The Claims We Make About Jesus

All of us are going to have to give an account for who Jesus is. Mark presents his account like an hourglass. Everything before Jesus being on earth is building to that moment, and everything that comes after is flowing out of that.

Some examples in the New Testament after Christ was resurrected are recorded by various writers.

Acts 2 - Christ being crucified and resurrected was the definite plan of God. It wasn't a random thing.

Romans 5:6-8- Christ died at just the right time.

Ephesians 1:9-10 - God set forth His purpose in Christ and His plan in the fullness of time.

At some point, we are going to be confronted with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and have to give an account for who He is. We will have to decide if we believe who He is and what He has done.

In Mark 3:7-34, we are presented with 3 options for making sense of God. People have to rationalize what is happening and how to respond. To rationalize means to attempt to explain or justify another's behavior with logical or plausible reasons, even if the reasons are not true. Jesus made a point to do ministry in public so we would have to deal with it.

1) Mark 3:7-12 - Jesus is the Son of God.

• Mark repeats characters and stories throughout the book, but he intensifies them as he goes. As the narrative intensifies, Jesus just meets it. He's not spiraling, He's in control of the pace the whole time. As His mission gains momentum, He's ready for every moment.
• The Intensification. In Mark 1, the crowds that come to see Jesus are from the town. In Mark 2, they are from the region. In Mark 3, they are coming from the nation and beyond.
• The section ends with Jesus casting out demons, and the demons call Him the Son of God. That's ironic! Look at who makes a proper statement about who Jesus is: the demons. Who ends us saying that He's demon-possessed? The religious leaders.

There are 6 times in Mark where Jesus is called the Son of God. Two are by the Father, 2 are by unclean spirits, and two are by people, but they are questioning it. The only confession is found in Mark 15 when Jesus is crucified, and the Roman soldier says, "Truly, this man is the Son of God." If you really want to know the Son of God, you have to start at the Cross. His sacrifice sets you free.

2) Mark 3:13-14 - Jesus is insane.

• Jesus's family are the ones who make this claim.
• The Intensification: In Mark 1:14-20, Jesus calls Peter, James, and John to follow Him. That's radical. We see in Mark 2:13-17 Jesus calling Matthew (Levi), a tax collector. That's scandalous! In Mark 3:13-14, Jesus calls to himself the 12. That's not typical rabbi behavior, and that's what sets his family off.
• He goes to a mountain when He calls them, which is reminiscent of other important moments. There were 12 tribes of Israel, and now He calls the 12 disciples. He is forming a people and doing something new. This is what upsets his family. He is putting Himself in the position of God, so His family thinks He's crazy. In John 3:31, He responds by not disrespecting His family, but He's establishing that His primary role is to fulfill the will of God. Even His family won't get in the way of that. Over and over, Jesus talks about honoring the family, so this isn't an excuse to disrespect the home. We run into this too, we're also called crazy.

3) Mark 3:22 - Jesus is teamed up with Satan.

• This claim came from the religious leaders.
• The Intensification: The Scribes first said that Jesus was blaspheming; now they are saying that He is demon-possessed.
• Jesus confronts their accusations, but He doesn't attack them. Jesus is willing to defend Himself against the dangerous and false claims. The Scribes were getting in the way of people coming to Him, and He was willing to confront that. We should be willing to confront that too, not in attack, but in grace, with patience and hope.

Jesus forces us to give an answer. We either reject him or receive Him.

4) Mark 3:22-29 - The logic of Jesus's response.

• Jesus states that it makes no sense to be on the same team that He is tearing down. A house divided cannot stand.

The grace of His response.

• Jesus doesn't stoop to their level. He speaks in parables and questions. Questions make us slow down and think. He's patient with them so that they may come to be saved.
• Mark 3:27 - you have to be stronger than the person you're trying to steal from. His point is that they are misunderstanding His life. This isn't a civil war. It's a conquest. Jesus is the stronger one; This is the beginning of the end of darkness. Also, see John 3:8
• Mark 3:28 - this is where their logic leads them: to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and commit the unforgivable sin is to see the works of God over and over and never repent and reject Jesus. Eternal sin: constant denial of the work of the Holy Spirit in the work of Jesus Christ.

If you receive Jesus, you receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. You become children of God, a family.

Are you going to receive Him or reject Him?