Growth in God’s Kingdom

Today, as we go through our journey in Mark, we come to an extraordinary story. I think it is the kind of story which some write off as a “Christian ghost story”, which is not very relevant to our faith journey. Others find an account like this offers insight into the spiritual dimension of our faith and that we don’t battle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Mark 5:15 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

The disciples had seen Jesus do remarkable things. Now they were beginning to discover just how remarkable he really was. This is all part of the journey of faith. As we go on the journey of faith, Jesus will reveal more and more of his character and faithfulness to us.

The Gospel of Mark opens with a teaching about the Word of God being sown into the hearts of humanity. Then Jesus, continuing to use the agricultural theme, starts to talk about growth in the Kingdom of God. Mark 4:26 26 He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like…"

Sometimes we wonder if the disciples understood Jesus and his teachings. The Bible tells us that Jesus explained his teachings to his disciples, more than once, however, we do not often get to know what these explanations involved. But the parable we are looking at today is different, in that we are given insight into Jesus’ explanation. In addition, this is the first extensive teaching in the Gospel of Mark. This is the first extensive teaching that the early church would get from this gospel, which for many, is the first extensive teaching from Jesus many of this new Christians would receive. However, there are still some verses in this passage which can be hard to understand. Mark 4:20 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop-- thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

When Jesus looks at his disciples and followers and declares 34 …"Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." He is declaring that his “house” is not the house of David. His house is not the house of Abraham. His House is the House of the YHWH. The House of El Shaddai. The House of “I AM”. So, what does this mean to us? Mark 3:25 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

In Isaiah 6 the prophet witnesses an encounter with God in what we could call a heavenly worship service. The reality of that encounter is the same as the one today when we meet the true living God: God is holy, sovereign, and present, even when our circumstances are difficult. In times of crisis, we are encouraged to look first to who God is rather than becoming consumed by our circumstances. Seeing God’s holiness changes how we see ourselves. In comparison with God’s holiness, human pride and self-righteousness are exposed. We recognize our own sin and our need for God’s grace. Isaiah’s received atonement points to Jesus Christ as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Redemption is received through the grace of God rather than achieved through personal merit. God’s grace leads to service. Being forgiven is not presented as the end of the Christian life. Those who have received grace are called to serve God and share the Gospel. Our perspective should move outward: first God, then ourselves, and finally others. Understanding God’s greatness and our own need for grace should shape how we relate to and respond to other people.

I imagine Jesus ignored a lot of what he heard said about himself. We know he did because he asks the disciples what the people are saying about him. But in the passage we are reading today Jesus answers a very serious an accusation which, at first, might have been made rather flippantly, and we address the idea of “blasphemy” of the Holy Spirit. Mark 3:28 28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

Today there is a break in the confrontations Jesus has with the Pharisees. Jesus is growing in popularity, and this has a downside to it. Jesus takes this time to withdraw and chose his twelve apostles to share in the ministry with him. Mark 3:13-15 13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve-- designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.

Chapters two and three in the Gospel of Mark list a series of conflicts Jesus has with the Pharisees. At first the Pharisees started as onlookers with questions for Jesus. Then it became more heated as they felt Jesus was challenging the Law of Moses. Finally, today, we read a passage where the Pharisees are much more concerned about defeating Jesus, getting rid of him, than of anything else. Mark 3:4 4 Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.

The Sabbath is a longstanding Jewish practice. Jesus corrects the Pharisees in their judgment about it but He does not abolish the principle that lays behind the Sabbath. Practicing the Sabbath can strengthen our faith in many ways. Mark 2 27–28 And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."