Mark 3:20-30
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.”
Context
- Why would ‘His own people’ think He was crazy? (Mark 3:20, 21, John 1:10, 11, 7:3-5)
Reflection
- Why would demons call Him ‘Holy One of God’ while religious leaders called Him a demon? (Isaiah 5:20, Mark 1:23, 24, 3:22, Luke 11:16-26, 39)
- How could any kingdom divided against itself survive? (Matthew 12:25-30, Mark 3:23-27, Acts 19:13-17, James 4:4)
- What is the unforgivable sin? (Matthew 12:31-37, Mark 3:28-30, 9:42-48, Luke 12:10, John 3:18, 19, 1 John 5:12, 16, 17, Revelation 13:16, 17)
Testimony Time
- When have you been called ‘crazy’ because of Jesus? (Acts 17:18, 26:24, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 27, 4:10, 13)
- How has Jesus plundered the strong man in my life? (Matthew 12:28-30, Romans 8:1-3, 38, 13:12-14, 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:4-6, Ephesians 6:10-18)
