Scripture: Mark 3:20-35

Thoughts:   Jesus chose his twelve disciples.  Then he went home.

It was not to be a restful visit.  Crowds surrounded his mother’s home, the local people questioning his sanity, and the Jerusalem scribes accusing him of working with Satan to perform his miracles.  Jesus told the crowd that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

More titles have been taken from the Bible than from any other written source.  House Divided is the title for a novel set during the Civil War.  A wealthy white Southern family discovered from family records that they were related to President Lincoln, whom they detested.  One of their ancestors had fathered a child by a kitchen maid.  This child was Nancy Hanks, who became the mother of Abraham Lincoln.

The Bible was one of the few books available to Lincoln while he was growing up, and he knew it very well.  Indeed, he could quote long sections of the Bible from memory.

When Lincoln was nominated for the Senate in 1858, the country was dangerously divided on the subject of slavery.  In his acceptance speech, Lincoln quoted Mark 3:25:  “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”  This speech attracted national attention and helped elevate Lincoln to the Presidency.

Discussion:   What unnecessary divisions arise in daily life?

Activity:   Surprise someone with your sweet reasonableness when he/she disagrees with you.