A Strong Man
Preaching
Preaching the Parables
Series III, Cycle B
Object:
1. Text
... and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
"Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" -- for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
Mark tells that the crowds came together again and interrupted the family meal.
Second Point Of Action
Hearing their words accusing Jesus of having lost his mind, Jesus' family goes outside, trying to restrain him.
Third Point Of Action
The Jerusalem scribes say that Jesus casts out demons because he has the ruler of demons, Beelzebul.
Fourth Point Of Action
Calling "How can Satan cast out Satan?" to them, Jesus speaks in parables. Nothing that is divided against itself can stand -- not a kingdom, a house, or Satan. Jesus adds that Satan's end has come.
Fifth Point Of Action
Jesus then tells the people that no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying him up. Then they can plunder his house.
Sixth Point Of Action
He tells them a "truly." Truly, God will forgive them for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. Anyone who profanes the Holy Spirit, however, will never know forgiveness because that person who told Jesus he had an unclean spirit is guilty of an eternal sin.
Seventh Point Of Action
The crowd sitting around Jesus informs him that his mother, his sisters, and his brothers have come outside and are asking for him.
Eighth Point Of Action
Jesus responds with a question: "Who are my mother and my brothers?" He tells the crowd, "Here are my mother and my brothers!" Anyone who does God's will, he says, is his brother and sister and mother.
3. Spadework
Beelzebul
Beelzebul is evidence of the human need to give a name to evil and, by naming it as an entity, to give it a reality. The writers of Matthew and Luke parallel Mark in naming Beelzebul the chief of the devils in today's parable: "And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons' " (Mark 3:22). Matthew and Luke also call Beelzebul "the ruler of the demons." (See Matthew 12:27 and Luke 11:15ff.)
When faced with difficult decisions, one must choose one's source of power to call upon, the positive force of God or the negative force of a Beelzebul. Those who did not understand that Christ's responsibilities and mission as the Son of God were from God gave his actions to the negative power called Beelzebul. (See Luke 11:18-19; Matthew 10:25; 12:24.) Appearing only in the synoptic gospels, the name assigned to the ruler of evil is Beelzebul. Beelzebul is to God what the Satan being is to Yahweh, the name for God in Hebrew Scripture.
Satan. The God of the Hebrews held conversations with Satan. (See Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; and Zechariah 3:1-2.) The first mention of Satan in the Hebrew Scripture tells of Satan's standing up against Israel and his inciting David to take a census. (See 1 Chronicles 21:1.)
The first chapter of Job summarizes the story of an upright person whose faith has never been challenged. Satan challenges God to let him test Job's integrity. The writer of Job enjoyed this conversation between God and Satan so much that he repeated its initial section word for word in the second chapter, wherein the saga of 41 chapters commences its unfolding. (See Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-8.)
In Job, God is in charge, in that God gives qualified permission to Satan to test Job. In their conversation in the second chapter, God concedes that Satan had "incited [God] against [Job], to destroy him for no reason" (Job 2:3). Further, God gives Satan power to proceed beyond God's initial restriction and to touch Job's body, but to spare Job's life.
In Zechariah, God's conversation with Satan at the time of Joshua's appointment holds no negotiation. While Satan stands to the right of the high priest, Joshua is ready to accuse him before God, God dismisses Satan: "And the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this man a brand plucked from the fire?' " (Zechariah 3:2).
In the Matthean parallel story of the temptation of Christ by the devil, God presents pleasure in Christ with a blessing: "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). "Then [immediately] Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matthew 4:1ff). Because Matthew, also Luke (See Luke 4:1ff.), said Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness," noting Spirit in the upper case, one might suppose that God also had given the nod to the devil in this temptation. The devil prefaces each test of Christ with these words: "If you are the Son of God, [then do this]." In each counter response, Christ relies upon the strength of the core teaching of scripture. (See Luke 4:1-13 and Matthew 4:1-11.) Mark 1:13 mentions the temptations without elaboration.
In the internal dialogue of struggle for integrity that these tests portray, the devil initiates each conversation. Christ also talks to the devil, but in a tone that differs from God's conversations in the Hebrew Scripture. Jesus sends the devil away: "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him' " (Matthew 4:10). Christ refuses either to negotiate with the negative energy of the lower forces or to succumb to misusing the power that God gave him. While Christ does not obliterate temptation, for now, evil energy no longer dangles the power of self-aggrandizement. The devil "departed from him until an opportune time" (Luke 4:13).
Jesus severely called Peter on his rebuke when Peter turned away from him: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things" (Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33). Later, Christ needed to speak to Simon Peter again and to warn all of the disciples of their difficult task:
You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. And he said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!" Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me."
-- Luke 22:28-34
Writers of Luke and John credit Satan for causing Judas to betray Jesus: "Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve" (Luke 22:3); "The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him" (John 13:2); and "After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, 'Do quickly what you are going to do' " (John 13:27). Mystery surrounds one who would say, as Jesus did, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning" (Luke 10:18). Other gospel references to Satan include Mark 3:23, 26; 4:15; and Luke 13:16.
Early Christians learned that it is possible to be stronger than the evil forces in life. At Saul's conversion, Christ appointed Saul to help in the struggle to overcome them. He sent Paul to the people "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26:18). As difficult, yet satisfactory, as his journey was, Paul held his physical abilities within this perspective: "Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated" (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Throughout Paul's writings, his hope continued that God would prevail:
"The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (Romans 16:20);
"[Y]ou are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 5:5); and
"Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control" (1 Corinthians 7:5).
Paul understood about the ease of succumbing to lesser ways. Wisdom and discernment open the eye to evil's ways or, better, to our temptation to scapegoat our lack of responsibility for the actions of the darker side of humankind. He wrote: "By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme" (1 Timothy 1:19-20). For other Pauline words about Satan, see 2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; and 1 Timothy 5:15.
Twice, the book of Revelation mentions an interesting metaphor, a synagogue of Satan: "I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan" (Revelation 2:9) and "I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying -- I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you" (Revelation 3:9). Other references include Revelation 2:13, 24; 12:9; 20:2, 7.
Blasphemes/Blasphemy
To blaspheme is to dishonor God, to speak of God in an irreverent manner, to profane by desecrating or defiling what is holy. Upset that three Hebrews whom he had sent to govern Babylon were determined to remain faithful to the Hebrew God and to not worship the king's golden idols, the furious Nebuchadnezzar tossed the men into a furnace heated to seven times the usual degree. He commanded them to "Show me what your God will do then." Consequently, the convinced king wasted no time in reassigning Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who survived without a scorch.
So convinced also was the king of God's power that he decreed that no one should tamper in any way with these men: "Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way" (Daniel 3:29). And so, was the concept of blasphemy first spoken that late in the Hebrew Scripture? No, its verb form, blaspheme, was active at least as early as the time of Leviticus and Ezekiel.
While 218 of the 234 biblical phrases using "the name" include "the name of," "the Name of," capitalized, occurs only in Leviticus and is in tandem with blasphemy: "The Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name in a curse. And they brought him to Moses ..." who told them that "anyone who curses God shall bear the sin. One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death" (Leviticus 24:15-16). (See Leviticus 24:10-23.)
The Prophet Ezekiel reminded his listeners that the early Hebrews had "blasphemed [God] by dealing treacherously with God," offering their gifts upon the idols of "any high hill or [by] any leafy tree" (Ezekiel 20:27-28). The commandments of the one God are not for negotiation: "When you offer your gifts and make your children pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord God, I will not be consulted by you" (Ezekiel 20:31). The first commandment holds: "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name" (Exodus 20:7).
Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, and John, took up the word, blasphemer, placing it in the taunts of Jesus' persecutors. At least twice, Christ's antagonists attempted to stone him for blasphemy. The first occurred when he told them that he had existed before Abraham. Christ hid then escaped from the temple. (See John 8:59.) The second attempt to stone him followed his response when asked if he were the Messiah. "He answered, 'The Father and I are one.' The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, 'I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?' The Jews answered, 'It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God' " (John 10:30-33).
Later, and of note in 1 Timothy 1:13, is mentioned that the speaker of the letter was given mercy as a blasphemer because he "had acted ignorantly in unbelief." Loopholes of understanding in the strict rule may have been available to those accused of blasphemy.
In the gospel writings also, the first commandment still holds: "Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven" (Matthew 12:31). See also Luke 12:10 as well as the more explicit words of Mark 3:29, "but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."
This uproar was prompted by Jesus' accusers after Christ healed a man of paralysis, telling him his sins were forgiven: "Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 'Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?' " (Mark 2:6-7). Christ's opponents had found their entrée.
Later, with Christ before the high priest, they won the round:
"Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, 'We heard him say, "I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands." ' But even on this point their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, 'Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?' But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?' Jesus said, 'I am; and "you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power," and "coming with the clouds of heaven." ' " (See Daniel 7:13-14.)
"Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, 'Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?' All of them condemned him as deserving death" (Mark 14:55-64). See also Matthew 26:57-68.
For further mention of blaspheme, see also Acts 19:37, 26:11; Romans 2:24; 1 Timothy 1:13, 20; 6:1; James 2:7; and 1 Peter 4:4.
Demons
"Demons are lively things." "Things?" "Yes, things, entities of some sort." "But things we cannot touch, we can tell only the effect of a demon. I suppose to say demons are lively beings would be the better term." "You want to give them personality?" So a conversation might proceed. According to Greek mythology, a demon is an inferior deity, a spirit with divine power, a persistent and tormenting force.
Gospel writers recognized the belief of demons by including them in the healing stories of Christ. Christ chided the fickle crowds for their ease at using the term, "He has a demon": "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon'; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' " (Luke 7:33-34). See also Matthew 11:18.
Those who did not understand what Jesus was about, or who understood too well and knew how to play the crowds accused him of being in the possession of a demon. Jesus asked the temple officials, " 'So why are you trying to kill me?' The crowd answered, 'You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?' " (John 7:20). Jesus said he did not have a demon: "The Jews answered him, 'Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?' Jesus answered, 'I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me' " (John 8:48-49).
He could not, however, convince them otherwise: "The Jews said to him, 'Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, "Whoever keeps my word will never taste death" ' " (John 8:52). Still, some people believed Christ's power: "Many of them were saying, 'He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?' Others were saying, 'These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?' " (John 10:20-21).
People in the days of Christ thought that a controlling demon inside a person caused seizures, blindness, being mute, and other illnesses: The Canaanite woman told Jesus, "My daughter is tormented by a demon" (Matthew 15:22). See also Mark 7:26. The demon "had thrown [the sick man] down before them" (Luke 4:35); "For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds" (Luke 8:29); "While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions" (Luke 9:42).
In telling the story of the boy with epilepsy, the writer of Matthew said, "And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly." (See Matthew 17:14-18.) Some form of action accompanies the mention of demons. The present text speaks of "casting out" demons. (See Matthew 9:33; Mark 3:22; 7:26, and Luke 11:15.)
The power of Jesus was stronger than the demon:
"But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out of him!' When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm" (Luke 4:35);
"[F]or Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man" (Luke 8:29);
"But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father" (Luke 9:42);
"Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed" (Luke 11:14);
"After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, 'Never has anything like this been seen in Israel' " (Matthew 9:32-33);
"And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly" (Matthew 17:18); and
"Then he said to her, 'For saying that, you may go -- the demon has left your daughter.' So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone" (Mark 7:29-30).
While many people did not recognize Jesus as Christ, the "unclean demon" whose spirit tormented the ill man in the synagogue not only acknowledged that Christ has power over a demon but called him "the Holy One of God." (See Luke 4:33-34.) Although Mark does not speak about the kingdom of God in the present parable, writers of Matthew and Luke make a connection between Christ's power to cast out demons and the kingdom of God: "If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you" (Matthew 12:27-28). See also Luke 11:14-23, noting that Luke uses "the finger of God" where Matthew uses "the Spirit of God."
While only six of the 74 occasions in which "demon" or its derivatives occur is in the Hebrew Scripture, one is in a Psalm: "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons" (Psalm 106:37). Another "demon" term, "goat-demon," occurs several times in the Hebrew Scriptures. The term was mentioned in the same breath as wildcats and hyenas in the destruction of Babylon: "Wildcats shall meet with hyenas, goat-demons shall call to each other; there too Lilith shall repose, and find a place to rest" (Isaiah 13:21). Moses sang about those who abandoned God and offered their sacrifices to goat-demons "and deities they had never known." He taught them to bring their sacrifices to God. See Moses' Song in Deuteronomy 32:1ff.
Among the rules of sacrifice given in Leviticus, the priest was to "dash the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and turn the fat into smoke as a pleasing odor to the Lord, so that they may no longer offer their sacrifices for goat-demons, to whom they prostitute themselves. This shall be a statute forever to them throughout their generations" (Leviticus 17:6-7).
The historian related how "[t]he Levites had left their common lands and their holdings and had come to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had prevented them from serving as priests of the Lord, and had appointed his own priests for the high places, and for the goat-demons, and for the calves that he had made" (2 Chronicles 11:14-15).
Divided Against Itself
Only so much soul energy is available to go around. That spent on the internal turmoil depletes the supply of energy accessible for positive action and brings on the desert of emotional exhaustion and weakness. Whether the division exists within one individual who cannot get a life together, the dynamics of a broken or blended family that refuses to reach a unity of peaceable co-existence, a community or leaders flush with the animosity of competitive leadership, a legislature that finds sport in lack of productive communication, or a world whose nations refuse to reap the benefits of wholehearted cooperation, not one of these bodies of people can know strength. Conversely, when integrity of purpose and effort exist, no external force can deplete that strength.
All three synoptic gospels speak of this desolation. Matthew describes it as being "laid waste" and incapable of standing. (See Matthew 12:25.) Today's parable also says that such a kingdom or house "cannot stand." (See Mark 3:24-25.) Luke describes this internal division as becoming "a desert" with house falling on house. (See Luke 11:17.)
Of 91 references to "divide," the gospel writings contain fifteen. Only Luke and John make reference to "division": "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!" (Luke 12:51) and "So there was a division in the crowd because of him" (John 7:43). With the exception of four verses in the Pauline letters, most of the other 44 references to division relate to military groupings.
The story of Rebekah's birth of Esau and Jacob suggests an inherent nature of discord and division: "And the Lord said to [Rebekah], 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger' " (Genesis 25:23).
However, households or families also intentionally divided members for safety and survival: "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies" (Genesis 32:7) and "Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids" (Genesis 33:1). Families also divided and shared food supplies as necessary: "If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it" (Exodus 12:4).
In the telling and retelling, Hebrew writers applaud the story of the parting of the sea: "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided" (Exodus 14:21). See also Nehemiah 9:11; Psalm 74:13; 78:13; 136:13; and Isaiah 63:12.
Was the division of people part of the divine plan, or was the divine plan an explanation for the nature of humankind: "When the Most High apportioned the nations, when he divided humankind, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the gods" (Deuteronomy 32:8). How did the lengthy history of military divisions (Genesis 14:15; Judges 7:16; Judges 9:43; and 2 Samuel 18:2) and political divisions (Genesis 10:25; 1 Kings 16:21; 18:6; Chronicles 1:19; and Isaiah 33:23) that stole the focus of writers of the Hebrew Scriptures interface with the primary message of the Old Testament as a story of God's hope for humankind?
The Hebrew people knew well the imagery of a kingdom divided against itself. It is their history. Ezekiel works his poetic finesse in expressing the hope of reunion of Israel and Judah: "Thus says the Lord God: I am about to take the stick of Joseph (which is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with it; and I will put the stick of Judah upon it, and make them one stick, in order that they may be one in my hand" (Ezekiel 37:19) and "I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms" (Ezekiel 37:22).
Daniel predicted the rising of a warrior king in Persia: "And while still rising in power, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted and go to others besides these" (Daniel 11:4). See also 2:41 and 5:28.
Speaking to Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia at the time of the restoration, God spoke through Joel, "I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there, on account of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations. They have divided my land" (Joel 3:2).
In the gospel writings, where fifteen of the 91 references to "divide" appear, Luke uses it most, seven times. Synoptic parallels include Matthew 12:25; 27:35; and Mark 3:24; 6:41; 15:24. Christ modeled the positive division of sharing: "Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, 'Take this and divide it among yourselves' " (Luke 22:17) and "Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all" (Mark 6:41).
"Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus] 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me' " (Luke 12:13). In the parable of the prodigal sons that follows, the father divided his property between them. (See Luke 15:12ff.) Luke also speaks of the victor dividing the plunder. (See Luke 11:22.)
Of equal import with Luke's parallel to the present parable on kingdoms and homes divided (Luke 11:17-18) is his detailed record of the divisions to come within households: "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law" (Luke 12:51-53). See also Matthew 10:34-42.
Even the clothing of the crucified one was divided: "And when they had crucified him, [the soldiers of the governor] divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots" (Matthew 27:35, also Mark 15:24) and "When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, 'Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.' This was to fulfill what the scripture says, 'They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots' " (John 19:23-24).
John calls to mind passages from the Hebrew Scripture: "[T]hey divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots" (Psalm 22:17-18) and "You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it may not be torn" (Exodus 28:31-32).
Those who did not understand what Christ was about became divided, argued over his identity and his authority, and began the tearing apart:
"So there was a division in the crowd because of him" (John 7:43);
"Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.' But others said, 'How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?' And they were divided" (John 8:16); and
"Again the Jews were divided because of these words" (John 10:19).
Eternal Sin
In scripture are "eternal mountains" (Genesis 49:26 and Habakkuk 3:6), "eternal home" (Ecclesiastes 12:5 and Luke 16:9), "an eternal gospel" (Revelation 14:6), "eternal dishonor" (Jeremiah 20:11), and talk scattered throughout the Pauline letters of eternal comfort, destruction, power, weight of glory, purpose, destruction, dominion, glory, salvation, judgment, redemption, inheritance, covenant, kingdom, chains, eternal Spirit, and eternal God. Except for their drawing us to the hereafter and to existence without time, they proffer little clarification of the sole biblical reference to "eternal sin" founding the present Markan parable.
Gospel writers speak often, 23 times, of "eternal life." John mentions "eternal life" on fifteen occasions. Matthew and Luke use it three times and Mark, twice. Matthew juxtaposes eternal life with eternal punishment: "And these [who do not treat the most lowly as if they were Christ himself] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46).
Matthew also refers to "eternal fire": "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire" (Matthew 18:8) and "Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels' " (Matthew 25:41). So also does Jude's reminding mention eternal fire as a highly undesirable state of being: "Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire" (Jude 1:7). It is fear and trembling time.
In the present passage, Jesus assures with one of his deepest "truly I tell you" utterances that God will forgive us for our sins and even for whatever blasphemies we utter. However, according to Mark's words of Christ, even the God of love has a limit. That limit is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. (See vv. 28-29.) Those persons are "guilty of an eternal sin" -- for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit' " (vv. 29-30). This is serious stuff for those who "merely" connived to be rid of their biggest threat. That must have caused those who had not yet connected Jesus' Spirit with the Holy Spirit to take note. Love is also justice.
The parallel passage from Luke 12:1-12 is no less severe. No hypocrisy of the Pharisees, "whispered behind closed doors" (or spoken to the face, as in the Markan version) "will not be uncovered" (Luke 12:2). The killing of the body is nothing compared to coming before the one who has "authority to cast into hell" (Luke 12:5). Jesus said, "[W]hoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven" (Luke 12:9-10).
Those are strong words from the forgiving God of love to people who would have to live out the rest of their lives with themselves. Sounds as if enough was enough for Jesus, or did he want them to know with clarity that while they could of course kill his body: "But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered" (Mark 3:27), nothing ultimately could either scare his wits out of him or touch his enduring spirit?
Does Matthew's image above of eternal fire equal that of eternal sin? Eternal may be the strongest word to assign to a state of being stuck without beginning or end, or a seemingly endless and long time. The eternal present of seeming inability to break out of a cycle of sinning, particularly when the transgressor holds responsibility, is also a fear and trembling time, even now when we think we can absent ourselves from personal responsibility on any variety of levels.
Rather than a place, is eternal sin what can or does happen when the "I" rather than God is at the core of our life? Deliberate disregard for and disobedience of what we know is the will of God throws us into the chaos of being estranged from God. This resultant empty, meaningless, unsatisfying, thing-centered life kills the soul in a manner analogous to the endless circle of any other relational abuse that eventually also kills the soul of both the victim and perpetrator if not somehow interrupted with hope.
Out Of His Mind
A few of the 267 biblical phrases containing "mind" include to call to mind (Deuteronomy 30:1 and Psalm 77:11); a change of mind (Exodus 32:12, 14; Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Jonah 3:9; and Matthew 21:29); confusion of mind (Deuteronomy 28:28); a deluded mind (Isaiah 44:20); a discerning mind (1 Kings 3:13); in mind (Genesis 37:11; Exodus 10:10; 1 Samuel 2:35; and 2 Samuel 7:3); keep in mind (Psalm 78:42); on your mind (1 Samuel 9:19); a perturbed mind (2 Kings 6:11); perverted mind (Proverbs 6:14; 12:8); a reeling mind (Isaiah 21:4); in his right mind (Mark 5:15 and Luke 8:35); set the mind (1 Chronicles 22:19; Daniel 11:17; and Matthew 16:23); of a single mind (1 Chronicles 12:38; 28:9; 29:9, 19); slip from the mind (Deuteronomy 4:9); a steadfast mind (Isaiah 26:3); "test my heart and mind" (Psalm 31:12 and Jeremiah 18:8a); a tranquil mind (Proverbs 14:30); an understanding mind (1 Kings 3:9); wise mind (Ecclesiastes 8:5); and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37).
To say that one is out of one's mind is a handy way to discredit or invalidate another person. In the gospel writings, only two references speak of someone being out of one's mind, that in the present parable, "When [Christ's] family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, 'He has gone out of his mind' " (Mark 3:21) and the later, "Many of them were saying, 'He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?' Others were saying, 'These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?' " (John 10:20-21). Both refer to the words of Jesus' opponents and the division of the people.
Of related interest to our work is the following passage about one who fashions idols and false gods: "He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself or say, 'Is not this thing in my right hand a fraud?' " (Isaiah 44:20).
Several passages from Acts and 1 Corinthians refer to the exclamation, "You are out of your mind!" When Mary told the disciples about the open tomb, "They said to her, 'You are out of your mind!' But she insisted that it was so. They said, 'It is his angel' " (Acts 12:15). As Paul defended his mission before King Agrippa and the military tribune, "Festus exclaimed, 'You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane!' " (Acts 26:24). Paul countered, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth" (Acts 26:25).
In both the letters to the Corinthians, Paul alludes to this history: "If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your mind?" (1 Corinthians 14:23); "Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more; for some people have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame" (1 Corinthians 15:34); and "For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you" (2 Corinthians 5:13).
Satan Cast(s) Out Satan
This phrase, pointed to the unstable nature of an evil force that divides not only others but its own efforts, appears only in the present passage and its Matthean parallel: "And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, 'How can Satan cast out Satan?' " (Mark 3:23) and "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:26).
Unclean Spirit
From the multiple gospel stories about unclean spirit couching the issue of Christ's authority to the ultimate attempt to discredit Jesus with the accusation found in the present parable, "He has an unclean spirit" (Mark 3:30), the ethereal "unclean spirit" plays out its role.
With the exception of two references in Acts and the passage below from the Hebrew Scripture, only the gospel writings speak about "unclean spirit." In his oracle describing God's taking charge, the Prophet Zechariah said: "On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more; and also I will remove from the land the prophets and the unclean spirit" (Zechariah 13:1-2).
So began the talk of unclean spirits. Of the four times that the writer of Mark refers to the indefinite, an unclean spirit, three relate to ill persons. The fourth, which is in the present parable, refers to Jesus. In the healing stories, Mark follows this initial mention of an unclean spirit with "the unclean spirit."
Equating "unclean spirit" with "demon," Mark describes the healing of the little girl "with an unclean spirit" as "the demon has left [her]" and as "she went home ... the demon gone." (See Mark 7:25-30.) Mark suggests that a single unclean spirit is speaking, shouting out, through the ill man in the synagogue. He describes the unclean spirit as "convulsing and crying with a loud voice." In the process of healing, it "came out of him." (See Mark 1:23-27.)
Again, in Mark 5:2, the sick spirit came to Jesus. In this healing story about the man whose brain illness was so severe that no restraint could contain him, Jesus commands "the unclean spirit" to "come out of" the man. He then learns that not one but many "unclean spirits" are involved.
In this story, Jesus negotiates with "the unclean spirits," granting their request to be sent into the swine rather than "out of the country," whereupon they drown when the swine rush into the sea. (See Mark 5:1-13 and Luke 8:27-32.) However mocking the unclean spirits were before Jesus, "Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, 'You are the Son of God!' " (Mark 3:11), Mark presents them as holding that awareness as a power over Jesus, "But [Jesus] sternly ordered them not to make him known" (Mark 3:12).
In a fifth Markan healing story, a man brings Jesus his epileptic son with "a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid" (Mark 9:17-18). Again, Jesus speaks directly to "the unclean spirit," "You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!" (Mark 9:25). See also Luke 9:37-43.
As an addendum, when his disciples ask later why they had not the power to "cast it out" of the child, Jesus tells them, "This kind can come out only through prayer" (Mark 9:28-29). Jesus had given his disciples "authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness" (Matthew 10:1 and Mark 6:7).
Even while knowing the beliefs of the day about cause of illness, including the Hebrew assignment of illness as recompense for a sinful life or that of one's parents; let us consider here the subtle distinction that the commas within the passage bring to an interpretation. Might this passage also be read, "Authority to cast out unclean spirits and also to cure every disease and every sickness"? Note also the wording in Mark 1:32-34.
Again, in a non-gospel reference to unclean spirits, one finds this slight, yet important, distinction between "the sick" and "those tormented by unclean spirits" in Acts 5:16: "A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured." Might this also be read, "All were cured, both who were sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits"?
In a later time with a slightly more sophisticated understanding of illness, John tells the story about the healing of the congenitally blind man. Here the disciples ask Christ whose sin, the man's or his parents', had caused his blindness. "Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him' " (John 9:3). Again, when the healed man responds to the conjecture that Christ had sinned, the man answers what is important, the truth that he knows about Christ, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25).1 In short, full understanding is not prerequisite to either belief or trust.
At least one point of these stories is Jesus' wanting people to be well. He does not hesitate to assist that process. Another point, Christ has power over what was then so baffling to people that they called the illness being possessed by a demon. How powerful and how threatening this Jesus was: "They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, 'What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!' " (Luke 4:36). See also Mark 1:26.
Is a third point, suggested by the next passage, a query? Certainly, the folk of biblical time appeared to believe that unclean spirits or demons were floating around everywhere just waiting to bring chaos into their minds, bodies, and spirits. By acknowledging the presence of unclean spirits, Christ seemed to share this explanation for some of the knottier illnesses. At any rate, the stigma of serious brain disorders has been as hampered by ancient interpretation as that of blindness. At least in the Gospel of John, Jesus dispels any connection between sin and blindness. Both are on the mend today.
With his "So it will be also" in the following passage, Jesus again slips into parable, taking the powerful metaphor of the unclean spirit further: "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation" (Matthew 12:43-45). See also Luke 11:24-26.
4. Parallel Scriptures
Beelzebul
The writer of Mark quoted the scribes while the writer of Matthew quoted the Pharisees. The scribes said, "He [Jesus] has Beelzebul" (Mark 3:22); the Pharisees said, "It is only by Beelzebul" (Matthew 12:24). The scribes emphasized the power of Beelzebul, saying "and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons" (Mark 3:22). The Pharisees emphasized Beelzebul's power by following the name "Beelzebul" with the direct identifier, "ruler of the demons," set between commas. The Pharisees emphasized that "It is only by Beelzebul" that Christ could heal. The scribes said, "He [Christ] casts out the demons" but the Pharisees said, "This fellow casts out the demons."
Internal Division
Mark says, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand" (Mark 3:24) while Matthew says, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste" (Matthew 12:25). Luke says, "Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert" (Luke 11:17).
Matthew continues in the same sentence, "and no city or house divided against itself will stand" while Mark starts a new sentence, albeit beginning with "And": "And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand" (Mark 3:25). Luke says, "and house falls on house" (Luke 11:17).
Who Is My Mother, And Who Are My Brothers?
In Luke the setting is Jesus in a great crowd with his disciples. Jesus is telling parables. With a transition of "Then," his family attempts to approach him. The entire passage is three verses in length. The introduction verse reads, "Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd" (Luke 8:19).
Mark also uses the transitional "Then": "Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him" (Mark 3:31). Only Matthew suggests there was an interruption: "While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him" (Matthew 12:46).
In Mark, the crowd tells Jesus, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you" (Mark 3:32). In Matthew, "Someone told him, 'Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you' " (Matthew 12:47). Luke says, "And he was told, 'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you' " (Luke 8:20).
In Matthew and Mark, Jesus responds to the statement of the crowd with a question: "But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' " (Matthew 12:48). Mark says, "And he replied, 'Who are my mother and my brothers?' And looking at those who sat around him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers!' " (Mark 3:33-34).
Luke does not preface with a question but simply says, "But he said to them, 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it' " (Luke 8:21). After the initial question, Mark says, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35). After the question, Luke says, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it" (Luke 8:19). Matthew says, "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:50).
5. Chat Room
Reader A:
Blasphemy and blaspheming,
Demons and demonic possession,
unclean spirits,
Satan,
the devil,
eternal sin,
kingdoms and households divided against themselves,
out of one's mind,
evil,
and awful old Beelzebul.
Reader B: What on earth does that outmoded stuff and the imagery from an outmoded society have to do with Century 2000? Those dramatic threats no longer scare the wits out of me. That talk with different rules and ways does not speak to today.
Reader C: Obsolete? So check out the tally of Internet web page links on the nineteenth day of eighth month of fourth year of millennium two:
Demon Links: 2,268,016
Demon worship: 85,756
Demonism: 2,612
Devil: 3,727,616
Devil worship: 239,945
Evil: 7,569,429
Satan: 1,439,867
Satan worship: 234,590
Satanic worship: 46,668
Satanism: 71,812
Reader A: Shivers me like a 9/11 list.
Reader B: Like the nightly silent names of war dead, one by one by one.
Reader A: Like something moldy is alive and well.
Reader C: What about discrediting, discrediting, and more discrediting,
Threat and threat and threat,
Constant one-upping and upping,
Always present tantalizing, temptations of choice between negative and positive forces,
Road-greed, money-greed, power-greed,
The urge to play war like a game
In bedrooms, on play yards, with world geography?
Reader B: C'mon. I suppose you are going to blame the devil on meanness, sniping, jealousy, and competition. Where does movement from immaturity to maturity come in? What about common, natural instinct? How about the nature of being human? Do these count for nothing?
Reader A: This is a most difficult parable. I shy away from Beelzebul talk, Satan talk, eternal sin talk, from demon talk, and even unclean spirit talk. Does everything good in this world have its evil counterpart? We cannot focus on hope and despair at the same time. We allow fear to undermine what is possible.
Reader B: Then what do we call the negative, harmful forces in our lives? We give human attributes to God because it helps us to understand the force of good. It brings God closer to us. God sent God in the form of a human being so we could comprehend the depth of God's love, sustenance, and providence.
Reader C: Is not that just the point? The choice is ours to focus our energy on the positive influences and not get ourselves bogged down by the plentitude of negative ones, no matter what we assign as their source.
Reader A: Yet do you not know that nagging wonder about it all -- the tempting and testing, the injustices that do not seem to improve -- that a bad power might lurk just above, or is it just below, our consciousness and to tug at the virtues of having a good conscience?
Reader C: Sure, but that is why I pay attention to my conscience and let it tug me toward my higher values.
Reader B: The First Commandment still holds. That is my bottom line. By the way, any God links?
Reader C: God links, nineteenth day of eighth month of fourth year of millennium two:
19,049,957!
____________
1. For further discussion see "The Man Born Blind" in Dallas A. Brauninger, Preaching the Miracles, Cycle A, Series II (Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing Company), 1998.
... and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
"Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" -- for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
Mark tells that the crowds came together again and interrupted the family meal.
Second Point Of Action
Hearing their words accusing Jesus of having lost his mind, Jesus' family goes outside, trying to restrain him.
Third Point Of Action
The Jerusalem scribes say that Jesus casts out demons because he has the ruler of demons, Beelzebul.
Fourth Point Of Action
Calling "How can Satan cast out Satan?" to them, Jesus speaks in parables. Nothing that is divided against itself can stand -- not a kingdom, a house, or Satan. Jesus adds that Satan's end has come.
Fifth Point Of Action
Jesus then tells the people that no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying him up. Then they can plunder his house.
Sixth Point Of Action
He tells them a "truly." Truly, God will forgive them for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. Anyone who profanes the Holy Spirit, however, will never know forgiveness because that person who told Jesus he had an unclean spirit is guilty of an eternal sin.
Seventh Point Of Action
The crowd sitting around Jesus informs him that his mother, his sisters, and his brothers have come outside and are asking for him.
Eighth Point Of Action
Jesus responds with a question: "Who are my mother and my brothers?" He tells the crowd, "Here are my mother and my brothers!" Anyone who does God's will, he says, is his brother and sister and mother.
3. Spadework
Beelzebul
Beelzebul is evidence of the human need to give a name to evil and, by naming it as an entity, to give it a reality. The writers of Matthew and Luke parallel Mark in naming Beelzebul the chief of the devils in today's parable: "And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons' " (Mark 3:22). Matthew and Luke also call Beelzebul "the ruler of the demons." (See Matthew 12:27 and Luke 11:15ff.)
When faced with difficult decisions, one must choose one's source of power to call upon, the positive force of God or the negative force of a Beelzebul. Those who did not understand that Christ's responsibilities and mission as the Son of God were from God gave his actions to the negative power called Beelzebul. (See Luke 11:18-19; Matthew 10:25; 12:24.) Appearing only in the synoptic gospels, the name assigned to the ruler of evil is Beelzebul. Beelzebul is to God what the Satan being is to Yahweh, the name for God in Hebrew Scripture.
Satan. The God of the Hebrews held conversations with Satan. (See Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; and Zechariah 3:1-2.) The first mention of Satan in the Hebrew Scripture tells of Satan's standing up against Israel and his inciting David to take a census. (See 1 Chronicles 21:1.)
The first chapter of Job summarizes the story of an upright person whose faith has never been challenged. Satan challenges God to let him test Job's integrity. The writer of Job enjoyed this conversation between God and Satan so much that he repeated its initial section word for word in the second chapter, wherein the saga of 41 chapters commences its unfolding. (See Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-8.)
In Job, God is in charge, in that God gives qualified permission to Satan to test Job. In their conversation in the second chapter, God concedes that Satan had "incited [God] against [Job], to destroy him for no reason" (Job 2:3). Further, God gives Satan power to proceed beyond God's initial restriction and to touch Job's body, but to spare Job's life.
In Zechariah, God's conversation with Satan at the time of Joshua's appointment holds no negotiation. While Satan stands to the right of the high priest, Joshua is ready to accuse him before God, God dismisses Satan: "And the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this man a brand plucked from the fire?' " (Zechariah 3:2).
In the Matthean parallel story of the temptation of Christ by the devil, God presents pleasure in Christ with a blessing: "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). "Then [immediately] Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matthew 4:1ff). Because Matthew, also Luke (See Luke 4:1ff.), said Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness," noting Spirit in the upper case, one might suppose that God also had given the nod to the devil in this temptation. The devil prefaces each test of Christ with these words: "If you are the Son of God, [then do this]." In each counter response, Christ relies upon the strength of the core teaching of scripture. (See Luke 4:1-13 and Matthew 4:1-11.) Mark 1:13 mentions the temptations without elaboration.
In the internal dialogue of struggle for integrity that these tests portray, the devil initiates each conversation. Christ also talks to the devil, but in a tone that differs from God's conversations in the Hebrew Scripture. Jesus sends the devil away: "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him' " (Matthew 4:10). Christ refuses either to negotiate with the negative energy of the lower forces or to succumb to misusing the power that God gave him. While Christ does not obliterate temptation, for now, evil energy no longer dangles the power of self-aggrandizement. The devil "departed from him until an opportune time" (Luke 4:13).
Jesus severely called Peter on his rebuke when Peter turned away from him: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things" (Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33). Later, Christ needed to speak to Simon Peter again and to warn all of the disciples of their difficult task:
You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. And he said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!" Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me."
-- Luke 22:28-34
Writers of Luke and John credit Satan for causing Judas to betray Jesus: "Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve" (Luke 22:3); "The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him" (John 13:2); and "After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, 'Do quickly what you are going to do' " (John 13:27). Mystery surrounds one who would say, as Jesus did, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning" (Luke 10:18). Other gospel references to Satan include Mark 3:23, 26; 4:15; and Luke 13:16.
Early Christians learned that it is possible to be stronger than the evil forces in life. At Saul's conversion, Christ appointed Saul to help in the struggle to overcome them. He sent Paul to the people "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26:18). As difficult, yet satisfactory, as his journey was, Paul held his physical abilities within this perspective: "Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated" (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Throughout Paul's writings, his hope continued that God would prevail:
"The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (Romans 16:20);
"[Y]ou are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 5:5); and
"Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control" (1 Corinthians 7:5).
Paul understood about the ease of succumbing to lesser ways. Wisdom and discernment open the eye to evil's ways or, better, to our temptation to scapegoat our lack of responsibility for the actions of the darker side of humankind. He wrote: "By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme" (1 Timothy 1:19-20). For other Pauline words about Satan, see 2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; and 1 Timothy 5:15.
Twice, the book of Revelation mentions an interesting metaphor, a synagogue of Satan: "I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan" (Revelation 2:9) and "I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying -- I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you" (Revelation 3:9). Other references include Revelation 2:13, 24; 12:9; 20:2, 7.
Blasphemes/Blasphemy
To blaspheme is to dishonor God, to speak of God in an irreverent manner, to profane by desecrating or defiling what is holy. Upset that three Hebrews whom he had sent to govern Babylon were determined to remain faithful to the Hebrew God and to not worship the king's golden idols, the furious Nebuchadnezzar tossed the men into a furnace heated to seven times the usual degree. He commanded them to "Show me what your God will do then." Consequently, the convinced king wasted no time in reassigning Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who survived without a scorch.
So convinced also was the king of God's power that he decreed that no one should tamper in any way with these men: "Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way" (Daniel 3:29). And so, was the concept of blasphemy first spoken that late in the Hebrew Scripture? No, its verb form, blaspheme, was active at least as early as the time of Leviticus and Ezekiel.
While 218 of the 234 biblical phrases using "the name" include "the name of," "the Name of," capitalized, occurs only in Leviticus and is in tandem with blasphemy: "The Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name in a curse. And they brought him to Moses ..." who told them that "anyone who curses God shall bear the sin. One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death" (Leviticus 24:15-16). (See Leviticus 24:10-23.)
The Prophet Ezekiel reminded his listeners that the early Hebrews had "blasphemed [God] by dealing treacherously with God," offering their gifts upon the idols of "any high hill or [by] any leafy tree" (Ezekiel 20:27-28). The commandments of the one God are not for negotiation: "When you offer your gifts and make your children pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord God, I will not be consulted by you" (Ezekiel 20:31). The first commandment holds: "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name" (Exodus 20:7).
Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, and John, took up the word, blasphemer, placing it in the taunts of Jesus' persecutors. At least twice, Christ's antagonists attempted to stone him for blasphemy. The first occurred when he told them that he had existed before Abraham. Christ hid then escaped from the temple. (See John 8:59.) The second attempt to stone him followed his response when asked if he were the Messiah. "He answered, 'The Father and I are one.' The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, 'I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?' The Jews answered, 'It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God' " (John 10:30-33).
Later, and of note in 1 Timothy 1:13, is mentioned that the speaker of the letter was given mercy as a blasphemer because he "had acted ignorantly in unbelief." Loopholes of understanding in the strict rule may have been available to those accused of blasphemy.
In the gospel writings also, the first commandment still holds: "Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven" (Matthew 12:31). See also Luke 12:10 as well as the more explicit words of Mark 3:29, "but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."
This uproar was prompted by Jesus' accusers after Christ healed a man of paralysis, telling him his sins were forgiven: "Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 'Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?' " (Mark 2:6-7). Christ's opponents had found their entrée.
Later, with Christ before the high priest, they won the round:
"Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, 'We heard him say, "I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands." ' But even on this point their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, 'Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?' But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?' Jesus said, 'I am; and "you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power," and "coming with the clouds of heaven." ' " (See Daniel 7:13-14.)
"Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, 'Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?' All of them condemned him as deserving death" (Mark 14:55-64). See also Matthew 26:57-68.
For further mention of blaspheme, see also Acts 19:37, 26:11; Romans 2:24; 1 Timothy 1:13, 20; 6:1; James 2:7; and 1 Peter 4:4.
Demons
"Demons are lively things." "Things?" "Yes, things, entities of some sort." "But things we cannot touch, we can tell only the effect of a demon. I suppose to say demons are lively beings would be the better term." "You want to give them personality?" So a conversation might proceed. According to Greek mythology, a demon is an inferior deity, a spirit with divine power, a persistent and tormenting force.
Gospel writers recognized the belief of demons by including them in the healing stories of Christ. Christ chided the fickle crowds for their ease at using the term, "He has a demon": "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon'; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' " (Luke 7:33-34). See also Matthew 11:18.
Those who did not understand what Jesus was about, or who understood too well and knew how to play the crowds accused him of being in the possession of a demon. Jesus asked the temple officials, " 'So why are you trying to kill me?' The crowd answered, 'You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?' " (John 7:20). Jesus said he did not have a demon: "The Jews answered him, 'Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?' Jesus answered, 'I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me' " (John 8:48-49).
He could not, however, convince them otherwise: "The Jews said to him, 'Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, "Whoever keeps my word will never taste death" ' " (John 8:52). Still, some people believed Christ's power: "Many of them were saying, 'He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?' Others were saying, 'These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?' " (John 10:20-21).
People in the days of Christ thought that a controlling demon inside a person caused seizures, blindness, being mute, and other illnesses: The Canaanite woman told Jesus, "My daughter is tormented by a demon" (Matthew 15:22). See also Mark 7:26. The demon "had thrown [the sick man] down before them" (Luke 4:35); "For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds" (Luke 8:29); "While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions" (Luke 9:42).
In telling the story of the boy with epilepsy, the writer of Matthew said, "And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly." (See Matthew 17:14-18.) Some form of action accompanies the mention of demons. The present text speaks of "casting out" demons. (See Matthew 9:33; Mark 3:22; 7:26, and Luke 11:15.)
The power of Jesus was stronger than the demon:
"But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out of him!' When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm" (Luke 4:35);
"[F]or Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man" (Luke 8:29);
"But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father" (Luke 9:42);
"Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed" (Luke 11:14);
"After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, 'Never has anything like this been seen in Israel' " (Matthew 9:32-33);
"And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly" (Matthew 17:18); and
"Then he said to her, 'For saying that, you may go -- the demon has left your daughter.' So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone" (Mark 7:29-30).
While many people did not recognize Jesus as Christ, the "unclean demon" whose spirit tormented the ill man in the synagogue not only acknowledged that Christ has power over a demon but called him "the Holy One of God." (See Luke 4:33-34.) Although Mark does not speak about the kingdom of God in the present parable, writers of Matthew and Luke make a connection between Christ's power to cast out demons and the kingdom of God: "If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you" (Matthew 12:27-28). See also Luke 11:14-23, noting that Luke uses "the finger of God" where Matthew uses "the Spirit of God."
While only six of the 74 occasions in which "demon" or its derivatives occur is in the Hebrew Scripture, one is in a Psalm: "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons" (Psalm 106:37). Another "demon" term, "goat-demon," occurs several times in the Hebrew Scriptures. The term was mentioned in the same breath as wildcats and hyenas in the destruction of Babylon: "Wildcats shall meet with hyenas, goat-demons shall call to each other; there too Lilith shall repose, and find a place to rest" (Isaiah 13:21). Moses sang about those who abandoned God and offered their sacrifices to goat-demons "and deities they had never known." He taught them to bring their sacrifices to God. See Moses' Song in Deuteronomy 32:1ff.
Among the rules of sacrifice given in Leviticus, the priest was to "dash the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and turn the fat into smoke as a pleasing odor to the Lord, so that they may no longer offer their sacrifices for goat-demons, to whom they prostitute themselves. This shall be a statute forever to them throughout their generations" (Leviticus 17:6-7).
The historian related how "[t]he Levites had left their common lands and their holdings and had come to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had prevented them from serving as priests of the Lord, and had appointed his own priests for the high places, and for the goat-demons, and for the calves that he had made" (2 Chronicles 11:14-15).
Divided Against Itself
Only so much soul energy is available to go around. That spent on the internal turmoil depletes the supply of energy accessible for positive action and brings on the desert of emotional exhaustion and weakness. Whether the division exists within one individual who cannot get a life together, the dynamics of a broken or blended family that refuses to reach a unity of peaceable co-existence, a community or leaders flush with the animosity of competitive leadership, a legislature that finds sport in lack of productive communication, or a world whose nations refuse to reap the benefits of wholehearted cooperation, not one of these bodies of people can know strength. Conversely, when integrity of purpose and effort exist, no external force can deplete that strength.
All three synoptic gospels speak of this desolation. Matthew describes it as being "laid waste" and incapable of standing. (See Matthew 12:25.) Today's parable also says that such a kingdom or house "cannot stand." (See Mark 3:24-25.) Luke describes this internal division as becoming "a desert" with house falling on house. (See Luke 11:17.)
Of 91 references to "divide," the gospel writings contain fifteen. Only Luke and John make reference to "division": "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!" (Luke 12:51) and "So there was a division in the crowd because of him" (John 7:43). With the exception of four verses in the Pauline letters, most of the other 44 references to division relate to military groupings.
The story of Rebekah's birth of Esau and Jacob suggests an inherent nature of discord and division: "And the Lord said to [Rebekah], 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger' " (Genesis 25:23).
However, households or families also intentionally divided members for safety and survival: "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies" (Genesis 32:7) and "Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids" (Genesis 33:1). Families also divided and shared food supplies as necessary: "If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it" (Exodus 12:4).
In the telling and retelling, Hebrew writers applaud the story of the parting of the sea: "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided" (Exodus 14:21). See also Nehemiah 9:11; Psalm 74:13; 78:13; 136:13; and Isaiah 63:12.
Was the division of people part of the divine plan, or was the divine plan an explanation for the nature of humankind: "When the Most High apportioned the nations, when he divided humankind, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the gods" (Deuteronomy 32:8). How did the lengthy history of military divisions (Genesis 14:15; Judges 7:16; Judges 9:43; and 2 Samuel 18:2) and political divisions (Genesis 10:25; 1 Kings 16:21; 18:6; Chronicles 1:19; and Isaiah 33:23) that stole the focus of writers of the Hebrew Scriptures interface with the primary message of the Old Testament as a story of God's hope for humankind?
The Hebrew people knew well the imagery of a kingdom divided against itself. It is their history. Ezekiel works his poetic finesse in expressing the hope of reunion of Israel and Judah: "Thus says the Lord God: I am about to take the stick of Joseph (which is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with it; and I will put the stick of Judah upon it, and make them one stick, in order that they may be one in my hand" (Ezekiel 37:19) and "I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms" (Ezekiel 37:22).
Daniel predicted the rising of a warrior king in Persia: "And while still rising in power, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted and go to others besides these" (Daniel 11:4). See also 2:41 and 5:28.
Speaking to Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia at the time of the restoration, God spoke through Joel, "I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there, on account of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations. They have divided my land" (Joel 3:2).
In the gospel writings, where fifteen of the 91 references to "divide" appear, Luke uses it most, seven times. Synoptic parallels include Matthew 12:25; 27:35; and Mark 3:24; 6:41; 15:24. Christ modeled the positive division of sharing: "Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, 'Take this and divide it among yourselves' " (Luke 22:17) and "Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all" (Mark 6:41).
"Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus] 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me' " (Luke 12:13). In the parable of the prodigal sons that follows, the father divided his property between them. (See Luke 15:12ff.) Luke also speaks of the victor dividing the plunder. (See Luke 11:22.)
Of equal import with Luke's parallel to the present parable on kingdoms and homes divided (Luke 11:17-18) is his detailed record of the divisions to come within households: "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law" (Luke 12:51-53). See also Matthew 10:34-42.
Even the clothing of the crucified one was divided: "And when they had crucified him, [the soldiers of the governor] divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots" (Matthew 27:35, also Mark 15:24) and "When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, 'Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.' This was to fulfill what the scripture says, 'They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots' " (John 19:23-24).
John calls to mind passages from the Hebrew Scripture: "[T]hey divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots" (Psalm 22:17-18) and "You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it may not be torn" (Exodus 28:31-32).
Those who did not understand what Christ was about became divided, argued over his identity and his authority, and began the tearing apart:
"So there was a division in the crowd because of him" (John 7:43);
"Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.' But others said, 'How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?' And they were divided" (John 8:16); and
"Again the Jews were divided because of these words" (John 10:19).
Eternal Sin
In scripture are "eternal mountains" (Genesis 49:26 and Habakkuk 3:6), "eternal home" (Ecclesiastes 12:5 and Luke 16:9), "an eternal gospel" (Revelation 14:6), "eternal dishonor" (Jeremiah 20:11), and talk scattered throughout the Pauline letters of eternal comfort, destruction, power, weight of glory, purpose, destruction, dominion, glory, salvation, judgment, redemption, inheritance, covenant, kingdom, chains, eternal Spirit, and eternal God. Except for their drawing us to the hereafter and to existence without time, they proffer little clarification of the sole biblical reference to "eternal sin" founding the present Markan parable.
Gospel writers speak often, 23 times, of "eternal life." John mentions "eternal life" on fifteen occasions. Matthew and Luke use it three times and Mark, twice. Matthew juxtaposes eternal life with eternal punishment: "And these [who do not treat the most lowly as if they were Christ himself] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46).
Matthew also refers to "eternal fire": "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire" (Matthew 18:8) and "Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels' " (Matthew 25:41). So also does Jude's reminding mention eternal fire as a highly undesirable state of being: "Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire" (Jude 1:7). It is fear and trembling time.
In the present passage, Jesus assures with one of his deepest "truly I tell you" utterances that God will forgive us for our sins and even for whatever blasphemies we utter. However, according to Mark's words of Christ, even the God of love has a limit. That limit is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. (See vv. 28-29.) Those persons are "guilty of an eternal sin" -- for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit' " (vv. 29-30). This is serious stuff for those who "merely" connived to be rid of their biggest threat. That must have caused those who had not yet connected Jesus' Spirit with the Holy Spirit to take note. Love is also justice.
The parallel passage from Luke 12:1-12 is no less severe. No hypocrisy of the Pharisees, "whispered behind closed doors" (or spoken to the face, as in the Markan version) "will not be uncovered" (Luke 12:2). The killing of the body is nothing compared to coming before the one who has "authority to cast into hell" (Luke 12:5). Jesus said, "[W]hoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven" (Luke 12:9-10).
Those are strong words from the forgiving God of love to people who would have to live out the rest of their lives with themselves. Sounds as if enough was enough for Jesus, or did he want them to know with clarity that while they could of course kill his body: "But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered" (Mark 3:27), nothing ultimately could either scare his wits out of him or touch his enduring spirit?
Does Matthew's image above of eternal fire equal that of eternal sin? Eternal may be the strongest word to assign to a state of being stuck without beginning or end, or a seemingly endless and long time. The eternal present of seeming inability to break out of a cycle of sinning, particularly when the transgressor holds responsibility, is also a fear and trembling time, even now when we think we can absent ourselves from personal responsibility on any variety of levels.
Rather than a place, is eternal sin what can or does happen when the "I" rather than God is at the core of our life? Deliberate disregard for and disobedience of what we know is the will of God throws us into the chaos of being estranged from God. This resultant empty, meaningless, unsatisfying, thing-centered life kills the soul in a manner analogous to the endless circle of any other relational abuse that eventually also kills the soul of both the victim and perpetrator if not somehow interrupted with hope.
Out Of His Mind
A few of the 267 biblical phrases containing "mind" include to call to mind (Deuteronomy 30:1 and Psalm 77:11); a change of mind (Exodus 32:12, 14; Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Jonah 3:9; and Matthew 21:29); confusion of mind (Deuteronomy 28:28); a deluded mind (Isaiah 44:20); a discerning mind (1 Kings 3:13); in mind (Genesis 37:11; Exodus 10:10; 1 Samuel 2:35; and 2 Samuel 7:3); keep in mind (Psalm 78:42); on your mind (1 Samuel 9:19); a perturbed mind (2 Kings 6:11); perverted mind (Proverbs 6:14; 12:8); a reeling mind (Isaiah 21:4); in his right mind (Mark 5:15 and Luke 8:35); set the mind (1 Chronicles 22:19; Daniel 11:17; and Matthew 16:23); of a single mind (1 Chronicles 12:38; 28:9; 29:9, 19); slip from the mind (Deuteronomy 4:9); a steadfast mind (Isaiah 26:3); "test my heart and mind" (Psalm 31:12 and Jeremiah 18:8a); a tranquil mind (Proverbs 14:30); an understanding mind (1 Kings 3:9); wise mind (Ecclesiastes 8:5); and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37).
To say that one is out of one's mind is a handy way to discredit or invalidate another person. In the gospel writings, only two references speak of someone being out of one's mind, that in the present parable, "When [Christ's] family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, 'He has gone out of his mind' " (Mark 3:21) and the later, "Many of them were saying, 'He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?' Others were saying, 'These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?' " (John 10:20-21). Both refer to the words of Jesus' opponents and the division of the people.
Of related interest to our work is the following passage about one who fashions idols and false gods: "He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself or say, 'Is not this thing in my right hand a fraud?' " (Isaiah 44:20).
Several passages from Acts and 1 Corinthians refer to the exclamation, "You are out of your mind!" When Mary told the disciples about the open tomb, "They said to her, 'You are out of your mind!' But she insisted that it was so. They said, 'It is his angel' " (Acts 12:15). As Paul defended his mission before King Agrippa and the military tribune, "Festus exclaimed, 'You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane!' " (Acts 26:24). Paul countered, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth" (Acts 26:25).
In both the letters to the Corinthians, Paul alludes to this history: "If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your mind?" (1 Corinthians 14:23); "Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more; for some people have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame" (1 Corinthians 15:34); and "For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you" (2 Corinthians 5:13).
Satan Cast(s) Out Satan
This phrase, pointed to the unstable nature of an evil force that divides not only others but its own efforts, appears only in the present passage and its Matthean parallel: "And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, 'How can Satan cast out Satan?' " (Mark 3:23) and "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:26).
Unclean Spirit
From the multiple gospel stories about unclean spirit couching the issue of Christ's authority to the ultimate attempt to discredit Jesus with the accusation found in the present parable, "He has an unclean spirit" (Mark 3:30), the ethereal "unclean spirit" plays out its role.
With the exception of two references in Acts and the passage below from the Hebrew Scripture, only the gospel writings speak about "unclean spirit." In his oracle describing God's taking charge, the Prophet Zechariah said: "On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more; and also I will remove from the land the prophets and the unclean spirit" (Zechariah 13:1-2).
So began the talk of unclean spirits. Of the four times that the writer of Mark refers to the indefinite, an unclean spirit, three relate to ill persons. The fourth, which is in the present parable, refers to Jesus. In the healing stories, Mark follows this initial mention of an unclean spirit with "the unclean spirit."
Equating "unclean spirit" with "demon," Mark describes the healing of the little girl "with an unclean spirit" as "the demon has left [her]" and as "she went home ... the demon gone." (See Mark 7:25-30.) Mark suggests that a single unclean spirit is speaking, shouting out, through the ill man in the synagogue. He describes the unclean spirit as "convulsing and crying with a loud voice." In the process of healing, it "came out of him." (See Mark 1:23-27.)
Again, in Mark 5:2, the sick spirit came to Jesus. In this healing story about the man whose brain illness was so severe that no restraint could contain him, Jesus commands "the unclean spirit" to "come out of" the man. He then learns that not one but many "unclean spirits" are involved.
In this story, Jesus negotiates with "the unclean spirits," granting their request to be sent into the swine rather than "out of the country," whereupon they drown when the swine rush into the sea. (See Mark 5:1-13 and Luke 8:27-32.) However mocking the unclean spirits were before Jesus, "Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, 'You are the Son of God!' " (Mark 3:11), Mark presents them as holding that awareness as a power over Jesus, "But [Jesus] sternly ordered them not to make him known" (Mark 3:12).
In a fifth Markan healing story, a man brings Jesus his epileptic son with "a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid" (Mark 9:17-18). Again, Jesus speaks directly to "the unclean spirit," "You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!" (Mark 9:25). See also Luke 9:37-43.
As an addendum, when his disciples ask later why they had not the power to "cast it out" of the child, Jesus tells them, "This kind can come out only through prayer" (Mark 9:28-29). Jesus had given his disciples "authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness" (Matthew 10:1 and Mark 6:7).
Even while knowing the beliefs of the day about cause of illness, including the Hebrew assignment of illness as recompense for a sinful life or that of one's parents; let us consider here the subtle distinction that the commas within the passage bring to an interpretation. Might this passage also be read, "Authority to cast out unclean spirits and also to cure every disease and every sickness"? Note also the wording in Mark 1:32-34.
Again, in a non-gospel reference to unclean spirits, one finds this slight, yet important, distinction between "the sick" and "those tormented by unclean spirits" in Acts 5:16: "A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured." Might this also be read, "All were cured, both who were sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits"?
In a later time with a slightly more sophisticated understanding of illness, John tells the story about the healing of the congenitally blind man. Here the disciples ask Christ whose sin, the man's or his parents', had caused his blindness. "Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him' " (John 9:3). Again, when the healed man responds to the conjecture that Christ had sinned, the man answers what is important, the truth that he knows about Christ, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25).1 In short, full understanding is not prerequisite to either belief or trust.
At least one point of these stories is Jesus' wanting people to be well. He does not hesitate to assist that process. Another point, Christ has power over what was then so baffling to people that they called the illness being possessed by a demon. How powerful and how threatening this Jesus was: "They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, 'What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!' " (Luke 4:36). See also Mark 1:26.
Is a third point, suggested by the next passage, a query? Certainly, the folk of biblical time appeared to believe that unclean spirits or demons were floating around everywhere just waiting to bring chaos into their minds, bodies, and spirits. By acknowledging the presence of unclean spirits, Christ seemed to share this explanation for some of the knottier illnesses. At any rate, the stigma of serious brain disorders has been as hampered by ancient interpretation as that of blindness. At least in the Gospel of John, Jesus dispels any connection between sin and blindness. Both are on the mend today.
With his "So it will be also" in the following passage, Jesus again slips into parable, taking the powerful metaphor of the unclean spirit further: "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation" (Matthew 12:43-45). See also Luke 11:24-26.
4. Parallel Scriptures
Beelzebul
The writer of Mark quoted the scribes while the writer of Matthew quoted the Pharisees. The scribes said, "He [Jesus] has Beelzebul" (Mark 3:22); the Pharisees said, "It is only by Beelzebul" (Matthew 12:24). The scribes emphasized the power of Beelzebul, saying "and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons" (Mark 3:22). The Pharisees emphasized Beelzebul's power by following the name "Beelzebul" with the direct identifier, "ruler of the demons," set between commas. The Pharisees emphasized that "It is only by Beelzebul" that Christ could heal. The scribes said, "He [Christ] casts out the demons" but the Pharisees said, "This fellow casts out the demons."
Internal Division
Mark says, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand" (Mark 3:24) while Matthew says, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste" (Matthew 12:25). Luke says, "Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert" (Luke 11:17).
Matthew continues in the same sentence, "and no city or house divided against itself will stand" while Mark starts a new sentence, albeit beginning with "And": "And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand" (Mark 3:25). Luke says, "and house falls on house" (Luke 11:17).
Who Is My Mother, And Who Are My Brothers?
In Luke the setting is Jesus in a great crowd with his disciples. Jesus is telling parables. With a transition of "Then," his family attempts to approach him. The entire passage is three verses in length. The introduction verse reads, "Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd" (Luke 8:19).
Mark also uses the transitional "Then": "Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him" (Mark 3:31). Only Matthew suggests there was an interruption: "While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him" (Matthew 12:46).
In Mark, the crowd tells Jesus, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you" (Mark 3:32). In Matthew, "Someone told him, 'Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you' " (Matthew 12:47). Luke says, "And he was told, 'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you' " (Luke 8:20).
In Matthew and Mark, Jesus responds to the statement of the crowd with a question: "But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' " (Matthew 12:48). Mark says, "And he replied, 'Who are my mother and my brothers?' And looking at those who sat around him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers!' " (Mark 3:33-34).
Luke does not preface with a question but simply says, "But he said to them, 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it' " (Luke 8:21). After the initial question, Mark says, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35). After the question, Luke says, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it" (Luke 8:19). Matthew says, "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:50).
5. Chat Room
Reader A:
Blasphemy and blaspheming,
Demons and demonic possession,
unclean spirits,
Satan,
the devil,
eternal sin,
kingdoms and households divided against themselves,
out of one's mind,
evil,
and awful old Beelzebul.
Reader B: What on earth does that outmoded stuff and the imagery from an outmoded society have to do with Century 2000? Those dramatic threats no longer scare the wits out of me. That talk with different rules and ways does not speak to today.
Reader C: Obsolete? So check out the tally of Internet web page links on the nineteenth day of eighth month of fourth year of millennium two:
Demon Links: 2,268,016
Demon worship: 85,756
Demonism: 2,612
Devil: 3,727,616
Devil worship: 239,945
Evil: 7,569,429
Satan: 1,439,867
Satan worship: 234,590
Satanic worship: 46,668
Satanism: 71,812
Reader A: Shivers me like a 9/11 list.
Reader B: Like the nightly silent names of war dead, one by one by one.
Reader A: Like something moldy is alive and well.
Reader C: What about discrediting, discrediting, and more discrediting,
Threat and threat and threat,
Constant one-upping and upping,
Always present tantalizing, temptations of choice between negative and positive forces,
Road-greed, money-greed, power-greed,
The urge to play war like a game
In bedrooms, on play yards, with world geography?
Reader B: C'mon. I suppose you are going to blame the devil on meanness, sniping, jealousy, and competition. Where does movement from immaturity to maturity come in? What about common, natural instinct? How about the nature of being human? Do these count for nothing?
Reader A: This is a most difficult parable. I shy away from Beelzebul talk, Satan talk, eternal sin talk, from demon talk, and even unclean spirit talk. Does everything good in this world have its evil counterpart? We cannot focus on hope and despair at the same time. We allow fear to undermine what is possible.
Reader B: Then what do we call the negative, harmful forces in our lives? We give human attributes to God because it helps us to understand the force of good. It brings God closer to us. God sent God in the form of a human being so we could comprehend the depth of God's love, sustenance, and providence.
Reader C: Is not that just the point? The choice is ours to focus our energy on the positive influences and not get ourselves bogged down by the plentitude of negative ones, no matter what we assign as their source.
Reader A: Yet do you not know that nagging wonder about it all -- the tempting and testing, the injustices that do not seem to improve -- that a bad power might lurk just above, or is it just below, our consciousness and to tug at the virtues of having a good conscience?
Reader C: Sure, but that is why I pay attention to my conscience and let it tug me toward my higher values.
Reader B: The First Commandment still holds. That is my bottom line. By the way, any God links?
Reader C: God links, nineteenth day of eighth month of fourth year of millennium two:
19,049,957!
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1. For further discussion see "The Man Born Blind" in Dallas A. Brauninger, Preaching the Miracles, Cycle A, Series II (Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing Company), 1998.
