When Family or Man Does Not Understand - Mark 3:20-35
When Family or Man Does Not Understand - Mark 3:20-35
By Pastor Lee Hemen
October 25, 2009 AM
During a Youth Camp I was directing one young teenage girl was deliberately creating personal drama all around her. Because of her self-centeredness and total self-absorption in boys, she was keeping the whole camp in turmoil. Of course, being the Camp Director, I had to be the one to confront her. At first she got really angry and tried yelling at me that I “just did not understand her and what she was going through.” So, I patiently asked her to explain it to me. As she got into her lengthy dissertation on why she was being a pill, she realized how totally selfish she was and how the whole camp had begun to not want to be around her. All of a sudden she went kind of pale, began to cry, and apologized.
We have all seen in situation comedies, or have experienced for ourselves, a pouting child that storms off into the next room while shouting to their bewildered parents, “You just do not understand me! NO one UNDERSTANDS ME!” The age old conflict of parents not understanding their children is nothing new. What can be just as difficult is when we think that the world does not understand us either. Surprisingly, we find these “misunderstandings” in the life of Jesus as well. Jesus’ ministry and his fame were beginning to grow. As it did, his teachings and his life began to threaten the powers that be and perhaps embarrass his family. Not only does his mother and siblings begin thinking he has lost all sense of reality, but those who considered themselves the teachers of all things regarding God also view Jesus as blasphemous. Why? Because Jesus was misunderstood. Let’s find out what happens, shall we?
READ: Mark 3:20-35
Last week we talked about the crowds that formed around Jesus and again we find another crowd forming. In fact, so much so “that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.” In this crowd were those who deliberately misunderstood Jesus’ ministry. In how he responds to their pettiness we discover…
I. How to respond when the world does not understand our faith!
1. Use the truth to confront and confound your accusers! Proverbs reminds us that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1), and sometimes you have to confront your attackers head on as Jesus does here in Mark. Notice, however, how he does this. The “teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem” were deliberately confrontational. They immediately accuse Jesus of being “possessed by Beelzebub!” (The spelling “Beelzebub” comes from the Latin Vulgate which derived it from the Hebrew “Baalzebub” meaning “Lord of the flies,” an ancient Canaanite deity.) So they are bluntly stating that Jesus is possessed “By the prince of demons” and that he was “driving out demons” using by his own supposed Satanic power! Can you imagine? Now some misguided souls in the 21st century may struggle with the concept of Satan and demons, but Jesus, God’s Son, knew them to be very real. He therefore meets their accusation head on and asks, “How can Satan drive out Satan?” The answer of course is that he could not and the reason is obvious: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” Or “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” And so, “if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; [therefore] his end has come.” If Jesus were Satanic, then by driving out demons, Satan’s kingdom is divided from within and it has already fallen! Well duh! Then Jesus does an interesting thing, he focuses on who he truly is. He does this by telling them that “In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.” Jesus has entered the “strong man’s house,” Satan’s realm, and literally seized or plundered his household! Jesus had come and taken those whom Satan had captured right out of his own household! Mark relates that “He said this because they were saying, ‘He has an evil spirit.’” When those in the world did not understand who he was, Jesus met them head on with the truth. And so should all believers. This is how to respond when the world does not understand your faith.
EXAMPLE: Often when people first become Christians, their faith is questioned by those they work with, go to school with, or they consider as friends. Are you in a situation where you are misunderstood for your faith in Christ? Are you surrounded by co-workers, fellow classmates, or friends with a critical spirit concerning your faith? Do you get little or no credit for the work you do and then those around you criticize your Christianity? What would be the proper response for the believer? Jesus often responded in a gentle and humble way, but there were also times when he was willing to take a very definite head on stand. The proper response of course is to die to self as Jesus did throughout His life. However, while he was willing to die to self daily he was also quite willing to meet head on any question about his ministry, his sovereignty, or the grace of God. Jesus was willing to be misunderstood and maligned, to give up home and comforts, to take the role of a servant, and he was willing to meet head on anyone with the truth who would question his ministry. We must be willing to die in that way as well. We should use the truth to confront and confound our accusers.
We often can handle it when those in the world do not understand our walk in Christ, but we can really struggle when it is those we are closest to that misunderstand our faith. Should not those who claim to love us most, support us in our faith the most? You would think so and it can be difficult when they do not. We can then take it personally, but we should not do so. In fact, Jesus’ own family misunderstood his ministry and how he responds teaches us…
II. How to respond when our family does not understand our faith!
1. We should let our faith and honesty display what we truly believe! Jesus’ own family should have understood who he was from the very first, especially his mother! Wasn’t she surprised at the angel’s announcement and her own pregnancy? Didn’t she praise God for using her as an instrument of his will? Wasn’t it her home where the Wisemen came to worship the boy Jesus? Didn’t she “ponder” all these miraculous things surrounding Jesus? Yet even in the best of families we can find misunderstanding. Mark tells us that “When [Jesus’] family heard about” the crowds and his ministry, “they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” The Greek expression is that of family members and not “friends” like is translated in the KJV. And this holds to be true because we discover that when “Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him” out so they could speak with Jesus directly. Remember Jesus knew that “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” If his own family could not understand his ministry, it would be a tough road for him to travel. It was at this time that the “crowd was sitting around him… told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.’” Jesus then rhetorically asks those around him, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Jesus’ question was not being disrespectful of his family, but rather he was illustrating the deeper issue of a person’s relationship to him. That’s what Jesus always did throughout his ministry, he pointed people to their relationship with God. He never took people’s misunderstanding as a personal slight, instead he would invite them into the family of God. Mark relates that Jesus “looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers!’” Jesus responds with the gospel truth that “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Anyone becomes part of God’s family when they place their faith in his Son. As John would state, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) When his family did not understand, Jesus responded with faith and honesty to display what he believed. We should do the same.
EXAMPLE: One of the hardest things a new Christian can do is to share their faith with their own family members. Often it is because we fear what they already know everything about us. Every embarrassing detail. All of our dirty little secrets. The way we were before the Lord came into our lives. The only thing that can quell our fears is to share our faith the same way Jesus did. I still remember how tough it was for me to share with my own family and how difficult it still is to share with those whom I love the most that know me the best. However, when Jesus’ family did not understand, he responded with faith and honesty to display what he believed. We should do the same.
Conclusion:
We learned today two important truths when we are misunderstood for our faith: We learned 1) How to respond when the world does not understand our faith, and 2) How to respond when our family does not understand our faith! What about you, how will you respond from now on?
---
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2009 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my written permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
October 25, 2009 AM
During a Youth Camp I was directing one young teenage girl was deliberately creating personal drama all around her. Because of her self-centeredness and total self-absorption in boys, she was keeping the whole camp in turmoil. Of course, being the Camp Director, I had to be the one to confront her. At first she got really angry and tried yelling at me that I “just did not understand her and what she was going through.” So, I patiently asked her to explain it to me. As she got into her lengthy dissertation on why she was being a pill, she realized how totally selfish she was and how the whole camp had begun to not want to be around her. All of a sudden she went kind of pale, began to cry, and apologized.
We have all seen in situation comedies, or have experienced for ourselves, a pouting child that storms off into the next room while shouting to their bewildered parents, “You just do not understand me! NO one UNDERSTANDS ME!” The age old conflict of parents not understanding their children is nothing new. What can be just as difficult is when we think that the world does not understand us either. Surprisingly, we find these “misunderstandings” in the life of Jesus as well. Jesus’ ministry and his fame were beginning to grow. As it did, his teachings and his life began to threaten the powers that be and perhaps embarrass his family. Not only does his mother and siblings begin thinking he has lost all sense of reality, but those who considered themselves the teachers of all things regarding God also view Jesus as blasphemous. Why? Because Jesus was misunderstood. Let’s find out what happens, shall we?
READ: Mark 3:20-35
Last week we talked about the crowds that formed around Jesus and again we find another crowd forming. In fact, so much so “that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.” In this crowd were those who deliberately misunderstood Jesus’ ministry. In how he responds to their pettiness we discover…
I. How to respond when the world does not understand our faith!
1. Use the truth to confront and confound your accusers! Proverbs reminds us that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1), and sometimes you have to confront your attackers head on as Jesus does here in Mark. Notice, however, how he does this. The “teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem” were deliberately confrontational. They immediately accuse Jesus of being “possessed by Beelzebub!” (The spelling “Beelzebub” comes from the Latin Vulgate which derived it from the Hebrew “Baalzebub” meaning “Lord of the flies,” an ancient Canaanite deity.) So they are bluntly stating that Jesus is possessed “By the prince of demons” and that he was “driving out demons” using by his own supposed Satanic power! Can you imagine? Now some misguided souls in the 21st century may struggle with the concept of Satan and demons, but Jesus, God’s Son, knew them to be very real. He therefore meets their accusation head on and asks, “How can Satan drive out Satan?” The answer of course is that he could not and the reason is obvious: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” Or “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” And so, “if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; [therefore] his end has come.” If Jesus were Satanic, then by driving out demons, Satan’s kingdom is divided from within and it has already fallen! Well duh! Then Jesus does an interesting thing, he focuses on who he truly is. He does this by telling them that “In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.” Jesus has entered the “strong man’s house,” Satan’s realm, and literally seized or plundered his household! Jesus had come and taken those whom Satan had captured right out of his own household! Mark relates that “He said this because they were saying, ‘He has an evil spirit.’” When those in the world did not understand who he was, Jesus met them head on with the truth. And so should all believers. This is how to respond when the world does not understand your faith.
EXAMPLE: Often when people first become Christians, their faith is questioned by those they work with, go to school with, or they consider as friends. Are you in a situation where you are misunderstood for your faith in Christ? Are you surrounded by co-workers, fellow classmates, or friends with a critical spirit concerning your faith? Do you get little or no credit for the work you do and then those around you criticize your Christianity? What would be the proper response for the believer? Jesus often responded in a gentle and humble way, but there were also times when he was willing to take a very definite head on stand. The proper response of course is to die to self as Jesus did throughout His life. However, while he was willing to die to self daily he was also quite willing to meet head on any question about his ministry, his sovereignty, or the grace of God. Jesus was willing to be misunderstood and maligned, to give up home and comforts, to take the role of a servant, and he was willing to meet head on anyone with the truth who would question his ministry. We must be willing to die in that way as well. We should use the truth to confront and confound our accusers.
We often can handle it when those in the world do not understand our walk in Christ, but we can really struggle when it is those we are closest to that misunderstand our faith. Should not those who claim to love us most, support us in our faith the most? You would think so and it can be difficult when they do not. We can then take it personally, but we should not do so. In fact, Jesus’ own family misunderstood his ministry and how he responds teaches us…
II. How to respond when our family does not understand our faith!
1. We should let our faith and honesty display what we truly believe! Jesus’ own family should have understood who he was from the very first, especially his mother! Wasn’t she surprised at the angel’s announcement and her own pregnancy? Didn’t she praise God for using her as an instrument of his will? Wasn’t it her home where the Wisemen came to worship the boy Jesus? Didn’t she “ponder” all these miraculous things surrounding Jesus? Yet even in the best of families we can find misunderstanding. Mark tells us that “When [Jesus’] family heard about” the crowds and his ministry, “they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” The Greek expression is that of family members and not “friends” like is translated in the KJV. And this holds to be true because we discover that when “Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him” out so they could speak with Jesus directly. Remember Jesus knew that “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” If his own family could not understand his ministry, it would be a tough road for him to travel. It was at this time that the “crowd was sitting around him… told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.’” Jesus then rhetorically asks those around him, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Jesus’ question was not being disrespectful of his family, but rather he was illustrating the deeper issue of a person’s relationship to him. That’s what Jesus always did throughout his ministry, he pointed people to their relationship with God. He never took people’s misunderstanding as a personal slight, instead he would invite them into the family of God. Mark relates that Jesus “looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers!’” Jesus responds with the gospel truth that “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Anyone becomes part of God’s family when they place their faith in his Son. As John would state, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) When his family did not understand, Jesus responded with faith and honesty to display what he believed. We should do the same.
EXAMPLE: One of the hardest things a new Christian can do is to share their faith with their own family members. Often it is because we fear what they already know everything about us. Every embarrassing detail. All of our dirty little secrets. The way we were before the Lord came into our lives. The only thing that can quell our fears is to share our faith the same way Jesus did. I still remember how tough it was for me to share with my own family and how difficult it still is to share with those whom I love the most that know me the best. However, when Jesus’ family did not understand, he responded with faith and honesty to display what he believed. We should do the same.
Conclusion:
We learned today two important truths when we are misunderstood for our faith: We learned 1) How to respond when the world does not understand our faith, and 2) How to respond when our family does not understand our faith! What about you, how will you respond from now on?
---
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2009 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my written permission.
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