Personal and Public Attack on Jesus’ Ministry
Notes
Transcript
“Peace be with you.”
Read: Mark 3:20-35
Let us Pray: “Father may your will be done. Jesus may your word be proclaimed. Spirit may your work be accomplished in us we pray. Amen
After appointing His disciples for ministry (preaching and casting out demons) on a Mountain, Jesus either goes back to Peter’s house or His kin’s house (more likely Peter’s since the people are familiar with it v.20) and they people begin to gather in such number that they could not even eat a meal (they didn’t have enough to feed the crowd and possibly they didn’t eat in front of those they didn’t have enough food for.
Jesus’ ministry comes under attack because he is casting out demons. The personal attack for this act comes from his family who thinks he is out of his mind. The public attack comes from the scribes from Jerusalem who claim that he is casting out demons because he is Satan.
I. The Reason for the Personal and Public attack on Jesus (v.20-22)
I. The Reason for the Personal and Public attack on Jesus (v.20-22)
20 And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” 22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
Jesus’ ministry of Casting out demons leads toJesus’ family thinks he is out of his mind, and seeking to prevent him from continuing by taking him into custody. The scribes, lawyers of the the law, think that he is Satan, casting out demons as the prince of demons.
Why is this part of Jesus’ ministry so important and why is it under attack:
1. It is important because Satan is the people’s enemy from the beginning. The people cannot stop him but Jesus can.
We are dust; The serpent eats dust. He is lion seeking to devour us.
2. This part of Jesus’ ministry deals with the supernatural. It isn’t too far fetch for even us moderns to see why people might think Jesus is a little crazy. Humanity has always been leery of something they don’t fully understand.
II. Jesus addresses the Public Attack with a Parable (v. 23)
II. Jesus addresses the Public Attack with a Parable (v. 23)
23 And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
A. the purpose of parables
A. the purpose of parables
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; 15 For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’ 16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
the purpose of speaking in parables according to Jesus is to reveal mysteries to those those who are seeking the kingdom while at the same time not revealing any mysteries for those who are not seeking the Kingdom. Truth and wisdom will be granted to those who are truly seeking, while it is not granted to those who are not seeking. You can’t gain wisdom unless it is granted by God and parables are a way to give this wisdom to those who seek it while those who are not seeking are present. All sorts of people seek for wisdom but only those who seek after God will find it. Man cannot obtain wisdom on his own. It must be granted to Him by God.
B. The Parable:
B. The Parable:
1. Refutes their accusation with Plain reason (v.24-26)
1. Refutes their accusation with Plain reason (v.24-26)
24 “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!
kingdom divided cannot stand
house divided cannot stand
Satan working against himself cannot stand
Jesus destroys their attacks with plain reason. It doesn’t make sense that if he is casting out demons that he would the prince of demons working against the very thing he is seeking to accomplish.
2. Reveals why and how he is casting out demons. (v. 27-30)
2. Reveals why and how he is casting out demons. (v. 27-30)
27 “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. 28 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
a. The why— To set captives free.
a. The why— To set captives free.
Jesus reveals that part of his ministry is ransoming people from the power of Satan by Binding him up.
24 “Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?” 25 Surely, thus says the Lord, “Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will save your sons. 26 “I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And all flesh will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
b. The how- Through the power of the Holy Spirit.
b. The how- Through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus offers a warning for those who revile the power by which he is casting out demons by calling it unclean (v.30).
Here is why it is unforgivable:
Because you have to be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God.
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Because only the spirit draws people to the Father.
44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
Because only the Spirit makes you able to confess Jesus as Lord.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
Because only the Spirit can lead you to the truth.
13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
Because only the Spirit can lead to worship God rightly.
24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Therefore, to speak against the Spirit, it is deny its work. Without the Spirit we would never be lead to salvation. The Spirit accomplishes the will of God in our lives first giving us the faith to believe and call Jesus our Lord and empowering us to live the life God wants us to live. If you speak against him you are denying the very agent that Jesus has sent to bring you closer to salvation.
III. Jesus addresses the personal attack with irony (v.31-35)
III. Jesus addresses the personal attack with irony (v.31-35)
31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” 33 Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
A. Jesus is binder, not the one who is bound.
A. Jesus is binder, not the one who is bound.
Mark’s use of irony reveals the truth about situation. Jesus family thinks He is crazy and have come to bind him and carry him away but the fact that they can’t shows that he is the stronger man who can’t not be bound even by his own family proving that is he greater than he who is in the world and its crazy.
4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
B. Jesus’s Kingdom isn’t divided, because it stands against those who seek Him.
B. Jesus’s Kingdom isn’t divided, because it stands against those who seek Him.
Jesus family can’t get to Him because the crowd of Jesus’ followers is so great. This reveals that those Satan’s kingdom is being cast out, that Jesus’ Kingdom is being built up.
IV. Application:
IV. Application:
Ministry involving the Supernatural:
1. Being Against Satan.
The Supernatural is real and a force that plagues humanity. Ignoring it or trying to explain it away is doing exactly that the scribes and Jesus’ own family is doing.
Paul tells us that We must wrestle against these supernatural powers. Jesus has already given us the victory but we have to go and claim it (Jericho).
If it is significant enough for Jesus’ ministry to address it, then it should concern us as believers as well since we have been told to carry on Jesus’ ministry on the earth. Jesus conquerors both the natural and the supernatural and therefore we should aim to carry on that ministry as the church.
This “supernatural” ministry is helping those who are not only slaves of sin, but also being held captive by satan through lies, deception, and temptation. It is the same strategy but just new ways of doing it.
2. Not being Against the Spirit.
Ministry not performed by the Holy Spirit is an ineffective ministry.
Being against the Spirit is not being for Jesus.
Jesus flips the script and tells us that just like if Satan rose up against himself he would be finished (v. 26), so too, anyone who rises up against the Holy Spirit will be finished.
How to deal with personal attacks:
You don’t win over family members who aren’t believers by catering to them in their disbelief, you live before them a life of faith by committing yourself to the will of God and seeing your good works they will glorify the God whom you serve.
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
True family are those who do the will of God. Jesus defines for us who family is. God desires that entire families serve him but for those family members who do not seek the will of God, we cannot allow them to hinder us from doing the will of God.
While Jesus’ own family didn’t believe in him:
5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him.
They eventually come to believe in Jesus because Jesus didn’t allow their personal attacks to influence Him from accomplishing His Father’s will. Instead Jesus influences them by continuing to accomplish His Father’s will:
14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
So take courage. Those of us who have family who think we are crazy for following Jesus may come around to believe in Jesus. But it won’t happen by catering to them. It will only happen if we continue to endure in accomplishing God’s will in and through our lives.