Mark 3:19b-35

Then [Jesus] went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, 'He has gone out of his mind.' And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.' And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, 'How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 'Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin'— for they had said, 'He has an unclean spirit.' Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, 'Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.' And he replied, 'Who are my mother and my brothers?' And looking at those who sat around him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.'

The phrase that stands out to me today is, "if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." To me, our pericope today describes the division that is felt throughout society up to and including the church. It is heart-wrenching to see the divisions and hatred expressed in society, government, and churches. Divisions that are primarily based on fear or ignorance.

The scribes ridicule Jesus because they feel threatened and don't understand him, so they accuse him of having a demon. Jesus straightens out their thinking and asks them, "how can Satan cast out Satan?" explaining that a divided kingdom is a weak kingdom that will fall. 

The family of Jesus is worried. So much that they go out to try to stop him. It is interesting to me that Jesus summarizes this teaching with an alternative view of what it means to be family. Family is the closest of relationships that share blood and kin. Some people hold the family bond as an unconditional bond that cannot be divided or broken. After being told that his mother, brothers, and sisters are there, Jesus says that the ones seated there learning from him are his mother, brothers, and sisters. I don't think he's saying that he has replaced his mother, brothers, and sisters.

Jesus advocates for a close relationship with his followers who do the "will of God." A relationship that is as close as family. A strong relationship that cannot be simply broken by the evils of this world. I hear the call to strong relationships nurtured by the love and forgiveness we experience from Jesus as we strive to bring about his kingdom on earth.

First Wednesday in Lent 2021

John 2:23-3:15 (NRSV)

When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

The Pharisee, Nicodemus, came to Jesus "by night." I am sure that he was afraid of what others might think if he openly endorsed this itinerant teacher from Nazareth. Nicodemus believed in Jesus and his teaching and wanted to know more. He had already experienced the miraculous acts or "signs" that Jesus did. So, without telling his fellow Pharisees, Nicodemus sneaks out for a one on one with Jesus.

The encounter is intimate and life-giving. Jesus and Nicodemus are sitting there in the evening chatting about theological concepts. You can feel the energy building in the text as Jesus reveals to Nicodemus what it is to experience the Kingdom of God after being born anew. As a Pharisaic teacher, Nicodemus should have known more about the spiritual nature of re-birth. After Jesus explains it, Nicodemus is astonished. His only response was, "how can these things be."

I've heard many over the years about being "born-again" or "reborn" or "born from above." I'm not sure that neither they nor I understand the complexity of what it means to be "born anew." I think that the faith rebirth comes from knowing and living for God rather than for the world or self. I feel that comes from caring for those that God cares for and comes from knowing that you are forgiven and have the chance to right the wrongs. 

Nicodemus was probably not a coward but saw his meeting with Jesus as controversial enough to keep it a secret. This makes me think... How often do we "hide our faith" for fear of ridicule? And if we do, are we really living like we have been born anew? If being born again means knowing and living for God, how might we respond more fully with a faith-filled life? The world waits for signs that God is real. However, those reborn in God are doing very little to show the world who God is.

Mark 6:47-56 (NRSV)

When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.  When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by.  But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."  Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased.  And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.  When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.  When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.  And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Jesus came toward them “walking on the sea.”  The image that comes out at me is popular.  When we think of Jesus, we often associate him with the miracles that he performed; healing the sick, changing water into wine, casting out demons, walking on water, feeding the multitudes, and raising from the dead (just to name a few).  He amazed many (and continues to amaze) people with the wonder and power of miracles that shows the power of the one true living and loving God.

From yesterday’s reading, Jesus catches up with the disciples.  He comes to them across sea of Galilee, walking on the water.  The wind was up and the sea was rough.  The disciples were terrified.  They didn’t expect Jesus to be coming toward them like that.  Once Jesus got into the boat, the wind stopped.  They were flabbergasted.  The disciples were still trying to understand the miracle that they had just witnessed, the feeding of the 5000, and Jesus comes at them with another display of power over the elements.

After they came to Gennesaret, they were immediately noticed by people.  They brought their sick to him to be cured.  Jesus was recognized everywhere, and there was a crowd everywhere he went.  Even people that touched the fringe of his cloak were healed.

It is hard not to concentrate on the awesome power God in this passage that is shown by Jesus.  His presence and actions are godly and of godly proportions.  To me, the call that is present in this reading is in the phrase that Jesus says to the disciples, “take heart, and don’t be afraid.”  The power of God is a scary thing; the closer we get to experiencing it, the more afraid we can become.  If we take our experiences of the living God to heart, and are not afraid, then we can let God get close and use us as vessels to spread the good news about Jesus to the world.

John 7:14-36 (NRSV)

About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. The Jews were astonished at it, saying, ‘How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?’  Then Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching is not mine but his who sent me.  Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.  Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.

‘Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?’ The crowd answered, ‘You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?’ Jesus answered them, ‘I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement.’

Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’  Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him.  I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.’  Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.  Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?’

The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him.  Jesus then said, ‘I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.  You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.’  The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What does he mean by saying, “You will search for me and you will not find me” and, “Where I am, you cannot come”?’



Frustration! I hear frustration in Jesus’ voice, in his teaching, and in his message. It's easy to get frustrated when you feel that your message is falling on deaf ears. This passage is a continuation from yesterday’s “undercover Jesus” trying to get a new prospective on things and assess the situation by being in disguise at the festival. It is possibly his frustration with the situation that pushes him to the point of getting up and teaching in the middle of the festival.

In his teaching, Jesus has very challenging words for the folks that are critical of his message. He points out that others have been quick to jump to conclusions about who he is and what he has come to do.  Some people gathered at the festival think that Jesus may be the messiah, and they are trying to figure out who he is.  The Pharisees and scribes feel challenged.  The status-quo is being upset by Jesus' prophetic teaching, and they are getting nervous, needing to put an end to Jesus’ popularity and make a spectacle of him.  They need to squelch his influence before he gets too politically powerful and becomes able to overthrow them. The scripture says that they tried to arrest him, but it wasn’t Jesus’ time.

My first thought is how often we get twisted into thinking something about someone else based on another’s testimony.  The leaders want the people to think that Jesus’ teaching is bad because it is against what they are teaching.  They want others to think that Jesus is a threat to their well being, so they create trumped up accusations of blasphemy and heresy.  In this context, I feel that we are called to make up our own mind.  We need to decide for ourselves who this prophetic teacher, Jesus really is.  He is revealed to us as very human and gets as aggravated and frustrated as we do (especially when people don’t listen to us) - yet his teaching is unlike any that has ever been before him or any that has come since. 

John 7:1-13 (NRSV)

Jesus went about in Galilee.  He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him.  Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret.  If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’  (For not even his brothers believed in him.)  Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil.  Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.’  After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret.  The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, ‘Where is he?’  And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds.  While some were saying, ‘He is a good man’, others were saying, ‘No, he is deceiving the crowd.’  Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.

Jesus didn’t go to the festival with his brothers, but went in secret afterwards.  It is very easy to get frustrated with the way John deals with “the Jews” and their seemingly devious schemes to kill Jesus.  Much caution should be taken with the text in reference to “the Jews.”  We quickly forget that Jesus himself is a faithful Jew.  So, it’s not ALL Jews - just some.  I think there needs to be a distinction made between the folks that wanted to kill Jesus (who Just happened to be Jews), and the ones who were his faithful disciples (who are also Jews), lest we be guilty of lumping groups together and making assumptions based on their race or creed. 

There are folks at the festival of Booths that are asking about Jesus, and there is some complaining about his teaching.  They are all arguing over his validity as a teacher.  His real supporters are quiet because fear has the best of them.  For some reason, Jesus has chosen to be an observer.  He stands back and “in secret” looks over the sticky situation from the outside.  Maybe he is testing the waters… maybe he wants to learn how he is being received among the crowds and how his followers will react.  Whatever the case, he decides to go "in secret" after he told his brothers that he wasn’t going.

As a leader, I cannot begin to tell you how many times that I have tried to assess a situation this way - trying to quietly get a glimpse of things from another prospective or from “behind the scenes.”  It proves to be very helpful when trying to figure out strategies and how to effectively achieve goals.  What I think of immediately is the TV show Undercover Boss.  The show makes entertainment out of corporate CEOs working for their own companies in disguise, sometimes to be completely surprised or shocked by the people who work for them (good and bad).  I’m not suggesting that Jesus went undercover to spy on his followers, but what if he did? 

I often think that if Jesus were to return today and be among us “in disguise,” what would he find?  Would we be proud to show him all of the wonderful things we are doing to build up his kingdom on earth, or would we be ashamed because we weren’t bold enough to proclaim his message?  Maybe Jesus would be a homeless person or someone who you see at the soup kitchen.  Maybe he would be the one on the other end of the phone that just needs to talk, but your busy schedule is pulling you in the other direction. 

I feel that the text today is calling us to be aware…  be aware of who we are and how we are received…  be aware of how we act toward one another and how we respond to each others needs.  We are called to be self aware and look behind the scenes and from another prospective to possibly see things as Jesus would.