A Reflection on the Gospel Reading for June 10th, 2018: Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 3:20-35
20And the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, "He is beside himself." 22And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Be-el'zebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons." 23And he called them to him, and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house. 28"Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" -- 30for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." 31And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you." 33And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."

When I was younger, the image I had of Jesus was of Him smiling down at a baby lamb or sitting down on a large rock speaking to little children. I had imagined Jesus was a passive softy who would never say anything “offensive”.
 
It’s safe to say that my image of Jesus has changed a lot since. Jesus was very direct in His instructions. He didn’t “butter things up” and didn’t hold back from speaking the truth, even if it was counter-cultural like His words in this Gospel reading. He says some things that might still shock people to this day, like, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”. When I first read this Gospel, I thought, “How could He speak about His mother like that? He is disregarding His mother who probably traveled miles to see Him.” Then I remembered the beginning of this Gospel, which says that the crowds were so big that Jesus and His disciples couldn’t eat. I sometimes say things I regret if I’m really tired and/or hungry... maybe Jesus felt the same way when He said that?
 
In reality, the possibility of Jesus being hangry (hungry and angry at the same time) was very slim because He is perfect and wouldn’t just say things driven by His emotions, like I often do. Jesus spoke Truth here, and there are many different interpretations of this question, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”. I, personally, get the sense that He is trying to prove a point: that we are all His eternal family, which goes way beyond the earthly. It was a really bold point for Him to make--bold to the extent that it still shocks those who read this scripture passage 2000+ years later.
 
In this Gospel, Jesus firmly speaks Truth to those who accuse Him. He instructs those who listen to Him and He invites us all into His family.
 
My challenge for you is to spend some time getting to know Jesus’ personality. Observe the kind of leader He was, the kind of person He was, and how human yet divine He IS. Although I’m still on the journey of getting to know Him, I grow to know Him more through the scriptures - and you should too. This Gospel reading from Mark 3:20-35 is a true example of His authority and leadership. He wasn’t just a man who smiled and held little lambs. He was also a man who turned tables when it was necessary to speak Truth for the Kingdom of God.

Erica Gould

"Jesus firmly speaks Truth to those who accuse Him. He instructs those who listen to Him and He invites us all into His family." - Erica Gould (Ora Reflections)