Possessed by the Spirit - A Sermon for June 9 2024

GOSPEL: Mark 3:20-35

The holy gospel according to Mark.

Glory to you, O Lord.

In response to charges that he is possessed, Jesus wonders aloud how anyone who is demon-possessed can cast out demons. Those who do the will of God are possessed by the Holy Spirit, siblings of Christ.

[Jesus went home;] 20and the crowd came together again, so that [Jesus and the disciples] could not even eat. 21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27But 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.

 28“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—30for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

 31Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON (ELW p. 189)

The assembly is seated.

My dear family in Christ,

God is at work in you.

God is at work in the body of Christ,

the church,

and God is at work in its members.

Do you believe this?

Some may have their doubts

that God is at work at all,

or that God is in you, specifically.

It is ok to doubt,

just don’t stay there in that doubt too long,

don’t let it fester,

Or you might just find yourself coming close to

committing the unforgivable sin.

Jesus says; 

“whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit

can never have forgiveness,

but is guilty of an eternal sin”

Historically, some have believed that unforgivable sin

is committing suicide.

Your body is a temple to the Holy Spirit,

then suicide grieves the Holy Spirit, eternally.

I understand the logic,

but this is unequivocally wrong.

Allow me to be clear:

Suicide is not the unforgivable sin.

Our God is too big 

and loving and compassionate

to be held to such an insensitive dogma.

As long as we are being clear

on bad biblical interpretation,

it needs to be said that the first reading from Genesis,

about Eve taking the fall, so to speak,

has been interpreted in hurtful,

damaging ways.

This passage has long been used to support

women being subservient to men.

It has been used to deny science;

to divorce religion and science,

(when science and religion

can be really good friends

if you’re open to it)

It has been used to offer a scapegoat for human sin

“The devil made me do it!”

The story of Adam and Eve

comes from the time of Israel

having their temple destroyed

and taken into exile in Babylon.

Adam and Eve is allegory for Israel in exile;

It is a teaching tool - 

Listen to God! Love God!

and why is life was so hard in exile.

Gender roles are not the lesson.

Back to grieving the Holy Spirit:

Some have worried and been taught that

simple blasphemy

is grieving the Holy Spirit;

As though stubbing your toe

and saying the wrong swear word

will land you in eternal torment.

Sometimes it’s like we just want our God to be really small:

as though Almighty God can’t handle cuss words.

Eternal salvation isn’t a game,

it’s not some kind of trick or riddle to figure out,

there’s no fine print you didn't’ review.

Silly Christian, tricks are for the Devil!

Tricks are for the trickster:

the liar, the deceiver, the joker.

You will not be tricked out of God’s forgiveness.

Others have said that doubt is the unforgivable sin;

“do not doubt, only believe” Jesus says,

Doubt is forgiven.

And, frankly, doubt isn’t a sin!

God’s Spirit convicts us to faith amidst lack of evidence,

and lack of evidence leads to doubt.

Doubt is part of faith,

doubt journeys with faith.

So doubt is not grieving the Holy Spirit.

So what does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit,

or to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?

Just what is this unforgivable sin?

Let’s look at the context.

First, we look back at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel:

John the Baptizer points to

the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

At Jesus’ baptism the dove descends,

and Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness,

Mark is clear: Jesus of Nazareth is filled,

possessed, with the Holy Spirit.

The unclean spirits, the demons,

They recognize Jesus,

they are scared senseless of Jesus,

but they don’t believe in Jesus, so to speak.

Fast forward to today’s story,

Jesus went home,

and was surrounded by a crowd so thick

that the disciples couldn’t eat.

There are three groups of people here:

The crowd is relatively silent,

but seem to want more from Jesus.

Jesus’ family show up,

and are saying that Jesus

has gone out of his mind,

literally, that Jesus is beside himself.

These are Jesus’ townsfolk,

people, family that have known

Jesus of Nazareth a long time.

“Don’t listen to that guy!”

The next group are the scribes from Jerusalem.

This would be like the all-star team

of religious officials,

these scribes are the best of the best,

and they say Jesus is Beelzebul,

“Lord of flies, Lord of filth,

ruler of the demons”

and by the ruler of the demons

Jesus casts out demons.

Put another way:

Jesus healed the man with an unclean spirit,

cleansed a leper,

healed a paralytic,

and a man with a withered hand,

and that was all demonic - Satan’s work.

That’s not how we do things, Jesus.

Jesus healed many at Simon’s house,

called fishermen, women,

and tax collectors to follow,

healed on the Sabbath,

and they said he was out of his mind!

Don’t listen to that guy!

That’s not how we do things, Jesus.

Jesus responds - in parables.

Remember this -

Jesus responded to being called out of his mind,

being called a demon,

in parables,

teaching with deeper meaning.

Here is the close of the parables:

“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”

and here’s the clue …

—30for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

They equated Jesus’ work with the devil’s work.

That is grieving the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is not possessed by Satan,

not by the devil;

not by Beelzebul,

Jesus is possessed by the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, How can Satan cast out Satan? 

Grieving, Blaspheming the Holy Spirit

is saying that God’s work:

liberation,

reconciliation,

restoration,

forgiveness,

inclusion,

love, mercy, grace

these acts of God,

are really acts of evil.

Grieving the Holy Spirit today, then,

might see people being liberated,

set free, included, welcomed,

able to be the person God made them to be,

and calling it unholy,

sinful,

evil or demonic

Grieving the Spirit might be resisting restoration:

be it resisting the restoration of others,

resisting the restoration of creation,

or resisting your own restoration.

Jesus ushers in the Kin-dom of God;

an alternate reign

that displaces the strong man of this world,

the evil, satanic powers.

The demons know who Jesus is

but don’t have faith.

We hear story after story of exorcism and healing,

the Evil spirits are scared senseless of Jesus.

2000 years later,

and we still protect evil today when it serves us,

benefits us,

keeps us in power.

Perhaps that grieves the Holy Spirit.

Jesus called the 12 - including Judas the betrayer,

and gave them the same authority - by God’s Spirit -

to cast out demons - to cast out evil spirits.

In Luke, Jesus sent the apostles out

two by two by God’s Spirit,

Joining Christ’s mission

and filled by the Spirit at Pentecost,

these followers birthed Christ’s church.

So, I’m going to take the interpretive leap of faith,

and say that denying that God’s Spirit

is in God’s people,

denying God’s Spirit in the Baptized,

might just be grieving the Holy Spirit.

Do you believe God is at work in you?

You might doubt it,

and that’s ok to doubt it,

But you, my friends, are the baptized.

We share in Jesus’ baptism.

The same baptism in which Jesus was filled

- possessed - by the Holy Spirit.

In your baptism,

you too are possessed by and with the Holy Spirit.

Who would dare look at you,

dear child of God,

and dare to say that you are filled with Beelzubul

that you who join God’s work

are acting in accordance with the demonic?

I see restoration happening in this body of Christ.

I see hope blossom amidst despair,

I see Jesus’ welcome extended,

I see loving service for and with those in need

I see God,

How could we possibly say God is not in us?

They did it to Jesus.

The scribes saw Jesus

restoring those who are broken,

hurting,

outcast,

and rejected,

and called the Christ evil.

How can we, then,

see movements by the same Spirit,

movements of liberation,

restoration, reconciliation, inclusion,

and say it isn’t God?

So allow me to be clear:

You who are rejected because of who you love,

God accepts you.

You who are ridiculed because of who you include,

God loves you.

You who point to Jesus and are called a snowflake,

God is in you.

You whose God is too big

to allow many to suffer for the good of the few,

God blesses you.

You who refuse to commit the unforgivable sin,

God is calling you.

You, Advent Lutheran Church,

God is sending you,

for you are filled - possessed - by the Holy Spirit.

And so, possessed by the Holy Spirit,

May we join God’s work

of liberation,

reconciliation,

restoration,

and inclusion.

May we see this at work in our neighbours,

And May we have the courage

to trust this work in ourselves.

Thanks be to God. Amen.