Unity or YOU-nity?
The United States of America is a very individualistic society, which is a bit ironic. Our money says “In God WE Trust” and our posters read “United WE Stand.” But if we look around in our day-to-day life we may quickly realize that WE are far more preoccupied with MY car, MY money, MY house, MY family, MY style, MY phone, MY rights….you get the idea.
This may sound like I’m going to start spouting on the spirituality of socialism, but I’m not. Socialism looks great on paper, but it is entirely dependent on the goodness of human nature…which doesn’t exist. Some like to claim that Jesus was a socialist, but Jesus wasn’t a socialist. Jesus was (and is) king.
We’ve seen in the previous chapters that Jesus has been claimed by God as his son (Mk 1:11), He was tested and approved (1:13), He set out to re-teach the people how the new kingdom was going to work (1:15, 1:17, 1:22), and then he proved he could do it (2:10-12, 3:5). Many have responded well, crowds are gathering to hear and see. But we have also noticed rising tensions from those we should expect to be on Jesus’ side. After all, the sick are being healed and the word of the LORD being proclaimed to high and lowly! How could this not be good news?
This week we read Mark 3:20-35 and we see the divide isn’t lessening, it’s growing.
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”
So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.” (3:20-26)
Pause there. Jesus is making two major points here:
1. Your argument makes no sense: Satan driving out Satan? How would the enemy gain from destroying himself?
2. He is issuing a warning. “A kingdom divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” In essence, “You’re either in or you’re out.” There was a time when talking ill of the ruling authority wasn’t called “Free Speech.” It was called treason. And it carried a heavy price.
Jesus is again establishing the boundaries of the kingdom of God, to which he has been given authority.
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (3:31-35)
Notice some key phrases? “Standing outside, they sent someone in…” and “seated in a circle around him…” stood out to me. Here again we see the kingdom divided. But Jesus is setting boundaries in place. You’re either working for the kingdom or you’re working against the kingdom. The story is told so well it is easy to see the sides in this Bible passage.
How about you?
Are you working for the kingdom? Or against it? Are you calling people towards God or driving them away? We must remember that Jesus is king, not you or I. For someone to be a Christian, do they need to pass your test in manner of speech and dress and lifestyle? Are you spreading harmony or disharmony?
Is it Unity or YOU-nity?
Jesus is King; we are his servants, called to serve his servants and guests. Let’s focus less on ourselves and focus more on our neighbors and how we can show them the joy we have in living in HIS kingdom.
Amen.
