(1) 3:20 Now Jesus went home, and a crowd gathered so that they were not able to eat. 3:21 When his family heard this they went out to restrain him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
3:31 Then Jesus’ mother and his brothers came. Standing outside, they sent word to him, to summon him.
(NET) The incident involving the religious leaders accusing Jesus of being in league with the devil (3:22–30) is sandwiched between Mark’s mention of Jesus’ family coming to restrain him...because they thought he was out of his mind (3:21). It is probably Mark’s intention in this structure to show that Jesus’ family is to be regarded as not altogether unlike the experts in the law [scribes] in their perception of the true identity of Jesus; they are incorrect in their understanding of him as well. The tone is obviously one of sadness and the emphasis on Jesus’ true family in vv. 31–35 serves to underscore the comparison between his relatives and the scribes on the one hand, and those who truly obey God on the other.
(2) 3:23 So he called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?
(3) 3:27 But no one is able to enter a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can thoroughly plunder his house.
In a normal way, people could relate the casting out of demons to God. However, the experts in the law avoided this obvious explanation.
(NET) Jesus spoke two parables to demonstrate the absurdity of the thinking of the religious leaders who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. The first parable (vv. 23–26) teaches that if Jesus cast out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. The second parable (v. 28) about tying up a strong man proves that Jesus does not need to align himself with the devil because Jesus is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (1:12–13) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan
In a normal way, people could relate the casting out of demons to God. However, the experts in the law avoided this obvious explanation.
(4) Reflection:
It was a sad situation that Jesus' family restrained Him v.20-21 and stood in the position with the experts of the Law. The experts of the law opposed Jesus unreasonably v.22-30. These were the groups that the family stood with, not with Jesus. Even after Jesus' explanation Jesus' mother and brothers came to Him again (probably with the same intention as the other family members) v.31. That was why Jesus said whoever does the will of God is His brother and mother v.35. I think He was disappointed with His brother and mother.
However, He did not let this frustration direct Him. He directed His family to think what God wanted them to do. 3:35 For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother. in 4:1, He began to teach by the lake to a large crowd. Jesus had a mission in His life. He knew why He came. Even when He experienced frustration He continued. How about us?
Audrey
Audrey
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