Sermon: Third Sunday after Pentecost, Mark 3:20-35

June 9, 2024 

Faith-La Fe Lutheran Church
Pastor Jonathan Linman

It’s not that often that direct quotes from the Bible make it into the lore of our nation’s history. But a verse from today’s gospel reading is a notable exception. Recall that in the run-up to the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln quoted Jesus to name the trouble between the slave-holding Southern states and the states in the North: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” 

Well, we again seem to be back in such painfully divided times in this season of our nation’s history. Some scholars and pundits wonder if we are on the brink of another civil war. Or maybe we are in fact in something like a “cold” civil war. These days, it’s not North vs. the South, but red states vs. blue states, urban vs. rural areas, the educated professional class vs. working class folk, or whites vs. brown skinned people and immigrants, or religious people vs. the secular people. You name it. It’s not good. And we wonder if life as we have known it in this country will all come tumbling down – as in a house divided cannot stand.  

And it’s not just in the nation or among nations that we see division. We experience tensions in and among churches, and sometimes right here in our congregation. There are tensions evident in divergent understandings of the relationship between church and our preschool. And tensions over competition for space in relation to the many groups that use our facility. And there are the differing approaches between our two services at 9:00 and 11:00 with such distinct cultures and styles of worship. These can be creative tensions, but sometimes they heat up to something more divisive. 

And we experience tensions individually within ourselves – revealed when we say things like “part of me wants to do this and part of me wants to do that.” There’s ongoing internal conflict between our old sinful selves and our being new creations in Christ. As Martin Luther acknowledged, we’re all simultaneously saints and sinners, and thus divided even internally within ourselves.

In short, there’s just a lot of conflict and division around us and within us. And this takes its toll on us. It’s stressful, exhausting, it demands energy that we don’t have, and inhibits our forward movement in getting things done, some pushing the gas pedal and others pumping the brakes. 

And given the reality of human sin and brokenness, it’s always been this way. Division is clear from the very beginning in the story of the Fall described in today’s first reading from Genesis. When confronted with eating the fruit from the forbidden tree, Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the serpent – which results in enmity all around.

Divisive conflict is evident in today’s gospel reading which describes the Sadducees’ dispute with Jesus when those religious leaders accuse Jesus of being demon possessed as he performs miracles of healing.

There was tension even within Jesus’ own family. When they heard that he was in town, Jesus’ brothers and sisters “went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’” (Mark 3:21) So, if you have struggles and conflict within your own family, you’re in good company with Jesus!

And we are in fact in good company with Jesus because he is the source of healing of conflicts and divisions of all kinds. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians as we heard today: “We know that the one who raised Jesus will also raise us with Jesus… so that grace, when it has extended to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:14-15) Which is to say, when grace is extended, gratitude, peace, and reconciliation follow.

For on the cross, Jesus graciously stretched out his arms wide to embrace everyone, taking our warring conflicts on himself such that the cross would become the peace-giving tree of life after his resurrection. As Paul writes elsewhere: “For in [Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20)

Remember Jesus’ own words from the cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” From that point on, forgiveness of sin as a gift of grace became the foundation for the road to reconciliation and restoration among us all. 

And this forgiveness is given first in the waters of baptism, where and when the gift of the Holy Spirit is also first given to us. And when the flame of the Spirit descends upon us, it burns in us and among us like a pilot light that never blows out. Because of the Spirit’s indwelling, we are ultimately incapable of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, which Jesus warns about in today’s gospel, because the Spirit in us cannot ultimately blaspheme, or speak against itself (cf. Mark 3:29). 

Thus, our faith is renewed by the Spirit’s energy working in and among us. And because of this, Paul writes with confidence: “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4:16) 

A most compelling image for this reconciling work of Christ is seen when Jesus addresses his followers in the story we heard today where Mark writes: “And looking at those who sat around him, [Jesus] said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’” (Mark 3:34-35) Thus, everyone of divine good will is included in the family of God in Christ. There are no more dividing walls between us and them.

So I also say to you as we say to each other: “Here are my mother and father and siblings in Christ Jesus.” Which is to say our call to be reconcilers begins right here among us at Faith-La Fe. 

But we don’t keep these reconciling efforts to ourselves. It is our calling to do the will of God in extending and expanding the loving embrace of Christ from the cross to more and more people beyond the buildings of our campus, seeing all people and indeed all creation as our extended family. 

Thus, in our words and deeds, we say to the wider world beyond this room: “All of you people, all of creation – you are family. We’re in this together.” 

Oh, what a great gift of grace this is for our bitterly divided nation and world. Amen.