Mark 3:23-30
“So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.””
Mark 3:23-30 NIV
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today? Jesus wants us united as His church. He wants us to come together to carry out the mission He gave us before He ascended into heaven on a cloud. He wants us to have that single aim, to go and make disciple, teaching them the things He taught His first disciples.
So how have we gotten to where we are today with the divide between all those denominations and branches and Catholic and Protestant and everything in between. Somewhere along the line, we let that thing called selfishness slip in again. We want our way. Even in building the kingdom. We want to believe the way we want. We want to interpret what Jesus said the way we want. We want to live the commandments the way we think they should be lived. We want to hear sermons that touch us the way we want them to. We get into this selfish mode even in our religions. We pick and choose and establish our faith around our desires and our will and our wants even while trying to seek God’s will.
The Bible doesn't go into great detail about Satan and the other demons. We know that when Satan rebelled against God, one-third of the angels followed him into exile. The demons have some kind of a hierarchy, the greater ones are called princes. But the Bible doesn't tell us why or how demons possess people. Everything they do is for Satan's evil purpose, however, and to cast them out would work against his plan.
The unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit here means what the scribes have just done, attributing the work of the Holy Spirit Jesus healing miracles to the power of Satan. It was a blasphemy in bad faith. The other half of Jesus sentence is remarkable. All sins will be forgiven, all blasphemies. Even when our hearts condemn us, when we feel deep dyed in guilt for actions that shame us, God does not condemn us. He always sees us as His children.
Jesus is scathing of those who cannot recognize goodness and who see only evil. If we wish to listen for the voice of God, we need to take care not to heed any voice that speaks only negatively or in condemnation.
The image of the house with its strong occupant is a picture of integrity and wholeness. We take some time to tidy the house that is our heart, to allow it to be a home for the spirit of Jesus.
Jesus opens us up here to a global mission, the fight against evil, which does not always wear a uniform, yet is recognized led by the human mind, whether in the form of hatred, sickness or injustice, or the sort of barbarisms that we hear of daily. Those who struggle against such evil are on the side of Jesus, whatever they call themselves.
When Jesus talks of the sin against the Spirit in the Old Testament sense, the spirit of God which enables us to recognize truth when it enters our lives, He seems to refer to those who defend themselves against the truth by claiming it is diabolical. They look at good and call it evil, perverting their moral perception, stifling their own conscience.
Jesus is scathing of those who cannot recognize goodness and who see only evil. If we wish to listen for the voice of God, we need to take care not to heed any voice that speaks only negatively or in condemnation.
If we would all begin to change our thought process to follow God explicitly in this way, I think the division in churches would disappear. If we would sincerely ask what God’s will was and stop there and then follow, I think the violence in the streets would be curbed significantly. I think we would find revivals sparked around the world. I think we would see healing taking place. I think the church and the world would be very different if we just asked God about His will and followed.
But instead, we forget to ask and go our own way. We want what we want and so we fight each other. We can’t agree on the simplest things and so disrupt the work of the Kingdom with our selfishness. We forget the real task at hand, sharing the good news that Jesus came to give His life that we might have abundant, everlasting life. We forget He came to fulfill our lives and bring joy through forgiveness of our sins and we bicker and fight with each other instead of standing together against the real enemy sin.
Jesus told those that thought He cast out demons by the power of Satan that Satan would lose his strength and power if his minions fought against each other. Isn’t the same true of the church? If we war against each other, don’t we lose the strength and power we could experience if we worked together in unity. Jesus continually called us to unity. It’s about time, the church which is us rose up together against the evil of this world instead of bickering with each other!!!
Father thank You for this day and for the authority of Your Word. Lord let Your abundant blessings pour out from the windows of heaven over my friend and family today. Lord we recognize that the greatest gift given to us by You was our salvation, as demonstrated through the forgiveness of our sins and through the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Lord please help the Spirit's fruit to be seen in our lives as Your Spirit conforms us to be more and more like You. Lord use my friend to be the blessing someone needs today. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !
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