Mark 3:20-30 (NRSV)
Read Mark 3:20-30 on biblegateway.com
Verse 20and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. Verse 21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." Verse 22And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." Verse 23And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? Verse 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. Verse 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. Verse 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. Verse 27But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
Verse 28"Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; Verse 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"- Verse 30for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
Devotion
From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in the gospel story, he has been in conflict with Satan. The conflict began in the wilderness with the temptation. Now Jesus tells a parable comparing Satan to a strong man. “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered” (v. 27). Jesus is the one who is coming to plunder Satan’s household and bring it to an end.
Jesus’ binding of the powers of evil undermines Satan so thoroughly that even when he appears to have succeeded in destroying Jesus at the crucifixion, ultimately Satan is defeated. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, sin, death, and Satan have been defeated.
Prayer
Almighty God, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to defeat the devil and bring us to new life. Amen.
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