Gn 3:9-15; Ps 130; 2Cor 4:13-5:1; Mk 3:20-35
COMMENTARY
Establishing the New Realities of the Kingdom of God
After the extraordinary post-Easter solemnities (the Most Holy Trinity, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the Most Holy Heart of Jesus), today we return to the “ordinary” time of the Sundays of the liturgical year B, in which we are invited to meditate on the actions and teachings of Jesus as reported in the Gospel of St. Mark. Today’s Gospel passage presents us with a sequence of three particular episodes: (1) the departure of Jesus’ relatives from Nazareth to the place where He was staying (“in a home”) in order to seize Him (implicitly to take Him to His “real” home in Nazareth); (2) the dispute between Jesus and the scribes, who had in the meantime left Jerusalem (“come from”) to accuse Him of being possessed by Beelzebul; and finally, (3) after the arrival of the relatives, Jesus’ teaching about His “real” brothers, sisters, mothers, and thus about His new real family-home. These are, therefore, three moments linked together, almost like a triptych, skillfully created by the evangelist. Such a literary structure (called A-B-A concentric or “sandwich” by biblical scholars!) forms an ideal framework for conveying Jesus’ teaching on the essence of His mission, which is to establish the new realities of the divine kingdom by snatching humanity from the domain of evil and forming the new family of God. Let us examine the three most important points.
1. “But if it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Lk 11:20)
The phrase quoted above is not found in the passage in Mark’s Gospel, but is quoted by the evangelist Luke at the very end of Jesus’ speech against the accusation of his opponents. (“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons” [Mk 3:22]). It does, however, summarize the fundamental point behind this controversy between Jesus and the scribes over the origin of the power with which He performed exorcisms. Jesus’ mission of evangelization for the coming of the kingdom of God also finds concrete fulfillment in His many acts of delivering humanity from Satan’s dominion.
It should be noted that, interestingly, Jesus’ opponents did not question the “fact” of the exorcisms He performed, but only the cause of them. Thus, with this accusation, the echo of which is also found in the later Judeo-Rabbinic tradition (which explains how Jesus first went to Egypt to learn the art of magic in order to later apply it in Israel), these opponents of Jesus paradoxically confirmed that such miraculous acts did indeed occur in the activities of the Master of Nazareth. They only denied, because of their prejudiced unbelief, that Jesus did all this by the power of God, and accused Him of using the power of Beelzebul, the pince of demons. This is a very serious accusation because it implicitly points to an “en-demonized” Jesus, totally outside the grace of the God of Israel.
Literally, the Aramaic word Beelzebul means the master/lord (be’el – from Hebrew ba’al) of the abode/domain (zebul). It is interesting that such a name for Satan is found only in the Synoptic Gospels (Mk, Mt, Lk) among various ancient sources.
How much patience Jesus must have had to explain to them the nonsense of their reasoning! “How can Satan drive out Satan?” However, he took the opportunity to identify himself, in parabolic language, with the figure of the one who is most powerful and who binds the “strong man”, the master of the house, that is, Satan or Beelzebul, in order to take away all that was under his dominion in his “house”. It is one of the fundamental effects of the evangelizing activity of Jesus and, consequently, of the missionary activity of his disciples sent into the world: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons” (Mt 10,7-8). So much so that the Second Vatican Council pointed out with authority the threefold ultimate goal of the Church’s mission, which is “ for the glory of God, the shame of the demon, and the bliss of men” (cf. Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church Ad Gentes, n. 9, which quotes the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, no. 17).
2. A Strong Warning Against the Sin of “Blasphemy” Against the Holy Spirit
In explaining that His mission was to take away Satan’s dominion over humanity, Jesus took the opportunity to issue a strong warning that was disturbing and seemingly at odds with God’s infinite mercy. This is Jesus’ solemn declaration about the sin that will never be forgiven: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mk 3:29). This proclamation is also found in the other Gospels (cf. Lk 12:10 and Mt 12:32), and it is therefore worthwhile to examine it here, as an excursus, in order to understand its significance also for the mission of evangelization today.
First of all, the context of this statement is relevant to the theme of mercy, because before mentioning unforgivable sins, Jesus emphasizes the greatness of divine mercy in forgiving all possible sins (cf. Mk 3:28). Thus, the words of Mk 3:28-29 are actually part of the solemn proclamation of the infinite divine mercy. For further analysis, we quote the entire passage precisely because of its importance:
28 Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them.
29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.
This proclamation is made in a very solemn atmosphere, introduced by the formula “Amen, I say to you”, which, to use the expression of the famous French biblical scholar S. Légasse, is intended to “emphasize the gravity of the sentence that is about to be pronounced”. This can also be seen in the rhythm of the text, which forms a crescendo with redundancies intended precisely to emphasize the thought, even if at the expense of the elegance of the language. First of all, it is emphasized that “everything”, including sins and the most serious blasphemies (against God, by implication), will be forgiven by God (a subject implied by the verbal construction of the so-called divine passive). Thus we get a glimpse of the greatness of God’s mercy, which, to quote Légasse once again, is “pushed to its extreme limits”. However, as the author rightly notes, this seems to be only “a way of bringing out the one exception in this casuistry of forgiveness” which we actually find in the second part of the statement. Moreover, the irremissibility of the sin described, that of “blaspheming against the Holy Spirit” (v. 29a), is emphasized with unusual force by the repetition of the term “everlasting” (v. 29b).
Without entering into a discussion of the various interpretations of the key expression, in which “the term ‘blasphemy’ denotes sin against God and indicates the misapprehension of His action in glory” (S. GRASSO, Luca, Rome 1999, p. 357), I would like to point out the paradox in precisely revealing the “limit” of God’s mercy, or rather, to use a modern expression, the off-limit situation of divine mercy. Jesus showed His mercy precisely by telling the truth, indeed the whole truth, about this mercy of God, which is already partly so in the Old Testament anyway (cf. e.g. Ez 5:11; 7:9; Isa 9:15-16; 10:3-4; 27:11; Isa 65:11-14; Jer 16:5,13; 2Mac 9:13). From the perspective of mercy, it is easy to see that blasphemy against the Spirit could have a similar content to humanity’s permanent rejection of God’s action for it and thus of the divine mercy given to it. Logically, those who reject God’s mercy will never receive it! (This is also true at the theological level. God invites, He calls, He exhorts, but He will never force or coerce anyone into His mercy, because He will always respect the free choice of His creature, although any human rejection or hardness of heart will make Him suffer [to death] precisely because of His mercy and love for humanity. On the existential spiritual level, this is the truth that Pope Francis has been proclaiming since the beginning of his pontificate: God never tires of forgiving us, only we sometimes tire of asking for forgiveness).
In short, Jesus appears here not as a false prophet or as a populist of God’s mercy, but as the true knower and revealer of this great but inscrutable reality.
3. The Announcement of the New Family of God.
And here is the final scene of our sequence: “His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent word to him and called him.” Jesus’ response to this call, in which the figure of his mother is made explicit (“Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside calling for you”), might surprise many, because such a reaction was somewhat at odds with the principle of honor due to parents. Jesus could have been a little more welcoming to His mother’s arrival, like the rabbi who, according to Talmudic accounts, stopped teaching because of the commandment to honor parents and stood up when he heard his mother approaching. Did Jesus perhaps not know or, even worse, practice the divine commandment to honor father and mother? Of course He knew, and of course He considered this commandment important, for He quoted it and explained its meaning in another dispute with His opponents in Mark 7. In our episode, however, Jesus wanted to take the opportunity to teach something more important. With the coming of the kingdom, all will now be called to form a new family of God in which the only bond that matters and unites will be not so much that of blood, but that of doing God’s will: “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
It should be emphasized that with such a statement Jesus does not intend to diminish, much less despise, blood ties, especially the relationship with one’s fathers and mothers, which every son/daughter must always honor, respect and care for in their old age, as taught in the biblical-Jewish tradition (cf. Sir 3). This is the accentuation of the new reality that replaces and ennobles the existing bonds. In concrete words, in the special relationship with his Mother, explains St. Augustine, Jesus wants to show that Mary is his Mother not only by blood, but also and especially by her constant willingness to always do God’s will, that is, to listen to God’s Word and to put it into practice in life (as indicated in Lk 8:21, the parallel passage in Mk 3:34 heard today). In this way she will always be the sublime example and model for all the new sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ.
Let us pray, then, that Mary, the Mother of Christ and our Mother, will continue to intercede for all of us in our spiritual struggle, with Christ and in Christ, against the dominance of evil in the world, and in our perseverance to hear the Word of God and to put it into practice, so that we may all contribute to the growth of the new family of God that Jesus inaugurated with his coming. May this be so. Amen.
Useful points to consider:
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 10 June 2018
This Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mk 3:20-35) shows us two types of misunderstanding that Jesus had to face: that of the scribes and that of his own brethren.
The first misunderstanding. The scribes were men educated in the Sacred Scriptures and charged with explaining them to the people. Some of them were sent from Jerusalem to Galilee, where Jesus’ reputation was beginning to spread, in order to discredit him in the eyes of the people. […] And these scribes arrived with a specific and terrible accusation. […] Jesus healed many sick people, and the scribes wanted to make others believe that he did so not with the Spirit of God — as Jesus did — but with that of the Evil One, with the power of the devil. Jesus reacted with firm and clear words; he did not tolerate this, because those scribes, perhaps without realizing it, were falling into the gravest sin: denying and blaspheming against God’s Love which is present and active in Jesus. And blasphemy, the sin against the Holy Spirit, is the one unforgivable sin — as Jesus said — because it comes from closing the heart to God’s mercy which acts in Jesus. […]
Today’s Gospel also speaks to us about another, very different misunderstanding with regard to Jesus: that of his brethren. They were worried, because his new itinerant life seemed folly to them (cf. v. 21). […]Thus, his brethren decided to take him back home to Nazareth. His brethren came to the place where Jesus was teaching and they sent to him and called him. […]Jesus formed a new family, no longer based on natural ties, but on faith in him, on his love which welcomes us and unites us to each other, in the Holy Spirit. All those who welcome Jesus’ word are children of God and brothers and sisters among themselves. Welcoming the word of Jesus makes us brothers and sisters, makes us Jesus’ family. […]
Jesus’ response was not a lack of respect for his mother and his brethren. Rather, for Mary it is the greatest recognition, precisely because she herself is the perfect disciple who completely obeyed God’s will. […]
Pope Francis, Address to the Pilgrimage of the Diocese of Asti, Clementine Hall, Friday, 5 May 2023
[…] But do you know when the true “revolution” of the family took place? Do you know who did it? It is easy to answer, because true newness has been brought to this world by one only: Jesus Christ. The true revolution of the family was done by him. And he also renewed, transformed, the family. In what sense? We are told by an episode of the Gospel, where there is one of those words of Jesus that leave us disconcerted, that throw us into crisis. The three synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell it. Jesus is preaching in the midst of his disciples and other people, and at a certain point they say to him that his mother and his brethren are outside. Do you remember how Jesus answers? He turns to those around him and says: “Here are my mother and my brethren!”, adding, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother” (cf. Mt 12:46-50; Mk 3:31-35; Lk 8:19-21). This word of Jesus, if we think about it carefully, generates a new way of understanding the family.
Do you see? At the beginning I addressed you by calling you “brothers and sisters”. It is not merely a formula, a conventional turn of phrase. No. It is a reality, a new reality generated by Jesus Christ. And as I was saying, this word of Jesus radically renewed the family, so that the strongest, most important bond for us Christians is no longer that of blood, but of the love of Christ. His love transforms the family, freeing it from the dynamics of selfishness, which derive from the human condition and from sin; he frees it and enriches it with a new bond, even stronger but free, not dominated by the interests and conventions of kinship, but animated by gratitude, recognition, and reciprocal service.