Sunday
06/06/21 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Has Your Family Ever Thought You Were Crazy?”
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 138
New Testament
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Gospel Lesson: Mark 3:20-35
So, my sermon for this morning, which
is based upon on our gospel of Mark 3:20-35 reading, is called “Has Your Family
Ever Thought You Were Crazy?” This title for my sermon is somewhat tongue and
cheek, as I am not shining light on actual mental health issues. Some people
have real and hard mental health struggles, and my sermon title is more tongue
and cheek around calling someone “crazy” in a humorous or a joking way.
In our gospel of Mark reading for this
morning once again, Jesus’ family, friends, and others are not claiming though that
Jesus is “crazy” in a humorous or a joking way. In fact, these folks are
literally claiming that Jesus is mentally ill and or insane. Once again in our
gospel of Mark reading for this morning it says in 3:21-22:
“20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind” (Mk. 3:21-22, NRSV).
So, as I am about to get into this topic more, some of
Jesus’ family, friends, and others are not joking or being funny, they are
saying that he has literally lost his mind. In fact, according to one of my Bible
Commentaries it says of Mark 3:20-35:
“This segment is put together to demonstrate the extent to which Jesus was rejected. The combination of being misunderstood by family members and subjected to malicious denunciation by his foes underlines his total rejection. His rejection by his family took place in an unidentified house in Galilee, where a crowd had gathered, so clamoring for his attention that he scarcely had a moment to eat (3:20). When news of this reached his family, they misconstrued what was going on. To them, he had gone insane” (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1203).
So, yes, Jesus Christ, the Lord of Life, this morning was
thought to be insane by his family, friends, and others. Given this, I want to
tell you a golfing story about Jesus and Moses. Here it is:
“So,
Moses and Jesus are golfing at Shinnecock Hills before the US Open. They get to
#6 and Jesus says to Moses, “I saw Tiger hit this with a 3 iron.”
“Yeah,
well, you’re not him,” says Moses. Jesus, smirks, picks up his 3 iron and
thwack, the ball plops in the water. “I’ll get it, I’ll get it,” says Moses.
Who wades into the water looking for the ball. To no avail. “Just take another
shot,” Moses says. “I can do it,” says Jesus. “Just hit the driver,” Moses
urges. “Tiger did it,” says Jesus. “You’re going in after it this time then,”
Moses says. “Sure, if it goes in,” Jesus answers. “But it won’t.” He takes his
time. Lines up the shot. Reads the wind. Approaches the ball. Sets his sandals
in the grass. Breathes in. Pulls his 2 iron back. THWACK. The ball sails then
slices into the water. Jesus lets his shoulders sit momentarily and then is
unbowed. “Tiger did it,” he says to Moses brightly, then he takes off his
sandals and goes out after the ball. He wades into the water, looking down and
around about where the ball plopped. Moses watches from the tee as Jesus rises
up onto the surface of the water, walking along the surface, searching. Two men
in the next party approach Moses and point out toward the water. “Who’s that
guy think he is?” they ask, “Jesus Christ?” Moses answers, “No, he thinks he’s
Tiger Woods” (https://whalebonemag.com/golf-joke-shinnecock-hills/).
This morning in our gospel of Mark
reading, family, friends, and others, think that Jesus has gone insane, just as
the next golf party did in the golf joke that I just told.
Some of us maybe have been called “crazy”
or insane, as a joke, or maybe for real. Maybe there been times that some of us
legitimately struggled with mental health, or that we were just being silly. In
the gospel of Mark reading for this morning, once again, this is no joke.
People literally think that Jesus has lost touch with reality.
In my own life I have been called “crazy”
or insane many times. I think, I hope, most of these were jokes, but I am sure that
some were not. As I was writing this sermon I thought of story from when I was
in elementary school, where I thought I had gone insane.
So, from age 11-16 I had a paper route
in Monroe, Ny, where I lived. It was not a massive paper route. It varied from
20-something to 30-something customers. The news papers were delivered from a
truck every morning at the end of the driveway of my family’s house. I would
take my two-paper carrier bags and get the newspapers to deliver them. I would
then collect newspaper subscription fees and tips on the weekend. As long as I
paid the cost of the newspapers, I could keep the rest. On Sundays, my mom used
to help me stuff the comics and store ads part of the newspaper into the Sunday
newspaper. I really enjoyed my paper route, I got know people in the neighborhood,
and when I started my snow shoveling business, I had made plenty of contacts.
At 12 years old, I could boast that I made
a big $20-30 dollars week, which was a lot of money to me. I then began shoveling
snow and then snow blowing snow, and I earned even more. Sometimes though, when
I would get up really early to deliver the newspapers, I would be tired. Maybe
I was up late doing homework and or playing Nintendo. Or potentially watching
tv when I was not supposed to. It is amazing that if you turn the volume on
your tv down, that mom does not even notice it.
One day when I was 12-13, I remember
getting up, and I had on two-piece pajamas. The top part of the pajamas was the
type that buttoned up from the bottom to the top, and I had the pants to match.
I threw my jacket on, and I delivered newspapers in my pajamas. After all who was
up that early anyway?
When I got back from delivering the
newspapers that day, I then proceeded to put on my school clothes. I remembered
being tired, but I soon found at school the mistake I had made. I learned this
in the morning at school, as my stomach felt itchy. I reached down to my stomach
to relieve that itch, and as I did, I felt a button. I then asked my teacher if
I could go to the bathroom quick. Upon going to the bathroom, I discovered that
my pajamas were on under my clothes. I had that freak out moment thinking, “Well
maybe I can just take off my pajamas and put my clothes back on”. Except my
book bag was left in the classroom, so I would look pretty foolish walking back
into class with my pajamas in my hands.
So, for the rest of the school day, I
wore my pajamas under my clothes. My friends and the staff of school luckily
never found out I had my pajamas on under my clothes, and luckily, I did not
have Phys. Ed. That day. That would have been fun!
When
I got home from school that day, I then immediately took off the pajamas and
put my clothes back on. When my mom came home from work and I told her about
this, she laughed hysterically and said that I was crazy. This was a joke of
course, I think. We all have times though when we think or say such things of
those we know and those we love.
Once again, this morning Jesus’
family, friends, and others say that he is insane, and they do not mean this in
a nice or a joking way. In our reading for this morning from Psalm 138 once
again, it says in 138:7:
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;” (Ps. 138:7, NRSV).
Amazing though, that if even for a moment your own friends,
you own family and even your own community is against you.
In our reading from 2 Corinthians for this morning, the
Apostle Paul says in 4:13-14:
“13 But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke”—we also believe, and so we speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence” (2 Cor. 4:13-14, NRSV).
The Apostle Paul is saying that his faith is in accordance
with the scripture. He is saying that he believed, and he spoke. The Apostle
Paul says that God raised Jesus from the dead, and we will raise with Jesus. We
ultimately will be in Jesus’ presence. Simple enough right?
So, what is the problem that some have with Jesus this
morning in our gospel of Mark 3:20-35 reading, once again? Let us look at the
gospel reading again. It says of Jesus:
“20 and the crowd came
together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family
heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone
out of his mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem
said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23 And he called
them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is
divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is
divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has
risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can
enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the
strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered” (Mk. 3:20-27, NRSV).
Friends,
the community, and even Jesus’ family are perplexed, or so it would seem by
what he is able to. He is performing miracles and casting demons out of people,
but by using demons, so the scribes from Jerusalem claimed. Jesus then says,
how can evil cast out evil? Only good can cast out evil, and only evil can try
to cast out good. Jesus then says you must tie up and control a strong and a
good man, before you will ever be able to destroy his property and his life.
Jesus
then continues on saying:
“28 “Truly I tell you, people will be
forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of
an eternal sin”— 30 for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit”
(Mk. 3:28-30,
NRSV).
Jesus
says we can all be forgiven of our sins through him but blaspheming against the
Holy Spirit, against God, is an unforgivable sin. To reject and to blaspheme
the Spirit of God then is to harden your heart against God. This is something
that we should never do.
This
gospel reading then ends saying:
“31 Then his mother and
his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was
sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and
sisters
are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my
brothers?” 34 And
looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my
brothers! 35 Whoever
does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (Mk. 3:31-35, NRSV).
Jesus
is saying that whoever follows him, follows God, and that they are his brother,
his sisters, and his mother. Friends, sometimes people get the wrong idea or
the wrong opinion about us and others. Sometimes we do things that are a little
“crazy,” like wear our pajamas under our clothes to school. Jesus is not “crazy”
or insane though, as the only explanation for him to be able to do what he has
done, is that he is God. God is perfect, not “crazy,” not insane, even though some
of us feel like are call people that sometimes. Amen.
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