Sun Kwak, “Taking the Stand”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvmDV9G-ukM

TEXT: Mark 3:20-35

[20] Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. [21] And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

[22] And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” [23] And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? [24] If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. [25] And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. [26] And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. [27] But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

[28] “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, [29] but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—[30] for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

[31] And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. [32] And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” [33] And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” [34] And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! [35] For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

SERMON: “Taking the Stand”

During the Rwandan Genocide, Romeo Dallaire was the United Nations officer seeking to bring ceasefire to the atrocities causing thousands of deaths each day. And he was so overtaken by everything he was breathing in during his attempts at being a help. Something like a million people were killed in a matter of a few months. And this was without mass explosives. And so, the brutality that was happening was just overwhelming and inhumane. Something he said when recalling his time there — In Rwanda, I shook hands with the Devil. I’ve seen him, I’ve smelled him, I’ve touched him. And it reminds me of something that Fleming Rutledge said — something she had actually heard from a French minister during this time. That this minister commented — Hell has no more demons, they’re all in Rwanda. I don’t think it was intended to be a literal or a theological statement. It’s not that all of the universe’s evil was in one locale during this dark period. But it’s, as my daughter likes to tell me, a figure of speech. But I think that’s often how we tend to understand Satan’s activity and involvement with wreaking havoc in this world. And we look at our passage, among others, where names like Satan and Beelzebul are listed. These aren’t theoretical figures. They’re not something atmospheric. They’re real and acknowledged entities. As we’ll stress throughout the message, evil has a personality. He’s deceptive, he’s sneaky, and we’re no match for him outside the power of the gospel. And what Satanwould love for us to think is that his primary involvement is out there in the world — far and away from the church and what’s in house. Because Satan’s a strategist, and he’s deceptive. And what he’s delighted to do — more than anything else — is to blend in and to hide. As Kaiser Soze borrows words from Charles Beaudelaire in The Usual Suspects, the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was to convince the world that he didn’t exist. Because here’s the thing. The wicked things that happen in this world are atrocious, and I’m not saying that Satan is uninvolved with these monstrosities. But when we’re so worried about what’s out there, we may miss where he’s most involved. And it’s not out there, but it’s in here, it’s in house.

There’s this Christian comedian named John Crist. And in one of his standup segments, he’s sharing about this lady in his neighborhood named Aunt Phyllis. And she’s just so convinced that the Devil is always out to get her. And so, John presses her on this, and he asks her to share more about it. And she proceeds to tell him that she’s on a diet, because God told her to be on a diet. But the other day, she was driving, and the Krispy Kreme light was just flashing at her. And from her assessment, that was the Devil trying to get to her. And so, John, in good theology, responds to her — God is omnipresent, he’s everywhere. But the Devil — he’s got to pick and choose. And so, he’s impersonating the hypothetical thoughts of Satan spelling out — Greed, corporate wars, crime, politics, religious fraud, disasters. But no, Not yet. I’ve got to get Aunt Phyllis off her diet. And jokes aside, what I think we need to know is that Satan is very particular and careful about where he is and what he does. And because he’s got to pick and choose, he places himself in the place where he’s most effective in separating God’s people from his promises. And if you can get the visual of Zechariah 3. This is where Joshua, the high priest, is standing before God. And what Satan is doing is accusing. He’s in the courtroom, and he’s pointing out the stains, the filth, the sinfulness, the contamination of Joshua’s sin-ridden life and record. That he deserves wrath for the things he’s done. And the thing is — he’s absolutely right. And there’s no way for us — even the best of us — to combat these accusations with any argument, any evidence, or any act or desire or change. Anything self-wrought will ultimately fall short. We are no match for Satan and his accusations against us. But in the paradox of gospel realities, when we realize that, we are not indeed hopeless but engage in the most hope-filled activity any of us can engage in. And that’s to find cover — to find cover in the only wings that will give us protection from the darts of Satan. And it’s this cover that we’ll uncover today, in our third and final installment in these set of verses here in Mark 3.

We’ve noted in the previous two times we’ve been in this passage that this larger section is a chiasm. And that’s the literary device often used by biblical writers where there is this sandwich structure. Where the outer buns are being described by what’s inside. And loosely, we showed how the meat of this passage defines those who belong to the family of God. And it’s those Jesus rescues from captivity. Because what’s at the heart of what Jesus is saying is that evil is real, it has a personality, and he’s come to confront it. The picture here is that of a warlord, this strong man, who’s holding prisoners captive. We noted that the word goods in verse 27 is one that’s used to explain vessels and earthenware but also prisoners held captive. And so, the picture is that for these prisoners to be set free, there must be one who comes into the castle to free these people by binding down this warlord. And it takes strength and power and commitment and tactics. It doesn’t just happen. But it takes the courage of not the prisoners but the one who comes into the castle to confront this final boss. And in this summary statement of how Jesus, as this one who binds down this strong man Satan, comes to set the captives free, we read in verses 28-29: “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” And Mark kind of gives it away in the next verse about who is guilty of this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, what’s known as the unforgivable sin, in the very next verse when writing in this causal statement — For THEY were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” That it’s something involving the activity of what THEY — these accusers of Jesus — of what THEY were doing that shows us what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is. And it’s been a hotly debated topic over the years — What is this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

And throughout the ages, people have said different things that kind of get at the same thing about this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, this unforgivable sin. Augustine said that this was about final impenitence. Martin Luther said it was resistance against the mercy of God. John Calvin said it was about a bitter hard hearted resistance. J. C. Rylelikened it to Hebrews 6:4-6 about those who tasted the good things of faith but have now turned away. All of these are about being unrepentant more than it is about the magnitude of any sin. And I think this is so important to note, because when you bring your sins to Jesus, there isn’t any sin that disqualifies you from forgiveness if you’re trusting that he can and will forgive sinners. Because Jesus doesn’t go against what he’s said here — Truly, I say to you, ALL SINS will be forgiven the children of man. Because you consider Psalm 25, and there, David asks of God — Pardon my sin because it is great. Not in spite of it but because of how great the sin is. And then, in John 6:37, we read the words of Jesus — Whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. And so, this unforgivable sin doesn’t have to do with the magnitude of one’s sin or the grotesqueness of any particular sin. And I need us to pause here and to consider these words. Because I know some of us in here struggle with shame — shame from your past, shame from hidden sins, shame from addictions and patterns. And you’re left wondering — Can this one, this big one, this ongoing one. Can this be forgiven? And the answer is a resounding yes. There is no sin aside from unrepentance that Jesus can’t forgive.

And Jesus is adamant about this. He’s given this parable about binding the strong man. And in this courtroom of accusations, he steps into the conflict. He inserts himself, where we read his words in verse 28 — Truly, I say to you. This is legal language. This is Jesus putting himself on the stand, as a witness to his own statement. And when Jesussays this in verse 28, this is the first time that Jesus uses these words, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark. And this word for truly is the Greek word αμην. Which as you might have assumed, is where we get our word Amen. But this wasn’t just for spontaneous responses mid-sermon or the seal to prayers lifted. This was widely recognized as the way that witnesses would affirm and verify and bear testimony for one who is convicted in the court of law. Because you consider here what Jesus is confronted with. In verse 22, what do we hear? It’s an accusation. That he’s Beelzebuland on Satan’s squad. And so, Jesus presents them with this parable. And what does he do? He enters as the defense attorney, who’s entered the house in order to set captives and prisoners free. He’s entered with the intent of defending his weak and helpless people. And what does he do first? He steps up before the judge — Truly, Amen. He brings in his witness to bear testimony. And who does he bring? Truly, (Amen) I say to you. He presents himself. And it’s his own self-testimony that he gives to validate this statement — All sins will be forgiven the children of man. That everything pertaining to the legality of our forgiveness and innocence begins and ends with him. And so, picture this. Every time we sin and feel the accusation of Satan. Every time we feel the weight of our guilt that builds into deep shame and the fear of disqualification. Every time we commit that sin we vowed we wouldn’t commit. And when we are held captive to our guilty records and to our shame and to these feelings of disqualification. And every time, we create this distance from God in our fear of rejection, thinking that he doesn’t want us anymore. Every time this happens, who is it that comes bursting in to close the gap? It’s Jesus. And he goes to bat for us. And he acts as our defense attorney against the one who’s accusing us of our sins and our offenses. And this accuser, this Satan. When he’s rattling off all the things we’ve done, the things we’ve said, the things we’ve thought. What can we say? Because he’s absolutely right. Because we are sinners, and we’ve sinned, and we’ve done wrong against our God.

And if you’ve seen the film A Few Good Men, there’s this part where Colonel Nathan Jessup, played by Jack Nicholson, starts rattling off some comments about the case. And he’s insisting upon being referred to specifically with the title he’s earned. But as he’s speaking out of order and out of turn in the courtroom, Judge Randolph tells him to take a seat, saying — And the witness will address this court as "Judge" or "Your Honor." I'm quite certain I've earned it. Take your seat, Colonel. This was his courtroom, and he would see it through to carry actions in proper order. And we can be certain that when Satan rattles his accusations against us, he’s relentless. But it’s not his courtroom, it’s God’s courtroom. And there is proper order. Because when we call upon our defense attorney, he will speak on our behalf, and brings himself up as a witness. And about that guilty record, about that shame, about that history of sinning. He calls upon his witness — himself. And he says — Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man. For how does he bear witness for us? As our legal advocate, as our defense attorney, and as the primary witness, he would turn to the Judge, his Father — I know she’s sinned against you. I know about his past. I know how he’s hurt and offended you. But these scars are my evidences. These are for them. These holes in my hands and my feet. I bore these scars for them, and I have them as their high priest — to show them, to show you, that their sins are forgiven. And so, if you’re struggling with guilt and shame this morning. If there’s something from your past that haunts you. If there’s a sin that’s holding you captive. And when you don’t know where to turn, sinners, we have cover behind our defense attorney, who is also our witness in Jesus. And his words of guarantee, as he bears witness through his hands and his feet marred and wounded and punctured for us — All sins will be forgiven the children of man. And we look to no other place than to Jesus’ words and defense for us, and his evidences of sacrifice and payment.

There’s this story from This American Life with a grown daughter whose mother has dementia. And early on, she would try to ask her mom — Do you know who this is? every single day, with pictures of family members. And when her mom would respond by saying she didn’t know, she would tell her the names of the people in her family. But day after day, this got laborious and discouraging and frustrating. Because unbeknownst to her, she realized that she was not just trying to fix her mother’s condition. She was actually in denial about her condition, trying to convince herself that her mother’s memory was not beyond repair. But then, she began to think more deeply about her mother’s condition. And that it wasn’t kind, and it wasn’t exactly being aware of the situation, and it wasn’t being sensitive to keep trying to make one who suffers through dementia to act as if she doesn’t have dementia. And so, she pivoted. She would instead just spend time with her, and she would learn what her mother, in her current state, enjoyed. She would tell funny stories about her kids, she would sit with her in a coffee shop. And sometimes, the conversation would lead to the fact that the young woman before her was, indeed, her daughter. But it wasn’t pressed, it was kindly brought about. And in her words, what she got used to was playing catch with her mom. And sometimes, her mom dropped the ball. But that didn’t put an end to the game. She would just keep playing catch with her. Until it was reminded to her, from time to time, that the one who threw her the ball was her daughter. Because we all suffer from spiritual dementia — some of us more acutely than others. But what God does is not convince us that we don’t have a problem, that we don’t have dementia. But in our spiritual lapses, he throws us the ball. He tells us stories, he brings us people, he gives us community. But most of all, he gives us his Word.

Because he never forgets, even in our forgetting. That our hope is not in what we remember or forget to remember but how he remembers us. And repeatedly, he recalls to our memory through what he has done and what he has said about and for us, reminding us of who we are and who he is. Because Jesus not only gives us the visual of him binding downand tying down Satan. But he gives to us access to this power. Because that word to bind down is the Greek word δεω. And it’s often used in conjunction with the word λυω, which is to loose. And this loosing is often used of in relation to loosing the chains and redeeming. And for both of these loosing and binding, the activity that effectuates this against sin and death is the declaration of the Word. It’s what we read in Matthew 16:19 about those who proclaim God’s Wordauthoritatively and declaratively — I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven [Jesus says], and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. For the one who connects heaven to earth gives us this power, this testimony. And because we’re forgetful, because we have spiritual dementia, because we forget the goodness of God and his promises to us, he brings us together every time we gather — to play catch with us, to remind us that we are not imprisoned to the law but set free in God’s grace. That we are not orphans but beloved daughters and sons. And every time we proclaim God’s grace and his forgiveness of our sins, we tie Satan down. That he is powerless when confronted by that word — that his accusations have no power over us. It’s why we come around this Word as we do — because it’s not only true, but it’s living and active. There is power in this book. It has the power to change hearts and lives, because of God’s unchanging will and love for his people. Because friends, the verdict is in. All we have to do is play catch. We read stories of what our God has done. We hear words of what our God has said. Words that are indelibly printed, that no sin, no offense, no wrongdoing, no thought of evil or malice can ever undo. Punctuate the love of God upon your hearts today.