9. CHRIST'S POWER TO Mark 3:22-27 (Matthew 12:22-37; Luke 11:14-22) 22 And the scribes that came down from Jerusalem--Scribes were wise men among the Jews, doubtless sent by those in authority to watch the movements of Jesus. They were his enemies and seeking to destroy his influence. Matthew gives a fuller report of this matter. (Matthew 12:22-29.) The leaders were a delegation of men from the religious sects at Jerusalem that finally put him to death. said, He hath Beelzebub,--The meaning is, he is possessed with Satan--Satan is with or in him, hence he has power over inferior evil spirits--he is in league with the devil. and, By the prince of the demons casteth he out the demons.--"The prince of the demons" was the captain--that is the chief ruler over all the devils. He was leader and commander over all the host of evil spirits. Hence he is called the devil. We can now see what use the scribes would have made of the testimony before borne to Jesus, by evil spirits (Ch. 1 :34; 3:12), if he had not rejected it; as well as the wisdom of Jesus in rejecting it. 23 And he called them unto him,--Those who had made the charge. Jesus, on this, as on other occasions, knew the thoughts of the Pharisees (Matthew 12:25), and now proposes to discuss it out with them and expose their reasoning. and said unto them in parables,--Parable means comparisons. It is commonly applied to our Lord's beautiful comparisons in the form of a narrative, but sometimes, as here, to comparisons simply stated without the form of a story. How can Satan cast out Satan?--Jesus begins his reply by asking a question which was not answered except by himself. The mere asking the question shows the absurdity and the impossibility of Satan fighting against his own agents and representatives. How can he fight against himself? To do this would be self-destructive. He would be fighting for God and against himself. [The scribes had said this to the people, not to him. Luke (11:17) says: "He, knowing their thoughts"--that is, by divine wisdom he read their thoughts, perceived what they were thinking, so he called them to him, and spoke in parables. He used the effect of such a division in a kingdom or family presented in succeeding verses to show how, if their statements were true, then Satan was destroying his own kingdom. To cast a demon out was to dispossess him of his home; was to destroy his power to serve Satan. Demons did harm only as they entered into and misled men. How could Satan cast them out?] 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.--He uses this as his first illustration to show them their folly in the charge they had made against him. If Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself and hath risen up against himself; "how then shall his kingdom stand?" In this way Satan himself "cannot stand, but hath an end." [If an earthly kingdom be divided against itself, one part destroying another part, that kingdom would weaken and waste itself so as to be not able to stand, be brought to desolation, as Matthew says (12:25.) Their subtle and cunning device was completely overthrown, and Jesus made their own arguments recoil on their own heads. Jesus does not teach that the kingdom of Satan is at peace with itself. It is a kingdom of anarchy, conflict, hate. But in its relation to the kingdom of God it stands a unit. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.--This is the second illustration used by Jesus to show the folly of the scribes. Here, the word "house" is used for family. A family divided against its own interest and existence will not be able to stand, for the reason it has no solid foundation upon which to stand. It is resting upon sand which will give way. [The welfare of every family, nation, or body of any kind depends upon its unity of purpose and harmony of action. A ruling head must be recognized. If discord prevails and faction fight against faction, ruin must come to the whole body.] 26 And if Satan hath risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.--Here our Lord applies what he has already said. [If he by the power of Satan was casting out demons, the subjects and servants of Satan, dislodging them from the homes they had secured to go forth as homeless wanderers through desert places (Matthew 12:43), then Satan in and through him was making war upon and destroying his own subjects; then he is so divided against himself that he cannot stand, but must come to an end. Matthew (12:27, 28) tells he made his further reply: "And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you." Some of their children claimed to cast out demons, and he made the thrust that "if I cast out demons by the power of Satan," they doubtless did also. The point he makes is, Satan would be foolish to so destroy his servants, and Satan has never been a fool. The weakness and ruin pictured here as produced by division in the household, the kingdoms of earth, or the kingdom of Satan, ought to warn Christians of the fearful weakness of division and strife in the church of Christ which so fearfully prevails, and ought to keep before Christians the important thought that union and harmony can be maintained in the church only by all accepting the things God has required, and rejecting every service not required by God in his holy word.] 27 But no one can enter into the house of the strong man, --The "strong man" is Satan. His house or palace is this lower world and the heart of man, the center of his work. These are his dwelling places. Satan, as well as Jesus, works and operates upon the heart. The human heart is the great battlefield. The future destiny of man depends upon which party succeeds in forcing the other out and gaining possession of the heart. and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.--The stronger than the "strong man" and who binds him is Christ. He first bound him when Satan endeavored to invade the heart of Jesus through his temptations and when he triumphed over the temptations. (Luke 11:21-22.) Here Jesus presses home one of his highest thoughts. [Jesus entered the heart of man, in which the subjects of Satan are fixed as their home, and has cast them out. Now, no man can enter a strong man's house (Satan is a strong man) and spoil his goods until he has first bound the strong man. If he binds him he shows he is stronger than the strong man. Jesus has done this with Satan, entered his house and bound him, and so shows he is stronger than he . Only God is stronger than Satan. Therefore he is God.] There is now, as there has ever been, no middle ground, between truth and error, right and wrong, true worship and vain worship. The fact that one endeavors to be noncommittal, "indifferent" or "on the fence," places him on the wrong side. If one is not actively engaged in the service of Christ, he is against Christ. One must work, climb up, and prove faithful until life ends to be saved; but he can be lost by doing nothing. He who does nothing is lost. But one of the most dangerous and despicable characters is he who identifies himself with God's true worshipers while he works subtly to undermine the truth and to advance false systems of worship.