Mark 3:22-30

Hebrews 9:15, 24-28

Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

Mark 3:22-30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,

“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and

“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”

Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,

“How can Satan drive out Satan?

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

And if a house is divided against itself,

that house will not be able to stand.

And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,

he cannot stand;

that is the end of him.

But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property

unless he first ties up the strong man.

Then he can plunder his house.  

Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies

that people utter will be forgiven them.

But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit

will never have forgiveness,

but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”

For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I rejoice in the generous offer of your mercy. Help me to see the good in others and leave the judgment of the human heart to you alone. You know my heart and what I most need. Cleanse me from my sin and grant me your grace.

Encountering the Word of God

1. He is Possessed: In the Gospel, the scribes from Jerusalem tried to explain Jesus’ power as something demonic rather than divine. The scribes couldn’t deny that Jesus was doing mighty works – healings and exorcisms – but they could try to reframe all of Jesus’ actions. By doing this, they showed that they were trapped by ideology. When a person is an ideologue, they tend to impose their main idea on reality and filter everything through that one lens, instead of humbly discerning the truth that reality presents. Jesus didn’t conform to the traditions the Pharisees built upon the Mosaic Law and their practice of not associating with Gentiles, tax collectors, and public sinners. In response to the Pharisees’ accusation, Jesus showed that their logic was faulty. He asks them: Why would Satan empower him to drive Satan out and dismantle Satan’s kingdom? It just doesn’t make sense. But their adherence to their ideology has made them blind to the truth.

2. The Rejection of Mercy: The only real possibility is that Jesus is empowered by God, not Satan, to do his mighty works. The healings and exorcisms Jesus performs are signs that the time of salvation, prophesied by Isaiah and the other prophets, has arrived. Jesus warns the Scribes from Jerusalem that they are about to commit the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This means that they are hardening their hearts and rejecting God’s forgiveness and mercy. All sins can be forgiven by God except the rejection of his merciful forgiveness. They denied the good that Jesus was doing by granting forgiveness to sinners and healing the sick. They were calling Jesus’ gift of mercy demonic when it is truly divine.

3. Mediator of a New Covenant: We have been reading from the Letter to the Hebrews for two weeks now. The first ten chapters of the letter make the case that Jesus is superior to all the mediators of the Old Covenant. According to Jewish thought, the covenant was mediated by the angels to Moses, and then by Moses to Joshua, and then to the High Priest. Chapters 1-2 argued that Jesus is superior to the angels. Chapters 3-4 argued that Jesus is superior to Moses and Joshua. Chapters 5-10 make the case that Jesus is superior to the Levitical-Aaronic High Priests. The covenant that Jesus mediates is new and superior. By dying, Jesus delivered us from the curses of the Old (first) Covenant. In the New Covenant, we are offered the promise of eternal life. In his first humble appearance, two thousand years ago, Jesus took away the sins of many through his sacrifice on the Cross. In his second glorious appearance, at the end of time, Jesus will bring salvation “to those who eagerly await him.”

Conversing with Christ: Come, Lord Jesus! I lift my eyes to the horizon and await your glorious advent. You are my Lord and Savior. I am your servant. You are my brother, my kinsman who has mercifully redeemed me from the darkness of sin and death!

Living the Word of God: How am I welcoming God’s mercy in my life? When I see or hear about someone trying to change their life for the good, how do I react? Am I slow to forgive and restore others to friendship? Do I hold on to grudges?