Lectionary 10 B - Mark 3:20-35

Mark 3:20-35

So much for family values! It is clear from the scriptures that Jesus raised a ruckus, and people have been trying to quiet him down ever since. It’s not hard to do. Jesus isn’t around to object to whatever we claim WWJD. Even the church has a vested interest in the status quo, especially where pensions and tax breaks for the clerical class are concerned. But Jesus was a radical for his time and place and upset everyone, even disciples who followed and a family who tried to understand. That’s because Jesus was living the limitless future in the far too constrained present where risking radical love gets you crucified. So how might we be brother and sister and mother to Jesus in our time and place? It might be giving away more than you hold on to or acting with more grace, thinking with less judgment, loving with fewer restrictions. That being said, just getting push back for one’s beliefs is not proof that you and Jesus are on the same page. But if we transform lives like Jesus did – fishermen who become fearless preachers, tax collectors who stop cheating, women who are welcomed as leaders, or a Pharisee who born from above steps out of the shadows – you can bet eternity we are doing the will of God.