Sermon Tone Analysis

“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.

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, 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.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

THEY CALLED HIM A LUNATIC

The word for “seize” is regularly used by Mark in the sense of attempting to bind Jesus and deprive him of freedom, which is its sense here.

There is obviously more to this incident than Mark relates.

Exactly who is threatening Jesus is not entirely clear.

English translations normally read “family,” but the Greek is a simple and ambiguous prepositional phrase, “those of him”, which could mean associates, kin, or followers as well as friends or family.

According to

Jesus mother and brothers visited Jesus and his disciples in Capernaum early in his ministry.

Perhaps there was a connection between that visit and the attempted intervention here.

Or perhaps they intervened from Nazareth itself.

At any rate, those closest to Jesus believe his conflicts with the authorities to be mistaken and they come to retrieve him, perhaps even to “deprogram” him

other and brothers visited Jesus and his disciples in Capernaum early in his ministry.

Perhaps there was a connection between that visit and the attempted intervention here.

Or perhaps they intervened from Nazareth itself.

At any rate, those closest to Jesus believe his conflicts with the authorities to be mistaken and they come to retrieve him, perhaps even to “deprogram” him (!).22 The disconcerting reference that Jesus “is out of his mind” reminds Mark’s readers that the religious authorities are not alone in their mistaken apprehensions of Jesus.

Their opposition is the more explainable, for as outsiders they may be victims of ignorance, false reports, jealousy, or misguided zeal.

The opposition of insiders is more troubling, for Jesus’ associates ought to be advocates, not adversaries.

The very ambiguity of Mark’s wording, “the ones of him,” is a calculated reminder that those closest to Jesus may indeed oppose him, and that proximity to Jesus—even blood relationship or being called by Jesus—is no substitute for allegiance to Jesus in faith and following.

The disconcerting reference that Jesus “is out of his mind” reminds Mark’s readers that the religious authorities are not alone in their mistaken apprehensions of Jesus.

Their opposition is the more explainable, for as outsiders they may be victims of ignorance, false reports, jealousy, or misguided zeal.

The opposition of insiders is more troubling, for Jesus’ associates ought to be advocates, not adversaries.

The very ambiguity of Mark’s wording, “the ones of him,” is a calculated reminder that those closest to Jesus may indeed oppose him, and that proximity to Jesus—even blood relationship or being called by Jesus—is no substitute for allegiance to Jesus in faith and following.

Jesus other and brothers visited Jesus and his disciples in Capernaum early in his ministry.

Perhaps there was a connection between that visit and the attempted intervention here.

Or perhaps they intervened from Nazareth itself.

At any rate, those closest to Jesus believe his conflicts with the authorities to be mistaken and they come to retrieve him, perhaps even to “deprogram” him (!).22 The disconcerting reference that Jesus “is out of his mind” reminds Mark’s readers that the religious authorities are not alone in their mistaken apprehensions of Jesus.

Their opposition is the more explainable, for as outsiders they may be victims of ignorance, false reports, jealousy, or misguided zeal.

The opposition of insiders is more troubling, for Jesus’ associates ought to be advocates, not adversaries.

The very ambiguity of Mark’s wording, “the ones of him,” is a calculated reminder that those closest to Jesus may indeed oppose him, and that proximity to Jesus—even blood relationship or being called by Jesus—is no substitute for allegiance to Jesus in faith and following.

The phrase “he is out of his mind” to think or reason in a completely irrational manner—‘to not be in one’s right mind, to be insane, to be mad, to be out of one’s mind, insanity, madness

This reminds us that the religious authorities are not alone in their mistaken apprehensions of Jesus.

Their opposition is the more explainable, for as outsiders they may be victims of ignorance, false reports, jealousy, or misguided zeal.

reminds Mark’s readers that the religious authorities are not alone in their mistaken apprehensions of Jesus.

Their opposition is the more explainable, for as outsiders they may be victims of ignorance, false reports, jealousy, or misguided zeal.

However, the opposition of insiders is more troubling, for Jesus’ associates ought to be advocates, not adversaries.

The very ambiguity of Mark’s wording, “the ones of him,” is a calculated reminder that those closest to Jesus may indeed oppose him, and that proximity to Jesus—even blood relationship or being called by Jesus—is no substitute for allegiance to Jesus in faith and following.

THEY CALLED HIM A LIAR

The precise nature of their opposition is important to note.

They do not deny Jesus’ power to perform miracles, nor do they accuse him of being an imposter.

They indeed recognize his power to perform miracles, but they impugn the source of his power, ascribing it to Beelzeboul rather than God.

The malicious judgment of the scribes is evidence that faith and unbelief are not the result of proofs.

There is a mistaken view abroad that if only we saw the undisputed miracles of Jesus we would believe—or believe more.

The scribes, however, have seen precisely such evidence—but they do not believe.

Faith, in other words, is not an automatic, inevitable, or necessary consequence of witnessing the acts of God.

The words and deeds of Jesus are indeed evidence of God’s presence, but the evidence demands a decision from the beholder as to its source and significance.

Edwards, J. R. (2002).

The Gospel according to Mark (pp. 119–120).

Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

Faith judges that the person and work of Jesus stand in continuity with the character of God and hence have saving significance; disbelief judges that the person and work of Jesus derive not from God but, as the scribes suggest in this instance, from the devil.

Jesus uses a parable not only to discredit their claim that he was a liar but to present the truth of how one can be saved from the Kingdom of Satan.

He likens the world to a kingdom, dominated by a strong man, a warlord, an evil prince.

Then, of course, Jesus says, “A general never wins a battle by attacking his own flanks.”

Then he moves by likening this world to a castle.

This strong man has a castle, and in it are all sorts of prisoners.

He is describing us, we’re in bondage to sin, death, and evil forces.

Listen to Jesus words that separate him from the belief that he is just a good teacher.

“But I’m stronger than him.

I am mightier than him.

I have come to bind the strong man.”

Jesus is saying, “Look around you.

You are surrounded by death, disease, injustice, poverty, and hunger.

Brokenness has befallen everyone.

Do you think a good teacher alone will overcome?

Do you really believe that education alone can triumph?

Jesus is saying; I’m going to have to come and do something for you before I can ever do anything in you.

You can’t be taught until you have been rescued.

I must first be the divine Warrior before I can a teacher of love and peace.

Jesus is tapping in to one of the deepest strata of human hope in all of literature.

We see this in

The human race and the world is in ruins.

Mankind has fallen into bondage.

He has alienated himself from God. Everything has been tainted with falleness.

Yet, God speaks in the midst of the wreckage and ruin.

When hope seems lost God speaks; “A mightier One than you will come and crush your head.

You’ve triumphed for a moment, but a mightier One than you will come and will plunder you and will take over your kingdom and liberate your captives and will renew the face of the earth.”

This prophecy grows throughout Scripture.

Throughout the Psalms in various ways and words the Psalmist states; “This divine Warrior, this Prince, this King who will come and defeat the evil forces and break the spell that binds us will be the Lord himself.

He will come, and the winds will be his chariots.

The trees of the wood will sing for joy when he comes and liberates the earth.”

The prophets repeat this refrain.

Isaiah spends the first 39 chapters showing us this truth and then in chapter 53 he pulls back the curtain to reveal this Warrior’s victory.

Prophesies in the Old Testament can be difficult and confusing .

There’s one place in the book of Lamentations 2 where Jeremiah speaks about the fierce anger of God.

He sees God’s holiness leading Him to war against all evil and this is very frightening.

Jeremiah says, “But behold in fierce anger the Lord has withdrawn his right hand at the approach of my enemy.

Like an enemy the Lord has strung his bow against us, and his right hand is ready.”

What is that about?

The God of Israel is not a tribal deity whose job it is simply to fight against all other tribes and put his tribe in the place of ascendancy.

The God of Israel is the Lord of heaven and earth.

He’s the Judge of all the earth, and he fights against evil wherever it is.

What happens when believers in God are part of humanity’s inhumanity to humanity?