“Family” 1-23-22
Overview
The Perfect Family
When we picture the "perfect family," our minds often drift to Jesus' own household—Mary and Joseph adoring the Christ child, brothers and sisters supportive of his ministry. But Mark 3:20–35 tells a more sobering story. Mark frequently uses an "ABA" structure—introducing one scene, interrupting it with another, then returning to resolve the first. Here, Jesus' family hears that he has been drawing crowds and concludes, "He has gone out of his mind" (v. 21). They come to restrain him. By verse 31, they stand outside calling for him, while those who hunger for his teaching sit inside at his feet. The geography is theological: his earthly family has, at this moment, taken the posture of the hostile authorities.
This is not because Jesus despised family. He was obedient to his parents Luke 2:51 and provided for his mother even from the cross John 19:26–27. But John 7:5 reminds us that "not even his brothers believed in him" during his ministry. Only after the resurrection do we find the whole household gathered in faith Acts 1:14. So when Jesus looks at those seated around him and says, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother" (v. 35), he is unveiling another family—one formed not by blood but by faith. "In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith" Galatians 3:26. "To all who did receive him… he gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12. "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are" 1 John 3:1.
Are we, then, the perfect family? Honesty requires us to admit that we, too, often misunderstand Christ's mission—imagining he came to make our lives easy, judging his goodness by our comfort. Like his brothers, we can suspect God is "crazy" for not following our timetable. We can drift to the outside, restless to hear voices that simply echo our own preferences, rather than sitting on the inside to listen to him. Faith, as Luther said, is "a living, busy, active thing," and where it is present it expresses itself in doing the Father's will Philippians 2:13—yet our obedience is uneven at best.
And still—wonderfully—God calls us his perfect family. Not because of our performance, but because Christ has clothed us. "He has covered me with the robe of righteousness" Isaiah 61:10. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" 2 Corinthians 5:21. Paul longed to be "found in him, not having a righteousness of my own… but that which comes through faith in Christ" Philippians 3:9. At the cross, Jesus took our sin and gave us his righteous life. So when the Father looks upon his church, he sees the perfection of his Son—and he sees a perfect family. It is us.
Transcript
You're open your Bibles, please, with me, to mark the third chapter for our study today, 3s
page 32, if you're using a copy of the Scriptures in the Pew. 8s
Mark the third chapter for our study this morning. 13s
The perfect family, the perfect family. 20s
When I say that, what images come to mind? 26s
You had to pay to a picture of the perfect family. 31s
How do you see them relating to one another? 37s
How do you see the conversation between the members of the family? 41s
What actions do you do you see? 47s
What commitments of time are given? 51s
The perfect family. 55s
If you think of a perfect family, certainly Jesus's family had to be perfect. 61s
It had to be perfect. 67s
When the one hand, Mary and Joseph really wasn't quite fair, 69s
because one of their children were sinless. 74s
That's going to help along those matters of the perfect family. 77s
But when you conjure up the images of the Holy Family, 80s
Mary and Joseph adoring over the baby, 87s
Jesus's brothers and sisters certainly supportive of Jesus throughout his ministry. 93s
When you think of the perfect family, certainly, you have to think of Jesus's family. 101s
Don't you? The perfect family. 107s
Well, not so fast, right? Not so fast. 113s
But we study in the Gospel of Mark. 120s
The Gospel of Mark has what's called oftentimes an ABA structure. 122s
One of the things I hope that you'll see as we study several portions of Mark over these months 129s
is this ABA structure. Now what's the ABA structure? 135s
More than any other Gospel you will see in the Gospel of Mark, 140s
the introduction of a topic. You'll see characters. 145s
You'll see a plot line. 149s
And then all of a sudden, before that is resolved, 151s
the Mark will go on to another story. 154s
Interject other characters, another plot line, 158s
and then he'll return to that original story. 161s
That literary technique here inspired by the Holy Spirit helps to communicate the action nature of the Gospel. 166s
And it's a structure we're quite familiar with, right? 174s
When you watch a show on television, you'll see the ABA structure all the time. 177s
They'll be a scene, they'll be characters, they'll be the plot line that is injected there. 183s
And then all of a sudden, the next scene, you'll see a whole different plot line. 189s
Come in, hold other characters. And you'll see, well, what happened to that first issue here? 193s
That first scene, how did that have a resolve? And then later in the show, 198s
they'll come back to that. And then they'll resolve that scene. 201s
That's the ABA structure. You see it throughout the Gospel of Mark. 206s
Example is, Gyrus. Gyrus had a daughter that was at the point of death. 211s
Gyrus goes to Jesus. Gyrus is requesting that Jesus heal his daughter. 217s
And all of a sudden, Mark goes into the story about the woman with the hemorrhages. 225s
And you see, well, well, how did that resolve? 228s
And then Mark comes back to the story. 230s
Turns out the girl had died. Jesus comes, raises her from the dead. 233s
And there's the ABA structure. Same thing with our text for today. Same thing. 238s
The story's told, another story comes in. Then you've got the resolution of the original story. 248s
Look at it, William Place, verse 31. 261s
Then his mother and his brothers came and standing outside. They sent to him and cold him. 264s
Scripture reveals that Jesus had four brothers. He had at least two sisters. 275s
We don't know what the names of the sisters are. They're not recorded in Scripture. 280s
But we know he had at least two because it refers to sisters in the plural. 284s
So he's got four brothers and he's got two sisters. 289s
The only way to understand verse 31 and what's going on is if you go back to the A part of the story, which is up in verse 20. 292s
Then he went home and the crowd came together again so they could not even eat. 304s
And verse 21 is the key. 312s
When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him. 314s
For people were saying he has gone out of his mind. 320s
Then all of a sudden, Mark goes on to a whole different tangent. 330s
Bring in a whole different plot line, a whole different story, then he comes back to it. 333s
Verse 31, then his mother and his brothers came and standing outside. 339s
They sent to him and cold him. 344s
So to understand verse 31, you have to go back to the first part of the story, which is in verse 21. 348s
Of why his mother and brothers went to see him. 359s
Look again at verse 21, when his family heard it, they went out to restrain him. 367s
For people were saying he has gone out of his mind. 377s
That word there literally means Jesus has gone crazy. 387s
That's what they're saying. 393s
Or you can translate it. 394s
Jesus is out of it. 396s
Now we know that Mary believed in Jesus as the Savior, as the Messiah. 400s
But his brothers, his brothers, Scripture tells us, in John the 7th chapter, 408s
for not even his brothers believed in it. 418s
In fact, it wasn't until after the resurrection where you see the entire family unit existing at the time, 425s
the entire family unit who understood who Jesus was and why he had come. 433s
Acts, the first chapter. 441s
All of these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer together with certain women, including Mary, 443s
the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. 452s
So did the brothers come to the understanding that Jesus was the Messiah? 456s
Absolutely. 461s
Here. 462s
He's crazy. 465s
He's crazy. 468s
And they go to restrain him. 470s
Then his mother and his brothers came and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 479s
You understand 31 in light of 21. 485s
When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him for people were saying he's gone out of his mind. 489s
Did Jesus understand the blessing of family? 503s
Of course he did. 508s
Scripture reveals that Jesus was obedient to his parents, Luke the 2nd chapter, 510s
then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. 517s
What did Jesus say from the cross, but he provided for his mother? 524s
He turned to John and said, then he said to the disciple, 529s
here is your mother and from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 532s
Jesus understood the blessing of family. 539s
But was Jesus's family the perfect family? 543s
Was it the perfect family? 550s
Look at verse 32. 553s
A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, 557s
your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside asking for you. 560s
Jesus knows exactly why they've come. 566s
And notice what's emphasized. 571s
Where are the brothers and the sisters and Mary? 574s
Where are they? 579s
They're on the outside. 579s
Who's on the inside? 581s
Those on the inside are those that are listening to Jesus. 583s
You see his family has taken the position of the hostile authorities that we see in Scripture on the out side. 589s
A portrait of perfection hardly hardly. 608s
But this isn't the only family that Jesus has is it? 623s
I think of Galatians, the third chapter. 632s
There the Scripture says, for in Christ you are all children of God through faith. 639s
In Christ you're all children of God through faith. 648s
What was the hymn that we sang just before the sermon? 651s
Children of the Heavenly Father, right? 654s
Growing up in the congregation, when I was a boy in California, the congregation we attended, 657s
it was a tradition of that congregation that before every single baptism that hymn was sung. 663s
So you knew if you looked in the bulletin there, or when the organ started to play the intro, 670s
you knew that there was a baptism that day. 674s
Children of the Heavenly Father. 679s
Scripture tells us in John 1, but to all who received Him who believed in His name, 684s
He gave power to become children of God. 690s
Romans 8. 695s
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 697s
When we cry, oba Father, it's at very spirit, bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. 702s
First John 3, see what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God, 711s
and that is what we are. 719s
We are part of Jesus' other family. 724s
We're part of Jesus' other family. 732s
Look back at the text, verse 33, right after the Jesus' mother and brothers show up and specifically, 737s
His brothers show up to restrain Him. 748s
Right after Jesus is told that His family is on the outside there and they're calling for Him, 752s
verse 33, and He replied, 760s
Who are my mother and my brothers? 764s
And looking at those who sat around Him, He said, 768s
Here are my mother and my brothers, 773s
Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother. 777s
When God comes and gives us faith, by His gracious action, 790s
that faith then expresses itself. 797s
Can't help but express itself. 801s
Paul writes in Philippians 2, 804s
He says, for it is God who is at work in you, 806s
and enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 810s
When Jesus turns and says, and who is my family, 820s
and He's referring to those that are around Him. 825s
You see, these then are people of faith that do His will. 830s
Faith, Luther said, inactive and busy thing, 837s
where faith is present, there will be works not to earn salvation. 841s
It's simply an expression of faith. 845s
Where faith exists, faith will express itself. 847s
It expresses itself in doing the will of the Father. 851s
We are part of His other family. 859s
And are we the perfect family? 867s
Are we the perfect family? 876s
A cursory glance answers that question, doesn't it? 883s
For like Jesus' brothers, 891s
we can so often be confused about the mission of Christ. 895s
We can think that Jesus came to make our life easier. 905s
But that's why He came. 911s
And if our life isn't easy, then Jesus must not be true. 914s
He must not be God. He must not be in control. 917s
Because after all, Jesus came to make my life, 920s
how we look at it. 925s
Easier. 929s
And like the brothers, we can misunderstand. 932s
Misunderstand the mission of Christ. 936s
Like the brothers of Jesus, 943s
we can sometimes think God's just crazy. 946s
Why doesn't God do what God should do 952s
according to our time table and how we've mapped it out? 956s
God is just crazy. 962s
Why doesn't He just do what I've told Him? 966s
Did do? 972s
I've worked it out. 974s
Just pull the lever God. 976s
So often. 981s
We can be like that first family on the outside, 985s
instead of being the listeners on the inside. 993s
Because we can be tempted to just want to hear 1000s
our own thoughts, our own beliefs. 1004s
We just want to hear the echo of our own mind 1013s
from the lips of the other. 1017s
And so instead of being on the inside, 1021s
listening to what God says, 1027s
we move to the outside. 1032s
And we search for someone to tell us 1036s
what we want to hear. 1043s
We can so often act more like the unbeliever 1050s
than the believer. 1061s
We are part of God's family. 1068s
His other family. 1073s
The perfect family. 1078s
But in God's eyes, in God's eyes. 1085s
Scripture tells us, in Isaiah 61, 1095s
He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. 1098s
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. 1104s
Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, 1112s
for our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin. 1116s
So that in him, Jesus, we might become the righteousness of God. 1123s
Philippians 3. 1133s
Found in him not having a righteousness of my own 1137s
that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith 1141s
in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 1145s
The Lord Jesus Christ going to the cross and taking our sin 1153s
and paying the sin debt and then giving to us his righteousness. 1161s
Washing us and clothing us in his righteous perfect life. 1169s
So that when God looks at us, he sees the perfection of Jesus. 1182s
When he looks at us, he sees the perfection of Jesus. 1194s
God sees the perfect family. 1205s
And it's us. 1216s
It's us. 1224s