Someone even stronger is here. That’s what we should be thinking when Jesus arrives on the scene and starts casting out demons. Someone with authority is here to overpower the spirits that are overpowering people. Hallelujah!
10 He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him. 11 And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was.
20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.
22 But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”
23 Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. 24 “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. 25 Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. 27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.
28 “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, 29 but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” 30 He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”
Mark 3:10-12, 20-30 NLT
We know Jesus had enemies, and they created a story that he must be possessed by Satan to do what he was doing. They were spinning things to suit their purposes. And their purposes were to eliminate Jesus altogether. In reflection, they were under the influence of evil all the way along.
Sometimes, the influence of evil manifests itself in people digging into religious rules and structures farther than they should. We can become so religious that we move far away from God. That doesn’t seem possible, but when religious leaders fail to see Messiah doing the work of God in front of them, they are not close to God.
And that can happen to you and me. Beware. This isn’t only a first century risk. You and I can start elevating the rigidity of rules and law – the picture of piety in our midst – and miss the point and miss the Saviour.
Someone even stronger is here. Stronger than rules. Stronger than law. Stronger than religion. Stronger than evil.
In Jesus, and in every person on earth living in Christ, is the Holy Spirit and his power fueling goodness, kindness, and the strength of God to overcome and redeem the strongholds of evil among us.
Don’t mistake God’s power at work among us for anything else. Someone even stronger is here…
Amen.
Marc Kinna
marckinna 