The Misunderstood Preacher

16 July 2017 AM – Mark 3:20-35 – Mr17 – Scott Childs

Introduction: If you have offered tracts to people you meet, you have likely noticed that many are wary to receive a Gospel tract because they think we are one of the cults. If you knock on doors to tell people about the Lord you will often be misunderstood. I have heard children call out to their parents “Here come the Jehovah’s Witnesses” when they see us coming up the footpath.

Jesus was often the misunderstood preacher of His day. People were often confused by things they did not understand in His life and ministry.

Transition: Our text today shows us how Jesus was misunderstood by family, foes, and followers and we can learn from how he dealt with those misunderstandings.

1.        He was Misunderstood by Family (v.20-21, 31)

a.         They misunderstood his actions
1)         The needs of the crowds that pressed around Jesus were so many that He literally had no time to even eat.
2)         Who were Jesus’ friends mentioned here?
a)         The word translated “friends” is a preposition meaning beside or near.
b)         Those “near” Jesus would include his close friends, but since just a few verses later (v.31) we read that His brothers and mother were seeking Him, it is likely that these “friends” were actually His human family.
3)         When Jesus’ family heard that the Pharisees wanted to kill Him for healing on the Sabbath, that He had called 12 disciples as His special workers, and that He was so busy that He had no time to eat they misunderstood His actions. In fact, they said “He is beside himself”. In other words, they thought Jesus was losing His mind.
4)         They came to lay hold on Jesus and take Him home to protect Him and to care for Him.
b.         They misunderstood his purpose
1)         Mary knew that her son was a miracle baby. She knew that He was the Messiah, but His actions were not what any of the Jews expected from the coming Messiah. They expected a national political leader, not a humble preacher who healed the sick and angered the religious leaders. Mary must have begun to question.
2)         Jesus’ purpose was much higher than delivering Israel from Rome. It was to deliver sinners from eternal doom in the Lake of Fire. Jesus said in (Luke 19:10) “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

2.        He was Misunderstood by Foes (22-30)

a.         They misunderstood his power
1)         The scribes (i.e., the educated teachers of the Bible) could not understand where Jesus got his power. They could not deny that he had power to heal and to cast out demons.
2)         Thus, they concluded that Jesus was demon possessed and that He got His power from Beelzebub (i.e., Satan) (v.22).
3)         Jesus called the scribes to Him, asked them a question and told them a parable (v.23-27).
a)         Neither a kingdom nor a household can stand if it works against itself. The same is true of Satan.
b)         No one can take what belongs to a strong man without first binding the strong man. In order for Jesus to rescue the demon possessed, He must first bind the demons.
4)         Jesus had power over the demons, not because He worked for Satan but because He was God, far superior to Satan.
²  BEWARE! The Mormons teach that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers. The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is not eternal but is God’s first created being. They also teach that Jesus is Michael the archangel. The religions of Islam and Baha’i see Jesus as one of the many good prophets. No! Jesus is the eternal God!

b.         They misunderstood his preaching
1)         Jesus did miracles and cast out demons to authenticate His preaching ministry. The scribes claimed that Jesus was ministering through the power of an unclean spirit. In this case, they wilfully misunderstood and in doing so they blasphemed the Holy Spirit.
2)         In March as we studied the Holy Spirit we learned from Matthew 12:31-32 that the Pharisees had seen the divine power of the Holy Spirit working through Jesus yet they wilfully refused to and attributed it to Satan. They cut themselves off from the mercy and grace of God. Their blasphemy of the Spirit was the wilful permanent refusal to believe the clear facts about Christ. Perhaps only those who saw Jesus’ miracles could blaspheme the Spirit, but it seems to also apply to all wilful, knowing rejection of the Spirit’s conviction that Jesus is our only hope of salvation.
3)         David Hewitt in his commentary concludes, “The unpardonable sin therefore, is to have a clear knowledge of the way of forgiveness but to deliberately reject it.” Mark, Free to Follow Jesus, p. 63
4)         When the Holy Spirit convicts a person of sin and he clearly sees the evidence that Jesus is the Christ the Saviour of the world and he wilfully turns from it and permanently refuses to believe, I believe that is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
5)         Wilfully rejecting the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the salvation of Christ dooms that soul to hell. (Hebrews 2:3) “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;”

3.        He was Misunderstood by Followers (v.31-35)

a.         They misunderstood his heritage
1)         It is true that Jesus had half-brothers, half-sisters, and an earthly mother. What do we know about them?
a)         We know that Mary was not a perpetual virgin.  She clearly knew Joseph intimately according to (Matthew 1:25).  “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”   James is called Jesus’ brother.  (Galatians 1:19)  “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.”
b)         In Mark 6:3 we read, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.”
c)         However, His brothers, at this time, still did not believe.  (John 7:5)  “For neither did his brethren believe in him.”
2)         At the same time, many if not most of those following Jesus did not realize that He was God in human flesh.
b.         They misunderstood his spiritual family
1)         Jesus asked, “Who is my mother and my brethren?” (v.33).
2)         He then identified His spiritual family (v.34-35). Those who do the will of God are part of the family of God. Jesus said in (John 6:40), “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
a)         To see the Son is to view Him attentively. To consider carefully who He is – God the Son sent to earth to die for the sins of mankind.
b)         To believe on him is to place you hope in Him alone, trusting His death and resurrection as payment for your sin and hope of eternal life.

Conclusion: Are you positive that you are part of God’s family? Have you done God’s will in seeing Christ as your only hope of eternal life and believing in Him for salvation from hell? If not, I invite you to do so today. I would be very happy to talk to you about this.

Jesus was misunderstood by His family, foes, and followers. If you are a Christian and you live a Christ-like life, people are going to misunderstand you as well. Jesus said, (John 15:18) “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” (2 Timothy 3:12) “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (1 Peter 4:16) “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” We must not let this bother us, but rather rejoice that we are part of God’s family.

Song: More Like the Master – 325