GOSPEL, FIRST READING & PSALM TRANSCRIPT (Subscribe or Login for Full Transcript):
The Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time continues our journey through the Gospel of Mark, and it brings us to a very fascinating passage from that Gospel that gives us an account of the conflict that took place in Jesus' hometown over his exorcisms that he was performing. And it's in the context of that controversy that Jesus gives one of his most enigmatic sayings. It's the saying about the unforgivable sin, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. So today's gospel we’re going to look at this controversy over Jesus’ exorcism and the unforgivable sin and we'll try to unpack how the church understands this very strange and difficult passage and how the church has interpreted it in light of the living tradition. So, let's begin with 3:20-35 of Mark's gospel - that is the reading for today. It’s kind of a long one but there's a lot going on, so it says this:
Then he [Jesus] went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. And when his friends heard it, they went out to seize him, for they said, "He is beside himself." And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Be-el'zebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons." And he called them to him, and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 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. "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" -- for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Okay, there is so much going on in this passage and it’s almost like three little pericopes, three little passages clustered into one. So the church has given us a lot to do for this particular Sunday.
I'll do my best to walk through each of them and help put them in their original context. So let’s begin with the controversy over Jesus’ exorcisms..
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