Misunderstood and Misrepresented

In Mark 3:20-30 we see Jesus again pursued relentlessly by the crowds of those needy for healing and deliverance. The crowd is so great that He and his disciples cannnot even eat.

The religious leaders HATE it. Why? They see Jesus as the greatest threat possible to their prestige and favor and position with the people. They hate Jesus at this point so much that the Pharisees are willing to work together with the Herodians, the political group who were lovers and cooperators with Rome and Herod.

Jesus' family did not like it, either. They considered Jesus insane. WHO does He think He is? Is he delusional? What is he doing gathering crowds like this? These crowds will destroy him.

Jesus' own family, who had been around him growing up and doubtless knew that he was like no other, MISUNDERSTOOD Him. They did not believe He was the Messiah. Neither Rome nor the Jewish authorities liked someone who gathered rabid crowds around themselves. What is Jesus doing to our good name?! We better save Him from Himself! So they went out "to seize him," v.21, that is, to take control of Him.

Even for Jesus it must have hurt to be so misunderstood by his family. Have you ever been misunderstood? Have you ever been doing something that was God's will for you and you received a hard slap of criticism for it...from those you love (and who very possibly love you?)? Perhaps your commitment to purity was misunderstood. Perhaps your concern that a dying loved one was not saved was misunderstood in the gush of confidence that such a "good" person would surely be with God soon. Perhaps your commitment to serve someone that everyone else had written off was ridiculed. Perhaps your willingness to give to missions when you could have that place in the mountains. Being where Jesus is, serving His way, brings misunderstanding. We need to expect it. It still hurts. See John 12:26; 15:18f.

Jesus was MISUNDERSTOOD by his family but WORSE, He was MISREPRESENTED by the religious leaders. Since they could not overcome his wisdom by accusations and they could not argue with the results from His healing and casting out of demons, they did what men who would do anything to remain in or come to power would do - they screamed lies and made false accusations. This is one of the most sobering passages in the Bible: since it was SO plain that what Jesus was doing was by the HAND OF GOD (the Holy Spirit), they had to try to ruin his reputation with the people by accusing Him of doing His remarkable deeds by the HAND OF SATAN. "It is by Beelzebul, the prince of demons that he casts out demons" v.22.

Jesus' answer is that their reasoning makes no sense at all. If Satan is destroying himself, his kingdom is coming to an end. Rather, the truth that Jesus healing and deliverance ministry makes plain is that ONE stronger than Satan is here, and He is binding Satan and plundering his goods, He is setting free the devil's captives. Jesus is not Satan's tool, but Satan's CONQUEROR.

Jesus' next words are glorious and then frightening. All sins and blasphemies will be forgiven men. That is great news! Especially for seasoned sinners like us. That ONE sin that Satan likes to bring up over and over. Forgiven by the blood of Jesus. That sin that I've just committed for the 5,000th time. Forgiven. But frightening: the one who blasphemes the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven...it is an eternal sin. That was the sin of these MISREPRESENTING religious leaders: they called the work of the Spirit of God the work of the evil spirit. This represented a hard, calculated, malicious heart that had closed itself to the evidence and revelation of the Spirit working through Jesus.

This is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is not a one time sin. It is not a curse spoken in grief or confusion. It is not something we can do without knowing it. It is an intentional, clear-minded (as clear-minded as insanity can be), repeated, vicious, malicious rejection of the revelation of Christ by the Spirit's work. It is saying, "I will have none of this. I do not care how clear it is. I WILL NOT believe. I see but I reject what I see. This is all so much fakery and foolishness and lies. There is NO room in my heart for this ridiculous impostor. I reject God and His hand reaching out to me."

A sin that cannot be forgiven. Tremble at the thought.

This is what Jesus faced from the religious leaders. MISREPRESENTED as an envoy of Satan when the Spirit of God made it crystal clear that He was the very Son of God.

If we follow Jesus, we, too, will be misrepresented as fools, idiots, outdated, prudish, narrow-minded, life-destroyers, deluded fanatics. It comes with the territory. It is rough terrain. May God grant us grace day by day to stay true to our Lord even when MISUNDERSTOOD and MISREPRESENTED.