This is a copy of my talk given at Ayia Kyriaki and Saint Luke’s in the Anglican Church of Paphos on Sunday 9 June 2024. The Bible Reading was Mark 3:20-35.

Prayer

Heavenly Father
I thank You for Your word
By the power of the Holy Spirit
May You speak to my heart
And change my life
In the precious name of Jesus I pray
Amen.

When God created the world, he said that everything was good, except for one thing – Adam was alone. So, God created Eve out of Adam’s own body, and the first family was born. They were to be one flesh, working together serving and loving God and loving one another. This was to be one of the greatest blessings upon mankind. But as Genesis teaches us, disobedience to God caused division and mistrust, and just as quickly as the first family was created, it has been under attack ever since.

Challenging family relationships are nothing new. They can lead to awkward holiday dinners, spats over minor things, and maybe even being completely estranged from one another.

The Bible is filled with countless examples of family members at odds with each other: Jacob and Laban, Joseph and his brothers, Abraham and Sarah, Adam and Eve and their children, Cain and Abel. Even Jesus was isolated from his earthly family.

These events in Mark’s Gospel take place early in Jesus’ ministry when word of his teachings and miracles is starting to spread. This was a homecoming – but it wasn’t a celebratory homecoming. Jesus’ family didn’t understand his ministry or that He was the Son of God. Jesus faced opposition from religious leaders and His political enemies. His disciples were unsure and to the people of Nazareth, he was just the son of Mary and Joseph.

Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand why Jesus does what he does. And similarly, because the Pharisees didn’t understand what Jesus was doing, they accused him of being possessed by the devil. They wanted to discredit Jesus in the eyes of the people – but their claim had one big flaw.

The devil and his angels are of equal strength, so evil can’t defeat evil. A strong man can only be defeated by someone who is stronger. Since good is always stronger than evil, good will always defeat evil. And because Jesus is the champion of everything that is good, he will always defeat evil.

By labelling His healings and exorcisms as works of the devil, Jesus’ opponents tried to portray His miracles as counterfeit wonders designed to lead people away from God. However, His miracles mostly led people to praising God rather than blaspheming Him – further proving that Jesus’ kingdom is a heavenly one.

How has Jesus’ ministry of preaching and teaching and healing created such controversy and accusation in the eyes of the Pharisees and His biological family? The answer is actually fairly simple: Jesus is what the religious authorities don’t expect, they have absolutely no idea what to make of him or how to respond to him.

Truthtellers always make people uncomfortable. They disturb our creeds, customs and (stubborn) peculiarities. Truth and doing good are not always appreciated. We can’t handle them. Those who challenge the status quo are dangerous. They threaten to turn everything upside down.

He doesn’t fit their categories, and what doesn’t fit our categories we typically label abnormal, or deviant, or crazy, or possessed. We assume that what we know, have experienced, and hold to be true is normal, natural, and God-ordained, and that becomes the standard by which we measure – and judge – the thoughts and actions of others. That’s where Jesus found himself.

Jesus’ whole ministry thus far has been about announcing both a new vision of God and a new way of relating to God. And at the heart of that vision and way is the conviction that God is love, that God desires the health and healing of all God’s creation, that God stands both with us and for us, that God is determined to love and redeem us no matter what the cost, and that this God chooses to be accessible to us, to all of us – to anyone and everyone.

This is why Jesus sets himself against all the powers that would rob humanity and creation of the abundant life God intends – whether those powers be unclean spirits; disease that ravages the mind, body or spirit; illness that isolates and separates and destroys community and so on. Jesus introduces a new vision of God and a new way to relate to God … and it’s not what the religious folk were expecting.

If Satan really was behind Jesus’ miracles, then the devil would be defeating himself, which doesn’t make any sense.  Jesus defeated Satan because He is more powerful than Satan. By accusing Jesus of using the devil’s power to cast out demons, the Pharisees rejected the work of the Holy Spirit. They willingly rejected Jesus because they did not want to give up their power, prestige, authority, etc.  And because they chose not to believe, they refused to accept forgiveness for their sins. Just like so many people down the centuries, and today, who reject Jesus as the Son of God and Saviour.

Challenging family relationships are nothing new. Jesus’ family wanted to charge him with insanity vs21. The Pharisees wanted to charge Him with working for Satan vs22. C. S. Lewis writes about Jesus in response to this:

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn’t be a great moral teacher, he’d either be a lunatic – on a level with a man who says he’s a poached egg – or else he’d 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 … But don’t let us come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He hasn’t left that open to us. He didn’t intend to.

Jesus defied the norms about who’s in and who’s out. People possessed by demons and those who were born with a physical disability were often assumed to be cursed, or to have sinned or to be suffering from the sins of their parents. Jesus was more concerned about the spiritual health of the people he dealt with.

True ‘family’ is not a matter of biological relationship, but of kinship in obedience to God. If people weren’t sure about this before, Jesus pushed his point unbelievably and quite literally home when he says that anyone and everyone who does the work of God is his true brother and sister and mother. He redefined what constitutes a family at a time when family was everything.

Although Jesus honoured His mother as the law commanded in John 19:26-27, He did not allow His own flesh and blood to prevent Him from doing the will of God. A closer bond often exists between brothers and sisters in the faith than among biological families because of their spiritual relationship.

Interacting with non-Christian friends and family has always been a balancing act. We long to share Jesus with them, but we don’t want to push them away. We work to maintain a good relationship and tell them about the eternal life God offers. But our fast-changing culture has dramatically intensified the challenge. These days, simply talking with non-Christian friends and family members can be as tricky as navigating a minefield. Every topic is more controversial. Every issue more polarised.

So, how do we navigate the minefield of these relationships? I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I have a few suggestions:

1. Don’t isolate yourself from them (John 17:15-18).
2. Don’t argue over religious or cultural issues (1 Corinthians 2:14).
3. Don’t support or encourage ungodly behaviour (Ephesians 5:6-11).
4. Don’t judge their behaviour (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).
5. Don’t discuss controversial issues (2 Timothy 2:23-26).

Jesus teaches that those who trust in him and accept the Holy Spirit will do the will of God and will become part of the family of God. When we allow the Holy Spirit in our lives, as both Pentecost and Trinity Sundays reminded us, nothing can stop us. We have a power that can overcome everything the devil throws in our way – even the opposition of our earthly family. That power is the awesome power of God! And when we unite with fellow believers, the power is even greater.

For Jesus, action in response to the call of God marks what it means to be a member of God’s family. Jesus often pushed the boundaries of what is socially and religiously acceptable in order to reach more folks with the always surprising, often upsetting, unimaginably gracious and ridiculous love of Jesus. Jesus forgives and heals all who are in need – no exceptions.

If that’s the kind of love you want to offer, are you pushing the boundaries of what is socially and religiously acceptable and communicating the Good News of God’s kingdom in your words and your deeds loudly and clearly, both in the church, amongst your family and friends and in the wider community? Perhaps that’s something you can put into practise this coming week.

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author, Revd Paul A. Carr. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name.