May 6, 2016

DON'T SAW OFF THE BRANCH THAT CONNECTS YOU TO THE TREE

Mark 3:20–35

Liz Serna
Friday's Devo

May 6, 2016

Friday's Devo

May 6, 2016

Central Truth

After delegating authority to the 12 disciples, Jesus experiences hostility from His family and accusations of demon possession by the Scribes. Jesus addresses this through parables and warns His accusers about the significance of their charges.

Key Verse | Mark 3:28–29

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark 3:28-29)

Mark 3:20–35

20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

28 Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers 1 3:32 Other manuscripts add and your sisters are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

[1] 3:32 Other manuscripts add and your sisters

Dive Deeper | Mark 3:20–35

John Piper said, “If we blaspheme and reject the Father and the Son, there is still hope, for the Spirit may yet work within us to humble us and bring us to repentance. But if behind the Father and the Son we see and taste the power of the Holy Spirit and reject his work as no more precious than the work of Satan, we shut ourselves off from the only one who could ever bring us to repentance.”

I first read this quote last year at Watermark’s Women’s Bible Study (WBS) through the book of Mark. It impacted me because for the first time I truly understood what "blaspheme" meant. To quote a side note from WBS’s Mark curriculum, “Blaspheming the Holy Spirit refers to a refusal to accept God’s power and presence in a person’s life. It does NOT mean by uttering a phrase against God a person can lose their salvation.” When you blaspheme against who God is, what He can do, and what He is doing, it is as if you are sawing off the branch that would have you connected to the tree of life. And without Him, you cannot have life.

As I think about Jesus, the suffering servant, I can’t fathom what it must have felt like when Jesus uttered, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). In that moment, Jesus took on all sin, endured the wrath of God that we all deserve, and was separated from His Father. The Branch was cut off.

Sit and reflect what it would feel like to be completely separated from your Savior. For me, that means isolation and emptiness. When we look at God, see His power, and still reject Him, we cut ourselves off from being fed and directed by the only One who can bring true life and joy. The truth is we’re not good enough. And because Jesus is who He is, He endured separation from His Father to save us because of the love He continues to have for us. Can you imagine a love deeper than that?

Discussion Questions

1. What are three or four traits Jesus is revealing about His character through this passage (Mark 3:20-25)?

2. Where in your own life are you opposing Christ’s work? How can your community help sharpen you in this?

3. Reflect on the crucifixion. See and hear Jesus’s anguish. Reflect and express your thankfulness on what our loving Savior did for you.