Real Family

Genesis 3:8-15
Ps 130
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Mark 3:20-35

The story of Adam and Eve illustrates that sin is a self centered act of rebellion against God. Temptations appeal to our self-will, the desire to do what we want. Therefore, all sin is really idolatry because we put ourselves in the place of God.  We were created for theosis, union with God in love, but sin is a rejection of that union which produces within us a destructive illness which disintegrates the heart and mind. This soul-sickness darkens how we perceive, think, feel and judge. So we compound our sin with further sin. Look at their reaction; "the man and his woman hid themselves from the Face of the Lord God." Rather than repent, they hide. Instead of requesting that the Father heal them, they hide from the only source of salvation. Sin, like a cancer, is a malignant power destroying us from within and impacting all our relationships.

"Where are you?" God asks. "Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" Adam continues to reject the opportunity to repent, choosing instead to blame Eve and God: "The woman whom you gave me...", he says. Sin feeds the impulse to be "me-centric." Humanity is separated from God, which then bleeds over into other relationships. The family stories of Genesis, starting with Cain and Abel, are full of endless conflict and betrayal. Human families and human relationships need saving.

In the Ancient Middle East, the family dictated identity. People were constrained by a very structured order of expectations. Remember, that broken, sinful people with darkened souls (nous) and wounded hearts make up family and clan. So when Jesus heals and casts out demons, some celebrate, but others judge Him. Jesus did not fit into the societal box, so their social expectations cause them to say 'He has lost His mind.' Think about this, He is working miracles and they think He is crazy?  To protect their family's honor, His relatives go to restrain Him. Even worse, the religious leaders call Him satanic. Jesus points out the ridiculousness of this claim, pointing out that if Satan is fighting demons then the divided kingdom is falling. Jesus offers another option. He is the strong man defeating Satan. He is not crazy, nor possessed, He is God at work among us (Emmanuel). It is like Jesus is saying. "open you eyes to see. open your hearts!"

Jesus has come to heal and save the human family, a family which is torn by selfishness and betrayal since the garden. Every biological family is impacted by sin and dysfunction. Jesus offers an alternative, the spiritual family of redeemed humanity. Faith, love, obedience are what bind us together in Jesus, not DNA. Many of us have experienced this truth. We have experienced the birth from above where the Holy Spirit makes us one in Christ. The family bond of faith and love in Jesus is stronger than Satan, soul-sickness and death. But those who cling to the blindness of self worship, those who reject the ways of God for the sake of their own expectations, those who refuse to repent and submit---these have rejected the life of the Holy Spirit and have cut themselves off from God.

We were made for union with God, to be a real family--each of us a son or daughter of God. God has made His choice, now the response is up to us. We can choose not to hide when we sin. We can choose to take responsibility and repent. We can reject society's norms and submit instead to Jesus. We can see that our true family is the people of God gathered around Jesus. We can live into the freedom of the children of God.