JESUS: UNATIC, LIAR, OR LORD (Mark 3:20-35)
JESUS: LUNATIC, LIAR, OR LORD
INTRODUCTION:
Most of us have heard of C.S. Lewis, an atheist at the youthful age of 15 even though he had been raised as a protestant. But God had plans for Mr. Lewis that began to come to fruition when he began to teach at Oxford University many years later. At Oxford he found himself in the company of Christian friends who challenged his atheism. God used the influence of these Christian friends to bring C.S. Lewis to the forgiveness that comes through Christ by faith in Him. As a Christian thinker, apologist, and author C.S. Lewis would go on to have widespread influence through his literary works. Lewis wrote both fiction and apologetic literature. Maybe you have read some of his books, such as The Chronicles of Narnia, or The Screwtape Letters. If you are not into fiction possibly you have read The Problem of Pain or possibly his most famous work, Mere Christianity.
When it comes to apologetics, C.S. Lewis gave us an invaluable contribution with his “trilemma” which he proposed regarding the claims of Jesus Christ. Lewis did not invent the trilemma, but he so clearly expressed it that many attribute it to him. In response to anyone who might suggest that Jesus Christ was a good teacher but not the Son of God, Lewis explained why such an opinion was not logically sound or acceptable. Listen to his words from his book Mere Christianity. “I am trying here to prevent anyone from 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 a 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…We are faced with a frightening alternative. This man we are talking about either was (and is) just what He said or else a lunatic, or something worse. Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God. God has landed on this enemy-occupied world in human form.”[1]
The New Testament Gospels clearly demonstrate that Jesus was neither a lunatic nor a liar. Lunatics cannot heal sick people or raise the dead. Frauds cannot perform undeniable miracles, nor would someone empowered by demons use that power to cast out other demons. The Gospels are clear and leave only one alternative. The Lord Jesus is the messianic King and the Son of the Living God. Despite the overwhelming evidence we have that proves the Deity of Jesus Christ (this evidence includes His astonishing teaching, His spectacular miracles, His authority, and power over the physical and spiritual world.) As well as the testimony of the Old Testament prophets, the testimony of John the Baptist and the testimony of God the Father. Even with this evidence and testimony their were many who refused to believe in Him. Some thought He was demented, and others accused Him of being a liar and demon possessed. We find both of these wrong responses in our passage for this morning, but we also find those who rightly believe that Jesus is who He claims to be, and they rightly understood that He is both Lord and God. Let’s pray and then get into our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Mark 3:20-35, our passage for this morning. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Mark 3:20-35,
“And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, ‘He has lost His senses.’ The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.’ And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— because they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’ Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.’ Answering them, He said, ‘Who are My mother and My brothers?’ Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.’ ” (Mark 3:20–35, NASB95)[2]
LUNATIC (Mark 3:20-22)
I cannot even imagine anyone thinking that Jesus had lost His mind. Here was a Man who had perfect reason, whose logic was pure, and already we have seen that His preaching was like none other. When He preached, He spoke as One with authority and the people hung on His words.
After Jesus had chosen and appointed His twelve disciples, Mark writes that He came home. In other words, Jesus returned to His headquarters in Capernaum. The phrase “He came home” is literally, “He came into a house,” and most likely refers again to Andrew and Peter’s house in Capernaum. And again, like every other time that Jesus entered a city or town the crowds would gather around Him. This time Mark writes, “…the crowd gathered again to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.” (Mark 320b, NASB95)[3] The mass of people pressing into Peter and Andrew’s house were so many that it prevented Jesus and His disciples from eating. It was not uncommon for leading rabbis to have a small band of followers, but no one had ever come close to rivaling the massive popularity of Jesus. People came to see Him display His supernatural power and authority over sickness and over demons. They came to listen to His extraordinary preaching and teaching. The crowds were buzzing with questions concerning who Jesus was, is it possible that He is the promised Messiah. This time the crowd was so great and came so quickly that Jesus and the disciples were unable to perform the basic functions of life, like eating.
When this news reached Jesus’ family in Nazareth, they were shocked by what they heard and concerned for Jesus. Mark writes, “When His own people heard of this, they went to take custody of Him.” (Mark 3:21a, NASB95)[4] The phrase “His own people” refers to His immediate family and this is confirmed for us in verse 31, which tells us that His mother and half brothers came to Capernaum to get Him. They were concerned for Jesus’ safety given the oppressive nature of the crowds, possibly they had heard of His conflict with the religious leaders and their plot to destroy Him. Whatever they had heard, they left Nazareth and traveled the 30 miles to Capernaum to take Him into custody, this word can also be translated “to seize.” Jesus’ family was intent on rescuing Him, by any means necessary, and getting Him away from the crowds that threatened to smother Him, and to rescue Him from Himself. The family’s desire to protect Jesus from self-imposed danger is seen in the conclusions that had come to concerning Him, “…for they were saying, ‘He has lost His senses.’ ”(Mark 3:21b, NASB95)[5] I do not believe for a moment that Mary believed this about Jesus, she knew who Jesus was, the angel Gabriel had told her.
Jesus’ brothers did not yet believe in Him. Now certainly Joseph and Mary had told their children about their older half-brother. For thirty years, Jesus had lived in Nazareth. His siblings had observed Him day after day. Everything He did was perfect, a reality that validated His identity but may have been a frustration to His younger brothers and sisters who could never match up to His impeccable standard. But from all appearances He was just like any other Jewish boy and then a Jewish young man. Jesus had four half-brothers, their names are given to us in Mark 6:3. They are James, Joses, Judas, and Simon. The verse also indicates that He had at least two half-sisters as well, meaning that Jesus was one of at least seven children born to Mary. Even though His siblings had witnessed Jesus’ perfect obedience as they grew up, they did not yet believe He was the Messiah. As Jesus reputation spread and news about Him reached Nazareth, His family’s curiosity was probably matched by a growing alarm and concern as they heard about the oppressive crowds, the clashes with the religious leaders, the plot of kill Him or discredit Him, finally they decided they could wait no longer, it was time to rescue their older brother from Himself.
The phrase “lost His senses” is translated from a single term in Greek that means “to lose one’s mind, to be beside oneself, or to be insane.” Members of Jesus’ own family were convinced that Jesus was no longer in control of His rational senses. But they could not have been farther from the truth. Though at this time His brothers did not believe in Him, that would all change after Jesus’ resurrection, they would put their faith in Him. In fact, His brother James would become an important leader in the Jerusalem church, and both James and Judas (Jude) would go on to author New Testament epistles. But at this time, they traveled to Capernaum out of concern for Jesus possibly their concern was mixed with a sense of pity and family duty, they needed to get their older brother and bring Him safely back to Nazareth for His own well-being.
LIAR (Mark 3:22-30)
Not only was Jesus’ family searching for Jesus, but because of Jesus’ growing popularity and the failure of the local scribes and Pharisees to quiet Him or discredit Him, Mark tells us that a delegation of Israel’s religious elite had traveled from Jerusalem to Capernaum in search of Jesus. These scribes from Jerusalem were not in Capernaum to save Jesus, they had come to slander or discredit Jesus in order to turn public opinion against Him; then with the public turned against Him, they could get rid of Him. These scribes knew that they could not deny His supernatural power and authority seen in His miracles and His casting out of demons, so they decided to discredit Him by calling into question the source of His power and authority.
Matthew 12:22-23 is the parallel passage to Mark 3:22-30 and according to Matthew the response of the scribes was specifically related to a demon possessed man that was both mute and blind. Matthew writes in Matthew 12:22-23, “Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, ‘This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?’ ” (Matthew 12:22–23, NASB95)[6] As always Jesus demonstrated His power and authority over the physical realm and the spiritual realm by healing this man and releasing him from the bondage of the demons. The results were immediate, complete, and undeniable. The crowd was amazed by what they saw and began asking one another the obvious question, is this Jesus the messianic “Son of David” promised by the Old Testament prophets? The scribes from Jerusalem were quick to answer their question and this is where Mark picks up the conversation. He writes, “The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.’ ” (Mark 3:22, NASB95)[7] These accusations were designed to dissuade the crowd from believing in Jesus, it was to remove this question about Jesus being the Messiah from their minds. If they could make it look like Jesus’ power came from Satan, that He was a representative of Satan, then they could poison the crowd against Him. These scribes from Jerusalem were blinded by their own arrogance, they hated Jesus because He openly denounced their hypocritical system of man-made traditions and works righteousness. They considered themselves the guardians of Jewish doctrinal purity, and they could not imagine that the long-awaited Messiah and Deliverer would so vigorously oppose them. When it was clear and seen by all the Jesus truly was the Messiah, they willfully rejected Him, and accused Him of being possessed by Satan.
The religious leaders denied that Jesus was the “Son of David” and said that He was the servant of Beelzebul. Beelzebul originally referred to Baal-Zebul (meaning Baal, the prince), a chief deity of the Philistine city of Ekron. By the first century, Beelzebul had become a name for Satan, which was exactly what the scribes intended when they associated this name with Jesus. Jesus’ power and authority could only be explained as coming from one of two sources: either God or Satan. When Jesus claimed to be from God, the scribes from Jerusalem called Him a liar and claimed that His power came from the prince of darkness, none other than Satan himself. Though they claimed to be the authoritative spokesmen of God, in reality they were the ones under Satan’s power.
Jesus called the crowd to Himself and He began to speak to them in parables. Jesus often spoke in parables to obscure the truth from unbelievers. But the parables that Jesus spoke on this occasion were clear for all to understand, they exposed the absurd nature of the scribes’ accusations. Listen to His words, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!” (Mark 3:23–26, NASB95)[8] Jesus showed the flawed logic of the scribes. Any kingdom or house at war against itself is destined to collapse, it cannot sustain itself. The same is true in the spiritual realm, if Satan is casting out his own agents, or destroying his own works, then his kingdom is hopelessly divided, and he is finished. Jesus’ logic is clear and precise, He spent His ministry exposing, confronting, rebuking, and casting out demons, this in itself proved that He was not empowered by Satan. Everything that Jesus did was opposed to Satan’s interests—the very reason He had come was to destroy the works of the devil. Why would Satan ever authorize a cataclysmic attack on his kingdom. This was a ridiculous claim by these scribes.
The truth about Jesus’ authority over demons was not that Satan empowered Him, but rather He had power over Satan. Jesus told the crowd, “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.” (Mark 3:27, NASB95)[9] What Jesus is saying is that if you want to take a strong man’s property, you must first overpower him. The strong man in this parable represents Satan and his property consists of both his demonic forces and the oppressed human beings under his control. Only someone stronger than Satan could enter his domain, bind him, disperse his agents, and liberate his captives from the kingdom of darkness. Jesus had the power to do this, and His power proved He was from God, since God alone possesses that kind of absolute authority.
For the scribes to attribute the power of Jesus to Satan rather than the Holy Spirit was the highest form of blasphemy and placed them in eternal jeopardy. Jesus was very serious when He warned them, He said, “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin—” (Mark 3:28–29, NASB95) Any sin is forgivable, including irreverent words spoken against God and the Lord Jesus, with one exception: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Much confusion and debate has gone on through the years as to what Jesus means by the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. A careful reading of the context makes it clear that Jesus had a specific offense in mind when He warned His audience about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In His incarnation, Jesus was perfectly submissive to His Father and wholly empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was actively at work in every part of Jesus’ incarnation. Jesus always operated under the Holy Spirit’s full control, as He walked in perfect obedience to His Father.
The scribes, just like the common people, had witnessed the overwhelming evidence of the Spirit’s power in Jesus’ ministry, yet the scribes remained utterly unwilling to accept Jesus as the Son of God. Instead, they attributed the Spirit’s empowering to a work of Satan—this was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Though they had witnessed Jesus heal every kind of disease and disability, had witnessed Him cast out scores of demons, had heard Him proclaim the gospel of divine forgiveness, Jesus enemies still accused Him of being a demon possessed deceiver. Verse 30 says, “because they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’ ” (Mark 3:30, NASB95)[10] In the face of every possible evidence of the Spirit’s working through Jesus, they stubbornly refused to believe. The scribes had permanently hardened their hearts against their own Messiah. For this reason, because their rejection was final in the face of sufficient evidence, there was no possibility of forgiveness. For the religious leaders of Israel to conclude that the Messiah was a demon-possessed counterfeit equaled the ultimate act of apostasy. Because it was their final conclusion about Jesus, they were guilty of an eternal sin. Those who blasphemed against the Holy Spirit cut themselves off from God’s grace to save them through their own hard-hearted unbelief. Apostates, like the unbelieving religious leaders of Jesus’ day, are those who have been fully exposed to the truth of the gospel, yet walk away from Christ, in spite of the overwhelming evidence that they have been given. Apostasy, at its heart, is the willful denial and rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testimony to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a description of an apostate heart that with the full knowledge has forever rejected the One to whom the Spirit points. That is why it is an eternal sin because no forgiveness is possible for one who refuses to stop rejecting Christ.
LORD (Mark 3:31-35)
Jesus’ mother and brothers finally arrive in Capernaum. The fact that Mary believed in Jesus and knew who He was, her coming with her other sons was likely motivated by a desire to protect the Son of God. Jesus’ half-brothers were convinced that Jesus had lost His mind. They had come to rescue Him from the crowds, from the religious leaders, and from Himself. They wanted to take Him back to Nazareth.
Finding Him was not difficult, look for the huge crowd. Getting to Him was another story. From outside Peter’s house they send a message through the crowd that they are outside and would like to see Him. Finally, the message travels far enough through the crowd that someone relatively close to the front relays the message to Jesus. Jesus hears the message and responds in a way that was totally unexpected and His response must have been a surprise to those who heard Him. Mark writes, “Answering them, He said, ‘Who are My mother and My brothers?’ ” (Mark 3:33, NASB95)[11] Jesus’ question was not out of ignorance, He knew the identity of His earthly family. Nor did He say this out of disrespect toward His mother and brothers, whom He clearly loved. But Jesus uses this opportunity to teach a very important spiritual truth to His followers who were seated around Him. After asking the question, Jesus answered it Himself, “Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.’ ” (Mark 3:34–35, NASB95)[12] The point that Jesus was making was that the only relationship that eternally mattered to Him was not physical, but spiritual. His spiritual family is made up of those who have a saving relationship with Him through faith. In John 3 Jesus had explained to Nicodemus that it is not earthly or physical birth that make one part of the family of God but being born from above, a spiritual birth. Unlike the scribes from Jerusalem who resisted and blasphemed against the Holy Spirit by rejecting the Son of God, true disciples of Jesus Christ are careful to do the will of the God by honoring Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Jesus said in John 6:40, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40, NASB95)[13] Only those who do the will of God by obeying God’s Word will be eternally blessed.
Mark had already noted that some of the family members of Jesus thought He was a lunatic. Members of the Pharisees, the scribes from Jerusalem regarded Him as a liar, accusing the power of the Holy Spirit to be the power of Satan. But Jesus’ disciples and followers, those who truly belonged to His spiritual family, embraced Him as their Lord and Savior. They obeyed the will of the Father, which is that sinners believe in the Son to whom the Holy Spirit bears witness and receive eternal life. True salvation has always been marked by obedience to the Word of God and submission to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 8:31, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;” (John 8:31b, NASB95)[14] Accepting the lordship of Jesus Christ is more than simple lip service. Jesus Christ being Lord of your life is the essence of the Christian life and a sure characteristic of those who are a part of the family of God.
CONCLUSION:
The eternal destiny of every sinner, which include each of us, because all have sinned. The eternal destiny of every sinner is determined by what that person does with Jesus Christ and who He claimed to be. Those who want to make the foolish statement that He was a good teacher but cannot believe that He is the Son of God, they must regard Jesus then as a lunatic or a liar and will spend their eternity apart from God in the place prepared for the devil and his angels, a place of eternal torment and separation from God. But those who repent and turn in faith to Jesus Christ and embrace Him as Lord and Savior are promised eternal life with Him in heaven. There, as members of God’s family, we will forever worship our risen Lord and King, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
[1]Lewis, C.S., Mere Christianity. 1960. New York, NY: The Macmillan Company. 55-56.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.