Sunday, June 13, 2010

Mark 3:22-30

Several things caught my eye while memorizing this section.

First, notice that the people who accuse Jesus of demon-possession are from Jerusalem. (I love how people always "go up" to Jerusalem or "go down" from Jerusalem in the Bible. I hope to expound on that some other time.) These teachers of the law are not from Galilee but from Judea - very different places religiously - and these are the ones who accuse Jesus.

Second, the name Beelzebub in Hebrew means lord/master (baal) of a fly(zebub). It is the name of the deity in Ekron (II Kings 1:2).

Third, Jesus "calls" them. He does not berate them, chastise them, or ignore them. In the story just before, Jesus "calls" His disciples to Him. It's the same word.

Fourth, Jesus uses three parables to plead His case: divided kingdom, divided house, robbing a super-hero. Yes, He could have answered the question directly, but He rarely EVER does; why change that now? And notice that He uses "common sense" in His reply. Who would divide the house to accomplish something? How can a kingdom divided function? And why would you rob someone without first making sure he was taken care of? In the same way, Jesus says that He cannot be possessed because that would completely destroy the Enemy (and they are smarter than that).

Last, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. What is it?

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