May 7, 2010
an undivided heart: life in the spirit
Mark 3:20-35
Chad Ethridge
Central Truth
The kingdom of God is not divided. Jesus has bound the strong man and united His people through the Spirit.
Key Verse | Mark 3:24
"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." (Mark 3:24)
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.”
Dive Deeper | Mark 3:20-35
Most of my life I felt like a wimp. I was unable to overcome certain sin struggles and mature into the man that God desired me to be. Isolation was my downfall. I thought that I could find all the answers and do it on my own. I thought that if I made mistakes no one had to know. I was wrong. The more I kept to myself, the more I continued to fall. I was imploding on the inside and leaving a wake of messed-up relationships and missed opportunities behind. I kept good appearances before my peers, but never let anyone know the hurts deep down inside. My heart was divided against itself, and I could not stand. I was finished.
Jesus was anything but a wimp. He was a man of undivided devotion. He was always on mission and never rattled by His circumstances. Even when accused of being possessed by Satan, Jesus calmly and logically addressed the accusation by stating that it is impossible for Satan to work against himself. Jesus went on to demonstrate that the Spirit present in Him must be greater than Satan or else Jesus would not be able to cast out demons. The bigger truth here is that each of us has that same Spirit within us. So why do we often feel defeated and unable to experience the victorious life?
The key is in the concluding verses of this passage. When Jesus asks, "Who are My mother and My brothers?," He is, in essence, redefining our relationships. We have a spiritual family because we all are connected by the same Spirit that was in Jesus. No more living in isolation. We are our brother's keepers. If one man falls, we are to help him to stand.
So what does life look like for me today? Well, it is not perfect, but I am learning to entrust myself to others who have the same Spirit of Christ living in them. It is making a world of difference.
Discussion Questions
1. Is your heart divided? If so, why?
2. What keeps you from entrusting yourself to the care of others?
3. What are you doing to build and strengthen community in your life?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What had Jesus not done in verse 20?
2. Who came to take Him home because they thought He was crazy for not eating?
3. Why was He willing to sacrifice His comfort for the people to be healed?
4. Are you willing to sacrifice a meal so someone else can know Jesus? Are you willing to have people think you are crazy when you sit with the lonely person at school?
5. What else can you sacrifice so others will know God’s love?