10th Sunday Year B
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 3:20-35
Jesus went home with his disciples, and such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.
The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘Beelzebul is in him’ and, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts devils out.’ So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never stand. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot stand either – it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man’s house and burgle his property unless he has tied up the strong man first. Only then can he burgle his house.
‘I tell you solemnly, all men’s sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.’ This was because they were saying, ‘An unclean spirit is in him.’
His mother and brothers now arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’
1. The story of the fall of man through the temptation of the devil that we heard in today’s first reading (Gen3:9-15) is one that has generated a lot of controversies and doubts. Did Eve eat a forbidden fruit? How did Adam get implicated and why was the devil bent on destroying Adam and Eve with their descendants? The truth is that the stories of the first chapters of Genesis to the first part of the eleventh chapter are not history. They are foundational myths inspired by God to explain to humanity the origin of certain realities like sin, guilt, death, evil, devil etc. By citing these stories in his teachings Jesus confirms their validity as foundation for our faith and as inspired by God. The lessons they convey are therefore more important than the details of the stories.
2. In the Gospel we see Jesus confirming the Genesis story of the devil being the enemy of goodness. Jesus was accused of casting out devil through the power of the devil. In answering back he made it known that darkness can only be chased by light. If he casts out devil it means that he cannot be in the same camp with the devil for a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. He shows that he has the power to undo the devil in all his manifestations.
3. Having made the above point, the evangelist introduced a new issue, that of the relationship between Jesus and his biological family. His mother came with his relatives to see him. They certainly pushed me to accompany them to take hold of Jesus because they believed that he was out of his mind. Jesus, knowing that his mother knows him well used the opportunity to teach the crowd and the presumed relatives that in God family ties are larger than they imagine it. The family of God is open to anyone who hears the word of God and keeps it. Jesus is a universal Common Good. Whoever wants affinity with him gets it by obeying his word.
4. This teaching when linked with the first part of the gospel conveys a single message, namely that whoever obeys God becomes a brother to Jesus, the only one who is strong enough to take devil captive and keep him under control. This implies that being a member of the family of Jesus means having protection against the devil who misled Adam and Eve. This is a message of hope, assuring us that the fall of Adam and Eve is not the end of God’s plan for humanity. Humanity has hope. That hope comes from being obedient to God as against Adam’s attitude of disobedience.
5. By your baptism you have officially become a member of God’s family. Sustain your membership of this family by striving to be in the camp of Jesus and not in the enemies camp. Temptations will come but never forget that you have a backup, Jesus himself. Counting on his love and standing on his victory you too will remain victorious by consciously seeking to do good and avoid evil. Always have a good response every time to the question: Adam, where are? Are you with God or with sin?
© Vitalis Anaehobi
09/06/24
