Introduction

The pace of Mark’s account of the life and ministry of Jesus is relentless. There never seems to be a moment to rest or process all that is going on with Jesus and around him. Mark is a man of life detail, so when he records it, it is always worth noting and considering. Some stories might take a while to develop, to lay out the plot before the reader. Yet, in every recorded innocent of this account of the life and ministry of Jesus, the point is clear – Jesus is the messiah that the world has been waiting for, and the world is convinced he is not!

1 | He Is Either Mad or a Double Agent!

After the naming of the disciples on the mountainside, Jesus and his primarily new crew of learners and followers made their way back into civilisation, into the comfort of a house. It isn’t long before word has spread that Jesus and his disciples are there, and so a crowd begins to gather. There is something about Jesus; he is charismatic, people are drawn to his uniqueness, and they have no doubt heard about some of the things people claim he has done: not just the miracles, but the way he teaches and the way he confronts the Pharisees and their rigid beliefs. News has spread about him, and it seems to be both with fame and infamy.

Today, as events unfold, we almost find out instantly that the advent of technology has meant that news reaches the world quicker than ever before, and generally, as the news reaches us, it does so with a sense of accuracy. No longer do we even need to rely on New’s channels or newspapers to disseminate information to us. No, now we have social media where the people who are in the middle of the event might livestream it, share pictures of their stories, or post live tweets as the event unfolds. It was not like that in the day of Jesus! The world was a small place; news stayed local, and it took time to spread as people shared news through conversation and oral tradition. Imagine the conversations that would have been had about this teacher Jesus and those who followed him, the confidence in which he shared, the sense of authority that he carried, the power that he sowed in the miracles that he had already done, and the way he challenged the religious leaders of the day. Imagine how the crowd would have gasped when the Pharisees confronted Jesus about how the disciples were disobeying the Sabbath traditions in eating grain, and Jesus responded not with sorrow but rebuke: Have you not read the scriptures! and just in case the religious leaders of the day where not sure of his point, he hammered it home by healing a sick person on the Sabbath! Imagine what the people who have said about him, and imagine how the Pharisees must have spoken against him. And in this small world, one thing becomes clear – New’s has reached the family of Jesus, and what they think about him is pretty straightforward – He has gone mad! We might say here: “He is out of his mind!”

You are Out of Your Mind! (20-21)

The news of Jesus’ ministry, teaching and style has reached his family, and what is evident at the moment is that they are not impressed with how he is getting on. The crowd gathered around Jesus, and it was so large and desperate to hear from him that we were told that Jesus and the disciples did not even have room to hear. Perhaps a picture of the hunger in those who are coming to Jesus, but not a picture of his family’s understanding of who Jesus is or how he has been getting on. A picture that is all the more surreal when we remember that they should know who he is and why he came! His mother was there when the angel prophesied over her birth and there when he was in the Temple. His brothers and Sisters would have known there was something about him.

Yet, trouble is a miss because they have missed the point. So far from the point are they that we are told they want to seize him! He’s out of his mind, they thought, and we need to do something about it before someone else does! Mark is not talking about something gentle here (21); the image the text paints is of a violent and physical grabbing – it is a forceful picture! Like wanting to send in swat to seize someone and section them under the Mental Health Act today because we fear they are a threat to themselves or others – this is the gravity of the image Mark is missing. The irony? When they think Jesus is out of his mind, they are the ones who are! And if that is not trouble enough from the start of the text, there is much more gravity and heaviness in verse ahead because his families are not the only ones who have concerns and something to accuse him of!

He is Working for the Enemy

I was reading a book during the week about the practice of Intelligence agencies during the War. There was one particular story that was fascinating when a group noticed how suddenly their enemy started to do better. Someone pointed out how a member of the group had travelled to another country, and from that moment, their “luck had changed.” Thus, they confronted the apparent spy, who admitted that he had been working against them because his life was threatened! Normally, this group would deal with traitors by the bullet, but they decided on a different approach this time as they realised that their double agent’s handlers did not realise he had been caught, so they turned him to work for them as a triple agent! It was fascinating and complex, and you could feel the tension around the story as it was told how he would share misinformation and false information with an enemy who thought he was working for them.

It’s a tension that is obvious in this text as the best friends of Jesus – the Pharisees appear again. He has obviously startled them and caused them great havoc! They have gone away, had a meeting about Jesus and discussed all the scenarios that might help them explain who he is, why he is doing what he is doing, how he is so good, and why they are better! Their solution? Well, they basically accuse Jesus of being a double agent! With apparent sound logic, the Pharisees seek to build on the family concerns of Jesus by accusing him of being so good at dealing with evil because he is actually an agent of evil! It is all a ploy of the Kingdom of this world! The Pharisees proclaim – we have figured it out, folks, and don’t fall for it, they might shout to the crowds who have gathered! Jesus is a double agent of darkness.

Two Groups: Wrong Identity

It is amazing to see, isn’t it? Those who have known Jesus for a lifetime and those who have only come into contact with him since his public ministry began. Two radically different groups of people stand united before Christ, not in love nor knowledge – not even in how they desire to approach him. What is it that unites them? Both the family of Jesus and the Religious leaders of the day are united in how they misidentify Jesus! They try to explain all that is going on by applying an identity of Jesus that they want to put onto him. For his family, the easiest explanation for all that has happened is to say, “Well, he has been under a lot of stress, so he’s just not himself; he has gone a bit mad.” For the religious leaders how, they chose to explain the challenge of Jesus away by identifying him as a double agent of the enemy: “By the prince of demons he is driving out demons!”

It’s not just a dangerous misidentify of Jesus; it is an evil one. Think about what they actually admit in their choice of identifying Jesus. They do not just dismiss him as a madman; rather, they admit that he is someone who has some sort of power and authority in the Spiritual war that is raging. They admit there is something about Jesus, a power that has not been seen before and an authority to dispel the forces of darkness in a way that is beyond their ability, but he is able to do it because he is one of them. It is funny to think about Jesus as some form of double age, somehow trying to infiltrate the People of God by destroying his enemies and then doing something with them. Yet, in the response of Jesus, we also see how dangerous a misrepresentation it is; it is not just that they are dismissing the person of Jesus; it is something far worse because the Pharisees are attributing to evil that which is good. Those who were the keepers of the word of God, whose life’s vocation was to teach the people of God about his goodness,s and instruct him in His way – those people are standing before one who is all of those things and declaring it evil.

A Kingdom Divided is a Faulty Logic

This troubling misidentification of Jesus should disturb us; it is one thing to dismiss him as inconsequential, yet completely another to attribute the good that he was doing to some greater work of evil. Jesus responds to the stupidity of the religious leaders and points out the fallacy of their logic:

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.” – Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭24‬-‭27‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

Imagine that as the war raged in Ukraine, the tides suddenly turned completely in favour of the Ukrainian forces. Suddenly, the front lines were being pushed back, and there seemed to be a home after such a long time of darkness and hopelessness. Imagine then how you would react if a Ukrainian general got up and said that yes, they were winning and seeing advances, but it was not because of them! It was a work of subterfuge – the Russians had been attacking their own positions and killing their own people to make the world think that they were losing when, in fact, they were winning! “Madness!” is what we would think, and that is exactly the point that Jesus makes when he responds to the stupidity of the Pharisees; you cannot call that which is good evil, nor can a Kingdom that turns on itself in order to win a war – ever win the war.

2 | Two Thousand Years Later and nothing has changed in how we react to Jesus

The issue could not be clearer in our passage today – How do we deal with the person of Jesus, or to put it another way: “How do we identify him?” Because while the issue could not be clearer, so too are the consequences of what we do with Jesus and how we choose to identify him. It might not be something we have ever thought about, but the passage makes it clear that when we are confronted with Jesus Christ and his claims about himself, what we do with them affects everything in our life and everything eternally.

Two thousand years ago, the world and its powers did not know what to do with Jesus, and today, we are not better. There might not be as open hostility to Jesus around us as there was from the religious leaders of his day – no one is attributing his work to evil. Yet, how many thousands of Jesus might we interact with throughout our lives, as individuals have met Jesus and liked something about him, wrestled with his claims and then turned him into something they can manage? Jesus the Sage, Jesus the hippy, Jesus the moral teacher, Jesus the philosopher, Jesus the example of what it is to be human, Jesus the Radical, Jesus the Rebel, Jesus the Royalist, Jesus the unionist… On and on our list might go, and on and on we create him and recreate him into something we want him to be, or towards a cause we think he would support if he was here today.

We acknowledge him, we see him, and we like him, but in some way, we misidentify him because we do not want to be confronted with his claims about himself, the state of the world and our need for saving. We might not call Jesus evil, but we misidentify him in such a way as to recreate him with the same drastic eternal consequences for us and those we might introduce to him. The trouble in the world today is that we meet Jesus, and we do not know what to do with him. Especially as we swim in the waters of Western culture, where we are conditioned to think that everyone can have a say and can create some sort of truth that is comfortable for them. We live in a culture that says there is nothing absolute, and everything is permissible as long as it doesn’t offend someone else or infringe on them. We live in a culture where nothing is absolute, and then we are met with the claims of Jesus, who says to all who will listen: “Come to me all of you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest because my burden is easy and my yoke is light.” – “That is nice, we think; I could do something with that…” Then, when we meet the foundation of his invitation: “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me”, we might find ourselves thinking – gosh, that is a bit of a bold claim; yet, we are attracted to his way and teachings about life – until he sums it up in the call of Discipleship that all who are to follow me “must take up their cross.” What do we do with it all? Well, whatever we want – we ignore it, dismiss it, or cut it up and take the bits that we like, but we will refuse to see Jesus as he claims to be and give him the honour, repentance and Glory that he is due.

This is the trouble in the world today when it comes to understanding who Jesus is and why he came. We still struggle with misunderstanding or rejecting Jesus’ message; sadly, it’s not just the world as it is today. So many in the church turn from what Jesus has said about himself and how Jesus has called us to live to present a different Jesus and a different Gospel that may be nice but has no power to save or bring light into Darkness. Scepticism, misinformation, and competing ideologies can lead to confusion about who Jesus is and what He represents.

So what do we do? How do we respond to who Jesus is and what he claims about himself? We have already seen in this text today that misidentifying Jesus is not a neutral act. Whatever identity we give him has serious consequences today and more serious consequences in light of eternity. The Pharisees’ identification of Jesus as evil seems obliviously stupid and easy to dismiss. Still, his family’s identification of him as a bit mad has as equally drastic consequences for them and those who might believe him. Thus, today, some thousands of years later, we can be no less inactive in how we Identify Jesus and deal with a world set on misidentifying him, a church that is almost afraid to identify with him. The passage today warns us that the consequences of such actions are no less dangerous because to attribute God’s goodness to anything else or to dismiss it entirely can lead to spiritual blindness and separation from God.

Why Does the Identity of Jesus Matter?

What is the big deal? Why does it matter how the Pharisees chose to identify Jesus all those years ago or how someone chose to identify him today? Surely all that matters is that we take on board some of what he has said and try to put into practice some of the amazing things that he taught: turning the other cheek, laying down our lives for one another, loving our neighbours as ourselves, and all the other ethical principles that Jesus taught and demonstrated with his life?

All of these things we might say to ourselves, all of these excuses that we may make to lessen what Jesus requires of us. Yet, it matters simply because how we identify Jesus shows directly how our hearts are responding to his Lordship and the Good News of the Kingdom. To Grasp the hope of the Cross, the good news of the Gospel of Forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ is to respond to Jesus in one way. In short, it is admitting our sinfulness and failure in light of our lives and eternity and our need for something beyond ourselves and this world – Jesus. It is to accept Jesus’ claim to be Lord (not just of our life but) over everything, and it is to fall before him. Thus, the identity of Jesus matters because it says everything about who he is to us, and to misidentify Jesus is to reject his Lordship and Gospel. A misidentification with eternal consequences.

Understanding the Worst Sin

That is why the warning of Jesus is so severe at the end of our passage. After responding to the lunacy of the Pharisees with his short parables about the reality of Spiritual Warfare and that his power is greater than the Prince of this world, Jesus finishes with a stark warning:

” Truly, I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”- Mark 3:28-29 CSB

These are harsh words, perhaps the hardest words we have ever heard Christ speak. They are harsh words because they are so absolute, and they do nothing in our culture of equal truths because they ground the things of God in a binary contrast: You are either forgiven, or you have rejected God. There has been much written about what Blasmephy of the Holy Spirit means; many theologians have spent hours trying to help us understand the unforgivable sin and, in their trying, have made it harder to understand. It’s simple, isn’t it? It’s so simple that Mark explains it in four words! He said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean Spirit.” What is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? It is a heart that sees the Goodness of God in the person of Jesus Christ, all that he has done and all who he is and then attributes it to evil. It is the continual rejection of Jesus and misidentification of his goodness to something less or something else. This unforgivable sin is the constant rejection of who Jesus is and what he did to enable all to come into the Presence of God by the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. To sum it up in three ways:

1. Deliberate Rejection: It is not the casual claim that Jesus is something else but rather a persistent, wilful, and knowledgeable rejection of the truth of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believer, church, and world.
2. Attribution to Evil: The Pharisees dismiss Jesus by saying the good he was doing was an act of evil. Effectively attributing Jesus’ ministry in the power of the Spirit as a work of evil. An attribution that shows a heart the furthest it can be from God and completely hardened to the Gospel of Grace. A misidentification that
3. The Role of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is the one who makes real the gospel in us and through us in regeneration, sanctification, and the conviction of sin. Thus, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is seen as resisting this divine work so thoroughly that one rejects the possibility of repentance and faith.
   

John Stott highlights this by stating that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit involves a persistent and willful rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testimony about Jesus Christ. This sin is not a single act of defiance but a continual state of heart and mind that resists the Spirit’s work and attributes it to evil.

3 | There Might be a Sever Warning but There is Far More Beautiful Hope

There is so much in this passage, as Jesus paints a stark picture of the reality of life with him and, even more importantly, the reality of life without him! There is so much to process in these few verses—stark warnings, yet also the beautiful picture of forgiveness and the reality of Grace. Even more is the incredible clarity that Jesus gives us about who he is and what he came to do. In his telling us of the reality of rejecting, we are reminded about the beauty of life with him, that by Grace through faith in Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, those who give Jesus the glory that he is due will enjoy the wonder of God’s presence for eternity. Additionally, we see three other factors of Grace in our passage.

The Unity of Grace

There is something beautiful in the rebuke of Jesus to the Pharisees and their Ludacris claims about Jesus as the double agent. When he points out how a divided Kingdom would never succeed for the enemy, it would make no sense for the Agents of Satan to defeat one another. Jesus inversely points out the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven – unity. The Grace that brings us into a relationship with God eternally is the grace that unites us with God eternally and with one another as we live out the Call of the Kingdom. By grace, we have been saved, and we recognise who Jesus is; his grace becomes part of our identity and the very thing that unites us. Thus, Grace is what saves us and becomes part of who we are and how we live. A people who receive Grace by Faith and in the unity of that Grace show it to one another and live it out in the world. When we are united in the Gospel and our call to live it out, we will see the wonder of the Kingdom moving forward.

The Sovereign Power of God

The second beautiful truth we are reminded of in this passage is the power of Jesus. He is the all-sovereign one. In the first parable, Jesus pointed out the stupidity of the thought of him being a double agent – the danger of disunity. Then, in the second short parable, Jesus points out an aspect of who he is both in that moment and intentionally with a simple story. The story of the binding of the Strong man is an acknowledgement that Satan has power, yet he is not powerful enough. For he could not stop himself being tied up and the person plundering whatever he wanted. That person in the story is Jesus Christ. If he can bind up the strongman’s house and plunder his household at will, then it must be that his power is stronger than that of the strongman. To defeat a great power, the power that Jesus works in and administers must be greater than the power that he opposes. Jesus is reminding us that he is all-powerful, all-sovereign, and all-good. No force can stand against him, no weapon of the enemy that can prosper.

The Depth and Wonder of Forgiveness

In naming the unforgivable sin, Jesus delivered a stark warning, yet he also paired it with a beautiful reminder about the depth of God’s offer of forgiveness. As the old song goes, “If grace is an ocean, then we are all sinking.” As Jesus warns those listening, he also offers such profound hope in forgiveness as he reminds us about the extent and reach of God’s grace for those who turn to him: “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. (3:28). In forgiveness, we are reminded about the wonder of Grace.

4 | The Same Grace Then is the Grace We are Called to Know and make Known now

As we have seen in the text, the passage from Mark 3:20-35 is rich with warnings, teachings, and reassurances from Jesus about Jesus! Who he is, and what it means to follow him. In showing us more about his person, identity, and the nature of His work, we are reminded so beautifully about what life in the Spirit looks like and the consequences of rejecting the Holy Spirit. However, this passage also highlights the incredible grace that God offers to the world and challenges us to consider practically how we can make it known in our lives.

The Transformative Power of Grace

One of the most profound ways God’s grace is evident in the world is through its transformative power. Gospel grace through faith in Jesus is not merely a pardon from sin; it is the power that transforms lives through the work of the Holy Spirit. That is why rejecting it is blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God. When we accept Jesus and the gift of Assurance through the Holy Spirit enters into our lives and living, we begin a journey of transformation, day by day, stumble by stumble, as God works in our lives through the Spirit to make us more like Jesus, we are changed from the inside out. This transformation is ongoing, sanctifying us daily and making us more like Christ. It does not mean that we are perfect in our Kingdom endeavours, but it means that we are orientated to the things of the Kingdom by the Grace of God in us; we desire and delight in living for God because we are thankful for the Grace we have received and the love that we know through Jesus Christ. This change becomes evident in how disciples begin to live, act, and interact with one another and the world around them. It’s a testament to the reality that those who recognise Jesus’ true identity and submit to His lordship experience a profound internal change that manifests externally.

The Unity of the Believers

God’s grace also brings unity of the believers in our communities and our purpose. As Jesus pointed out, a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand for whatever it is fighting. Jesus is not a double agent, yet, the reality is the Kingdom of the Prince of this world is divided and full of fighting because it was founded on selfishness, and a desire to be apart form God.

In contrast, the Kingdom of God is characterised by unity, not just with God but with each other, as we all live because of Grace. It is grace that unites us, Grace that saves us and grace that moves us as one to build the Kingdom of Christ in the power of the Spirit. We are moving to live out the same purpose. Why does unity in the Gospel and Grace matter? Because this unity is a powerful witness to the world of the truth of the Gospel. In a world that is often divided by race, politics, and ideology, the unity of believers across these lines is a compelling testament to the reconciling power of Jesus Christ. True unity because of Grace by the Gospel shows the wonder of who Jesus is to a world that is ever seeking to separate itself from one another. It shows that in Christ, we are one! United by our shared faith and mission to do the will of God.

The Assurance of Forgiveness

Thirdly, we are reminded of the depth and wonder of God’s forgiveness, which is available to all who turn to him. Jesus assures us that all sins and blasphemies can be forgiven, except the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This assurance of forgiveness is a cornerstone of our hope. This forgiveness is the fruit of the Cross, where Jesus took upon himself our sin and made a way where there was no way for all who turn to him. It means that no matter how far we have strayed or how grievous our sins are, there is always a path back to God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In a world where guilt and shame often keep people bound, today, we are reminded about the truth and wonder of forgiveness. The Gospel offers freedom and new beginnings, emphasising that God’s grace is sufficient for all who come to Him.

Additionally, are we not challenged to consider our own hearts in this area? If we have received forgiveness, are we living out forgiveness? I am not saying it will be easy, but the reality of the Kingdom is that we are those who have known ourselves and sinned and then, with wonder and praise, rejoice at the Grace we have received through forgiveness! A forgiven people forgive! So we must ask ourselves and our hearts if there is someone for whom we need to work out our forgiveness. Perhaps there is even forgiveness we need to allow ourselves to receive from ourselves. Whatever it is, let us delight in the Forgiveness of the Cross and live it out so the world can know the wonder of Grace.

Conclusion | The Mission of the Church In Grace and For Grace

So what does all this mean for us? Well, let me put it simply: We must know Jesus correctly (as he presents himself), and we must make known Jesus correctly. This is what is to be authentically church and authentically called to be Church, a people who gather to grow in their identity in Christ and then go in their identity in Christ. The Church is called to mission, to go forth in the Great Commission and build the Kingdom of God. It is by living this out in the power of the Spirit and the unity of our common identity and purpose that gospel-grace in the world is evident through the mission of the Church.

We are the body of Christ united by Grace, and our purpose is to delight in him and make him know; to be the Body of Christ means we are the hands and feet of Jesus, continuing His work daily in the normality of where he has called us to be, and who he has called us to be. In this city, at this time, we live in Grace, and we live out Grace so that others can know who Jesus is and what This mission includes preaching the Gospel, making disciples, and serving others in love. It is a mission empowered by the Holy Spirit in the normal context of our everyday day, and it shows the world that the Church is a living, active body of Christ. Thus, as individuals and a Church, we must make sure we truly understand who Jesus is and remove anything from who we are, how we worship or what we do that might hinder those who God brings into our path from knowing Jesus and understanding the power of his identity. Then, when empowered by the Holy Spirit, we live out our mission faithfully; we demonstrate God’s grace in action to a world that is desperate for it.