Solving the problems one at a time Hunch 28
Then Jesus returned home, and again a crowd gathered, so that they were not even able to eat. And when his own people heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.”
In
a Nutshell
Jesus turned the tricky situation around by teaching by parables why the religious leaders were very wrong.
Questions
How did the parables relate to what the religious leaders were saying and the concerns of those from Jesus' home town?
Go back over this story. Mark tells us Jesus knew His friends were over-concerned. He knew the problem couldn't be solved easily. Those closest to a teacher are often the hardest to teach. So, what did He do?
Well, He didn't blow a fuse like we might have! To solve this tricky situation, He was able to relieve the situation by continuing His work as a teacher. His parables showed how fake the accusations of the religious leaders were and at the same time reassured His friends, helping them to see that He knew what He was doing. The religious leaders wanted to scare people. They seem to have thought that they could stir the crowd, and if many were hungry then they could easily become confused about why they were there. But Jesus had not called a fast.
Beelzebub, prince of all Ba'als, had been worshipped when the fertility gods ruled a long time back before Israel came into Canaan. Those who obtained their power from Beelzebub could not be true worshippers of the God of Israel. Jesus replied simply. He indicated that the God of Israel had not been bound. If you enter a strong man’s house to rob it and carry off his possessions you first have to tie up the strong man. To free people from slavery, means to break the slave owner's power. Division in any house destroys the household. Good is opposed to evil, and evil cannot be the source of good. Someone more powerful has to take charge. Jesus was arguing that the One who upheld Israel was still in charge. By answering in this way, He refuted the accusation of the religious leaders and encouraged His disciples by reminding them of the One who keep His promises, the same God of Israel who maintained His power over their lives.