An Excerpt of “It’s in the Blood” sermon

Veronica is a senior Master of Divinity
student at McCormick Theological Seminary.

Written and Preached by Veronica M. Johnson
September 28, 2011

Gospel of Mark 3:20-21, 31-35, NIV

²⁰ Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ When his family^[a] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

 ³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

   ³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

 ³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

…So Mary and her other sons go to check up on Jesus, because they are concerned… and because they care…  But they don’t get very far. For when Jesus is told that his mother and brothers are outside looking him, he says

   ³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?”  ³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus, the consummate teacher, has a crowd around him…and when told that his mother and his brothers want to see him, Jesus makes a decision to use this as a teachable moment.  And so when he says that my mother is the one who does God’s will, he wasn’t dogging his mother. He was affirming his followers.  When Jesus said, “Here are my mother and my brothers,” Jesus was affirming their attendance… and grabbing their attention.  And what better way to get their attention… and our attention… than to seemingly give us precedence over his own mother and brothers! And when Jesus said, “whoever does God’s will is my brother and my sisters and my mother,” he was calling his followers to action.  In essence, Jesus was saying, I’m glad you are here… for following me around and sitting at my feet is the first step…  and doing the will of God is the next step.   

And people still crowd around Jesus … in churches and seminaries across this world…  And in this text Jesus is affirming their and our attendance… and calling us to action!   Jesus is saying, “I’m glad you’re here…  now I’m calling you to action.  For those who do God’s will… they are my brothers and my sisters and my mother.”

Let’s take it a step further.  Notice, Jesus didn’t say, those who do God’s will are my cousins….  He said they are my brothers and sisters and mother.  That’s the immediate family.  And what’s the significance of the immediate family?  Consider the King family, the Rev. Dr. M. L. King, Jr.… fourth generation Baptist preacher/pastor, his daughter Bernice King, a powerful preacher in Georgia, and his sons Martin III and Dexter King continuing the fight for freedom and justice… Consider the Marsalis family… Ellis Marsalis and his sons, Wynton and Brandford Marsalis… all world renowned Jazz musicians… Consider the Bush family…  George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush…  the family which held the power of this country in their hands for many years…  Consider the Jacksons and consider the Kennedys and ….. Even consider the Johnson family, my family… my husband a musician, a math whiz and a bowler… and my son, seemingly born a musician and a math whiz and a bowler… with mannerisms and facial expressions just like his dad…, and both my son and my daughter, with interests and abilities and likenesses of both of their parents…   Consider your family… the vocations and interests and passions and likenesses that have passed down automatically, often without intention…

There’s something about the power of genetics… something about what’s passed down in the family blood… that makes us take on the attributes and interests and passions and likeness of our family.  Jesus says, those who do God’s will are my brothers and sisters and mother.  Those who do God’s will, do so, because it is in the blood!  

… And when you have the blood of Jesus... you’ll help a brother out!  When you have the blood of Jesus, you’ll help a sister out!  When you have the blood of Jesus, you’ll help the children out.    When you have the blood of Jesus, you’ll do the will of God… When you have the blood of Jesus, you’ll seek justice, walk humbly and love mercy.  And you’ll do it, without intention!  You’ll do it, because it comes natural. You’ll do it… because it’s in your blood.  What blood?  

 The blood that Jesus shed for me,
way back on Calvary;
the blood that gives me strength
from day to day,
it will never lose its power.

It reaches to the highest mountain,
it flows to the lowest valley;
the blood that gives me strength
from day to day,
it will never lose its power.

The blood, will give you strength to feed the hungry… 

The blood will give you the strength to clothe the naked…

The blood will give you the strength to visit the sick…

The blood will give you the strength to go to the prisons…  and it will never lose its power… it will never lose its power…

The blood that gives me strength, from day to day… it will never lose its power!