Jesus Claims His Family

The Third Sunday after Pentecost

Not Blood Relations
Not the Enemies
The Family of Faith

SERMON TEXT: Mark 3:20-35

They went into a house. A crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat a meal. When his own people heard this, they went out to take control of him, because they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” The experts in the law who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He drives out demons by the ruler of demons.” Jesus called them together and spoke to them in parables. “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he ties up the strong man first. Then he can plunder his house. Amen I tell you: Everything will be forgiven people, their sins and whatever blasphemies they may speak. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” Jesus said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Then his mother and his brothers arrived. While they were standing outside, they sent word to Jesus, calling for him. A crowd was sitting around him. They began to tell him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.” He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” He looked at those who sat around him in a circle and he said, “Look, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Bible Readings

FIRST LESSON: Genesis 3:8–15

They heard the voice of the LORD God, who was walking around in the garden during the cooler part of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. The LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” The LORD God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” The LORD God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all the livestock, and more than every wild animal. You shall crawl on your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel.

SECOND LESSON: Revelation 20:1–6

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, bound him for a thousand years, threw him into the abyss, locked it, and set a seal on it, so that he could no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years come to an end. After this he must be released for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and those who were sitting on them were given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast and his image, and they did not receive his mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years came to an end.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. Instead they will be priests of God and of Christ. And they will reign with him for a thousand years.

VERSE OF THE DAY: 1 Corinthians 5:19

God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation

GOSPEL: Mark 3:20-35

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