By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons

 

 And they went into the house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house. Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" --  because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

 

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  

 

- Mark 3:19b–35 

 

Yesterday, we read that Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, after a confrontation with the Pharisees.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send the out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  

 

  And they went into the house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  By now Christ's ministry has expanded so that a "great multitude" follows Him.  His popularity has spread all around not only His home territory but has expanded beyond that.  Perhaps because of the opposition of the Pharisees and scribes, who now plot against Him, His family tries to claim Him for safety, saying that He is out of His mind.  In some sense, in a culture that elevated modesty as a virtue one could say there is a type of scandalous notoriety for the family in all the public attention.

 

  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.  Beelzebub was a name used by the Jews to ridicule the worship of the pagan god Baal.  Typical in places where Baal was worshiped (widely in this region of the Middle East at that time), altars and place names heralding Baal were myriad.  Baal means "lord" or "prince," and this particular name means prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Baal was a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  Here he is called ruler of the demons.   My study Bible comments that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.  

 

 "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" --  because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  My study Bible explains that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit, blasphemy against pure goodness.  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because the Jews did not know much about Christ.  But blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity was known from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  In patristic commentary, it's clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin"; nor does Christ ever call it "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Jesus makes such a declaration here knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and they are beyond repentance by their own choice.  

 

 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."   My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  He points to a spiritual family which is based on obedience to the will of God.  In Jewish usage of the time, and across the Middle East today, brother may indicate any number of relations.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother"; Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother"; and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (Genesis 14:14; Ruth 4:3; 2 Samuel 20:9).  As for Christ Himself, He had no blood brothers, for Mary had but one Son:  Jesus.  These brothers who are mentioned were either stepbrothers (that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage), or cousins.  My study Bible cites Jesus committing His mother to the care of St. John at the Cross (John 19:25-27), which would have been unthinkable if Mary had had other children to care for her.  

In today's reading, Jesus says that he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.  Let us remember that this is in response to the scribes who came down from Jerusalem, who claimed that Jesus cast out demons by the ruler of demons.  My study Bible states that to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to label the good as evil.  In other words, what Jesus does by the power of the Holy Spirit, in effect casting out demons and healing, is blasphemed by calling it demonic or saying that His power is from the ruler of the demons.  In the tradition of the Bible, Satan is known as the accuser, the one who accuses people before God.  The Holy Spirit, by contrast, is called the Paraklete, which can mean "counselor," or more literally the one who comes when called to be by one's side.  This word in Greek was the common word for what we'd now understand as a lawyer, someone to help us present a defense.  But such work -- to call pure good "evil" -- goes beyond mere accusation and into a frame of mind that is itself very evil.  To do so knowingly is to pervert the truth, to participate in a very heinous lie, and to seek to manipulate a circumstance or appearance in order to, in fact, harm or disable the good.  This  in itself is likely a far worse intent than we'd like to contemplate.  But, unfortunately, not all motivations are good.  In this case, Jesus is growing many followers, He speaks with His own authority, and is now a well-known figure who has opposed the scribes and the Pharisees in some public contexts.  In healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, Jesus not only openly opposed these important figures from the religious establishment, but He showed them up openly and spectacularly by healing the man in clear opposition to them.  In Wednesday's reading, we were told that the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  (The Herodians are those who collaborate and support the Herodian dynasty, which ruled for Rome.)  So to call good "evil" is a type of ultimate manipulation, and it's akin in some sense to seeking to kill the good.  It's a deliberate lie that invokes and uses the concept of truth to pervert the truth, for to make such an accusation assumes posing as both true and good.  When we consider Christ's attitude toward hypocrisy, we begin to understand the deeply perverse nature of this type of blasphemy, and how much damage is done to those who might be persuaded, or the innocent and naive who would follow.  To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to hinder the good in the world, to help that which opposes God, opposes Christ.  In today's reading, Jesus also speaks of those whom He calls His brother and sister and mother -- that these are whoever does the will of God.  In pondering Christ's words, we must consider that the One who speaks isn't simply Jesus the human being, but also the divine Christ, the Creator, the Lord.  Today's reading asks us to think about the creation of the world, and its purpose.  In reading the Bible, we begin with Genesis, in which God creates the cosmos, all created things seen and unseen, including us.  In the creation story, Adam and Eve are set in a walled garden (Eden), a place where they commune freely with God, and given a purpose to be "like" God in also bringing the world out of chaos, to put into order and to fill with creation.  In Genesis 1:28, we read, "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' "  But to blaspheme the Spirit is to seek to subvert this essential will of God, not only to act in opposition to it, but to call God's works and God's grace working in us "evil."  One must consider Christ's mission of salvation, and our cooperation with that mission in this context, for the world was not created without purpose or intention. Will we cooperate with grace and seek God's will for ourselves?  Or will we oppose it?  The Pharisees do so today with selfish motives, and Jesus names clearly what they are doing.  

 

 

 

 

 

But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"

 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

- Luke 8:16–25 

 

Yesterday we read that, it came to pass that Jesus went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

 

  "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Interestingly, in this section, Christ's words are echoes of something similar He said in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:14-16).  Certainly phrases and images reflect various preaching of Christ in different places and in different times.  There in the Sermon on the Mount, this image of light was used to encourage His disciples to reflect that light into the world.  But here, Christ is continuing from His beginning of preaching in parables, and especially about the necessity of our own guarding of how we hear.  He's assuring His disciples that the mysteries He brings will be revealed, but it really does depend upon our own disposition to that light.  "For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even wheat he seems to have will be taken from him" is an assurance that what we receive also depends upon our own hearts and what we nurture, protect, and desire.

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of God ("these who hear the word of God and do it").  It further explains that it was not Christ's will to deny His mother and brothers.  St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes, says that Jesus is correcting both them and His hearers "to the right idea concerning Himself," that the family of His Kingdom "is not by nature but by virtue."  See also Luke 11:27-28.

 

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"  My study Bible says that Christ deliberately permits this windstorm to arise while He's sleeping in order to perfect the disciples' faith and rebuke their weaknesses.  This is so they would eventually be unshaken by life's temptations.  Here their faith is still mixed with unbelief.  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

 

There is such an incredibly paradoxical image in the scene of Christ asleep in the boat while such a windstorm is raging on the lake all around Him, to the point where the boat was filling with water.  It's important to remember that a number of Christ's disciples (and indeed, they are His inner circle of Peter, James, and John, plus Andrew Peter's brother) are known to us as fishermen.  They are those whose lives were spent upon this sea working in boats and fishing from them.   So whatever this storm is, it is apparently enough to frighten even the seasoned fishermen.   But the image of Christ asleep on the boat through this windstorm isn't simply about His humanity; today it strikes me that we see Christ as human being in a position that is deeply vulnerable.  He sleeps in the boat while it is filling with water.  So Jesus asleep doesn't just portray Him as a man among other human beings, with our own need for rest amid His no doubt tiring schedule of His public ministry, amid constant travel, preaching, and teaching.  But He takes His place with us as one entirely vulnerable to the vicissitudes and patterns of human life in this world.  We're all, to some extent, at the mercy of the elements of the world, of weather and natural disasters, and Christ shares even that with us.  He comes into the world to know and to share our condition thoroughly.  Moreover, a reading of Christ's early life will give us a number of ways in which -- directly from His conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary -- His life was vulnerable and at risk.  St. Joseph had to make a decision whether or not to divorce his young wife when she told him she was pregnant.  Later when King Herod sought to kill all young male children in order to destroy this infant born a king, His life was in danger, and they fled to Egypt.  This is a vulnerable, dangerous start, right from the beginning, through the power of the state that is already against Him.  Christ's safety depended upon faithful parents responding to the call of God.  In this alone, we see the importance of Christ's statement in today's reading about our need to "take heed how we hear."  In St. Joseph's case, he followed warnings received in dreams, and so did the three wise men from the East who came to honor Christ (see Matthew 1:18-2:23).  But even from this vulnerable place, Christ teaches us that the one thing essential to us for life is the courage of our faith, the strength of our faith, the nurturing of our faith.  Christ indeed has the power to rebuke the storm, and so this is a part of the story in today's reading.  But what He teaches the disciples is not that we, as vulnerable humans, need to somehow acquire the kind of power He, the Christ, has.   Jesus' response is to chide the disciples, asking them,  "Where is your faith?"  even as the disciples marvel over His power to command the winds and water, and they obey Him.  There is a quotation from an essay by G. K. Chesterton that somewhat addresses this point.  He writes, "Christianity is the only religion on earth that has felt that omnipotence made God incomplete.  Christianity alone has felt that God, to be wholly God, must have been a rebel as well as a king.  Alone of all creeds, Christianity has added courage to the virtues of the Creator.  For the only courage worth calling courage must necessarily mean that the soul passes a breaking point -- and does not break" (from the essay, "God the Rebel").  The courage Christ calls out of His disciples, out of us, and out of Himself when He will face the Crucifixion, is faith.  This is what faith does for us; it is that upon which civilization is born and carried through the generations.  It is that which carries us through storms and terrors.  It is where we must find our courage, and it is there that He calls us ahead, with Him, to "life, abundantly."

 

 

Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother

 

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, ""By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 

- Mark 3:19b-35 

 

Yesterday we read that, after a confrontation with the Pharisees, Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  And they went into a house. 

 

  And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, ""By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."  My study Bible explains that Beelzebub, or Baal, was a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  There were many names for Baal as particular places and individual sites of worship were dedicated to the god.  In this case, Beelzebub is a name used to ridicule the god, meaning prince of the "dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Here the scribes call this god the ruler of the demons.  Jesus evokes a scenario in which the demons fight the demons, asking, "How can Satan cast out Satan?" to show the impossibility of their accusation.  My study Bible says that this illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.  

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  My study Bible tells us that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means a blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit, blasphemy against pure goodness.  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because the Jews did not know much about Christ, a note reads.  But blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity was known from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept the mercy of God.  Additionally, in patristic literature it's clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin"; nor does Jesus ever call it "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  This declaration is made by Christ knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and are beyond repentance by their own choice.  

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  My study Bible says that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  He points us to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of God.

Jesus says that His family (My brother and My sister and mother) is whoever does the will of God.  When we stop to consider God's will, we must think about the Scripture that tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8).  If we know that God is love, then we understand that God's will is love.  We read in the Scriptures all about God's will, God's commands, and the stories of those who have been obedient to God throughout the spiritual history we know from the Bible.  We read the Scriptures and seek as best we can to follow that will.  But nonetheless, we must understand overall that God's will is love, and can be nothing but love, for this is how we know God. When we think of a family, we have to ask ourselves, what do we want between family members, for a true relationship, but love?  Many consider that family relations are defined by bloodlines, or DNA matches.  We can formally define family relationship also through marriage, and ties to different clans through marriage.  Many families have their own codes of behavior or patterns passed down from generation to generation, either in traditions or other types of behaviors.  This is also dependent upon historical circumstances that have shaped a family's life, and cultural traditions from different places around the world.  But we should stop to consider if by flesh alone -- or even tradition or inheritance alone -- we have love.  Flesh, it seems to me, can go one way or the other.  But to follow the will of God, what does that take?  We can learn from loving examples, but ultimately Christ asks us to look to God.  For mother, brother, sister, and earthly father all may fail in some aspect or another.  But if we want a true family relationship, what else do we want but love?  All of us should understand this command of Christ.  In the context of today's reading, it may seem rather shocking that Jesus says what He says to His family, especially to His mother who cherished all the things prophesied about her Son right from the beginning, and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19).  But love is always a command, for love is what truly makes a family, and love is what we want in all of our relationships.  This love that we understand from God is true righteousness.  Let us not forget that Jesus has left us with a new command, to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34-35).  For if we endeavor to love, and set ourselves to love by the example He has shown, we will be modeling the relationships we want, both in blood family, and in our churches, and with our "brothers" and "sisters" and "mothers" everywhere.  One might want to ask, what is a family without this love?

Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother

Virgin and Child.  Mosaic, 1315-1321.  Holy Savior in Chora Church, Constantinople (Istanbul)

 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

- Matthew 12:43-50

On Saturday, we read of Jesus' continuing encounter with the Pharisees, after their accusation that He cast out demons by the power of demons.  He said, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  My study bible comments that when the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, they did not repent of their impure ways, and an unclean spirit took up residence in their hearts (Deuteronomy 31:20; Psalm 105:34-39).  Therefore, we are taught to guard our hearts.  Without true repentance and the invitation of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the heart of a person, my study bible says, an expelled demon will return with others reoccupy its abode.  This serves to emphasize the need for vigilance in the inner life, and also constant prayer.  Our faith is not a one-time declaration, but an ongoing commitment, a practice of struggle for awareness, growth, and dynamic internal movement. 

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."  My study bible suggests that Christ's relatives haven't yet understood His identity and mission.  Jesus points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of My Father.  My study bible also reminds us that in Jewish usage (and for that matter, still today across the Middle and Near East), brother can indicate any number of relations.  In some examples from Scripture, Abram called his nephew Lot "brothers (Genesis 14:14); Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3), and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  The Church by tradition upholds that Jesus Himself had no blood brothers, for Mary had only one Son.  The brothers, therefore, who are mentioned here are either stepbrothers (that is, sons of Joseph by an earlier marriage), or cousins.  As further evidence of this, Jesus commits His mother to the care of His disciple at the Cross (John 19:25-27), an unthinkable gesture if Mary had other children to care for her.

Jesus began His present discourse to the Pharisees after they had accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, whom they refer to as the "ruler of the demons" (see Friday's reading).  Jesus' initial response was to teach that to blaspheme the Spirit -- in other words, their calling the work of the Spirit in Christ's ministry "evil" -- is to participate in a kind of sin that must be repented.  To criticize Him personally is one thing, but to call the holy work of the Spirit in the world "evil" is another.  Here in today's reading, He continues that train of thought, teaching that true spiritual commitment requires an ongoing awareness and vigilance about who we are and what we are, and especially paying attention to the heart and the words that come out of our mouths.  All of these things are connected.  Jesus teaches that "when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."   It is an illustration of a paradigm, an understanding that spiritual life is always in motion, and not stagnant.  We don't make a decision one day and say that we belong to Christ, and then fail to act on that decision every day, in the moments of our lives in which we elect to remember this and act on it -- or not.  In other words, there is a kind of vigilance that belongs to spiritual endeavor.  It is a matter of guarding the heart, of recognizing who we are and to whom we belong, and of exercising this discipline of commitment.  We're not "neutral" according to Jesus' illustration.  As a psychologist once put it to me, we're either going in one direction or the other.   Jesus speaks of a kind of continuum, a constant process toward something or away from it.  In the second part of today's reading, He teaches us what precisely it is He asks us to be going toward:  a union of love for God the Father by seeking to live God's will for us, and in turn we are also united toward others within that same "family."  This goal or end point gives us a full set of relations, a network based in faith, love, and trust of God.  And in Jesus' statement today, we can read that it transcends even our closest relationships based on other types of commonality, even blood family.  Let us note that Jesus is not rejecting family.  What He speaks about is a union of relationship within a spiritual bond to God who is love.  Within that bond, we have a definition of what true relationship is like, a goal toward which it goes, a definition and measuring stick of what constitutes love and goodness and health.  Let us consider Jesus' emphasis on a constant vigilance regarding our priorities, our commitment to what is good and true.  Where does God ask you to begin today?  How do you affirm this, even for a moment?  Do you have an old hurt that needs to be redressed under the protection of the Holy Spirit and prayer?  Take time to remember God, take time for prayer, even in the midst of your day.  You never know how you might help others, or what the power of that prayer will be for yourself.  Let us note once again this is an active process; when we take even a minute for prayer to seek Gods' will, so we participate as He asks.

But he who endures to the end shall be saved

 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows. 

"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved." 

- Mark 13:1-13

Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

  Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  My study bible tells us that Christ's prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in AD 70, when the temple was destroyed by the Romans.   In the frenzy of battle, rumors that there was gold between the stones of the temple quite literally resulted in the manifestation of Christ's prophecy.  The temple in Christ's time was known as one of the seven wonders of the world, for its architectural beauty and magnificence.  We can hear in the remarks of the disciple the awe at its glory.  After the Siege of Jerusalem, only one retaining wall remained of the vast and extraordinary building complex of the temple completed by Herod the Great, father of Antipas, who was also known as Herod the Builder.  (It is that Herod who slew the innocents of Bethlehem; see Matthew 2:16-18.)  That wall today is called the Western Wall, or formerly the Wailing Wall.

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows.   My study bible notes here that Mark's account of the end times is given in a reverse parallel form (called chiastic).  This means that the topics which are mentioned in the first half of the passage are repeated and magnified in reverse order in the second half (which will be in Monday's lectionary reading).  So, the full passage in Mark begins and ends with a warning to take heed about false christs (verses 5, 23).  The second warning regards wars (verse 7), and the second-to-last warning is about tribulation (verse 19). 

"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."    The third warning in the overall passage is given in these verses about being delivered up to councils (verse 9), and also the third-to-last -- this time a warning about being betrayed by family members (verse 12).   The center of Jesus' discourse and prophecy on end times is here, that the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  This is what my study bible calls the heart of the apostolic ministry and mission of the Church. 

Jesus ends today's passage with these stark words:  "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."  This is not exactly a cheering and heart-lifting message, delivered just prior to the events of the Passion that are coming.  He is preparing the disciples for what is to come, giving them a true picture of what is what, what to expect.  Are they prepared for the rest of their discipleship, their mission as apostles?    But it is an overall message for the Church, and believers in each generation -- even in nominally Christian countries -- have still experienced its truth.  To be a true believer is still to experience something that does not sit well with all the ways of the world, and the material-mindedness that comes to us so easily and makes life seem as if our choices are quite simple, that there is nothing more to life but its surface appearance.  Sometimes, as Jesus says, those challenges stretch straight into the personal, even into the heart of the family.  The struggles that we face as Christians or believers in Christ is a struggle of the heart, to reconcile our need for Christ and our lives in the world, as we meet the challenges of an imperfect, fallen, and selfish world.  That makes for a life of challenges and questions and struggles.   But Jesus teaches us that in all things, the Holy Spirit is present with us, and will give us what we need.  Note that Mark discloses in detail to whom Jesus speaks here, and where He speaks.  He's on the Mount of Olives with the rest of the pilgrims to Jerusalem at the Passover, the place where His Passion will start (in the garden called Gethsemane).  He speaks privately here to Peter, James, John and Andrew -- the brothers, Peter and Andrew, James and John, who form His first-called disciples.  As Jesus sets out what will be the path forward for the Church, and into the age to come, one may wonder in our time of advertising sophistication, couched as we are in public relations and marketing for virtually everything, how it was that such deep faith took root and spread so quickly through these men.  It will take only one generation for Christianity to go throughout what was their known world, to plant the seeds that would bear fruit.  We can but wonder, and then bear our own crosses and struggles, in such contrast to the popular idea of life as meant to be comfortable and perhaps easy.  But let us note these words.  Jesus' words to us speak most of all about endurance -- and endurance to the end, through all things, through the struggles we'll be a part of in our lives.  It's real, not fake.  He gives us the truth, and He gives it to us straight, for the gospel must go everywhere -- and surpass and transcend the struggles.

He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother"

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?   If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

- Mark 3:19b-35

Yesterday we read that after a confrontation with the Pharisees, who now plot to destroy Him,  Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  

  And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?   If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."  Jesus' own people are extended relations from Nazareth.   Here they have heard of His ministry and decided that He has drawn so much attention and is causing such a stir -- including what is now a dangerous and deliberate open conflict with the ruling authorities -- that He is out of His mind.  Perhaps both for what they see as His good, and also for unwanted attention which may now be focused on them, they wish to bring Him back out of the spotlight of widespread public attention.  Beelzebub was another name for the Philistine god Baal (2 Kings 1:2-16).  It was used sardonically by the Jews as a title, meaning prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Here the scribes call him the ruler of the demons.  Jesus responds with the perfect parable of a kingdom divided against itself, illustrating the irrational nature of the charges made against Him.  Importantly, He casts Himself as the "stronger man" who is able to bind Satan, and plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  My study bible calls blasphemy against the Holy Spirit blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit.  That is, blasphemy against pure goodness.   As these men (the scribes who said that By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons) are experts in Scripture and know the divine activity of the Holy Spirit from the Old Testament, their statement comes from a deliberate hardness of heart, a willful refusal to accept God's mercy.  But by tradition we understand that blasphemy is not an "unforgivable sin" and neither does Jesus call it such.  St. John Chrysostom comments that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Christ makes this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are saying that pure, divine goodness is "evil" -- and that by their own choice they are unrepentant and will remain so.

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  Now His mother and brothers (that is, close male relatives such as step-brothers by an earlier marriage of Joseph, or cousins) come to Him to seek Him out, no doubt reflect the concerns noted earlier in the reading by Mark.  My study bible says that His relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  Jesus does not directly reject His relatives, but instead points to an expanded spiritual family, based on the will of My Father.  In this way, He also offers an understanding of His ministry and calling, distressing as it may be to His extended family from Nazareth.

Today's reading gives us a picture of the level of disturbance that Christ's ministry is creating.  Not only have the scribes come down from Jerusalem specifically to claim that By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons, but that He also works through a god of their enemies the Philistines.  It's no small matter -- as of course, we understand from the final trial which will lead to His crucifixion -- to claim such a sort of blasphemy.  We already know that the Pharisees, with whom the scribes work closely, are plotting with the Herodians (followers of Herod, who is tetrarch of Galilee) to destroy Jesus, from yesterday's reading, above.  So the danger is very real.  There's also enough of a threat that His family and extended relations from Nazareth have come to find Him and seek most likely to call Him back home, so that He will cease His travels and the spread of His fame throughout the Jewish communities of Israel and the surrounding Gentile territories.  But none of this is going to happen.  From the beginning, Christ's ministry has been anything but reserved or held back.  Instead, Mark repeatedly uses the word "immediately" to describe the events which happen like little explosions bursting in upon the communities of Israel and into the world.   In this understanding of Christ's manifestation into the world through His public ministry, we see, as He says, the work of the Holy Spirit in the world.  It is rattling all kinds of assumptions and understanding, shaking up the authorities simply through revelation of authority through Christ.  Everybody seems to be going after Jesus, clamoring to see Him, to touch Him, to be healed by Him, to hear what He says.  The religious authorities have been now directly challenged by His healing on the Sabbath of the man with a withered hand, and His declaration to them that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Here in today's reading He declares His authority even over Satan, whom He has the power to bind.  All of these things are challenges to the established structure of the society and the faith, even directly and openly.  Christ is direct and straightforward about them.  He doesn't beat about the bush, He doesn't use language that couches the truth behind softly mumbled deprecation.  No, His ministry is a straightforward declaration regarding the will of God the Father and also the work of the Holy Spirit.  He has referred to Himself with the somewhat mysterious title Son of Man (used in the Old Testament, but in this case inspired by its use in Daniel 7:13), and also as Lord of the Sabbath.  Everything Jesus is doing is shaking up everyday life.  But ultimately, He refers not to Himself but to God the Father and to the Holy Spirit as inspiration and author of what is happening through His ministry.  He directly informs the scribes they are blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and insists on the deeply serious nature of the offense to God they commit.  Moreover, He expresses to His mother and brothers the spiritual family found in the will of God, a bond with Him that is created through such faith.  These are all bold statements which work to shake up relations on every level, the personal and the public -- even the community of Jews as well as the Roman state, since now even the Herodians are involved.  There is nothing held back in service to God.  And so, Jesus the humble carpenter's son from the small and rather unremarkable town of Nazareth has become the Teacher whom all of Israel is going to see, a challenge to the authorities who plot to destroy Him.  It has all happened in the "immediacy" of the events unfolding in Mark's Gospel, even as our own understanding of God's intervention and will in our own lives can happen seemingly "immediately."  We may follow a long road in ignorance and blindness, to simply suddenly and immediately have our eyes opened to something we couldn't previously see.  God's truth bursts in on us when we, like the Prodigal Son, "come to ourselves."  Do not be surprised when the truth of Christ's calling and the work of God in our own lives shakes up some social structures, pre-established habits and relations, even -- and perhaps especially -- our old ways of thinking and being in the world and negotiated relationships from the past.  The truth breaks in upon us, God's word isn't halfway.  It declares to us the decisions we need to make, the about-face turn of repentance we need to do.  It shakes us up so that we, too, might face relatives and friends who think we must be beside ourselves.  Let us follow our Lord in faith, and be assured by our place in His spiritual family, and His ministry which upsets the world.

Take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

- Luke 8:16-25

Yesterday we read that after a confrontation while dining in the home of a Pharisee, Jesus went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things he cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Jesus continues His talk regarding the interpretation of the parable of the Sower.  His encouragement is for living the life we're called to live, living our faith.  To take heed how you hear is to seek spiritual discernment, to be alert to the illumination and mysteries of the Kingdom, and to grow in the light.  This would include an ongoing sense of repentance, a willing to change in accordance with the discernment.  The warning is that for one who ceases to pay heed to the proper care and nurturing of their spiritual life, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  My study bible says that it is not Christ's will here to deny His mother and brothers.  What we are to understand from this passage, according to St. John Chrysostom, is that He is correcting both them and His hearers "to the right idea concerning Himself," that the family of His own Kingdom "is not by nature but by virtue."  (See also 11:27-8.)

 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"  My study bible explains that Christ deliberately permitted this windstorm to arise while He's sleeping, in order to perfect the faith of the disciples, and to rebuke their weaknesses.  In this way He prepares them to be unshaken by life's temptations.  In these senses of development of faith, this example parallels the teachings that have been given through the parable of the Sower, above.  My study bible adds that here their faith remains mixed with unbelief at this stage in their discipleship.  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

In an interesting reading, we're given an example of the development of faith in action and in our lives that Christ's parable was about, given just before (see yesterday's reading, above).  In other words, the parable of the Sower gives us the understanding that our faith is about a fully lived life, discipleship is an ongoing, experientially challenging life mission.   We have our ups and we have our down, we have circumstances that draw out the best of what we have within us and also the worst.  And everything -- absolutely everything we live and experience -- becomes part and parcel of the life of discipleship, the struggle for our faith.  The disciples find themselves challenged by their natural fears of perishing in the storm.  But Christ is with them, although He is asleep.  In our own lives, as well, He may seem to be sleeping, to pay no heed to the severe dangers and fears we find ourselves going through.  But everything is about mission in the light of our faith.  Is He really sleeping, or are we going through a time of struggle in order to further develop our faith?  Do we forget about Him?  Do we panic?  Do we think of the goal or destiny, or even the command that is taking us along this route in our lives, the faith by which we'd been seeking to live up until the time of great panic and fear?  All of these become questions of the struggle for our spiritual lives, for the melding of that life of this world into the one of the Kingdom, so that we live both simultaneously, in and through one and the other.  And that is the depth of the struggle, to realize always that although He may seem to be sleeping, we are His and He is with us.  We are on mission and directed and guided by Him.  We call on the Lord for help, we await in faith, and we can be confident that no matter what it is with which life confronts us, whether that be loss or setback, terrible senses of failure, or great exaltation, even fear of death -- all of it is part of the mission should we choose to remember our Lord, and that we are indeed His.  Where is your mission today?  Where does it take you?  Are you being stretched past your flaws and fears?  Can you put your faith in Him when it seems lost?  What's the mystery into which you enter when you don't have all the answers?  Like the great windstorm, our faith lives in paradox, not seeming perfection -- and through absolutely all of it, He is there, even if He seems to be asleep to our pleas.  Let us remember that He has had the disciples set out for different territory with which they're unfamiliar, across the Lake (the Sea of Galilee).  Even when we don't know where we're going, our mission is always ongoing.

Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation

And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

- Mark 3:19b-35

Yesterday we read that, after the Pharisees began plotting with the Herodians to destroy Him (see Saturday's reading),  Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, and a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 

And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."   It may seem strange to us, but the Gospels show conflict between family and the religious life, particularly the work of the Spirit or holiness in the world (see also, for example, John 7:1-9).  Here, St. Jerome comments that even Christ's family seek to put a stop to His public ministry, which at this point has become overwhelming in its popularity, by claiming He has a weak mind.  Perhaps the sheer volume of people crowding into this home to see Him render His ministry "unseemly" or too conspicuous in their eyes; more likely, in the context of this explosive public attention, they are also responding to the new threats against Him from both the religious and state authorities.  But conflict and hostility do not deter Christ from pressing forward with His mission.

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."  Beelzebub, or Baal, was a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  The name Beelzebub is one given to Baal by the Jews, a disparaging epithet which means the prince of the "dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Here the scribes call him the ruler of the demons.  But Jesus responds to their charge with a rational question, "How can Satan cast out Satan?"   He makes it clear through the example of plundering a strong man's house that He is, in effect, the One who has come to bind Satan in opposition to his kingdom, and to liberate the world, his plunder.  My study bible says that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees and scribes in their opposition to Jesus.

 "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  Here Jesus takes His argument further, in a warning to these men of the leadership themselves.  To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to blaspheme against the divine activity of the Spirit, my study bible explains.  It is blasphemy against pure goodness.  The scribes to whom He speaks are the experts in the Old Testament Scriptures, and because of this they are fully aware of what the work of the Spirit in the world is.  My study bible says in this context that therefore their blasphemy against the Spirit -- in effect, calling the purely good "evil" -- comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.   A hardness of heart which refuses repentance remains, in effect of such a state, without forgiveness.

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."    Once more the interaction of Christ's family with His ministry illustrates the conflict between the social structures of the world and the holy.    My study bible comments that Jesus' relatives haven't yet understood His identity and mission.   Considering what we read earlier about their concern for Him, this is perhaps another time they try to speak with Him about His ministry.  Jesus remains firm in His mission,  pointing to a spiritual family,  based on obedience to the will of God.  There need be no real conflict here, and in the case of His mother, we know already of her love and obedience to God (Luke 1:38).

It's interesting to consider the images that Mark's Gospel gives us of the repeated attempts at intervention by Christ's family.  They may simply be trying to protect Him from the attention of both the state and religious authorities.  Perhaps they themselves are suffering from undesirable public scrutiny in their own lives in the wake of the effects of His ministry and the public response.  Whatever the reason, we are given to observe how deeply conflicts may play a role in the lives of the faithful.  The impact of the holy is one that shakes up the world.  The powers that be -- that of the "strong man" or "prince of this world" -- are shaken through holiness, the work of the Spirit in the world.  The nature of Christ's kingdom is clearly illustrated in the example He provides to the scribes as that which is in opposition to Satan.  The illustration teaches us, also, that this is not a peaceful opposition but a violent one, one designed to thoroughly shake up the hold that evil has on the world and to "bind up" its power.  As such, it shouldn't be so surprising that Christ's ministry shakes up His own world on so many levels:  from the religious leadership to the state power, to even those members of His own family.  In that light, it is interesting and important to consider Jesus' words about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  He tells us,  "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation."  Let us note that He compares other sins and blasphemies to this one significant act of blasphemy of the Spirit.  It's an acknowledgement that sin goes on all the time; it is simply part and parcel of our world.  But blasphemy against the Spirit falls in a particular category.  St. Gregory Nazianzinus comments on this passage that the Holy Spirit is God himself enabling our faith, and moreover, that God the Spirit is not only the one whom we worship but the one by whom we worship.  It is the Spirit, in other words, by whom we have faith in the first place.  What Jesus declares, then, about relatedness and relationships is that there is one overarching branch above all other things that gives us right-relatedness, and that is our love of God, our desire to be obedient to God.  This passes through all other things, and surpasses all other relationships in terms of the power and authority to create "family" -- the ones whom Christ calls His "brother and sister and mother."  It is ultimately God the Father who determines true relatedness in this picture, what the "family" is.  As it is God the Holy Spirit who is at work in the world, it is the work of the Spirit that reveals and inspires; in a sense it is God the Holy Spirit who declares what is real and what is truth.  Hence, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit becomes the one "unforgivable" thing.  This is not to say that we cannot be forgiven for this sin, but that this sin above all is a denial of life and truth.  As such, should we remain in such a state in which we call good "evil," we will remain outside of the reality of God's love and the basis for true relationship to all things.  What we should note is that the invitation to this family is open to all people; there are no barriers to faith, to the true desire to love God.  Indeed, in the eyes of the Gospel, this is our true natural state as creatures of God. And there we come to the notion of Satan the "strong man" who must be bound by Christ, as it is this influence, ultimately, which aims to keep us from true right-relatedness.  Christ lays out the pattern, the strength of faith, and it is the Holy Spirit at work in us and at work in the world who helps to us get there.  Let us take rest in that faith, so that we may truly see the reality of what is.

My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"    Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

- Luke 8:16-25

Yesterday we read that Jesus went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled on, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  It's interesting that this passage appears here in Luke.  In Matthew's Gospel, the teaching about light and the lampstand is found in the Sermon on the Mount, right after the Beatitudes, when Jesus preaches to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (see Matthew 5:14-16).  We've recently read the Sermon on the Plain in Luke (6:17-49), in which Jesus preaches many things also found in the Sermon on the Mount.  But today's passage appears just after Jesus tells the parable of the Sower.  Its emphasis is on our capacity to hear:  that is, our capacity for spiritual sight and hearing.  We who listen to His words are in some sense responsible for what and how we hear, what we receive.  We must "take heed how [we] hear."  If we are capable of receiving, more will be given.  But if we don't make an effort to hear, even what we have will be lost.  Jesus says, "For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light."   The word "mystery" means in the Greek means "secret" or "hidden."  It is that which can only be known through revelation.  What Christ suggests here is about caring for, valuing, and nurturing our capacity to receive.

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  My study bible comments that it was not Christ's will to deny His mother and brothers.  Instead, St. John Chrysostom tells us, Jesus is correcting both them and His hearers "to the right idea concerning Himself," that the family of His Kingdom "is not by nature but by virtue" (see also 11:27-28). 

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"    Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"  Jesus has just told His disciples, in a very vivid display before His natural mother and brothers from Nazareth, that "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  Here, the disciples follow His command to cross over to the other side of the lake.   My study bible comments that Christ deliberately permits the windstorm to arise while He is sleeping in order to perfect the disciples' faith, and to rebuke their weaknesses.  What is the point?  So that they would eventually be unshaken by life's temptations.  In this incident, their faith is still mixed with unbelief.  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

There is so much emphasis in today's reading on hearing and doing the word of God, on the unity of this family of the Kingdom that is fully dependent upon this process of hearing and doing, receiving the word that we are capable of hearing.  But how does God instruct us?  Tradition regards the story of the disciples on a stormy sea as an allegory to the Church.  Our faith does not keep us from challenges.  In fact, it may be that God leads us to particular challenges in order to strengthen God's relationship with us -- in order to strengthen our faith and to understand and grow within our dependency upon and trust in God.  In the Greek language of the original Gospels, the word for faith is rooted in the word for trust.  This is the deepest meaning of faith.  It's what connects us to love and how we understand love.  There is trust when you know someone has love for you.  To fully depend upon God may sound like a kind of fatalism, or an idea that takes away our independence.  But this is a failure to know God.  Our dependency upon God does not make us infantile.  Rather it is a true perspective on the reality of life.  The very fact that the Gospels teach that it is God who leads us into challenges so that we may grow in our determination, faith, and understanding of relationship to God shows us that in our dependency we are led to greater fulfillment as human beings.  God's challenges increase the strengths, the courage, and the wisdom of the disciples.  Our dependence upon God decreases our need for control, our insecurity, and our dependence upon others for fulfillment of our need for love.  The dependence upon God in its fullness gives us love as fulfillment which we may then share with other people.  It grants us a kind of security that is not so much about what we have, as it is about who we know we are and how we know we are loved and cherished and valued by Creator.  This is the reality of the family of God.  God as our Parent, is the One who leads us to true adulthood and maturity.  Jesus encourages our growth in this relationship, so that we may become more rooted in the capacities which God wishes to share with us.  Such rootedness takes us away from the pettiness that results from seeing life as mere competition with one another, but rather understanding a better and deeper purpose, more mature spiritual and personal values, and a way to recognize that our own worth comes within God's love for us.  These are sobering thoughts, but they are the place God will lead us to if we experience our own struggles with faith.   To grow in that trust is to learn to detach ourselves from worry in the confidence of God's faithfulness, to grow in patience, to meet challenges.  Let us consider where God's family will take us, where we may find our roots, and expand our own horizons when we come to understand even who we are through faith.