In the 1993 movie Rudy, Sean Astin plays Rudy Rudiger, a young man who grew up in a Roman Catholic working class family that was employed at the steel mills, which is major town economic bedrock. Rudy always wanted to play football for the University of Notre Dame. There were a couple problems. First, he was short, lacked strong talent, and he had difficulty in school due to dyslexia. His family and girlfriend all thought that he would fail in this venture. At age 22, when his best friend Pete died in an industrial accident, Rudy set out to pursue his dream. He discovered he was woefully unqualified to enroll in the University of Notre Dame. However, a local Catholic priest helped Rudy get into Holy Cross Junior College, where he met a tutor and worked as a groundskeeper. After many failed efforts to get into Notre Dame, he was finally accepted and was a walk-on player. He was part of the team as the tackling dummy and red shirt squad that performed the opposing teams’ plays. He inspired the rest of the Notre Dame players to the point that they insisted that he gets to have field time for their final season game against Georgia Tech. The young man who everybody thought to be unrealistic and at times out of his mind, was finally carried off the field in victory by his fellow teammates.
In Mark 3, Jesus’ family thought he “had gone out of his mind.” They sought to restrain him. The reader of Mark, knew that Jesus was God’s “beloved Son, whom he is well pleased,” as he was baptized by John. Jesus had survived forty days in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan (Mark 1:12-13 RSV). He had performed healings and called his disciples (including Judas). If one assumed Jesus’ father was a craftsman or carpenter of sorts, Jesus was going off the family reservation of the family vocational calling, as Rudy did in abandoning his job at the steel mills to pursue an education at the University of Notre Dame.
In the midwest states of America, there once were many factory towns which served as an economic base, and major sources of employment and medical benefits for many families. This went on for generations since the industrial revolution came to America. Some people were happy to have the job and income, while others complained about the dirty factory conditions, loud noises that impaired hearing, and the sporadic layoffs due to labor union disputes or changeover of model cars for the next year. Some families desired to pass the factory work tradition onto the next generations — and even viewed such well- paying jobs as entitlements of sorts. Other people did go into higher education in hopes of escaping the dirty shop conditions and seeking better working conditions, with more vocational mobility. To do the latter meant risks. Jesus took a similar risk in leaving the family trade tradition. He would be untied from the family.
One of the features of Mark’s gospel is that the gospel writer “sandwiches” or intercalates a “story within a story.” This text is an example. The scribes came down from Jerusalem to inquire, if not to interrogate Jesus as to where he gets his power to heal and forgive sins. In today’s terms, they might be the accrediting agency’s inspection team that makes periodic visits to community schools and colleges to make sure the school is maintaining high enough standards to be listed as “accredited.”
John Grisham has written a book titled, The Rooster Bar. Roughly, the plot is based around law school students who discover in their final year that their school is barely accredited; their degrees are worthless; and they are now way over their heads in higher education debt. One can watch the news and realize that the problem of high student debt rings true for many families as they plan to send their family members to college. The scribes are visiting Jesus to see if his works are “accredited” from God as they understand God, or is Jesus in league with Beelzebub (Satan)?
Not recognizing the source of Jesus’ power, they framed their questions around the assumption that if one is able to cast out Satan’s demons, this person must be an ally or in league with Satan. This is also called “demonizing” the other person.
To use another sports illustration, some levels of sports competition in all athletics may often be tempted to describe the opposing team members as less than human, the enemy as obstacles to their future of having a successful athletic career. It is easy to “dehumanize” people we do not happen to like so as to aggressively attack them not only to win, but to annihilate them. We will see some athletes who run up the scores as they win and take “victory dances” not only to win, but to shame the opposing team. It is like rubbing their face in the defeat. This does not have to be the case. One can oppose somebody’s ideas without striving to “demonize” them, as the scribes are attempting to do with Jesus here in Mark 3.
More positive examples of athletic competition include when a particular team is hurt or has lost loved ones. The 1970 movie We Are Marshall was about Marshall University’s football team and coaches getting killed in an air disaster, and the new coach who tried to rebuild the football team in West Virginia. After efforts to hire a coach and organize a new football team, the rival football team coach in West Virginia allowed the newly formed Marshall coaching staff to view their game films. Also, opposing teams wore an “M” on the back of their football helmets as a way to remember and honor the deceased Marshall football team.
In our Mark 3 text, Jesus reframed the assumption of the scribes and suggested that a house divided cannot stand. If Satan had used Jesus to cast out his own demons, then Satan’s domain would not last long. One cannot plunder an owner’s house without first restraining the owner.
Jesus also produced a verbal counter punch to suggest that he was indeed sent from God to forgive sins. Those who reject him, also reject the Spirit and Father God who sent him. This is defined as blasphemy, or the unpardonable sin: that is to reject God’s Spirit in Jesus the Christ. Historically, many writers and theologians have written about what exactly the unpardonable sin is. Is it lack of repentance? Possibly it is resisting God’s grace or acting like a “reprobate,” as the old Calvinists suggested. This particular passage suggests it is simply rejecting Jesus’ power to forgive, heal, and his saving act of death on the cross. For Mark, Jesus became the “Messiah” as he died on the cross for the sins of humanity. Mark 10:45 (RSV) is a summary of Jesus’ mission in Mark, “For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The Scribes insisted that Jesus had an “unclean spirit.” He did not convince them otherwise, despite his best efforts of persuasion.
This is a reminder to Christians everywhere that we can make our best case both in actions and verbs, and certain people and groups will still remain unconvinced and will still oppose our efforts as disciples. This is not a modern evangelistic crusade where auditoriums of people gather in for praise music, to listen to testimonies and a sermon, then are invited to an altar call. Mark’s gospel keeps it real! Powerful people crave more power and are not going to compromise, despite the best argued logic, good intentions, and selfless acts of sacrifice. Martin Luther would argue we are saint and sinner at the same time.
The story in Mark 3 continues with Jesus’ identifying his true family. They are also a part of the kingdom of God. In our modern times, quite often people of faith are at odds with one another based on their particular view of sacred scriptures and how they apply to daily life. Our lives are already framed with a background or worldview that has shaped us. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were many popular movies about how getting into college and obtaining the goal as the leading fraternity, sorority or Revenge of the Nerds, was seen as an end in and of itself. In our modern days, there is the sticker shock heavy student loan debt and fear of jobs that may become automated. The old family work tradition can either be mechanized or is diminishing significance with major wholesale outlets and online purchasing services.
In some rural communities, there are legitimate fears as to how long certain family farms can keep going. Between unpredictable weather conditions and fluctuating prices for both various forms of livestock and grains, farmers often live by as much urgent faith as those ancestors did in the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. The God who sustained Abraham’s offspring throughout scripture, will also sustain us in our communities today. God is full of second chances regardless of any errors made on our end. This part of the good news found in Mark’s gospel.
Jesus in Mark’s gospel still has a place for all people who either stayed with the family ties or are have been untied to the family traditions. That is, all who do follow Jesus’ teachings and will as disciples are already part of the kingdom of God. Jesus looked at the crowds all around him, many who are nameless peasants, and people who will never have a book written or movie made about them. He tells them, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.” This is the good news of the gospel lesson today. Regardless of whether our churches are struggling, have a spot on the local radio and newspaper, or if they are live streamed — whoever does the will of God are Jesus’ brothers and sisters.
Amen.
1. Daniel J. Harrington S.J., Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Mark, (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002).
2. John Grisham, The Rooster Bar, (New York: Doubleday Press, 2018).