Doing the Will of God
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The Unmentioned Divide
The Unmentioned Divide
You can hardly miss it - even if you wanted to: The world is divided!
We have the the haves, and the have-nots; (and that divide is growing by the minute …)
There are the faith-full and the faith-less; (the religious or the not-religious)
and as we speak, planning is underway for a weekend conference,
to consider the reality that “religious freedom” should be curtailed for some;
considering the reality that all people are equal, but some are more equal than others.
and so we have … as we always have had among us, the free and the oppressed.
(soon, B&S, you may find yourself surprisingly in the latter group.)
There is another division about which you won’t find much in the Newspapers and the Media ...
… but it is here, brothers and sisters, here in the Bible
And it is a division that is the father or mother of all divisions. (Yet, in many cases, we do not even recognise it anymore …)
It plagued the children of Adam and Eve; … and it is still around, if somewhat weakened, but still laying in wait for our children … sometimes claiming them
and then, as we so often see, on a day, a mother or a father comes to church … finally comes to church, again, wanting to see the minister
and asking him … pastor, do you think my child will be in heaven with God?
(And many a minister, I believe, think: “Why now? Why ask that question now, now that your loved one is dead?
And I think the answer is that on that day, they come to understand something of this question: What is the greatest division of all?
Well, What is it, friends?
What is this Divide that is more separating than all of the energy that goes into the campaigns that have no other purpose than divide us all, the wars, the ideologies, the religious wars?
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Let’s return to region of Galilee, in that house, near the lake of Galilee
, where we have seen much division, as we have travelled with Jesus, towards Jerusalem ...
31 His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him.
Division: Jesus’ mother and brothers are … standing outside, while Jesus, their brother … Mary’s Son, is inside … teaching!
Remember?
20 Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.
21 When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”
22 The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
23 So he summoned 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.
Division:
Between Jesus and his family, who had to “set out” (they were not even with Him on this preaching tour) … to “restrain him”, calling him “mad” - and so that they may rule over Him!
But now they find themselves, “outside”. Now they have to “send word” to Jesus! They cannot even call out directly to Him. Because between Jesus and His mother and brothers …
the crowd divides them! (This crowd pops up everywhere, don’t they? -
Can it be that we are like the crowd, that we are … the crowd?)
Jesus, own family have to “send word” to Jesus …
NB! but don’t forget why they are here at that crowded house, in the first place: they want to “restrain” Him!
They want to put Jesus into a straight jacket, so to speak, because they believe He has gone mad … lost His mind … gone of the rails!
They want Him to “shut up”! “Stop painting yourself deeper and deeper into a corner, Jesus! Why can’t you just be like everyone else?
Why? All because Jesus is “teaching” and “doing” the way of God - which is counter-cultural, you see, friends!
It has always been that way: God’s way … or the way of the world who will have God silenced … killed!
(“God is dead!” declared Nietzsche … “And it is you who killed Him,” said the madman - and the world laughed at him, mocking him …)
- "teaching” the Bible, which contains the Law and the Prophets (The Law of Love! Love God; Love your neighbour) …
- and “doing” acts of love, all the while pointing to a new Kingdom, promised by God, for all those who would come to believe in this Miracle working, love teaching Messiah - the One they had long been hoping for! And now He was among them, and people soon turned against Him!
Division:
Between the Pharisees and Scribes (who, by the way, had their own internal divisions ) and Jesus;
and between the Pharisees and the Scribes and the people of Israel.
(The Pharisees and the Scribes, who had been entrusted with the Law of Love, and who had turned it into a Slave master of Rules and regulations!)
And now they were out to get Jesus, so that they could cancel Him, murder Him if needs be
- and it turns out, it needed be … so that the world could be united again!
((There was a small, tiny little glimpse of what unity might look like on Friday, friends, when the leaders of Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire, at least for a little while, no doubt
- and Palestinians and Israelis together came out of their bomb shelters and hiding places, and celebrated together on the streets!
… Imagine, if you will, the Peace to comer, promised by God!
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
Unity!
The world longs for it, but won’t roll up their sleeves to get it!
Because we are so proud of our divisions’ you see!
Now that is something worth fighting for!
Our religious differences! Yes, for that we will fight … and kill … if necessary! Yes … fight to the death … for religious freedom!
(And all the while, Jesus declares that it is not our differences that divide us … but that other great Division.
(What is that great Divide? … we are getting closer to an answer, brothers and sisters …)
Back to the House where Jesus is surrounded by the Crowd
Let’s see what the crowd is doing now ...
32 A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.”
They are listening! Listening to Jesus, who is teaching a way to everlasting Peace!
*(How much they are hearing, friends, is up in the air at this point!
- Not unlike what happens in churches everywhere in the World on Church days, I suppose.
Where Ministers of the Word preach the Word of God, the Peace of God … and often it looks like people are listening … looks like they are hearing ...
only to walk out to morning tea and overhearing - or invited into - conversations which highlight - and even celebrate - the things that divide us!)
How will we be a united people, brothers and sisters, as long as we are so dead-set on claiming how we are better than others, different to others, even though we were all made the same as Images of God
… but that was before we became clever, of course, falling for the lie of Satan, that convinced our forebears that we can be equal with God! That we can BE God! - That we can Kill God, and rule over ourselves!
Yes … the crowd is listening … just like we are listening ...
But, they are also speaking!
32 A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.”
And they words Mark records them saying, become like the opening statement of a public prosecutor:
When they say: “Look your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you,” they are really saying:
“Did you know that your family is asking for you? Surely You knew? And yet, here you are! It doesn’t look like you are in a hurry to rush out to them - even them - your own family?!
Of course, Jesus does know that they are out there, asking about Him; asking that He come out to them … so that they can take charge of Him! That’s why! And Jesus knows this!
He knows that that is the way the World is!
He knows that Satan will employ all means to divide Jesus from His Flock; to divide Jesus’ crowd … the ones sitting around Him” listening to His teaching) from Him!
All means and any method - even Jesus own family!
Look closely to the text at this point, and we see realities conveyed here:
Jesus’ mother and brothers, are outside! // And the Crowd, is “inside”!
This is a powerful way of Conveying the Gospel truth, and Mark makes full use of what we might call her, this irony!
Usually, in the Jewish society - and more generally speaking, the crowd would be outside, and Jesus family, inside, with Him!
But in this scene, we are being drawn closer again to finding an answer as to why there is so much division in this world:
Commentary writer James Edwards puts it this way:
The Gospel according to Mark The Binder of the Strong Man (3:20–35)
There are only two kinds of people: those who sit on the inside at Jesus’ feet and those who stand on the outside with false assumptions. Discipleship depends on being in Jesus’ presence and doing God’s will, which are the essential characteristics of apostleship outlined in 3:14–15 (also Luke 11:27–28!).
Mark 3: 14-15, reads:
14 He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, to send them out to preach,
15 and to have authority to drive out demons.
They are the ones who are on the Inside; they are with Jesus, doing His will!
And Luke records Jesus words on this topic, zooming right into the question of “why is their so much division in this world?” as follows:
27 As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you!”
28 He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
You see, the reason that there is so much division in this world, is because there are so few who will do the will of God!
And there is no division to be made between whether we are family, or of the same race, or of the same church, or even whether we are mothers and children, or children and fathers
all, ultimately, are divided between those who long to live their lives according to will of God //
and those who will chart their own course, doing things, like Frank Sinatra sang: “My way!)
And so Jesus response:
33 He replied to them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
Who are united with me?
Who divided from me, seduced by the Evil One to change sides?
34 Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
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Are we, brothers and sisters? The brothers and the sisters of Jesus?
(How many houses are divided in themselves, because one child will humbly try to do the will of God // and the other, well… not the will of God!
(How many parents aren’t torn apart between their love for their child … and their love of God!
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
How can that be, Loved Ones?
Because no-one will ever love you more than God loves you! And God will have you choose Life over death … Life everlasting, over a brief time of a life of suffering in this world, chasing after temporary pleasures and selfish ambition.
And so the answer to our opening question: Why is there still so much division in this world?
Because most still choose to do the will of the world, rather than seek the will of God!
You hear it in our conversations, at work, at our social gatherings, at barbecues, in our homes … and at morning tea, at church.
Who are they that will gain citizenship in the everlasting Kingdom of God - even as it has already been introduced here on earth by Jesus our Lord?
35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Amen!