Jesus’ True Family
TRANSLATION
(21) And when his family heard about this, they went out to restrain him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” (22) 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.” (23) He then called them over to him and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan cast 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 but is coming to an end. (27) No one can enter the house of a strong man and plunder his belongings unless he first binds the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. (28) Truly I tell you all sins that people commit can be forgiven including their blasphemies, (29) but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven but is guilty of an eternal sin.” (30) He said this because they had said, “He is possessed by a demon.”
(31) Then his mother and his brethren arrived, and, standing outside, they sent someone in to him, calling him to (join) them. (32) And the crowd sitting around him said to him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” (33) And he answered them, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” (34) And, looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers, (35) for whoever does God’s will is my brother, my sister, and my mother.”
OBSERVATIONS
It took Jesus’ family a long time to accept the fact that he was someone special, namely Israel’s Messiah. Several repetitions help us pin down the message of this segment: “demons” (twice in vs. 22), “Satan” (three times in vss. 23 & 26), “divided” (three times in vss. 24, 25, & 26), “stand” (vss. 24 & 25), “blasphemes/blasphemies” (vss. 28 & 29), and “mother and brothers” mentioned five times in each of the five verses of the third paragraph (vss. 31-35). In the first part of the segment, it was the teachers of the Law coming from Jerusalem who accused him of demon possession and blasphemy against God. In the second segment, it was his family, his mother and siblings, who expressed concern for his “unbalanced” behavior.
Jesus’ severe warning to his critics regarding attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan has received the label, “the unforgivable sin.” Many over the centuries have struggled with two questions: “Why would this particular sin be unforgivable?” and “Is it possible for someone to commit the unforgivable sin today?” Note that Jesus had just said, “…all sins that people commit can be forgiven including their blasphemies…,” an amazing expression of grace. However, the specific transgression of stubbornly rejecting the testimony of the Holy Spirit and perversely attributing his testimony to Satan will always have eternal consequences. Jesus implied that if we were to commit such a sin, we would be deliberately cutting ourselves off from God’s saving grace.
NOTE: For a more complete discussion of “the unforgiveable sin,” see the June 24 study of Luke 12:1-12.
OUTLINE
I. Jesus responded to his family’s concerns that he was out of his mind. (21, 31-35)
II. Jesus responded to his critics’ accusation that he was working by the power of Satan. (22-30)
IDEA STATEMENT
Jesus responded both to his family’s concern (he’s crazy) and to his critics’ accusation (he’s working by Satan’s power) demonstrated his divine authority.
APPLICATION
Those who have experienced the ridicule and censure of family members for Christ’s sake can readily identify with what Jesus had to face when his mother and brothers attempted to persuade him to forsake his calling and return with them to Nazareth. Apparently, his ministry had brought a measure of shame upon his family and motivated them to try to stop him before things got worse. When we consider what Mary already knew about Jesus, that he had been declared God’s son by the angel, Gabriel, and conceived while she was yet a virgin, we find ourselves surprised and even shocked by her negative response to him at this point. Evidently Jesus’ earthly ministry was not conforming to his family’s expectations of how God’s Messiah was supposed to behave.
Was Jesus’ response to his family’s message harsh? He never directly rebuked their unbelief but rather corrected them with his gentle but pointed words, “Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Without a doubt Mary struggled to cope with the fact that her son was destined to suffer and die, but at least she was present when he was crucified, grieving along with those who witnessed his horrifying death. On a more positive note, after Jesus rose from the dead, his mother, Mary, and at least one of his brothers, James, were among the disciples who shared in his triumph.