Our scripture this morning is Mark 3:22-25.
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.” And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”
Jesus responds to those who accuse Him of being an agent of Satan with the logic “if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” Jesus wasn’t being argumentative, He merely pointed out the truth. Casting out demons was a good work; how could the essence of evil engage in anything good?
Unfortunately we are often divided as well in what we believe are problems, how they should be solved and who should solve them. We’ve have come to the point it seems that loud voices accuse “the others” of acting as if they were demon possessed on a daily basis. Satan wants us divided because our anger makes us easy pickings for evil.
We will always have differences of opinion, but Jesus wants us to deal with them in love. He listened to those who accused Him and rather than simply point back and say “no, YOU’RE the demons!”, He offered an explanation that would make people think. We must follow the path of patience He taught us in order to be part of His kingdom.
Heavenly Father, in Your love and wisdom You created us with diverse attributes and gifts, and free will to choose our actions. Help us to see that our selfishness leads to sin and death, and choose to follow the way You have set for us. Amen.
