The place and role of the family is never far from headlines. Pope
Francis has at the beginning of this ministry as Pope sent tremors through the
world wide Roman Catholic community in the way in which he chooses not just to
live, simply, but also last year when he Catholic bishops gathered in
Rome to listen hard to the “beat of this age” as he opened a landmark assembly
that many hope will spark reform of some of the Roman Catholic church’s stances
on marriage, sex and divorce.
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| Congratulations to Egzon and Christina married at St John |
to include
same sex union, there is much debate on not just the place and role of marriage
but sexuality and the impact on our understanding of family. Some see these
moves as eroding the family and contributing to the further disintegration of
society where as others take a more hope- filled view that new understanding of
marriage and sexuality will enhance and strength the institution of the family.
It
interesting that when it comes to the pages of the bible the image of family is
not a “Hello” or “OK” airbrushed version but a more realistic and dare I say
dysfunctional description of family life. From Cain and Able the children of
Adam and Eve to Noah and his sons, Isaac and Esau, Samuel, Moses and David; family life is not without its
tensions and even violence.
Consider Jesus' family, for example. His birth is surrounded with
scandal as Mary finds herself with child but unmarried. St John in his gospel
uses language that suggested that Jesus' relationship with his mother was
rather strained, Jesus is only recorded as referring to his mother as “Woman”
and at the wedding of Cana in Galilee he seems to be rather abrupt with his
mother. Similar tensions appear to have existed between him and his siblings,
as well.
And then we have the occasion referred to in our Gospel this morning,
Mark 3.21 which says: "21When his family heard it, they went out to
restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind”.
This episode in Marks account of Jesus’ life is set in a wider context
that runs through out the gospels, namely that people around Jesus find it hard
to understand who he really is. Jesus does not fit in with the expectations or
traditions held dear by those around him. His own family assume he has lost his
sanity and the religious authorities see him as an evil and dangerous force who
will destroy their power and the traditions handed down since the time of Moses
concluding that he must be possessed by Satan.
The scene underscores how those who presumably they were in the position
to understand Jesus were not immediately able to see him as God's agent. As
Jesus announced and re-inaugurated God's intentions for human flourishing, many
could not overcome the disorienting character of his message. Even close
relatives and religious insiders were bewildered by what he said, which
threatened to disrupt so many aspects of human society.
Maybe Jesus' relatives were dismayed that the first-born son wasn't
supporting his family but was gallivanting around Galilee as a self-appointed
prophet. Or maybe they wanted him, as Messiah, to have bigger and better
ambitions, such as promising a revolution instead of preaching and healing the
sick. The Gospel of Mark does not explain; it merely sets up a showdown of
sorts when the family arrives to seize Jesus.
When the crowd says that his family is summoning him from outside the crowded
building, Jesus answers with a shocking statement: "Who is my mother? Who
are my brothers? ... Look, here [these people seated around me] are my mother
and my brothers. Whoever does God's will is my brother, sister and
mother."
It's good news for those inside the house, who seek to identify with
Jesus and his message. Its good news for the disciples who have left their
families and their homes (Mark 10.28-30) and its good news for Christians from
the earliest time to our own day who face persecution from their families when
they embrace Jesus as their Lord, especially those who convert.
It is bad news, however, for his relatives on the outside of the house
who seek to impede his mission and ministry to the poor, sick and dispossessed
and for others who have dedicated their lives to preserving the traditions and
customs of the past in order to sure up their own position of power and provide
social stability
Jesus redefines Family. Jesus redefines the criteria for who constitutes
his true family.
This goes beyond striking back at his mother and brothers' opinion about
his sanity. More foundationally, Jesus makes a claim about what it might mean
to belong to the community he is creating, the Kingdom of God and later the Church.
He makes a claim about identity. Families, or "households,"
were the primary social and economic units of first-century society as much as
they are in our modern urban societies. Jesus speaks to deeply embedded
cultural assumptions when he defines his true family not by blood relations or
kinship ties but by doing the will of God.
For Jesus, family -- at least, one type of family -- is a community of
people joined as an expression of their commitment to discover and manifest
God's will. It would appear that Jesus is allowing for a new understanding of
family, one defined by those who promote God's will.
As many in our day are urging society, and yes the church too, to
redefine our understanding of family I wonder if we will find ourselves on the
outside of the house as Jesus’ family or on the inside with his disciples?
Obviously, Christians have not found consensus on these topics, as
discussions of sexuality and marriage have polarized many communities.
Jesus did not abolish the idea of family or household. It goes too far
to suggest he overthrew his culture's values about family, society and
religion -- in this passage or any other. But he does consistently unsettle and
sometimes redefines those values.
When Jesus teaches, heals and makes pronouncements, everything gets put
up for renegotiation. Old values aren't necessarily flawed, simply by virtue of
their being old or established. But God's presence in the world, manifested
through Jesus' words and actions, repeatedly turns on their head the
conventional assumptions about what's "real" or what's
"normal."
Jesus’ actions and words upset those around him as much as they are
upsetting our world today. Jesus creates a reversal of priority, not to change
for change's sake, but so we might reconsider just how our living can be authentic manifestations of who God is
and how God can be known.
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