Disciples in the Kingdom

To be a disciple of Jesus is to do the will of God through the example Jesus sets for us in His life and death.

Mark 3:7-12 tell us that Jesus’ ministry continues to grow despite the opposition. It shows us the range of responses and reactions to Jesus’ ministry. Then to give context for why Jesus selects 12 disciples.

V. 8 speaks of how far Jesus’ teaching was spreading. In Israel, but in Phoenicia, Edom, Sidon, and other areas. An area expanding 170 miles from North to South. This may not sound significant to us. But they don’t have social media, they don’t have a printing press...all they have is word of mouth. But it spreads quickly.

But again, Jesus is less focused on the crowds and he pays more attention to His disciples.

Jesus is called the “Son of God” by the evil spirits. Jesus does not want his identity known by others yet. Mainly because they will not understand yet his character.

Who is a Disciple?

A disciple is a “student” or a “learner”, but one who learns in active fellowship, like an apprentice.

Why Twelve? That was how many tribes of Israel there were. It is a small group that could travel anywhere together and could fit in a bit together.

-We know there were twelve because it is attested by Paul later. Also, if someone was making it up they would have probably left out Judas as one of the disciples.

We see that Jesus “summons” and “appoints” His disciples. We are called to come to Jesus, but Jesus also calls us as His followers.

Someone who is “With” Jesus

Someone who tells others about Jesus

Someone who has the power of Jesus in the Spirit

Jesus calls these twelve to have a special authority. They are to learn from Jesus, to preach the Gospel, and have authority to drive out demons.

-They are called to be with Jesus and to be eventually sent out.

—The first thing it says is they are to “Be with him”. Often we focus on how Jesus can change us, but more importantly it is learning by experience. It isn’t about “do this” but about learning from how Jesus lived. We often just want the “trick” that can help us. But often there isn’t a trick. If you look at the greatest quarterbacks or the most incredible NBA stars. Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Lebron James. Do you know what sets them apart? It is their work ethic. If you said “can I spend time learning from you” you would be exhausted by the amount of work they do.

-Second they are “sent out”. These are those who are taught in order to go out and do themselves and grow the message.

-Third they act according to the authority of Jesus

-These are people who come to be changed by Jesus. Jesus doesn’t call them for what they can do for them. Those who followed Jesus included many women as well.

We have fisherman, a tax collector, two brothers who are hot heads, a “zealot”, that is a fervent nationalist who is willing to fight for his nationality, and one who will betray him.

Do you know how a “franchise” works? It is actually harder to get into the CFA owner training than Harvard. You can desire to be trained but you also need to be “called”, or “chosen”. You don’t go to create your own business proposal. You go to learn the CFA way. To be a reflection of CFA, you are now an image bearer of the CFA company that is trained and then sent out. They are given the “power” of CFA to build a store and with Certainly each store has its own uniqueness and a different way of doing things to some extent. But in other ways every CFA is the same.

This is how discipleship works.

Many of these disciples we don’t know much more than that they are mentioned among the disciples. This doesn’t make their work meaningless, because Jesus called each of them and knew their purpose. It just means that even when we don’t see someone’s impact does not mean it is insignificant. To be a follower of Jesus means sometimes you won’t be a “Peter” or “James” but God is still using you.

The Divided House of Jesus

Here we have an example of “sandwiching”. Jesus will start a story with his family in v. 20-21 and then pick it back up in v. 31-35. Why does Mark do this? It shows us the different levels of opposition that Jesus’ faces in his ministry.

It shows us Jesus “natural family” and the “true family of God”. We see the opposition from those who are supposed to be the family of Jesus. His people (the Jews) and his family, vs the people who respond well to Jesus. The lowly, the Gentiles, and His spiritual family

Lunatic

His family has probably heard reports of the large crowds and how crazy things have gotten in Capernaum. They are probably embarrassed by how much noise Jesus is making in the area they live. Family at this time is different then now. An entire families reputation could be destroyed by the actions of one in the family. They think they might become outcasts because of him.

Jesus says the one who is his “mother and my brothers” are those who do “the will of God”

His family didn’t probably literally think Jesus was “crazy”, but they thought he was doing “too much”, and drawing too much attention on Himself. He was acting in a way that was too weird, too out there. If you were Jesus brother you might say he was “buggin”.

To be a Christian sometimes means that people will consider you crazy for what you believe. That you have to “settle down” your Christianity. But we see Jesus life and his mission and we don’t see someone who “settled down” just because others were uncomfortable with Jesus. But that is what drew people to Him! He was different!

Those who think they are close to Jesus “should think again; those who assume that they are far from him should take hope.” We can be those who are close to Jesus or those worried about being too close and having false assumptions about Jesus and his life. We must seek to “do the will of the Father.”

-We will even see this with Peter when Jesus will tell him “get behind me, Satan!”

Liar

These scribes “came down” from Jerusalem. They went out of their way to come and find Jesus to start a fight.

We see that the most avid opponents of Jesus are those who should be most aware of who he actually is. Even seeing what Jesus does they are unable to recognize who he is. He drives out demons and their response is to say that he is most likely the “ruler of demons”. Jesus shoes them the absurdity of the claim they make is.

-Jesus shows us why he performs these exorcisms. It is to show how the kingdom of Satan will be destroyed and how the Kingdom of God will be built.

-The exorcisms Jesus performs show that Satan’s kingdom is under attack. Why would it make any sense for someone to attack their own kingdom?

-Jesus shows that if the kingdom of God will eventually have victory that first you need to defeat the ruler of the other kingdom.

-Jesus will eventually show that Satan is powerless to oppose God. In exorcising demons Jesus shows that he has no power compared to the Lord. We often think of these exorcisms where there is this “Battle”. But God’s Word tells us that at the name of Jesus the demons flee.

The only way that Jesus could drive out demons was by being stronger than Satan.

Jesus tells them though, that even though they are saying things completely wrong, that there is still hope for them in the kingdom.

-This is a serious matter for Jesus to clear up, he could not let them pervert the meaning of his ministry with a crazy conspiracy.

-Notice that these scribes have seen Jesus perform a miracle and YET they still don’t believe. Many of us want to think that if God gave us a “sign” that we would follow Him, but there were many who saw what Jesus did and still didn’t believe.

They believed that in some way that Jesus was deceiving them. He came with a different motive. He tricked everyone somehow. The disciples tricked us! Jesus never rose from the grave.

What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

In light of what the scribes have said about Jesus, we can see this blasphemy as deliberately speaking of Jesus work and ministry as evil rather than good. Jesus gives this warning not to condemn or make us worry we will say the wrong thing. Nor would anyone who would be worried about committing this sin be the one who commits it.

Blasphemy isn’t a specific act but a state of enmity and impenitence lasting unto death. It’s a hardness of heart that, if not repented of in this life, will prove to be unforgiven. In this sense, then, the blasphemy is understood simply as unbelief that persists throughout life.

Another misinterpretation would be to understand the blasphemy too generically as meaning that anyone who at any point rejects Christ openly can’t be a true Christian later. Otherwise Peter would be in serious trouble!

specific, active, and final choice to declare the person and work of Jesus as being demonic in origin.

Jesus is warning his opponents that these careless words (that Jesus’ work is demonic in origin) will result in their condemnation—another way of saying they won’t be forgiven for this hardened position of opposition to him.