Mark 3:20-35
A House Divided Cannot Stand
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 has risen 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.
The Unpardonable Sin
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."
Jesus' Mother and Brothers Send for Him
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."
Jesus was accused by the scribes of the religious Law of being possessed by Satan, calling the Holy Spirit of God a liar and making Him to be the devil instead of God’s Son. They said He was crazy and possessed and that alone gave Him the ability to cast out demonic spirits in men and women. What blasphemy to call God the devil and good to be evil! Jesus first used the reasoning of basic truth by showing that it was counterproductive and just stupid to assume Satan would tear his own temporary kingdom down by casting out his minions from those he infiltrated and took into his sway (1 John 5:19) and use. By tearing down his own house with such divisiveness it could not survive and therefore was illogical and untrue what they were saying. They really said these things because they hated God and His Son and refused to submit to the authority and sovereign rule of God through His Son. Jesus extended the picture of a divided enemy to demonstrate that Satan had a swifter end of this were true and that the plan was for him to bind up those following Jesus who instead was plundering the house of the enemy by freeing those held in the bondage of sin in the devil’s grip as that one tore his own house down. Jesus plundered the strong man who holds the world in his influence as the Lord releases them one by one and allows the evil one to consume himself as he is bound (Luke 13:16, Revelation 20:2) and plundered by God. Those who therefore side with Satan by attacking the person and work of the Son of God and the Spirit who is holy God Himself place themselves in the same boat of rejecting Christ and His forgiveness as His enemies and are likewise eternally condemned with the devil and his fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6). Those who are Christ’s are His true brothers and sisters because they can be observed doing His will of accepting His word and person (John 1:12, 6:29, 40, 15:24) for deliverance from such bondage that the evil one wants to imprison us with himself for eternity and not rejecting His sovereign rule. Such eternal punishment for the blasphemy of rejecting Christ (Luke 10:16) as if He was the evil one is a just consequence (John 12:48, Jude 1:18). Any other sin besides rejecting these things is not the unforgivable one but it is only by rejecting Him as God and Savior that there is no eternal recourse. In contrast, we who call Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God holy by believing and receiving Him as the Son of God are indeed honored by the Father with the eternal promise of living in an undivided house in the kingdom of God. Salvation is only possible by repentance and faith as we accept and receive Jesus as the Son and Savior and it is blasphemous to say He is otherwise as if He and His Spirit were the evil ones.
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