CONNECT Worship Gathering: Mark 3:20-33 Jesus' Teachings on a House Divided, The Unpardonable Sin, and Defeating Satan

Jesus' family thinks he is out of his mind - he won't eat, he won't rest, there's always crowds around him! They didn't understand that the kind of ministry Jesus was doing takes sacrifice and self-denial. How often do we deny ourselves time, material, or rest in order to do ministry? Some of you may do this a lot, and this attitude is prevalent among the workers in any church. Are you also following Jesus' example of getting away to recharge your batteries? Workers in the church also have to be careful, however, to understand that our service is not the root of our devotion. Our ministry can become self-serving and this will easily lead to burnout. Our service must spring, rather, from our devotion and love for Jesus Christ. Jesus always did the work the Father called him to do - no more and no less. If it has been a while since you sacrificed for ministry to others, (exempting mere church attendance) consider where your priorities are - from where are your roots drinking - from the world or from a life planted firmly in Jesus? Or as a worker in the church, do you need to refresh in solitude and God's presence?


The Pharisees have been trumped by Jesus' authority, power, and miracles - so they go down a dangerous road and accuse Jesus of casting out demons by Satan's power. Jesus replies with a very logical statement, a house divided against itself cannot stand. This is true of so many things on so many levels. a person who is double minded, with divided loyalties to the world and to Jesus, will be unstable in everything he does (James 1:8). Likewise, a church divided by loyalties to any other than Jesus will not be healthy or effective. The danger for the teachers of religious law here is attributing to Satan what really are works of the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus works through the power of the Holy Spirit, to slander the Spirit is to cut oneself off from the very means of grace whereby they can be saved. Tthe unpardonable sin is when one attributes to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says this is unforgivable. It is unforgivable because by doing so one severs the only means of grace by which they may be saved.

Jesus' teaching on the strong man is his commentary on how the devil was defeated. Satan is, no doubt, a strong man, for Jesus calls him such. Satan's house is this world's system of power (Ephesians 2:2). But Jesus is the stronger man, who comes into the world world, ties up the strong man, and plunders his goods. The goods, the spoils of this spiritual war, are human souls who were otherwise bound by Satan. Satan's only power is convincing man to trespass God's law and sin against God - this is how Satan binds us. But the one who knew no sin, Jesus Christ, was able to bind Satan by dying in our place and offering forgiveness through his shed blood. Jesus will bind Satan eternally at the end of the age (Revelation 20:1-2). We are set free to love and serve God, and we are free indeed in Christ (John 8:36). Let us learn to live and serve in the rhythm of God's grace and freedom!