Mark 3_22_30

Mark 3:22-30

At the close of verse 6 we see that the Pharisees had rejected Jesus and their investigation ended with the plot to murder Jesus. We do not know chronologically when this took place but believe that it was quite some time before Jesus made His triumphant entry to Jerusalem. In their investigation they must have heard great testimony of many great things Jesus did because they came to evaluate these things for themselves. They saw Jesus work miracles that only God can do yet they would not submit to His authority simply because He opposed their precious oral law. The Creator- Savior trumps man’s traditions and Jesus’ words and actions should have convicted the Pharisees that they were not living according to God’s plan.

His popularity was increasing, now people from all over Israel came to Him, Galille, Judea, and Jerusalem but also from Gentile territories, Idumea, Tyre, and Sidon. He was teaching and healing such great masses of people that the crowds overwhelmed His person, this must have been very alarming to the religious leaders. Beginning in Vs. 13 we see a change in scene, Jesus goes with his disciples to the mountain top and prays, we do not know how many disciples followed Jesus nor how may were truly His disciples but on that mountain after an all night prayer session (Luke 6:12)Jesus calls 12 of His disciples apostles. Some definitions are in order so we may better understand this, disciple is the Greek word mathētēs which means “follower” while apostle is apostolos which means “sent one” or special messenger. Jesus would soon send these twelve apostles out to preach His message as well as heal and cast out demons.

After calling the twelve Jesus returns to Capernaum. His family seems to be concerned about Him and they come bring Him home with them to Nazareth (30 miles south0. By saying “He has lost His senses” is the same to say He is insane, it is important to note that His siblings were not believers until Pentecost.

Now with the Scribes/Pharisee’s back against the wall and they had to do something but they could not deny His miracles so they had to try to explain them in some way that would show that they (the religious leaders) did succumb to the belief that Jesus was Messiah or even a godly man. They said He was empowered by Satan.

Jesus called the Scribes to Himself and began speaking in a parable to them. The word Parable means “to throw alongside,” Jesus used familiar images to help explain spiritual truths. He used them to arouse the careless and to instruct the concerned while concealing the truth from those who would use it against Him. It is important to note that as the religious shrugged off each miracle their hearts became more and more hardened it was now to the point where their hearts were hardened and they had completely rejected Jesus.

Jesus has been seen throughout this Gospel as having authority. 1. Over Destiny, 2. Over Doctrine, 3. Over demons (1:25, 34, 390, 4. Over disease, 5. Over Sin, 6. Over Traditions, 7. Over Sabbath, doing things that only God can do yet His religious opponents were unwilling to submit to His authority.

Jesus had come to deliver the people from bondage, to overcome sin and Satan. We have seen time and time again that Jesus has invaded Satan domain and he is powerless over Jesus’ authority. In Jesus’ parable we can see three facts that Jesus lays out in response to their accusation.

Mark 3:22-30 Rejection of Jesus

Intro: USA Today had an article on the front page about those who escaped the World Trade Center on September 11. After interviewing over 300 survivors and family members of victims, USA Today concluded that in the South tower those who didn’t delay but ran for safety immediately are the ones who survived. Those who delayed are the ones who perished. Those who delay and put off a commitment to Jesus Christ often wait until it’s too late

NB) Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost, this included the Pharisees and Scribes, but the Pharisees and Scribes had come to Reject the Messiah. This all out rejection had not come immediately but it had taken place over a period of time. It was a progression of denying His authority and rejecting His call to repentance and faith that lead to the all out rejection. This holds true for people today, when they hear Jesus’ call yet do not submit to it they progressively deny His authority and ultimately His salvation leading to an all out rejection. For many of these religious leaders it was too late, they were guilty of sin and there was no turning back.

In this chapter we see the all out rejection in verse 6 as they sought to kill the Savior of the world now in these verses, we see firsthand the hardened hearts that rejection brings and its consequences for those who reject Him.

CPS: Submit to Jesus’ authority while you can still hear His call.

Unanswerable PremiseVs. 22-26

The Scribes hearts are so hardened that they try to explain away the mighty miracles that Jesus is doing, they said Jesus was empowered by Satan. Beelzebub was a name used for the devil; it means Lord of Flies or Lord of Dwelling.

Their commit is ridiculous and Jesus answers them in a parable, or a use of familiar images to explain spiritual truths. Jesus use of Parables instructed those who were generally concerned and interested in truth and at the same time concealed truth from those who would use it against Him.

Jesus asks them a simple question, one that they cannot answer. How can Satan cast Himself out? Jesus is teaching the impossibility for a kingdom to exist that is at war with itself. He is speaking of Civil War!

We know about Civil War don’t we? Our nation went through one in the 19th century; it was the bloodiest war our nation has fought. In our store we have tons of Civil War relics, Sabots, Buttons, even a Calvary Sword, these serve as a reminder of a nation that was at war with each other, a time when 600,000 men were killed by their brothers.

The Bible teaches, Satan is the ruler of this world and a war is an all out fight for territory, what sense does it make for Satan to cast his soldiers out of territory that already belongs to him?

Cast Out – ekballō = drive out, send out, it’s like running a stray dog out of your yard after he has dug up your flower bed or left presents all over your yard for you to step in. What sense does it make for Satan to cast the hounds of hell out of His domain…. NONE!

To do so is to divide. Divided – merizō = separate into parts. The only way for a kingdom to exist is for it to be united.

ILL: When I was in Kentucky running the Mowing Crew I learned how to sharpen a chainsaw blade real good. I became a tree cutting fool! When you cut a tree in half it falls down, it cannot stand, and both sections die. It is the same with a kingdom. It can’t exist, it is finished!

App: When Jesus entered earth it was an all out invasion into the domain of Satan and He conquered and overcame by the Power of His voice and His sacrifice on the Cross.

Undeniable PowerVs. 27

Beelzebub is a name for the Devil, its literal contextual meaning is “Lord of a dwelling” Jesus picks up on this meaning and explains that a strongman guards his house and the only we his house can be plundered is if he is tied up by an even stronger man.

KJV uses the verb spoil, but modern translations use Plunder – diarpazō = rob, carry off (possessions). No man will allow another to come in and take away everything he has. This can take place only after an all out fight that resulted in the owner being bound. Jesus’ uses the Greek verb deō which literally means… tie together.

ILL: For a young boy there is no one stronger than a dad. A dad is like a super hero! My dad could wrestle Lumpkins up on Lumpkin Hill, He taught fish school as a scuba diver in Lake Eufaula, He caught sharks with his bare hands as they swam under his boat in the flats, and to top that off he is a Vietnam Vet!

When we moved back to Tifton we didn’t have much, but dad bought a little jewelry store down the street from my Granddad’s, it was called Moore’s Jewelers. Everything we had was tied up in that little store and you can bet your bottom dollar no one was going to walk in simply take everything we had. It’s funny how there are certain things you remember as a child and so many other things you can’t. I still remember June 5th 1983, I was at my grandmother’s house and when 6pm rolled around dad wasn’t there to pick me up. I waited and waited and I remember concern on m grandmother’s face, when he finally arrived to get me I learned that 3 men had come into our store at closing and tied dad up with a phone cord, beat him with the phone and a pistol and cleaned us out. That could have never happened unless dad was overpowered and tied up.

Something more powerful than three armed bandits was on the scene, Jesus creator and savior of the world.

As we have learned in our Sunday night Bible Study, the entire Bible is about Jesus. As we read the O.T. and see how the Angel of the Lord annihilated the enemies of Israel, we see this as foreshadowing of what Jesus has done to His enemy. Is destroyed! As Billy Graham once said…. I know who wins, I have read the book!

App: Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost to the devils domain but the religious rejected the savior and unbeknownst to them, clung to the defeated bound man.

Unforgivable PositionVs. 28-30

Jesus is giving the religious a great warning, “your treading on dangerous ground, accusing the Holy Spirit of being an evil spirit. God loves and is slow to anger, He is able and willing to forgive all sin. But the religious were progressively rejecting God. He had sent them John the Baptist to prepare the nation for the coming of the Messiah, they did not heed to John’s message and allowed him to be arrested and killed by Herod. They did not heed Jesus’ message of repentance and faith discarding His miracles and seeking to kill him. Now they are attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to the spirit of evil.

They had sinned against the Father and the Son but when they sinned against the Holy Spirit they had reached the end of the line. This is all out rejection and refusal to submit to God’s authority, they could not be forgiven of their sin because they would not repent and believe.

In acts 7:51 Stephen is preaching the Gospel to the Pharisees, saying … you are like your father’s always resisting the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the only sin you cannot be forgiven of is unbelief. God sent His Son to seek and to save that which is lost, to invade Satan domain and to conquer the evil world and its stronghold by offering Himself on Calvary’s Cross as the penalty of sin for those who repent and believe.

APP: The only sin that God cannot forgive is rejection (John 3:16–21, 31), through the Gospel message the Holy Spirit of God is calling you to Salvation don’t put it off or you risk progressively rejecting Jesus just as the Scribes and Pharisees did, come while you can still hear His voice.

A boy from the country was going into the city to get a job. Before he got ready to leave his mother said to him, son, I want you to promise me that you will go to church on Sunday. So he promised his mother he would go to church. He went on into the city. He worked the first week and became acquainted with some of the fellows there, made some new friends. So, on the weekend some of his new friends invited him to go horseback riding with them on Sunday. He remembered his promise to his mother and he said, I’m sorry, fellas, I can’t do it. But they continued to invite him and pressure him; after a while he relented and consented to go. Sunday morning came, they began their horseback ride. Around 11:00, they had come down town in the city and as they were passing by the church, the church bells announcing the services began to ring. When they started ringing, he could see his mother and daddy walking into the little home church in the country. He remembered his promise to his mother. But he just kept on riding. As he rode the bells grew fainter and fainter. When they got on the edge of the city, the boy stopped and said, fellows, I come from a Christian family. I promised my mother I would be in church today. He said, fellows, I have noticed as we have been riding that the bells have been getting fainter and fainter. If we ride anymore, I won’t be able to hear the bells, fellas, I’m going back while I can still hear the bells.

Maybe today you can still hear those bells. One of these days, the bells may stop ringing. Come to Jesus this morning while you can still hear the bells.