Pastor Jonah Sage preached Mark 3:20-35. He said that the secret invasion of Jesus is won through mercy on the margins. Lector: Asia Filipiak
Pastor Jonah Sage preached Mark 3:20-35. He said that the secret invasion of Jesus is won through mercy on the margins.
Lector: Asia Filipiak
We are entering a bizarre realm of Mark's Gospel
The title of this series is a clue...riddles of redemption.
Riddles teach us something, often a life lesson, but they're not obvious.
They require deep reflection, seeing things from multiple angles.
What do kids do when dad asks them a riddle? Get confused, hem and haw...and then they say "give us a hint, dad".
Mark is a good dad. He's given us hints.
Sometimes his hints are found in the words of Jesus or his disciples...
Other times, as is especially the case in Mark 3-6, the order of the stories are the hints we need to discern the riddle.
In mark 3:20-35, we have the first instance of a technique called
Intercalation
Say it with me. Feels good. On the streets we just call it a "mark sandwich."
Mark sandwiches stories together to help us interpret them well
Like a good sandwich, he puts the meat in the middle.
The best, most important part of a sandwich is what's in between the bread, amen
Best bread in the world...but if it's garbage in the middle, garbage sandwich.
So we look to the bread to understand why the middle is so good.
We look at these stories and ask ourselves, "what is he teaching us? How do they help us interpret what's in the middle?"
let's see if we can figure this out together.
One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.
-Mark 3:20
Bread: big crowds gathered around Jesus. Couldn't even eat they're so busy.
These crowds are filled with the sick, the demon possessed, the marginalized.
Hurting and hopeless people. So many Jesus can't even get a seat.
Can you imagine the scene? The hurting crowds are the first slice of bread.
Let's move in a layer:
When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. "He's out of his mind," they said.
-Mark 3:21
Imagine this scene...and then imagine seeing your brother there in the middle.
The guy you grew up. The guy you teased, the guy who pulled pranks on you.
The one you watched go through puberty. That guy...and people can't get enough.
We're used to religious folk opposing Jesus...but now it's his own family.
Jesus was misunderstood by his enemies and those who loved him.
Their opposition here is physical. They literally tried to grab him, yank him out. Why?
BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT HE WAS OUT OF HIS MIND.
This isn't our Jesus. My brother?! Oh he's just exhausted, he hasn't eaten...please dear, you're not well...they're either concerned, embarrassed, or both. Second layer.
Here's the third:
the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, "He's possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That's where he gets the power to cast our demons."
-Mark 3:22
He's not just out of his mind, he's demon possessed.
Family think he's crazy, but religious folk think he's demonic.
This is the first half of our sandwich.
We have the crowds who want healing
Then his family who want to control him
Maybe this was concern and not embarrassment, we don't know.
But we DO know they did not understand what Jesus was up to, which means they did not understand who Jesus was.
Then the religious folk who want to silence him.
Maybe this was birthed from good religious concern, maybe they were insecure and wanted to protect their power. We don't know.
We DO know they did not understand what Jesus was up to, which means they did not understand who Jesus was.
Crowds pressing in, family and religious leaders pulling away.
Here's what we have so far:
Now, Jesus' responds. But he responds...with an illustration. A riddle of sorts:
"How can Satan cast out Satan?" he asked. "A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive...I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven..." he told them this because they were saying, "he's possessed by an evil spirit."
-Mark 3:23-26, 28-30
Do you see how Jesus' responses go in the opposite order Of our sandwich?
A reversal of sorts?
Crowds, family, religious people. And then the response goes to religious people, family.
Why would satan fight against himself? I'm not demon possessed
If you're so worried about family unity, why are you dividing the family?
Look at what happens in the next scene:
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. 32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”
-Mark 31-32
Our sandwich is prepared. The clues are all set.
Crowds, family, religious leaders. Jesus responds. Religious leaders, family, back to crowds:
Do you see the sandwich? Crowds on either side, opposition in the middle.
By placing the crowds on either side, Mark is giving us a clue to the mission of Jesus.
By placing opposition in the middle, he's showing us what can get in the way.
And all of this is to help us see what the real meat of the story is, the secret mission of Jesus.
Yes, a country can collapse through civil war.
Yes, a family can split over a feud.
But there is yet a third way for a kingdom to collapse: invasion.
At the very center of this sandwich we get the real meat. This is the mission of Jesus:
Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up then plunder his house.
-Mark 3:27
This is why Jesus was so angry with the religious leaders, telling them they are committing an unforgivable sin.
To say Jesus is possessed by Satan is to say Satan is more powerful than Jesus, more powerful than God.
And Jesus is telling them "a secret invasion is upon you."
They don't see it, his family doesn't see it. They don't understand...
But one stronger than Satan himself is upon them.
As we saw in previous weeks, one who is Lord over the Sabbath, Lord over family tradition, Lord over the unseen realm and the physical body...God is upon them.
There is yet a third way for a kingdom to fall: invasion by a superior force.
And Jesus is that superior force.
And here's how the sandwich gets so helpful...what is Mark trying to show us about this secret invasion? The riddle of Jesus' redemption?
The section begins and ends with the kind of people this kingdom is for
The Secret Invasion will not be won by superior firepower, but through mercy on the margins.
Listen to what Jesus says at the very end:
"Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" Then he looked at those around him and said, "Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."
-Mark 3:33-35
Jesus says it is the crowds who are his family, those who are desperate, those who are needy, those who are helpless.
The kingdom of God is not for the power hungry.
It is not for those preoccupied with reputation or public opinion.
It is not for those seeking to save the family image or the religious tradition.
The secret invasion is not won through firepower.
The secret invasion of Jesus is won through mercy on the margins.
The Kingdom of God is for the sick who long to be well, the enslaved who long to be free, the outcast who longs to come home.
Do you want to see the heart of God, the face of Jesus?
Then prepare to look in unexpected places.
Family will perhaps not understand. They may think you're out of your mind.
Positions of power and influence in society may not understand.
They may think you're demon possessed.
But Jesus was never after positions of power and influence.
Look not to the battlefields, the bright lights or the big stage if you want to see the face of Jesus.
Neither power nor bloodline opened eyes and ears to the riddle of redemption.
It was rather pain, curiosity, and willingness that led needy crowds to see Jesus
This posture of heart, a willingness to come to Jesus and follow him, is the hidden strategy of Jesus' secret invasion.
The victory is won through mercy on the margins.
Lay down your accusations and criticisms of Jesus and bring your curiosity
Lay down your performance, reputation, and image making, bring your neediness
There is one stronger than Satan eager to welcome you
There is one stronger than your pain, stronger than your weakness, stronger than your desperation and hopelessness
His name is Jesus.
Victory is not found in your achievement or appearance.
Victory is not found in the acceptance of your family or the applause of your peers.
Victory is found in Jesus, and his secret invasion is won through mercy on the margins.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, however you are, come to him.
So. This is the riddle before us: who is Jesus and what is his mission?
Dad has given us hints. Look to the needy. Look to the helpless.
What might he be trying to say to you?
Don't look to the powerful or impressive.
Look to the sick and marginalized.
Perhaps he's trying to say...look in the mirror.
We are the mission of Jesus because we are the needy, the helpless, the sick and marginalized.
We are the place where victory was won, because the mission of Jesus is won through mercy on the margins.
Let's pray.