The Son of God deals with both bad days and good days when He walks the earth in the flesh. The day we are about to study this morning is pretty bad. The teachers of the law are going to accuse Jesus of being a sinner any way they can, so they claim He is casting out demons by the powers of darkness. If that isn't bad enough, Jesus' own family thinks His mind has become unhinged and they come up from Nazareth intending to force Him to return home with them.
Have you ever had anyone say terrible things about you? Has anyone ever accused you of harboring wicked intentions when you only had their best interests at heart? Have family members ever talked to you like they think you're stupid or are unable to make sensible decisions? If so, Jesus has been there too and He knows exactly how you feel.
"Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples were not even able to eat." (Mark 3:20) This may be the same house in Capernaum belonging to Peter and Andrew. Jesus and the disciples are working so hard they can't even take a lunch break. Just think about it: the holy Son of God endured an empty tummy and growling belly for you and me!
"When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, 'He is out of His mind.'" (Mark 3:21) No doubt Jesus' family has already heard of His teaching, His works, and His phenomenal fame. They may also have heard He has made some deadly enemies among the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who are now conspiring with the Herodians to have Jesus put to death. But finding out He is working His fingers to the bone, getting very little rest, and is becoming malnourished is more than they can take. They think He has become completely carried away and is going to collapse soon, so Mary and the brothers of Jesus set out from Nazareth to seize Him by force if necessary. In the original Greek the text tells us Jesus' family intend to 'lay hold of Him' and 'take charge of Him'. This could be compared in our day to having a person involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, except in Jesus' day there were no mental health facilities, so His family intends to place Him on house arrest in Nazareth until they can nurse Him back to sanity.
While His family is on their way, Jesus is slandered by His enemies. "And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons He is driving out demons.'" (Mark 3:22) Beelzebul was a god worshiped by the ancient Philistines and was also associated with the Canaanite god Baal. Beelzebul was considered a chief demon and the Jews later used his name as a synonym for Satan. When the teachers of the law claim Jesus is casting out demons through the power of Beelzebul, they are saying He is possessed by Satan.
"So Jesus called them over to Him and began to speak in parables: 'How can Satan drive out Satan? 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. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.' He said this because they were saying, 'He has an impure spirit.'" (Mark 3:23-30) Jesus is the one who has bound the strong man (Satan) and is plundering his house. Jesus would have to be stronger than Satan in order to bind him, so He cannot be working by the powers of Satan, for it makes no sense for Satan to bind himself or to allow himself to be plundered. But the teachers of the law miss this point completely.
I want to take just a second to point out that we need not get caught up in the fear that we might have ever said anything against the Holy Spirit and may have committed an unforgivable offense. The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that is in view here is the refusal to believe the testimony of the Holy Spirit. The religious leaders of Jesus' day are refusing to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying: that Jesus is God and that His works are righteous. In turning a deaf ear to what the Holy Spirit is saying, they are calling Him a liar. In the days when Jesus walked the earth, the Holy Spirit testified to the deity of Jesus both in what Jesus said and in the miracles He performed. He also testified to the identity of Christ by working in people's hearts to lead them to faith. The continual work of the Holy Spirit is to lead mankind to Christ, and to reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit is to reject Christ, which is the only unforgivable sin. Saying "no" to the Holy Spirit is saying, "I don't believe You! I don't believe what You say about Jesus! I don't believe You when You tell me I'm a sinner who needs saving. I don't believe Jesus is God or that He died for my sins or that He can make me righteous. I don't need to be made righteous; there's nothing wrong with me." Spending our whole lives in this attitude and leaving this life still maintaining this attitude is the only unforgivable sin. This is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
"Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they told Him, 'Your mother and brothers are outside looking for You.' 'Who are My mother and My brothers?' He asked. Then He looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, 'Here are My mother and My brothers! Whoever does God's will is My brother and sister and mother.'" (Mark 3:31-35) The family probably can't get into the house due to the huge crowds outside, so they send word for Jesus to come out to them, intending to grab hold of Him and carry Him off to Nazareth. He knows their intentions and He knows they don't believe in Him, so He says to the people seated around Him, "My family is made up of those who believe in Me." Jesus is not rejecting His biological relatives and He has not stopped loving them. But Jesus can only be in close fellowship with those who believe in Him, and it is believers who make up the family of God. It is believers who are "joint-heirs with Christ". (Romans 8:17) It is believers whom Jesus calls "brothers and sisters". (Hebrews 2:11) Just think of it: you and I who believe in Christ are His brothers and sisters! We were not related biologically to Him, but we are now related spiritually to Him, and Jesus says the spiritual relationship is the one that matters. I am the sister of the Lord Jesus! Such a thing is more than my mind is able to fully understand, but I'm so grateful that it's true.
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