Part 10: Mad Man On The Loose
Mark 3:20-35
September 24, 1858
Evangelical
Mennonite Society
Bible Fellowship
Church
Revivalists - evangelizing the lost
Holy Spirit control over their lives.
Where Are We?
Jesus has broken through the “norm” of the
day and bludgeoned the status quo by
realigning the scriptures with heart and deeds.
With the mounting opposition by the religious
leaders, Jesus, the “man of sorrows” is
confronted with a new enemy…His friends and
family.
Big Idea!
“…because Jesus Christ proved
to be God incarnate, we must
repent and trust Him as Lord or
perish in eternal judgment!”
Mark 3:20-35
20
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a
crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples
were not even able to eat. 21 When his family
heard about this, they went to take charge of
him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 And
the teachers of the law who came down from
Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub!
By the prince of demons he is driving out
demons.”
Mark 3:20-35
23
So Jesus called them and spoke to them in
parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If
a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom
cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against
itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan
opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand;
his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a
strong man’s house and carry off his possessions
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Mark 3:20-35
28
I tell you the truth, all the sins and
blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal
sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying,
“He has an evil spirit.” 31 Then Jesus’ mother and
brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent
someone in to call him.
Mark 3:20-35
32
A crowd was sitting around him, and they told
him, “Your mother and brothers are outside
looking for you.” 33 “Who are my mother and my
brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked at those
seated in a circle around him and said, “Here
are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever
does God’s will is my brother and sister and
mother.
CS Lewis’s Trilemma
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the
really foolish thing that people often say about
Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.
That is the one thing we must not say. A man
who was merely a man and said the sort of
things Jesus said would not be a great moral
teacher. …
CS Lewis’s Trilemma
…He would either be a lunatic — on the level
with the man who says he is a poached egg —
or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must
make your choice. Either this man was, and is,
the Son of God, or else a madman or something
worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can
spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can
fall at his feet and call him Lord and God,…
CS Lewis’s Trilemma
…but let us not come with any patronizing
nonsense about his being a great human
teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did
not intend to. ...”
Opposition by His Family
(3:20-21)
Opposition by His Family (3:20-21)
20
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a
crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples
were not even able to eat. 21 When his family
heard about this, they went to take charge of
him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
“Is
this the
carpenter,
theMatthew
son of Mary
and Luke
brother
Thenot
gospel
accounts
of both
12 and
11
of
James
Joses and
Judas andafter
Simon?
Andhad
are cast
not
place
thisand
incident
immediately
Jesus
his
here
with
us?”man.
And they took offense at
out sisters
a demon
from
a mute
him.” (Mark 6:3 ESV)
Opposition by His Family (3:20-21)
20
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a
crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples
were not even able to eat. 21 When his family
heard about this, they went to take charge of
him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
Jesus’ family thought He was insane, or out of touch
with reality. They therefore thought to actually take
charge of the situation and get Jesus out of there!
Opposition by His Enemies
(3:22)
Opposition by His Enemies (3:22)
22
And
teachers
of the law who came down
“Lord
of the
the Flies”,
or “Lord
from
Jerusalem
said, “He is possessed by
of the
Manure Pile”
Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving
out demons.”
These religious elite could not deny that Jesus was
meeting the needs of the people and doing miracles.
They decided to accuse Him of deception - not being
who He says He is.
Opposing the Opposition by His
Enemies (3:23-27)
Opposing the Opposition by His
Enemies (3:23-27)
23
So Jesus called them and spoke to them in
parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If
a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom
It’s the power of25the Holy Spirit alone that is able to
cannot
If arob
house
against
overcomestand.
Satan and
him is
of divided
his possessions;
26 And if Satan
itself,
that
house
cannot
stand.
fallen mankind!
opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand;
his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a
strong man’s house and carry off his possessions
unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he
can rob his house.
Unforgiveable Sin
(3:28-30)
Unforgiveable Sin (3:28-30)
28
I tell you the truth, all the sins and
blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal
sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying,
has anupon
evil spirit.”
If“He
a person,
receiving the full revelation of God,
persistently attributes to Satan what is accomplished
by the power of God—then such a person never has
forgiveness. This person is what the scriptures call an
apostate
Apostate (Heb. 10:26-31)
26
For if we go on sinning deliberately after
receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no
longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a
fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of
fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone
who has set aside the law of Moses dies without
mercy on the evidence of two or three
witnesses.
Apostate (Heb. 10:26-31)
29
How much worse punishment, do you think,
will be deserved by the one who has trampled
underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the
blood of the covenant by which he was
sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is
mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will
judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God.
Forgiven Blasphemer
(1 Tim. 1:12-17 ESV)
“12 I thank him who has given me strength,
Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me
faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though
formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and
insolent opponent.
But I received mercy
because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14
and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me
with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Forgiven Blasphemer
(1 Tim. 1:12-17 ESV)
15
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full
acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am the
foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this
reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ
might display his perfect patience as an example
to those who were to believe in him for eternal
life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal,
invisible, the only God, be honor and glory
forever and ever. Amen.”
Part of God’s Family
(3:31-35)
Part of God’s Family (3:31-35)
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived.
Standing outside, they sent someone in to call
him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and
they told him, “Your mother and brothers are
outside looking for you.” 33 “Who are my mother
and my brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked
at those seated in a circle around him and said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers! 35
Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister
and mother.”
The Will of God
(John 6:37–40 ESV)
All that the Father gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
For I have come
heaven,
Are down
you afrom
part
of not to do
my own will but the will of him who sent me.
And this is theGod’s
will of Family?
him who sent me, that I
should lose nothing of all that he has given me,
but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will
of my Father, that everyone who looks on the
Son and believes in him should have eternal life,
and I will raise him up on the last day.”