Rarely ever does the scriptural offering appear to go in so many directions as it does today. The Gospel itself (Mark 3:20-35) offers a fast-moving account of a complex episode in Jesus’ ministry. It sets that ministry within two sources of misunderstanding: one from his family, the other—much more deadly—from the scribes, who are now emerging as his chief and potentially murderous critics. In an arrangement typical of his Gospel, St. Mark has “sandwiched” the latter controversy within two outer episodes—at the beginning and end—both having to do in some way with “family”.
We have to accept the fact that Mark’s Gospel is not the best place to look for a positive theology of the family in the New Testament. In seeking to recapture and restrain him at the beginning of this episode, Jesus’ natural family show themselves to be on the side of the old age that Kingdom is supplanting. He is not “out of his mind”, as they fear. Rather, his teaching about the offer of his Father’s unconditional forgiveness and love taps into a deep longing in people’s hearts. Hence the enthusiasm that it stirs up among the crowds.
The ancient world attributed to demonic possession many pathological human conditions that modern medicine would assign to natural causes. This made Jesus’ healing activity, interpreted in a hostile sense, open to the accusation that he expels demons in alliance with demonic power. In effect they are accusing him of sorcery, a capital offence at the time.
Jesus first dismisses the charge with the fairly obvious image of the kingdom divided against itself.
His second image—that of a burglar binding up a strong man in order to burgle his house—is far more interesting. It is a comment upon his entire ministry, especially as described by St. Mark. John the Baptist had announced the coming of One “stronger” than himself who would baptize with the Spirit (Mark 1:7). Jesus here presents himself as “the Stronger One” who, through his exorcisms, has come to bind up the Strong Man—Satan—and “burgle” his house in the sense of reclaiming human beings for the freedom of God’s Rule.
Jesus then goes over to the offensive. Since it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that he expels demons, to accuse him of doing so through the prince of demons is tantamount to identifying the Spirit of God with the demonic world. Whereas all other blasphemies may in due course find forgiveness, such a blasphemy is unforgivable.
The thought of an unforgivable sin has long tormented delicate Christian consciences. Rather than asking about what kinds of sin might be thought to be so heinous as to be beyond divine mercy, it is best to restrict the sense to what is precisely in view here: since the Spirit at work in Jesus is the essential agent of salvation, to persevere in denying the presence of that Spirit or to identify it with the adversarial power is to effectively place oneself out of the reach of salvation and so of ultimate forgiveness.
Moreover, we should not so focus upon what might be an “unforgivable sin” as to pass over the assertion of universal forgiveness in the preceding statement (“all … sins will be forgiven …” [v. 28]). Jesus has come to offer the universal forgiveness associated with the onset of the Kingdom (1:15; 2:5). Only those who identify his activity with what is in fact its diametric opposite place themselves outside the scope of that forgiveness.
Finally, Jesus’ family, now including his mother, reappears on the scene, seeking to contact him. Jesus’ sweeping response, indicating his disciples as his “brother and sister and mother”, need not be interpreted as a put-down of his mother. Rather, it is a declaration of the privileged position of disciples within the community of the Kingdom. We note the omission of “father” in the list. The disciples (those “who do the will of God”) make up the new family that Jesus is drawing to himself under the Fatherhood of God.
The First Reading, Gen 3:9-15, is a truncated version of the divine “inquest” following the sin of the original human couple. A link to the Gospel is probably to be found via the patristic Protoevangelium tradition where the “offspring” of the woman, who will crush the serpent’s head, is interpreted christologically. As told in the Gospel, the Son (Jesus) of the New Eve (Mary) will crush the demonic world represented by the serpent.
The brief Second Reading, 2 Cor 4:13-15, is notable for Paul’s expression, in the final sentence, of the goal of the apostolic life: the multiplication of grace, leading to more and more thanksgiving to God. Ultimately, what God wants from human beings is simply gratitude.
Brendan Byrne, SJ, FAHA, taught New Testament at Jesuit Theological College, Parkville, Vic., for almost forty years. He is now Emeritus Professor at the University of Divinity (Melbourne)