Chapter Three of Mark brings up an interesting view of how we are all siblings in Jesus. In verses 33-35, Jesus asks who his mother and brothers are and answers that whoever does God’s will is his brother and sister and mother. (Mark 3:33-35) This puts all those who follow Jesus in a familial relationship with one another. However, we know that there are many Christians and followers of Jesus that do not agree with one another on what the Bible says or how certain things are to be interpreted. Earlier when Jesus was casting out demons and was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, Jesus tells us that a house divided cannot stand. So, how do we stand together as siblings in Christ Jesus if we don’t see eye to eye?
I know in my family, we don’t agree on everything. Whether it is political discussions, favorite movies, or where to eat sometimes it can be difficult to come to any type of consensus. At times in our debates of where to go to eat or which movie to see it was an easy choice but at other times it seemed like we would never agree on anything. But that didn’t mean that our house was going to fall or that our house could not stand. I think in this passage, Jesus could be talking about how we interact and treat one another. Jesus was casting out the demons from the possessed man and for some reason the onlookers did not like that. Perhaps it was because they themselves were unable to cast out the demon. Maybe they felt threatened by what Jesus was doing and the ease with which he was doing it. In our family units, we know that there are things that one of us can do better or easier than the others. In my family, my eldest sister is the best carpenter. My brother is good at making people laugh. I have the gift of music. But in all of these no matter what our disagreements are, we support and encourage each other. It’s not always easy to encourage someone when they are able to easily do something that you would like to do or that you must try very hard to do. In our house, no one is alone. In our family in Jesus, we are not alone. Even when we feel like the lone voice crying out against some injustice, Jesus is with us and we are not divided. We are still in the folds of his cloak of love and mercy.
Holy One, help us to remember that our love for one another is stronger than our disagreements. Help us to see that just because we disagree does not mean that we are always at odds. Renew our commitment to each other as siblings in Jesus. Amen.
Gay by the Grace of God 