Mark 3:22-35: Divided houses, blasphemy, and being related to Jesus

Government and politics may have taken a different form in Jesus' day, but it still functioned in ways that would be familiar to us.  For instance, when something odd, strange, or threatening is afoot, an investigation needs to be launched.  In this passage, we see the scribes coming "down from Jerusalem" to look into all the going-ons associated with this Jesus character they have been hearing about.  It doesn't take them long to decide they don't like what's happening one bit, to the extent that they even accuse Jesus of being in league with the devil!  Jesus' response to this accusation is familiar to us not only because of its location in scripture, but because it has also been enshrined in our own nation's rhetorical history.  One of America's greatest Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, adapted Jesus' words that "a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand" to describe the situation of the United States when it was divided between slave states and free states.  Slave states saw the existence of free states as a threat to their own existence, and vice versa.  An adversarial relationship was created that ensured conflict between the two groups, a conflict that would reach it's crescendo in America's Civil War.  Just as slavery and freedom could not coexist within the same nation without one prevailing over the other, neither can the kingdom of God and the rule of Satan coexist permanently in this world.  And if in fact, Jesus' is shown to be pushing back Satan's rule, and the sin, death, and destruction that comes with it, how can Jesus properly be accused of being in league with him?  If Satan is the "strong man" who is bound, then Jesus is the one who binds him, because Jesus is the "one who is stronger" (see Mark 1:7).  In the end, a simple understanding of logic leads us to only one conclusion.  If the only one stronger than Satan is God, and yet Jesus is stronger than Satan, then Jesus must be...the human manifestation God.  That means that rather than being on Satan's side, Jesus is in fact Satan's worse nightmare, the star-player for the other team.
Jesus' statement on blasphemy is one that provokes a lot of fear.  The question everyone wants answered is, "what exactly is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?"  If there is one sin to avoid, it's probably the one that carries eternal guilt.  I think the previous exchange between Jesus and the scribes from Jerusalem sheds a lot of light on what Jesus is talking about here.  To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is literally to attribute the work of the Spirit to Satan.  If sin is going the wrong way on the map, then blaspheming the Holy Spirit is wadding the map up and throwing it in the trash, or perhaps reversing the compass on the map so that what looks like north is actually south.  You can never get where you want to go if you ditch the map that tells you how to get there, or if the map points you in the wrong direction.  We can never hope to follow God if we consistently attribute God's work in the world to Satan.  The sin isn't eternal because God refuses to forgive us, it's eternal because we refuse to allow God to forgive us, by failing to recognize Him.
If the section on blasphemy is a little disturbing, there is more than a little comfort to be found in the last few verses of this passage.  A lot of questions arise concerning Jesus' treatment of His family, especially because Jesus' words are often interpreted as a rejection of those closest to Him (his mother, brothers, sisters, etc).  However, if we read Jesus' words carefully, we see that they are actually inclusive rather than exclusive.  Jesus isn't renouncing His family, He is including us in it.  It is truly good news for us that having a relationship with Jesus is not about having the same blood coursing through our veins.  Instead, it's about trusting that His blood is more than enough to bring us back into a relationship with God.  The message of the gospel is not that Jesus' rejects those closest to Him, but that He invites us all to draw near to Him, and become a part of the family whose relationships are defined by its faith in the God He reveals to us.