This coming Sunday is the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time. After having reduced the scribal accusations to empty words and without waiting for a response from the Scribes, Jesus takes the argument to its logical next step. Having argued that the source of his irresistible power is not of Satan, one should only be able conclude that the source is from God – and this brings the scribes and others to a pivot point: it is time to decide and declare from whence comes the power Jesus is using in the world. Jesus simply tells them the consequences for choosing wrongly: 28 Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them.29 But whoever blasphemes against the holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”30 For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” Continue reading →

This coming Sunday is the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time. So far we have heard the accusations of family and Scribes. Now it is Jesus’ turn to respond: 23 Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive 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; that is the end of him.27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Continue reading →

This coming Sunday is the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time. In yesterday’s post we considered the reaction of those close to him (hoi par’ autou) – presumably his family. They think “He is out of his mind.” What the Scribes, representing the Jerusalem authorities, think is clear: “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” (v.22) Continue reading →

This coming Sunday is the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Jesus is in the midst of his first public ministry in Galilee. The news of his miracles has spread. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” This is the only place in the gospels that provides this pericope. It is not clear whether Jesus’s family is involved at all. The Greek phrase, hoi par’ autou, is not very specific. The literal meaning is “those who are close to him, alongside him, beside him.” Certainly the text of v.32 referring to “mothers and brothers” would naturally lead one to the inference that v.21 should be translated as “family”, but many English translations follow the 1611 King James Version and translate this expression as “his friends” instead. Continue reading →

This coming Sunday is the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Lectionary Year B. The translation used for all liturgies in Catholic Churches here in the United States, is “The New American Bible.” As help to readers, the editors add some headings to give the reader a macro-sense of the text. Our gospel passage falls in a section labeled, “The Mystery of Jesus.” Possibly because the cast of characters that are somewhat mystified by Jesus include the crowds, his family, and Scribes. But the story of Jesus, the mystery of the Incarnation, is still unfolding. The Gospel of Mark has only begun. Continue reading →