationship with Jesus  in the light of this Gospel passage.
• Reflect on how it must have felt to be one of the family of Jesus watching him behave and act in this strange way.
• Consider how I fail to recognise the  presence of God’s power breaking into my world and how I reject its liberating action into my life.  Have I ever refused it?
• How ready in my heart do I feel that I would still  be free if God’s will truly become my will.  Make a list of areas in my life that need a change of heart and develop an action plan on how this change of heart might occur. (eg name an area and name one/two changes that you will implement with God's help.
• What impact does Jesus’ teaching have on you (3:20-35).
• How has this passage spoken to you- what does it say to you personally?