Mark Vol. 1 - Week 10 (3:20-35)
Mark 3:20-35
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Kingdoms In Conflict
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Mark 3:20-35 〰️ Kingdoms In Conflict 〰️
This week in Mark 3, we jump into a pretty confusing piece of Scripture. We're now in Mark 3:20-35 and are immediately presented with Jesus being overwhelmed by the crowd surrounding Him. Verse 20-21 says, "Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because, in their words, "He's out of his mind." Some translations can make this passage a little more confusing than others, as we read in the CSB that Jesus' family "set out to restrain him." That seems a little odd. The NIV translation gives another perspective and says that they "went out to take custody of him." The Message paraphrase says, "His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was getting carried away with himself." In the end, His family was looking out for Him, as He didn't have the space to breathe or even eat! We know that Jesus wasn't and isn't "out of his mind," instead, His family and friends were looking out for what they thought was His best interest.
Next, we once again encounter the scribes, who, as usual, cause trouble for Jesus. They come all the way down from Jerusalem to claim that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul (a pagan god/an agent of Satan).¹ Here, they accuse Jesus of two things:
1. being possessed by a demon
2. casting them out because demons possess him.
Jesus quickly responds to the scribes by asking," How can Satan drive out Satan?" (v23). He then expands on this, telling the scribes why they are wrong with an analogy. Jesus said that a kingdom divided against itself could not stand and that if Satan did possess him, then the house would be divided, as Satan (working through Jesus) would be undoing his own work on earth. Jesus tells them this by saying, "no one can enter the strong man's [Satan's] house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house" (v27) [see also 1 Pet. 5:8]. What Jesus is getting at here is that Satan's grip on this world is only temporary. Soon, our Lord will tie up the strong man (Satan) and plunder his possessions: sin, sickness, demon possessions, and death. Jesus tells this to refute the scribes who claimed that Jesus casts out demons by the power of Satan. The truth is that the opposite is true. Jesus casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead to life actively pushes back against the realm of darkness.² Even better, through His enduring temptation in the desert (Mark 1:12-13) and casting out demons (1:32, 2:21-28, 3:15), Jesus shows the world that He alone has power over the evil one.
Continuing into verse 28, we arrive at one of the scariest passages in the gospels. However, we have no reason to fear! Because this is usually a point of tension, we'll dig into the specifics at the end of the guide. For now, to set our minds at ease, we can know this: being concerned about committing the unforgivable sin is strong evidence that we haven't or can't. Louis Berkhof notes, "We may be reasonably sure that those who fear that they have committed it and worry about this, and desire the prayers of others for them, have not committed it."³
At the end of this week's passage, we see a shift in v31-35. Here, Jesus' mother, Mary, and His brothers were asking for Him. The crowd surrounding Jesus told Him this, and He responded (again) in a shocking manner. Jesus asks the crowd, "who are my mother and my brothers?...Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother" (v33-35). The application for us here is quite simple: those who follow Jesus are family. How encouraging is it for us to know that, regardless of the nature of our relationships with our biological families, we have mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers in our church community? This should stoke the fire in our hearts and show us why we gather in community groups like this. Community and relationships are at the heart of the Gospel, and we believe it's best lived out in the context of community. It's a bit of a corny phrasing, but living life alongside other believers is essential to the spiritual, emotional, and mental health of believers. If you speak to any life-long follower of Jesus and ask them the secret to a life of following Jesus, odds are, they'll tell you of an impactful relationship or community they were in. That's our hope and prayer for our community groups in this season. As we're growing as a church, we want to increase in both width (inviting new folks to church and groups) and depth (growing deeper relationships with our fellow group members). As an aside, it's worth mentioning that deep relationships are really formed and strengthened outside of the 1-2 hours allotted every week for community groups. We encourage groups to share a meal together after church, go out to an ice cream shop after community group, or go out and play trivia together! It's the fun and social events that really bond folks together and do a lot to increase the quality of time spent together in the Word!
Feel free to read this "Key Terms and Doctrine" section with your Community Group if (or when) they have questions surrounding the unforgivable sin that Jesus talks about. Hopefully, this proves helpful, but if you're looking for more specifics on it, The Gospel Coalition has an article that expands a little more.
Key Terms and Doctrine
The unforgivable sin
The topic of the unforgivable sin can really give us the heeby-jeebies at first. In Jesus' words in Mark 3, there are two things that He addresses:
1. The willful rejection of the Holy Spirit's work that attests to Christ
2. Attributing that work to the devil rather than Christ
To fully understand what Jesus meant, we should look at the surrounding and preceding text. Up to this point, those who were around Jesus saw the miraculous works He's done. They saw Him heal people of their physical infirmities (1:41-43, 2:8-12, 3:5-6), cast out demons (1:32, 2:21-28, 3:15), and forgive sins (2:5). The Pharisees and/or scribes were present for most, if not all, of these events. Yet, because of the hardness of their hearts, they believed and attributed the miraculous works to Satan. Jesus' teaching of the unforgivable sin was a direct response to the religious leaders claiming that Jesus casts out demons by the power of Beelzebul (v22). This is why Jesus responds to them, saying, "...people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. But whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" (v28-29). Theologians go in circles pinning down the exact definition of the unforgivable sin, but broadly speaking, it's "unusually malicious, willful rejection, and slander against the Holy Spirit's work attesting to Christ, and attributing that work to Satan."⁴
We can be comforted with the knowledge that those who have the Holy Spirit within them- those who follow Christ- have nothing to fear. The very fact that we worry that we've committed this sin- blaspheming the Holy Spirit- is evidence of the Holy Spirit within us. The scribes in Mark 3:20-30 had seen the miraculous works of God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, yet adamantly denied this and attributed the work and power to the devil. They not only spoke ill of Jesus, but they willfully rejected Him, declaring that the power to cast out demons was because of Satan.
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Do you have any questions?
What is the unforgivable sin, and who was Jesus addressing when He spoke in v28-29?
Read v31-35 again. Who did Jesus say were His mother and brothers? What do you think He meant by that?
How would you answer Jesus' question in v33?
If someone looked at your life, how would they say you live that out?
Who is someone you can love and treat like a family member this week?
1. Charles Meeks, Beelzebul - The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
2. John D. Grassmick, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 117.
3. Louis Berkhof, Introduction to Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1932), 254.
4. Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 1999), 223.