Sermon: June 9, 2024

“Brother—Sister—Mother”

If you haven’t been here for worship the past couple of weeks, I’ve been asking you to bring your Bible to worship with you so we can read and study the word together. I heard about one Pastor who gave his church a homework assignment. He instructed them that he would be preaching from the 17th chapter of the Book of Mark and encouraged them to read it ahead of time. The following Sunday he asked for a show of hands for those who completed their assignment. Several hands went up. The problem is that there is no 17th chapter in the Book of Mark. In fact, part of the 16th chapter wasn’t in the original manuscript. (Who was mistaken?)

Mark 3:20-35

I ran across and old story this week about a country preacher who announced that on the following Sunday he would preach on the story of Noah and the Ark. He shared the scripture he would use and asked the congregation to read it ahead of time.

However, a couple of mischievous boys in the church noticed something interesting about the placement of the story of Noah in the Bible. So, they slipped into the church and glued two pages of the pulpit Bible together.

The following Sunday the preacher got up to read his text: “Noah took himself a wife,” he began, “and she was…” He paused for a moment as he turned the page to continue… “she was…300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high.”

He paused, scratched his head, turned the page back and read it silently, turned the page and read again, “she was…300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high.” He still didn’t realize that two pages of the Bible had been glued together. Finally, he looked up at the congregation and said, “I’ve been reading this old Bible for near to fifty years, but still there are some things that are hard to believe.”

There are times when I have to concur with our old country preacher. There are times that you read things in the Bible that make you scratch your head. A good example is our text for this morning and Jesus’ uncertain relationship with His family.

Have you ever been stuck in traffic behind a really slow-moving vehicle? This can be a very frustrating experience, especially when you are running late. In San Diego there is a highway where one exit leads from one highway directly onto another. To make matters worse there is a steep upward hill on the second highway which is used frequently by cement trucks. You can imagine the results as cars leave one highway traveling 55 miles per hour only to find a cement truck slowly making its way up the hill at 20 miles per hour or less.

One day a woman found herself on this highway behind a big yellow-and-red cement truck. The truck was traveling so slow that she had to watch the tire tread to be sure the truck was actually moving. It seemed to take forever as the truck slowly approached the same exit that she was taking. After what seemed like an eternity the woman was finally able to pass that truck that slowed her down. To say she was upset would be an understatement. She was fuming. As she passed the truck she looked up at the driver, no doubt to give him a dirty look. But when she glanced up at him, he was already looking at her. And then a hand puppet appeared in his window. It was a character from Sesame Street, and it was waving at her as the truck driver smiled. Well, that unexpected gesture changed the woman’s attitude. She smiled and laughed. She was no longer upset. In fact, she now says that as she drives that section of the highway she looks expectantly for that one yellow-and-red cement truck.

That certainly isn’t what you expected in that particular situation was it? You probably expected an angry word—or at least an angry gesture. But life is full of those times when the unexpected happens. Not everything that happens turns out that well, of course. Sometimes the unexpected happens and it upsets us. We like to be in control, and when the unexpected happens, we sometimes lose that control. Most of us don’t appreciate the unexpected at all.

That was one of the problems that Jesus faced—He wasn’t what folks expected! His was an unconventional ministry aimed at fishermen, tax collectors, housewives, and the folks considered to be from the other side of the tracks—people who weren’t of the elite of His time. In spite of His astounding popularity, it was clear that He was charting His own course—marching to the beat of His own drum (Spoiling for a fight)—and playing up to no-one. Some of His teachings even contradicted the conventional wisdom of His time.

With the crowds pressing in on Him, Jesus didn’t even take time to eat. Because of this, His family came to take charge of Him, thinking He had gone “over the edge” as a religious fanatic. They were concerned for Him, but they missed the point of His ministry (came to serve—not to be served). Even those who were closest to Jesus were slow to understand His true identity and nature and what He came to do.

These teachers of the religious law brought a nonsensical accusation against Jesus. They tried to say that Jesus was driving out demons by the power of the prince of demons—in other words, that Jesus’ power came from Satan, not from God. They refused to believe that His power was from God because they would have to accept Him as the Messiah. Their pride wouldn’t let them do that. They also couldn’t allow the people to believe in Jesus as the Messiah because that would threaten their own power. So, they created this bizarre accusation to try to get people to believe that Jesus Himself was possessed. This would deny His claim as the Messiah and place Him instead in league with the devil.

The more effective you are in your Christian life, the more extreme will be the attacks of the enemy. Even the most ridiculous accusations will convince some when it’s clearly packaged to sound sincere and concerned. We must stand firm for the truth, even when the clever attacks come.

Not sure where I got this idea but for a long time, I believed that the unpardonable sin was suicide. Like I said, I don’t know where this came from but our text this morning set me straight when I became a true student of the Bible. Jesus defends Himself to these religious leaders who are claiming He isn’t from God—as such, denying God. Deliberate, ongoing rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit is blasphemy because it is rejecting God himself—the unpardonable sin.

The religious leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy, but ironically, they were the guilty ones when they looked Jesus in the face and accused Him of being possessed by Satan.

In some of my early morning Bible study this week I came across John 6:29 which says: “Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’” And I jotted down in the margin of my study Bible, “Our only job.” It’s our job to believe and to help others to do the same.

Although Jesus cared for His mother and brothers, He also cared for all those who loved Him. Jesus didn’t show partiality; He allowed everyone the privilege of obeying God and becoming part of His life.

In closing, allow me to tell you about a man named Paige Patterson. Paige’s style of ministry and even his theology may not exactly fit ours, but Paige cares about people. Paige ministered to troubled youth in ways that no one else did. He would go to places where youth were, like bars, nightclubs and the streets. At first the people in his church were in shock. This was a new experience and a new ministry for them. But they soon got over their shock and got on board and began a campus ministry to reach out to youth. And the youth responded positively: they liked having people from the church meet them where they were without getting obnoxious.

One night Paige was asked to leave a nightclub because, the manager told him, he was running off his business. Paige says it was no big deal. Anyway, as he stepped out onto the front porch, Paige noticed a big man sitting there with a can of beer in his hand, who was the bouncer for the club. “Looks like it’s been a rough night,” Paige said casually. The big man nodded and said it indeed had been.

“I don’t want to offend you,” Paige told him, “but if you died where you’re sitting right now, would you be in heaven of hell?” The man instantly crushed the can he was holding, and beer shot everywhere. “I can’t believe you asked that question,” he said in disbelief. “I was just sitting here thinking how I was going to kill myself when I got home.”

“There’s no reason to do that,” Paige told him, “nothing’s that bad.” Then Paige began to witness to the man about his faith in Jesus Christ. He told the man that God still loved him. And the two men talked for about thirty minutes. The next Sunday this man went to church and committed his life to Jesus Christ.

Somehow, I can see Jesus doing this kind of ministry if He were here physically today. Not just in nightclubs. But in offices and in living rooms and at Little League ball games—any place He could be with and get to know people. Jesus cares about people. That means He cares about you and me. Don’t be put off by the formality of “church.” Look beyond the robes and rituals. Look to the risen Savior who gave His life for only one purpose: people.

So, who are Jesus’ “Brothers—Sisters—and Mother?” Well, if you’ve given towards our blessing box ministry by donating food or financially—if you helped with the Back Pack Ministry—Vacation Bible School—helped us support the mission agencies of the general church and other special offerings—faithfully participated in your church’s ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness. Then we are His “Brother, Sister, and Mother.”