Word to the Wise
Sunday, June 9, 2024 - 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B [Corpus Christi 2012]
[Gen 3:9-15; 2 Cor 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35]Jesus came home with his disciples. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him. For they said, "He is out of his mind." The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beezebub," and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons." [Mark]
The Gospel According to Mark makes it clear that Jesus experienced rejection on all sides. In the episode reported in today's passage, the rejection comes from family and from religious authorities "who had come from Jerusalem." Jesus' response to each of these rejections is different. The evangelist Mark "sandwiches" the response to the scribes inside the response to the family.
With regard to the scribes and his power over demons, Jesus uses rabbinical argument. If he is an agent of Satan, why would Satan want to cast out Satan? No, Jesus' power is his own and not Satan's! Satan has no power over him.
With regard to his family, Jesus replies to their attempted "intervention" that they have no power over him either, but rather they stand in the same need as anyone else of his love and mercy. We are all his brothers, sisters and mother.
In short, Jesus is not daunted by rejection from his family or Jewish religious authority. They cannot stop his mission to proclaim the Good News. The evangelist is warning all disciples to expect the same fate. The Jewish community as well as their families will reject them. But they will find brothers, sisters and mothers - family - in those who follow Jesus. AMEN