This morning’s readings start at
the beginning, which, as we know, is a very good place to start, we go back to
the root of the problem of the human condition – sin, not listening to God, and
not obeying God, and suffering which we experience as a result of it. It is the
common inheritance of humanity – we think we know better, that we can assume a
place which rightly belongs to God and not suffer as a result. Worst of all, in
the Genesis story Adam and Eve cannot even own up to their failing, they eschew
the humility of being honest to God, preferring to try and shift the blame to someone
else. If that were the end of the story,
then it would make for some fairly bleak reading and we would have every right
to feel rather glum this morning, but thankfully this morning’s second reading
from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians can give us hope that this is not
the end of the story, that we can have hope of a new future in Jesus Christ,
and an eternal destiny thanks to him. Such is grace, the undeserved free gift
of God, which should make us hopeful and thankful, and to live our lives in the
light of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for our sake.
In this
morning’s gospel we see that Jesus can provoke some strong reactions: it’s all
a bit hot and bothered in Nazareth, there’s such a crowd around Jesus that he
cannot even eat a meal, it’s clearly chaotic. Members of his family are so
concerned for his safety and well-being that they want to restrain him, as they
are not sure that he’s in his right mind – they cannot understand what is
happening around them, and how it is that someone whom they know is doing this;
the religious authorities likewise cannot understand his actions and accuse him
of being possessed by an evil spirit.
Thankfully,
Jesus is having none of it, and speaks to them in parables – How can Satan cast
out Satan? How can they ascribe this to the devil? What they have witnessed are
healings: they have seen humanity restored before their very eyes . The scribes
have mistaken the kingdom of God for the action of the evil one, they, like Jesus’
relatives have fundamentally misread the situation. In ascribing Jesus’ actions,
his preaching and his miraculous healing, to the powers of darkness, they have
sinned against the Holy Ghost, which is apparently unforgiveable: they have mistaken
the actions of God for those of the devil, they are blind, they are unable to
see that what they are witnessing is the Messianic future foretold by the prophets
– scripture is being fulfilled but they are unable or unwilling to recognise
the fact.
Then
Jesus shows us that compared to our earthly ties, those of the kingdom are far
wider, if whoever does the will of God is Jesus’ brother and sister then that
should include all of us, and a whole lot more people – we are called into a
relationship with God and with each other which transcends earthly ties and gives
us a new paradigm within which to live. Thus to be in the church is to be part
of Jesus’ extended family, called into a relationship with Him. It is a relationship
characterised by the outpouring of God’s healing love upon us – Jesus’ miraculous
healings in the Gospel are a sign of the Messianic kingdom, and they point to
that great healing of all of humanity upon Calvary, where Jesus suffers and
dies, taking our sins upon himself, paying the price which we cannot, so that
in Christ humanity may be healed from the guilt and power of sin. It is that
same sacrifice which is made present here, this morning, where we the people of
God are given a foretaste of heaven, where we receive His Body and Blood, as a
pledge of future glory, a healing remedy, the balm of Gilead to heal our
sin-sick souls, the greatest spiritual medicine in all of creation, in all of
history, is here for us now. So let us come to him, to be healed and restored by
him, filled with his love and sharing that love with others.
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