Thomas J Parlette
“Inside Out: The Jesus Way”
Mark 3: 20-35
6/9/24
Something I often do before sitting down to write a sermon is go back through my Pastoral Record and see if I’ve preached a certain passage before. So, I did that for this week, I found out that I have never preached this passage from Mark.
In my 34 years of ministry, I’ve preached my way through the lectionary cycle 11 times – you would think I would have run out of things to say by now – but somehow the Holy Spirit always points out something new.
But for some reason unknown to me, I have possibly unconsciously avoided this passage from Mark 3. The other texts that show up this Sunday are where I have tended to land. The Genesis passage about Adam and Eve with the serpent in the Garden of Eden has been a popular pick, as has the passage from 2nd Corinthians about our “outer nature wasting away, but our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” I’ve preached those passages on numerous occasions.
So, for today, I decided to stretch a little bit and try a new passage. I suppose I’ve avoided it because it’s a little troublesome. Whenever Jesus shows emotion in our scriptures, it can be a difficult to handle. Many of us picture Jesus as eternally calm and pious, almost detached, always in control, even-keel, never out of control or angry or upset. But there are moments when Jesus shows emotion.
The 3rd Chapter of Mark opens with the story of Jesus healing the withered hand of a worshipper at the synagogue, on the Sabbath, no less. The leaders of the synagogue are watching closely to see if they might be able to accuse him of wrong-doing, and Jesus reacts with anger. Then the passage tells us that he was “grieved at their hardness of heart” – disgust is a word that would probably work as well.
Right after that incident, Jesus went to the Sea of Galilee and a large crowd followed him. On the way to his boat, unclean spirits would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” And Mark tells us that Jesus sternly ordered them not to make him known.
Then Jesus commissions his disciples to go do some healing of their own, and he gives them the authority to cast out demons. In this, Jesus shows another emotion - compassion
So before we get to the encounter we hear about this morning, we have seen Jesus show anger, disgust, and a stern tone of voice, maybe bordering on anger again and a sense of compassion.
And then Jesus’ family shows up, because they have heard about what’s been going on. And they are experiencing lots of emotions – anxiety about the waves Jesus is creating; embarrassment about the things Jesus’ was doing and saying; and downright fear that Jesus was going to get himself arrested, or they themselves might get arrested. So Jesus’ family shows up to “restrain him,” as Mark says.
Lots of emotions on display in the 3rd Chapter of Mark - anger, disgust, compassion, anxiety, embarrassment and fear.
Perhaps you’re familiar with a Pixar movie that came out in 2015 – Inside Out. There’s a sequel coming out next week. The original movie told the story of Riley, a happy, hockey-loving 11 year- old girl. One day, her world was turned upside down when she and her parents move to San Francisco. At first she tries to navigate the transition with Joy, but the stress of the move puts Sadness in control. Then Joy and Sadness get replaced with Anger, Fear and Disgust. All of these emotions are portrayed as different characters.
When the family moves to San Francisco, Fear says to Joy, “I sure am glad you told me earthquakes are a myth.” Fear has more than a few worries about their new location.
On their way to their new home, Joy imagines that Riley will live in a house from a fairytale, made of different desserts. Disgust registers his opinion, “Joy, for the last time, she cannot live in a cookie.”
But there is more to this movie than just laughs. The emotion Sadness is initially seen as a troublesome character, but in time she reveals her wisdom. At one point, Sadness says, “Crying helps me slow down.” That’s something that everyone needs to learn isn’t it. Crying gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect, sometimes about the more difficult aspects of life. (1)
Josh Larsen wrote about “Inside Out and the Theology of Sadness” on the think Christian website. He wrote:
“Inside Out is about learning to reconcile joy and sadness, whether you’re a tween forced to move away from friends, as Riley is, or a parent who can no longer protect your child from life’s hardships. It’s a rich subject – one mined with Pixar’s usual combination of wit, intelligence and emotional resonance to – not in denial of – deep sadness.”
He goes on: “Writing earlier, I referenced a Frederick Buechner quote on joy from his book The Hungering Dark. “Joy is a mystery because it can happen anywhere, anytime, even under the most unpromising circumstances, even in the midst of suffering, with tears in your eyes.” (2)
Author James Grebey writes that the first film shows what things are like inside a young girl’s head. So, how do you raise the stakes for the sequel, Inside Out 2? Gerbey’s answer – “go inside a teenager’s head, of course. Inside Out 2 will revisit Riley that she’s older, and it will fittingly introduce a host of new emotions.” (3)
In addition to the original five emotions, the sequel will introduce Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy and Ennui – meaning weariness or unsatisfaction.
So, the third chapter of Mark might be called Inside Out: The Jesus Way, as we see lots of emotions on display – from Jesus, his family, and from the people listening to him.
Reports are circulating that Jesus has gone out of his mind. His emotions they say, are out of control.
A group of religious leaders from Jerusalem, the scribes, use this moment to go on the attack. They say, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” In essence they are saying – It takes one to know one.” If Jesus can communicate with demons, and demonstrates control over them, well – he must be a demon himself.
No doubt Jesus feels another wave of anger and frustration building as he points out the ridiculousness of this argument. “Why would Satan cast out Satan. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. It doesn’t make any sense. Why would Satan undermine his own power?
Jesus then shifts gears and compares himself to a man entering a strong man’s house, and tying up the strong man before plundering his property. This is Jesus’ way of showing he has come to defeat Satan, literally tie him up and take control of this world. I suppose this could be another reason I have avoided this passage in the past – I don’t like to think of Jesus entering a house and tying someone up to plunder the house. But the point is clear, if a bit unpalatable – Jesus has come to defeat the strong man Satan and take control of this world in the name of God.
Then the family of Jesus arrives at the house. They call for Jesus and the crowd reports to Jesus that his family is here and they are calling him. Jesus looks out the window and he sees a teachable moment.
Jesus turns to the crowd and says, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” The crowd was probably wondering what he was talking about as they motion outside – “they’re right over there Jesus, what are you talking about?”
Then, looking around at those who are sitting around him in the house, Jesus says, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
In the movie Inside Out, the emotion Joy asks the question, “Do you ever look at someone and wonder?” That’s what people were doing as they looked at Jesus in that house in Capernaum. They were wondering, “What does it mean to do the will of God? What would it mean for me to be part of the family of Jesus?”
Jesus makes it very clear that his true family is whoever does the will of God.
Inside Out: The Jesus Way is full of deep and powerful emotions, Grief, Compassion, Hope, Anger, Frustration and Disgust. Jesus felt them all, and we should not be afraid of feeling them as well. Our lives as disciples of Christ should not be lived in a cold and completely intellectual way, separate from the pain and struggles that are part of every human life. Jesus wants us to put our hearts into discipleship, not just our heads, allowing our emotions to be part of doing the will of God.
In a commencement address to the Class of 2021 of Boston College, David Brooks said: “People talk about emotional intelligence. But being a respectful and considerate person is not an intelligence; it’s a skill you learn with practice. It’s the skill of taking time to label your emotions as you feel them, to understand them and be able to tell them apart. That’s knowing the difference between angry, aggravated, alarmed, spiteful and grumpy. It’s the skill of knowing how to express your emotions openly, and in that naming, to regulate them… There is one thing that I have learned. You have more to fear from your inhibitions than you do your vulnerabilities. More lives are wrecked by the slow and frigid death of emotional closedness than by the short and glowing risk of emotional openness. (4)
In this 3rd Chapter of Mark, Inside Out: The Jesus Way, Jesus demonstrates that emotional openness has a vital role in faithful discipleship. Jesus encourages us to listen to our hearts, including our emotions, as well as our heads as we live as disciples of Jesus.
May that be true of us all.
May be praised. Amen.
1. Homileticsonline, retrieved 5/5/24.
2. Ibid…
3. Ibid…
4. Ibid…
