Mark 3:7-35 The Identity of Christ
Date: November 20th 2022
Speaker: Samuel M. Crites
Scripture: Mark 3:7-3:35
MIT: The identity of Christ is recognized by demons, preached by his disciples, misunderstood by his family, and denied by the Pharisees.
1. Demons confess Christ. (3:7-12)
2. Disciples preach Christ. (3:13-19)
3. Family misunderstands Christ. (3:20-21; 31-35)
4. Pharisees deny Christ (3:22-30)
MIS: The identity of Christ redefines everything.
1. The identity of Christ is undeniable.
2. The identity of Christ gives us new purpose.
3. The identity of Christ divides the righteous from the unrighteous.
4. The identity of Christ redefines personal relationships.
Identity is one of the great crises of our day. The modern person is a rudderless ship. They are tossed around on a storm of autonomy. The world preaches a gospel that we are all free individuals able to determine our own destiny, able to claim for ourselves any identity that suits us. “You can be anything that want in life.” Want to be rich, work hard. Want to be successful, get an education. Want to redefine your gender, go for it.
William Ernest Henley, born in 1849, wrote a famous poem that has inspired millions with just this sense of autonomy. Listen to his poem entitled “Invictus.”
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
As you might guess from the poem, Henley was an atheist. He wrote this poem in 1875 when he was 26 years old. Henley suffered his entire life from Tuberculosis of the bone. When he was a young man, his leg was amputated. A large man, his amputated leg was replaced by a peg leg. Not only did Henley write a famous poem, but his best friend wrote a famous book. Robert Louis Stephenson, Henley’s closest friend, took Henley as the inspiration for his famous villain, Long John Silver, in his classic Treasure Island.
Henley’s poem “Invictus” captures the spirit of our modern day. “I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my soul.”
“You’re not the master, God. I captain this ship. You can’t tell me what to do or decide my fate. If you do exist, you don’t control me.”
We see this everyday. We live this everyday. The world insists that the individual has the right to define their identity anyway they choose: gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, even race. The individual is sovereign to choose whoever they would like to be.
This is not consistent with a biblical world view. The individual is not sovereign. Today, in our sermon text, we are going to see what really matters is not who you say that you are, but who you say Christ is. Jesus’ entire ministry in Galilee can be summed up with one question: Who do you say that I am? Jesus asks his disciples this very question in Mark 8:29. From the moment he calls them to follow him in Mark 2 until he asks them this question in Mark 8, everything Christ does is to prepare them to answer that question. “Who do you say that I am?”
So far, Mark’s chief goal has been to show us the identity of Christ. In Mark 1:1, Mark tells us that this is
Mark 1:1
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God: the one that was promised by the prophet Isaiah, the one John the Baptist prepared the people to receive, the one that the Father claims as his own and anoints with his own Spirit. This Jesus of Nazareth is the Holy One of God that has the authority to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God and heal the sicknesses of his people.
He is the Son of Man promised by Daniel who has the authority over the Sabbath and is inaugurating the New Covenant.
Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The promised savior that has come to usher in the Kingdom of God. Mark wants us to understand that this Jesus is the one that the Jewish people have been waiting for.
As we read our sermon text today, pay attention to how the demons, disciples, Christ’s family and the Pharisees respond to the identity of Christ. Read with me Mark 3:7-35:
Mark 3:7-35
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But 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 children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
The main point of our sermon today is that the identity of Christ redefines everything. It changes every single one of these groups: the demon possessed, the disciples, Christ’s family, and the religious leaders. We will learn something from each group. So, if you are taking notes, this sermon is going to have four points. First, the identity of Christ is undeniable. Second, the identity of Christ gives us new purpose. Third, the identity of Christ divides the righteous from the unrighteous. And, finally, the identity of Christ redefines our closest relationships. It is undeniable, gives us new purpose, divides the righteous from the unrighteous, and redefines our closest relationships.
The Identity of Christ is Undeniable
First, the identity of Christ is undeniable. So far in the narrative, the crowds have been flocking to Christ, but until this week, the crowd was mainly the people in Galilee. It was a large crowd. Large enough to force him into the wilderness and prevent him from carrying out his normal ministry in Capernaum. However, this week, the crowd is no longer merely from the surrounding towns of Galilee. They come from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, from beyond the Jordan and from Tyre and Sidon. This area that Mark describes is approximately 6,500 square miles. It encompasses all of modern-day Israel, and parts of Jordan, Syria, and Palestine. So, if the crowd was large before, overwhelming the small town of Capernaum, then now the crowd has become so large that it can only be gathered in the wilderness. We do not have a sense of the number of the crowd, but Mark no longer refers to it as just a crowd, rather, it is a great crowd.
Why is this crowd following Jesus? In verse 8, Mark says it is because they heard all that he was doing, namely healing the sick and casting out demons. So, they are not coming to him, because they believe that he is the Messiah. They are not coming to him to hear his preaching. They are coming to him because if they touch him, their sicknesses will be healed. There is such a fervor to touch him, that he had the disciples set up an escape route. In the midst of the mania of the crowds, not only are sick people being healed, but demon possessed people are being liberated.
Here, we see Mark’s point about Christ. The identity of Christ is undeniable. Whenever an unclean spirit looks upon Christ, they see him for who he truly is. Mark’s language here is revealing. Unclean spirits are just that, spirits. They are not flesh and blood like we are. So, when they look upon Christ, they are not seeing Jesus of Nazareth, the man. They see the Son of God. They see him in the full radiance of his glory because they are spiritual. They must confess that he is the Son of God because it would be like us trying to deny the existence of the sun at high noon on a clear Summer day. He is in a class of his own, so they could not deny what was plainly before them.
We are also spiritual. We have the ability to see Christ for who he truly is. Paul teaches us this in 1 Corinthians 2:13-14. He says this in 1 Corinthians 2:13:
1 Corinthians 2:13-14
13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
This is the essence of being born again. We are not born of blood and water, but of the Spirit. Reality exists on two planes at the same time: the physical and the spiritual. The Kingdom of God and all that goes with it are spiritual realities. They are imparted to us with human speech, but they are interpreted and understood spiritually. The natural person does not have the Spirit, so when we communicate spiritual truth to them, they hear the words, but they cannot understand the truth of what is being communicated. Because they are spiritually dead, they lack the capacity to understand the things that are spiritual.
Who Christ is, his identity as the Son of God, is a spiritual truth that is absolutely undeniable to those that have the spiritual capacity to understand it. To those that have encountered this reality, it changes everything. Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer born February 19, 1473. Until Copernicus, everyone believed that the earth was the center of the solar system. That everything revolved around us. In a series of publication, Copernicus put forth his theory that the sun was actually the center of the solar system. Copernicus’s discovery changed everything: philosophy, mathematics, astrology, astronomy. It is referred to as the Copernican Revolution. No longer was man able to live in the delusion that the earth was the center of the universe.
In the same way, when Christ enters Galilee, the center of spiritual gravity shifted. He changed everything. His power and authority were as undeniable as the gravity of the sun, holding all the planets in orbit.
Thinking about how to apply this point this week, the holiday season kept coming to mind. If we are those who understand the undeniable truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, has that changed the way we celebrate? If someone were to observe your family during this Christmas season, would they see the undeniable Christ in the way that you celebrate? Would it be so clear to them that Christ has captured your hearts and imaginations?
When my family celebrates Christmas, we do a lot of things that have become traditions. We have a special cut out cookie recipe. We open our presents as a family on Christmas morning. The kids always get matching pajamas. Sometime in the week leading up to Christmas, Molly and I dress the kids in those pajamas, we get a whole mess of cookies and we drive around looking at Christmas lights in the car. I could go on and on.
Tradition is a powerful tool when wielded with intentionality. It creates bonds between people, forming them into a special group. It teaches us what to look forward to and what to value. Most of the time, these traditions are formed by happen stance. They are unintentional. What if we combined the undeniable identity of Jesus Christ with our holiday traditions. What would that look like? Perhaps you could read Luke 2 on Christmas morning before you open presents. Perhaps you could buy a Jesse Tree. Perhaps you could take your neighbors a Christmas treat and share the gospel with them. The point is to practice the Christmas season in a way that makes Christ undeniable in your life. That shows that he is the center of the solar system of your life.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This is an undeniable spiritual reality that can only be understood spiritually. When we see this undeniable truth it changes us. It changed them. Let’s move on to our second point, the identity of Christ gives us new purpose.
The Identity of Christ Gives Us New Purpose
Mark 3:13-19
13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
We are starting to see a pattern emerge for Christ. When he is with the crowds, performing his ministry of preaching, he is near the Sea of Galilee. When Christ wants to be alone, either to pray or to be with his disciples, he retreats to the mountains.
The last two week, Christ has been calling individuals to follow him. At first he called Peter, Andrew, James and John, then he called Levi, also known as Matthew. We assume that he has been gathering many disciples that are consistently following him, but this week, Christ sets aside 12 disciples as special. He appoints them as special messengers, or apostles, to accomplish two things: to preach and have authority to cast out demons. This new purpose illustrates our second point: the identity of Christ gives us new purpose.
A couple chapters ago, these men were not heralds of the Son of God. They did not have the authority to cast out demons or preach the Gospel. They were fisher men; they were tax collectors and sinners. They were sitting in darkness just like the rest of mankind. But then, the Son of Man entered their lives. A new reality dawned on them and it fundamentally changed who they were. For some of them, Christ even gave them new names. Anytime someone’s name in Scripture changes, it indicates that their identity has changed. The identity of Christ as the Son of God changed who these men were and gave them a new reason for existence: to preach and fulfill the ministry of Christ.
This is true of us too. There was a day when you did not know Christ, when you met him he called you from death to life, and now he has given you a new purpose. Every single member of the Church is a preacher of the Gospel. “How blessed are the feet of those that carry good news?” The question is not if you are a preacher, but if you are preaching? Do you understand that every Sunday you are being commissioned and sent into the world to proclaim the identity of Christ to all those people out there that need him?
We must be those that are conquered by the supremacy of Christ. Who he is should so dominate who we are that our greatest joy and privilege should be to make him known to all those around us. I am thinking about the casual moments of our lives: standing in line to order bar-b-q, waiting for the grocer to bag your groceries, seeing your neighbor water their flowers as you take an evening walk. What if we as members didn’t let these casual moments slip by? What if we saw every single one as an opportunity to fulfill the mission Christ has sent us on? What if you were so captured by his beauty that you just couldn’t help telling people about it? How would that change your life? How would that change your neighborhood?
As the pastor of this infant church, I have a longing in my heart. I dream about the day when one of our members will be so captured by God’s word that they will feel compelled to start something new somewhere else. I wonder what it will feel like to have walked with that person or family for years. To have watched them grow in their devotion to Christ. To see them sacrifice to follow Christ. I think of the sweetness it will be to help them along the way and the bitter sadness we permanently send them out from our body: maybe they are a missionary, or maybe they will be a church planter. It could be someone in this room right now.
My goal in preaching is stir that desire in you as well. I want you all to be so wholly devoted to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that it just spills out of you. Everywhere you go you smell like him, you talk about him, you sing songs that praise him. That you think about how you might accomplish great things to make him known throughout the world. There are only 16 of us, but there were only 12 of them. We know what God did with 12 disciples, what could he do with 16?
The identity of Christ is undeniable. Those that are spiritual can see and those that are dead cannot. For those who have seen its undeniability, it is has given us a new purpose: to proclaim Christ wherever we go. Our third point is that the identity of Christ not only brings together his disciples, it also divides the righteous from the unrighteous.
The Identity of Christ Divides the Righteous from the Unrighteous
We see how the identity of Christ divides the righteous and the unrighteous through Christ’s interactions with his family and the Pharisees.
Mark 3:20-30
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But 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 children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Christ’s family and the Pharisees deny the identity of Christ, but they do it in two different ways. Christ’s family is embarrassed by his popularity; they are ashamed by his fame. The Pharisees are openly denying he is the Son of God and saying that he is actually the son of Devil. They are spreading false accusations against him. We learn a great deal from both.
First, his family is the more difficult of the two. You might think that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the more difficult thing to understand, but I hope to clear that up in the next point. The issue with his family is really confusing to me, especially, because verse 31 says,
Mark 3:31
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.
His mother was with them! Mary…the one that spoke to Gabriel, the one that sang the Magnificat. Mary who knew she was giving birth to the Messiah. Yeah, spoiler alert, “Mary Did You Know?” Of course she knew! Gabriel said this to her in Luke 1:30ff:
Luke 1:30-35
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
You’re telling me Mary didn’t know? No, Mary knew. It is probably true that the other kids didn’t believe, but Mary knew and believed that Jesus was the Son of God.
I am not trying to cast stones at Mary. In fact, I think this is very encouraging. Even Mary had days where she doubted, where she lost sight of the identity of Christ. Don’t get me wrong, she really messed up. We can see this in the fact that Christ does not even acknowledge her or the rest of his family. He doesn’t go out to them or interact with them. They are wrong for being embarrassed by his identity. But even still, when we lose sight of him, he does not lose sight of us.
The second group that denies the identity of Christ is the Pharisees, and there is a lot to learn here. Just like the crowds are not the same crowds that we have seen the last couple weeks, these Pharisees are not the same Pharisees. Mark 3:22 says that these are the Pharisees that have come down from Jerusalem. Remember last week, the local religious leaders called in reinforcements from the Herodians in Jerusalem. These guys this week are the bosses, and they are not messing around. They come out of the corner swinging, seeking to undermine Jesus by claiming he is not possessed by the Spirit of God, but by a demon.
This attack on Christ does nothing to affect Christ’s ministry and demonstrates how malicious and evil the Pharisees truly are. They do not deny that he is performing miracles: healing people and casting out demons. With such undeniable evidence, even if they were skeptical, a fair and just person would have investigated the situation closer before they felt the need to go on the offensive against Christ. These Pharisees are so arrogant and prideful that they don’t even give Christ a chance.
But what is even more hilarious is how impotent they are. The most malicious thing that they can say is immediately dismantled by Christ, because it is absolutely illogical. They claim that he is possessed by a demon and that gives him the power to cast out demons. Christ shows the absurdity of such a claim. Satan would never be able to win the war if he was undercutting his soldiers. Rather, Christ’s authority over demons shows the exact opposite. Jesus is not only not possessed by Satan, but he is also infinitely more powerful than Satan. He conquered Satan in the wilderness and bound the Enemy so that Christ can plunder his house as he pleases. There is not cosmic battle between good and evil for the souls of men. There is no contest. God wins, Satan loses, period.
The real knot to untie begins in Mark 3:28:
Mark 3:28-29
“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”
What does it mean to be guilty of an eternal sin? Anytime we come to a difficult piece of Scripture, it is important to remember two things: first, Scripture never contradicts Scripture, and, second, the clear parts of Scripture interprets the unclear parts of Scripture. Both of these rules are rooted in the fact that the ultimate author of Scripture is the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21 says,
2 Peter 1:21
“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Therefore, the Spirit would not say one thing in one place in Scripture that contradicts something he said in another part of Scripture. That also means that if he has said something very clearly in Scripture, then we must presuppose in a part of Scripture that is not as clear.
So, is there such thing as an eternal sin, such that, if anyone commits it, they are beyond forgiveness? At face value, that seems to be what Christ is saying in Mark 3:28-29. There is a kind of blasphemy that one can commit against the Holy Spirit that is ultimately unforgivable; it makes them guilty of an eternal sin. This is a very serious issue, so let’s ask some clarifying questions of the rest of Scripture.
First, can a Christian commit such a sin? Let me read for you Ephesians 4:29-32:
Ephesians 4:29-32
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Here, Paul exhorts the Ephesians to not allow any corrupting talk to come out of their mouths. Corrupting talk would be bitter words, words of wrath and anger, slanderous words, or anything malicious. Anything that does not build up and give grace to those that hear us. When we say these kinds of things, it grieves the Holy Spirit within us, the one that has sealed us for the future day of redemption. So while things that we say really matter, they cause the Spirit real grief. The implication is that they can have no effect on our eternity, because we possess the Spirit as a seal, a guarantee of our future redemption. We have received this seal because we have already been forgiven in Christ.
So, can the Christian blaspheme the Holy Spirit? No. The Scripture clearly teaches us in Ephesians 4 that there is no scenario where we could offend the Spirit in such a way that he would abandon us. On the contrary, he is the confidence of our seal for that future day of redemption.
Second question, if it is impossible for a Christian to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, what does it mean for a lost person to blaspheme the Holy Spirit? John 3:16-18 says:
John 3:16-21
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
The clear teaching of Scripture is that, if someone asks God to forgive their sin, he will do it. This is the purpose for which he sent his Son into the world. It is also clear that if someone does not believe, he is condemned already.
Now, do not forget the context. Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who has come to speak to him under the cover of night. In verse 5, Jesus says,
John 3:5-8
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Jesus just taught him that somebody must be born of the Spirit before he can enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, one cannot believe in Jesus Christ unless they have already been born again. The natural state of man is to reject the Holy Spirit until the Holy Spirit decides to overcome their rebellious heart and bring them from death to life.
So what is blaspheming of the Holy Spirit? Here is my definition of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the natural man’s natural response to the Gospel. Every single person blasphemes the Holy Spirit, 100% of the time, until they die or until the Spirit overcomes their rebellion and brings them from death to life. It is the unforgivable sin, because to die in rebellion puts you past the point of forgiveness.
So, does that fit with Mark’s narrative. Is the unforgivable sin something unique to the Pharisees? No. The particular way the Pharisees blaspheme the Holy Spirit is unique to them, but we were all blasphemers at one point.
So we have seen that the identity of Christ is undeniable. Those with spiritual eyes to see will acknowledge Christ as the Son of God. When they see him for who he truly is, it changes their purpose in life. They are now constrained by their devotion to Christ to make his name known to all around them. The identity of Christ also clarifies those that are unrighteous because they cannot recognize him. They will unanimously reject him because they reject the Spirit that makes him known. Now, we come to our final point about the identity of Christ. The identity of Christ redefines our closest relationships.
The Identity of Christ Redefines Our Closest Relationships
Mark 3:31-35
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
As we have seen, Jesus’s family is in the wrong. They are ashamed of his sudden fame and who he is claiming to be. So, Christ does not go out to them. Instead, he uses the moment to teach those who are with him. Christ redefines the most important relationships in our life. That means, you have a deeper relational commitment to the people in your Church that are struggling to live out the will of God along with you than you do with your unbelieving family members.
That’s a pretty radical idea to digest. The Church throughout history has taken this very seriously. We have always referred to each other as brother and sister to acknowledge that our family as the people of God in the Church is a deeper connection than our family outside of the people of God.
Now, Christ is not teaching that our family relationships outside of the Church are not important. 1 Timothy 5:8 says:
1 Timothy 5:8
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
So clearly, we have a duty and obligation to our families, even if they do not believe. Christ’s teaching here does not lesson our relationship to our families, but it does order it correctly. The people of God is your family in a truer and deeper sense than your non-believing family. Christ is not teaching that your biological family is less, but that your spiritual family is simply far more.
The identity of Christ is undeniable and gives us new purpose. He divides the righteous from the unrighteous, and he transforms our closest relationships, reordering the priorities of our lives.
Conclusion
The question of the 21st century is: who am I? William Ernest Henley’s poem “Invictus” captured the natural man’s response. Dorothy Day, a Christian poet in the early 21st Century, wrote a poem in response to Henley’s poem. Instead of “Invictus”, Latin for unconquered, Day’s poem is entitled “Conquered”. This is how it reads:
Out of the light that dazzles me,
Bright as the sun from pole to pole,
I thank the God I know to be,
For Christ - the Conqueror of my soul.
Since His the sway of circumstance,
I would not wince nor cry aloud.
Under the rule which men call chance,
My head, with joy, is humbly bowed.
Beyond this place of sin and tears,
That Life with Him and His the Aid,
That, spite the menace of the years,
Keeps, and will keep me unafraid.
I have no fear though straight the gate:
He cleared from punishment the scroll.
Christ is the Master of my fate!
Christ is the Captain of my soul!
The most important question you can answer is not “who am I?” The most important question to answer is: “who is Christ?”
Let’s pray.