Scripture Reference: Mark 3:7-35
A New Family – Continued
From Last Lesson: Rumors haven’t only reached Jesus’ family; the news about Jesus’ activities is now seriously worrying the temple authorities. They have a policy in their files for dealing with cases like His. So, according to their clear procedures, they now send a commission up north to Capernaum.
Now, probably after spending some weeks in the area, they have reached their conclusion. “Beelzebub,” is based on an Old Testament name for one of the ancient false gods of the region, now long-forgotten; but the name has hung on and is here being applied to Satan and his demons. Whereas the family and others have concluded that Jesus is mad, these religious experts declare Him to be possessed and inspired by evil. That, they claim, is how “He casts out demons.”
Notice that no one to this point, doubts the reality of what Jesus is doing. No one who is actually on the spot suggests that Jesus is using trickery, or faking the miracles. Still less is anyone coming up with the ridiculous idea that Jesus is nothing but a good man who is being misunderstood. No, the miracles are real; the exorcisms are real; what the experts lack is an explanation. They need to put something in their report! So because it is unthinkable that Jesus can be wielding the power of God, they are forced to attribute His power to the only other possible source, “the ruler of the demons” himself, Satan.
Now it’s not very difficult to show that this idea is absurd, and in verses 23-27 Jesus proceeds to do just that. He sets up a public confrontation to face the experts with the truth: “You say I’m possessed by an evil power? Very well, let me prove that’s wrong.”
“So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.’ ”
Yes, the accusation is absurd. But worse than that, it is unforgivable. Jesus is not bandying abstract ideas here, you see. What the religious experts have done is to label the work of God in Jesus Christ as demonic, as coming straight from the pit of hell. They have resolutely decided that the spiritual power behind all of Jesus’ works is not God’s Holy Spirit, but Satan. This is not some idle, throwaway remark; it is their careful and settled conclusion. Jesus responds in essence by saying, “If you say that, you are placing yourself right outside the scope of God’s forgiveness.” That is what the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, a settled attitude of deliberate hostility against the work of God. Occasionally today you will meet Christians who are worried that they have committed this sin, either unintentionally, by making some rash remark, or deliberately before they knew Christ, and that therefore God can never forgive them. We can reassure anyone who thinks that: “If you are even the slightest bit worried about it, then rest assured, you haven’t done it.” This is a warning against setting yourself deliberately and resolutely to reject Christ when you have all the evidence before your eyes that He is real and true.
So His natural family think Jesus is mad; the delegation think He is inspired by evil, and there aren’t many other options left, not for people who really know about Him. Jesus Himself tells us what He is all about right in verse 27. It’s another little parable. The strong man is Satan; the one breaking in is Jesus Himself. This is precisely His mission; to break into Satan’s territory, to tie Satan down and to steal his possessions. He is not mad; He is not evil, and this is no civil war; rather this is an invasion of enemy territory. Satan’s possessions are the people of this world who are in his grip, even though they don’t know it. Jesus came to set those people free.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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