Thank you for joining us as we look into the Word of God together. Last time in Mark 3, we looked at what it means to lead well. In today’s lesson, the scribes give us an example of poor leadership; they attribute the works of Jesus to demons. This is the passage many are confused with as Jesus talks about blaspheming the Holy Spirit—the sin which cannot be forgiven.
Please turn to Mark 3 and follow along as we dig into this fantastic story.
When God created us, He made us in His image and likeness and designed us for fellowship with Him. But when sin entered the human family, a division and separation occurred. Satan attacked Adam and Eve at the very foundation of life, the heart. By their own will, they chose to surrender to the idolatry of self.
God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” However, being made in God’s image, they were moral beings with the ability to choose. They elevated their physical desires and intellect above God’s command. As a result, death and division entered the human family. They became “A House Divided.”
As we study Mark’s Gospel, we see evidence of this division in Jesus’ biological family and His religious family. Even though we live nearly 2,000 years after Mark recorded these scenes, they still speak to us. The characters’ choices are much like the choices you and I face today.
So, listen carefully as I read Mark 3:20-35. Try to pick out the statements that reflect the consequences of “A House Divided.”
20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”
23 So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rises up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.
27 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.
28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;
29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—
30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside, they sent to Him, calling Him.
32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”
33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?”
34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”
This text vividly records several STATEMENTS showing us the dire consequences of a divided house.
The First STATEMENT is,
He is Out of His Mind
The verses preceding our text describe how Jesus chose the Twelve on a remote mountain in Galilee. When He came home to Capernaum, a large crowd immediately gathered, so large that Jesus and His disciples couldn’t rest, eat, or apparently, Jesus couldn’t even teach.
When Jesus’ friends heard about His predicament, they set out to rescue Him. They were willing to use force if needed. They saw His situation as being out of control. They concluded, “He is out of His mind, He’s lost touch with reality.”
It’s acceptable, even in the church, to be religious, but to be fully committed to Jesus is often considered fanatical, even dangerous. You may be labeled as “out of your mind.”
The Next STATEMENT is,
He Has a Demon
The men from Jerusalem were part of Jesus’ religious community. They said of Jesus, “He has Beelzebub.” Baal-Zebub was the chief god of the Philistine city of Ekron. Not only did they malign His name, but they also accused Him of casting out demons by the prince of demons.
So, He called the scribes together and pointed out the obvious flaws in their logic. He asked, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” Satan’s focus is on himself; it’s what got him evicted from heaven in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Satan isn’t going to do anything that jeopardizes his power.
Jesus points out the fallacies of their accusation in rapid succession. A kingdom or household divided against itself cannot stand. And if Satan rises against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his kingdom is coming to an end.
Jesus said a thief can only enter a strong man’s house if he first ties up the strong man and renders him helpless. Then he can do whatever he wants and take whatever he wants. Satan regards the souls of mankind as “his goods.” He is a strong man. Jesus came to bind him and plunder his kingdom.
The scribes accused Jesus of having a demon and casting out demons by the prince of demons. This was the setting for Jesus’ teaching on “the unpardonable sin”—blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. But before He expounds on that possibility, He reminds the scribes that God can forgive ALL sinful behavior and whatever blasphemies they speak.
Going further, Jesus warns the scribes that they are nearing the edge of a dangerous cliff, which, if crossed, will have eternal consequences. Anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven because he “is guilty of eternal sin.” Since the sin is infinite, forgiveness is impossible. Hardened, permanent unbelief joined with malicious hatred of the only means of forgiveness is unforgivable. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is specifically attributing the power and work of God to Satan!
Some people today fear committing the unpardonable sin. When people fear that they have committed the unforgivable sin, it proves they haven’t. If they had committed that sin, there would be no remorse. They would have no wish for forgiveness and would persist in their hatred toward God.
This sin isn’t something one does in a moment of anger or impulse. It is the culmination of a long course of self-hardening and depravity. Those who have a genuine desire to walk by the grace of God in obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit need have no fear of committing this sin.
Jesus pointed out the absurdity of the scribes’ argument. If He were casting out demons by the prince of demons, then Satan’s house would be divided and would quickly disappear. Instead, Jesus cast out demons by the power of God! That was clear evidence that the kingdom of God was present in Jesus.
The Final STATEMENT is,
This is My Family
Now, Jesus’ mother and his brothers appear on the scene. They couldn’t get through the crowd, so they called out to Him. The crowd then relayed their message to Jesus. When Jesus got the message, He asked a question. “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?”
Then, He looked over the crowd around Him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, this one is my brother, sister, and mother.” Jesus made a distinction between His biological family and His spiritual family. And, according to Jesus’ actions, the spiritual family takes precedence.
These words of Jesus were revolutionary in His culture. Loyalty to one’s family and community was of utmost importance. Yet in Luke 14:26, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
Let’s not stumble over the word “hate” that Jesus used, but let’s not minimize it either. It is a strong word. Jesus isn’t commanding us to hate father or mother in the sense of bearing malice or ill-will toward them. That would be contrary to other commands of Scripture.
In our text, Jesus states that those who do the will of God are truly part of His family, rather than those who merely claim to be part of His family. Remember, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.” That’s Matthew 7:21.
And I John 2:3 and 4 tell us, “Now by this we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
A house can be divided in different ways. Some ways are destructive while others are life-giving. Some of you faced opposition and rejection when you decided to follow Jesus. You. You were ridiculed and harassed. Maybe you were even told, “You’re out of your mind.” If so, you would do well to understand what Jesus is teaching in this passage.
Is your house divided? If so, in what way? No one can pay you any greater compliment than to have Jesus say about you, “You are my family.” Will Jesus say that about you?
Thanks, J Mark, for sharing this teaching. What extremes are in this lesson? Some thought Jesus was out of His mind. Others credited His work to demons, and some he called family. I especially appreciate J Mark’s explanation on blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, or the unpardonable sin. The reason it is unforgivable is that the one committing this sin will not come to Jesus for forgiveness. Jesus can and will forgive every sin we confess and forsake. However, this one, saying Jesus has a demon, obviously means they will not seek forgiveness from Jesus. This eliminates the choice for life from the person saying this. So sad, they were so close to the truth, yet they said he was doing it by the power of demons.
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Thanks so much for being with us for today’s lesson. We’ll end with a question that is similar to the one you just heard. The last verse in our lesson was, “For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” Are you living in such a way that Jesus will say you are His family?
