Mark spent the entirety of his gospel revealing who Jesus is to the readers and hearers. He began with Jesus’ baptism by His cousin, John the Baptist. Through the Mark 1:1-3:6, Mark records Jesus doing miracles and teaching with power and authority. When evil spirits proclaimed He was the Son of God and the Holy One of God, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. His time of revelation had not arrived.
By the end of the chiasm at Mark 3:6, a multitude of people from around Judea, Galilee, Idumea, Phoenicia, and areas east of the Jordan River flocked to listen to Jesus teach and to see Him heal and cast out demons. Mark does not say if these people came because of their trust in Jesus. What he implies is the people came to see for themselves who Jesus is and what He could do.
Jesus began recognizing regular followers. He summoned them to be with Him on the mountain. He recognized these men had faith, but not yet decided for themselves if they regarded Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah for whom Israel awaited. In Mark 3:13-19, Jesus commanded twelve men to be with Him and appointed them to be His apostles. These men had two tasks-be with Him and then preach, heal, and cast out demons with His authority. These twelve men came from various backgrounds and jobs. They represented the new Israel just as the twelve sons of Jacob represented the twelve tribes of old Israel.
The People
20 And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him, for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” 22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” (Mark 3:20-22 [NASB])
Mark relays to his readers and listeners three groups of people in this next excerpt from Jesus’ ministry. He told about the crowd, Jesus’ own people, and the scribes. People were curious about Jesus.
Group 1
Great multitudes of people flocked to Him like sheep searching for a shepherd, said Matthew 9:36. With this enormous number of people looking for and following Jesus, obvious needs arose. As Mark 3:7-12 declared, with a crowd, the risk of getting trampled, shoved, stepped on, and injured was a real possibility. Jesus understood that when He told His followers to ready a boat for Him. He knew, too, that He wanted all people to understand about and trust in Him so they could receive salvation from their sins and guilt.
Massive numbers of people continued to seek Jesus. Mark stated this in chapter three verse twenty when he wrote, “And He (Jesus) came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal” (NASB). The people in and outside the house had no room to make a meal because so many people had followed Jesus home, probably His home away from home in Capernaum, Simon’s home.
Group 2
Mark then wrote about another group of people around Jesus. He said in chapter three verse twenty-one, “And when His own people heard about this, they came out to take custody of Him” (NASB). Who were the people Mark called “His own people?” Were they Jesus’ biological family or the followers who were closest to Jesus in their devotion to Him and His cause? Readers do not know if Mark meant Jesus’ mother and brothers were at that home. “His own people” means the people who were near His heart. These could have been Jesus’ biological family or close personal friends.
In reading verse twenty-one further, Mark stated these people he calls Jesus’ own people accused Him of losing His senses. Jesus had just appointed His twelve apostles before they walked home. These men who were close to Jesus would not charge Jesus with insanity. They were just starting to understand His Deity. They would know Jesus had the power to tolerate the crowd.
Besides this, the people considered Jesus’ own people, about whom Mark wrote, seized Jesus. Jesus’ own apostles would not have seized Him. They, except Judas, considered Jesus is who He said He is and that He could only have come from God. Because of this, Mark most likely meant Jesus’ mother and brothers “came out to take custody of Him.” These biological family members did not believe in Jesus as God’s Son, yet.
Group 3
The third group of people Mark wrote about in Mark 3:20-27 are the scribes. Mark mentioned these men in verse twenty-two. These teachers of the law had spent years studying the Old Testament. They had studied what the rabbis and Pharisees taught the Israelites based on the Old Testament, too. These scribes considered themselves one of the main religious authorities among the Jews. Most of these men lived in Jerusalem. They intentionally traveled down from Jerusalem to Capernaum about 120 miles (193 km) to catch Jesus blaspheming God. (Jerusalem lies on a higher elevation than Capernaum, hence the wording of “came down from Jerusalem.”)
Consider again the three groups of people around Jesus at home in Capernaum. The crowd of people, “His own people,” and the scribes. Notice the list goes from general to specific. It starts with the people whose gods included more than Yahweh. This group of people came from several nations. The next group of people was smaller and closer relationally to Jesus. They were His family. These people trusted in God but did not yet trust Jesus as the Son of God. The last group—the scribes—was a larger group than Jesus’ family. The scribes had greater religious influence over people. God set aside these Jewish men to serve Him and lead people to focus on and follow Him. These scribes did not believe in Jesus and could influence others that way, too. Jesus wanted all people to trust in Him and receive salvation. He recognized the religious leaders of Israel had the credibility and renown to lead the Jews to regard Him as the Messiah and be saved.
The Accusations
21 They went out to take custody of Him, for they were
saying, “He has lost His senses.” 22 The scribes who came down from
Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul” and “He casts out demons
by the ruler of the demons” (Mark 3:21-22 [NASB])
What is interesting next in Mark 3:20-27 is the reaction of each of these groups towards Jesus. They had differing opinions about what should they should do regarding Jesus because of their beliefs about Him. What they thought determined what they would do.
Accusation One
Mark did not record what the crowd said about Jesus. We can surmise they were curious. Did some already believe Jesus is the Son of God? Were they there to watch what Jesus would do next? None of the gospel writers records a large conversion experience until Pentecost. This crowd of people who inserted and pushed to be near Jesus may have included people Jesus touched, healed, taught, and from whom He cast out demons. Or they may have been family or friends of such people. They had first or secondhand experience and knowledge about Jesus and might have wanted to confirm for themselves that Jesus truly is the Son of God, the Messiah for whom Israel awaited. Probably most of the crowd came out of curiosity. They wanted to see what Jesus would do or teach. They wanted to experience the showing of Jesus’ power and authority. The crowd’s implied general accusation was disbelief. So far, Mark did not record them as actively opposing and accusing Jesus of anything. Their curiosity caused them to push and jostle the people around Jesus in and outside of the house.
Accusation Two
The next group of people were Jesus’ own people, his family. These people were with Jesus as He matured into adulthood. Mary, His mother, would recall what the angel told her before she bore Jesus. She would remember when Jesus stayed behind at the temple in Jerusalem, where she and Joseph found Him asking questions and teaching with greater understanding than the priests expected for a twelve-year-old. Jesus’ own people should have grasped by then that Jesus was more than a man. Yet, they said, “He has lost His senses” (vs. 21). Jesus’ own people had not ascribed Deity to Him, which meant He would not allow Himself to be crushed by the crowd if He that was His will.
What action did Jesus’ “own people” take based on their belief in Jesus that day? They left the house to “take custody” of Jesus because they feared for His mental stability. This verb, “Take custody,” means to seize or grab a person to get him or her into the person’s own power. Jesus’ own people felt they had to protect Him. But in what way did they feel Jesus needed protection? Just the thought that He needed to be protected showed their lack of faith in Jesus’ divinity. Consider what they said among themselves, “He has lost His senses.” The first child of Mary and Joseph, they said, had gone insane. Jesus’ own people feared for His safety. The crowd was so large they feared He was not taking care for His safety and the multitude would crush or wear Him out physically and mentally.
Jesus’ family feared He was tired enough to be unaware He could get hurt, so they wanted to take care of His safety themselves. They did not believe yet that Jesus is the Messiah and could care for Himself. He did not endanger Himself by staying with the crushing crowd of curious and challenging people. This group of people who supposedly would know Jesus best verbally accused Him of being insane.
Accusation Three
The third group of people, the scribes, did not accuse Jesus of being insane. Their accusation attacked His credibility to do and say what He had and was. The scribes attacked Him so they would not lose their status in the eyes of the Jews. Instead of people focusing on Jesus or Yahweh, they wanted the Israelites to focus on them for leadership. The third accusation against Jesus did not admit to their unbelief or their belief Jesus was “out of His mind.” They accused Him of being “possessed by Beelzebul” (vs. 22).
This accusation showed the depth of the scribes’ disbelief and determination to assassinate Jesus’ character. Until then, they barely convinced people Jesus was not the Son of Man. This led to an increasing number of people seeking for Jesus. Instead of challenging Jesus’ teaching, they attacked His character.
What did the scribes hope would come of their accusation of Jesus’ character? They hoped to discredit Him entirely. The scribes no longer gently subverted Jesus. They said Satan possessed Him. Everyone understood about demon-possession because of real-life stories and legends. In those stories and legends, the being that possessed a person was always evil. The name Beelzebul is a title of Satan that stresses he is the lord of demons, their ruler. In Hebrew, Beelzebul means “lord of dung” or filth. The scribes accused Jesus of being possessed by Satan, an evil being. Their accusation was weak. First, Jesus is Deity, pure and good. Where good is, evil cannot exist. Second, if a demon was in a person, then Satan was in the person. If Beelzebul (Satan) possessed Jesus, he would disregard Jesus’ command to the evil spirits (Satan) o leave a person. A person possessed by Satan cannot command Satan to do or stop doing something. But Satan did not possess Jesus as Jesus’ miracles confirmed.
What does the scribes’ accusation say about themselves? It told the people they did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. Their statement slandered Jesus. Jesus could destroy the scribes since demons left people at His command. The crowd was curious; they did not believe. Jesus’ family worried about Jesus’ physical and mental safety. They did not believe Jesus is Deity. The scribes worried and tried to discredit Jesus’ authority; they feared losing their own authority and power in the nation.
The Lesson
23 And he called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! 27But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.” (Mark 3:23-27 [NASB])
Jesus and teachers of the time often used parables to instruct people. Theirs was an orally taught society. What is a parable? A parable is a common occurrence people understand used to teach a truth. A metaphor or analogy is like a parable. Jesus often used parables, like His teaching about being the salt of the earth and the light on a hill (Matthew 5:13-16). This time, Jesus used a parable to teach the scribes, a group of highly educated men. Why would He use a parable to rebut and teach the scribes? Jesus taught with a parable because many other people watched and listened to the conversation. He wanted each person listening to understand this truth He would teach. The multitude of people that came from several nations, Jesus’ family and apostles, and the scribes, would learn from Jesus that day and could believe He is the Son of God.
The Question
What was the parable Jesus used and what did it teach the people? Recall what Jesus said in Mark 3:23a. He asked, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” When teaching anything, the teacher must present the topic of learning. Jesus began with this question. It showed He did not directly confront the common people, but the scribes. Jesus wanted to make sure even the most educated men in the country and in the world knew He came for them, and that they needed Him. These men Jesus addressed, though highly educated, did not have it all. Their lives were not one hundred percent okay. They had needs and Jesus came to those who recognized they were sick and needed a Savior (Mark 2:17). Though the scribes and other people listening may not have realized it, they needed a Savior to wash their sins. They needed permanent atonement and to be made one with God through Jesus.
With this opening question addressed to the scribes, Jesus questioned their rhetoric and their understanding of who He is. He asked, How Satan can banish himself? Can any person drive out—banish—him or herself? Can Satan banish himself? Jesus wanted His ridiculous question asked of the scribes to cause the people to ponder the possibility and meaning of what He said. He would use two parables to confront two verbal accusations by three groups of people to learn one lesson in this passage from Mark.
The Parables
Jesus used two parables to answer His question to the scribes. These parables are in verses twenty-four and twenty-five. Jesus said, “And 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.” He used two analogies (parables) that affected the great and the common people in the nation. Jesus spoke about a kingdom (the great) and a house—household, family (the common).
A Kingdom. A powerful person creates and/or reigns over a kingdom. That person keeps the kingdom safe by use of his or her might and the loyalty of his or her people. A home, city, village, or a mix of these makes up a kingdom. Jesus said, a kingdom, when split into factions by rebellions within itself, cannot stay united. It risks splintering into multiple republics, kingdoms, or nations. A coup or rebellion will split a kingdom, as will other occurrences. The unity of the kingdom or nation no longer would exist. Disharmony would tear it apart.
In the same way, if Satan were to tell himself not to torment a soul, he would command himself not to do what makes him Satan. Since Satan is evil, evil would command evil to do good by leaving the person alone. Evil cannot do good and cast itself out. If Satan worked against his being, he would be divided, and his demons would misunderstand what he wanted them to do. They would be confused and divided, too. A divided kingdom falls because of weakness. Satan’s evil would falter because of weakness in himself and his reign. Similarly, a king or queen’s kingdom, when fighting rebellion flashpoints, would be weak because of the army being spread-out trying to put out fires. With the army spread thinly through the kingdom, the enemies of the ruler could easily conquer it. Likewise, Satan’s purpose to trick and deceive all people would become less effective because his demons would have different purposes and motives, with none leading to a united and strong goal.
How can Satan cast out Satan? How can Jesus cast out demons if He Beelzebul (Satan) possessed Him? Jesus showed the ridiculousness of the idea that Satan (evil) led Him to cast out demons (evil). Satan did not control Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus showed this with His power and authority to cast out demons, free people from their illnesses, and His personal sacrifice and resurrection. Satan did not control or rule over Jesus. Jesus is Divine.
A House. Jesus used another analogy for the disunity the scribes implied about Satan’s reign. He said, “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” The first parable referred to the leaders of a nation—a kingdom, or sorts. With the second parable, Jesus referred to common people. He spoke about a household—a family. A family, as a unit, is weak when division exists among its members. If a family’s members let unreconciled disagreements continue, that family unit will suffer. It will not be strong—people take sides, arguing and distrust occurs, and fear and pain occupies minds. Choosing one’s right to do and be as he or she pleases becomes the priority instead of loving and caring for each person and his or her opinions and questions. That kind of family will dissolve into brokenness. It will be ineffective in helping other people or themselves. Just as this family, when divided within itself, breaks apart into severed units, so Satan, if he cast out demons through Jesus, would be ineffective. Evil cannot cast out evil. That would be considered a good, and no good exists within Satan. A home of self-involved and self-interested people is a fractured unit. They do not unite easily for one cause.
The Teaching
The Answer. What lesson did Jesus teach to these three groups of people using these two parables? Was Jesus just a curiosity? Was He beside Himself (overwhelmed by the crowds)? Was Jesus possessed by Satan? Each of these questions goes back to Jesus’ question at the beginning of his parabolic teaching. What was the answer to Jesus’ question, “How can Satan cast out Satan?”
Satan would be weak and defeated if he fought himself, his kingdom. His reign would become confused and fractured. Satan would be too busy fighting evil and his demons to fight against God. This would make his loss of souls to God occur sooner. Satan would be ineffective in tricking people into listening to his lies.
Like in the parable of the kingdom, Satan cannot stand if he continually fought battles within his home (his family of demons). The battles would distract and weaken him and his kingdom. Satan’s deceptions would become weak. He would not be lord of the demons, as the title Beelzebul says. Satan’s household and kingdom would falter and become ineffective in tricking people not to believe in Jesus or into disobeying God. Jesus said this in verse twenty-six. He said, “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is finished!” No doubt existed. Jesus—the Son of God and bearer of truth—spoke the truth about Satan. Satan would fall if he fought himself. God will defeat him permanently when Jesus returns at His second coming.
The Finale. To make sure people understood this lesson, Jesus added one other analogy. In verse twenty-seven, Jesus said to the people, “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.” He taught about the ruler and the family. Now Jesus used the analogy of a singular strong man and his strength. Even if a person fights with all his or her ability, that person, if divided in him or herself about his or her purpose, will not stand firm. That person’s goals and agenda will not happen because he or she is conflicted. Only when a person believes in Jesus for salvation does he or she have purpose. Once the person professes faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in the person and gives the strength needed to fight the invader of his or her home. Only God can defeat every time. When a Christian stands in faith and uses the power the Holy Spirit gives, that person’s home and being will not be taken away eternally.
Application and Conclusion
A regular person cannot withstand Satan forever by using his or her own strength of mind, body, and heart. Only one who trusts in and reveres God can cast away evil because only God, who is all good all the time, can banish evil. Nothing and no one plunders God’s kingdom, house, or being. Good conquers evil just as light drives out darkness (John 1:5, 3:19-21, 8:12). God is not overpowered, but is omnipotent (all-powerful). God is good and casts out evil, as Jesus showed when He cast out evil spirits from demon possessed people. Only God can defeat Satan definitively and eternally.
Jesus confronted the unspoken and spoken questions and accusations. Was Jesus just a curiosity? Was He beside Himself (overwhelmed by the crowds)? Was Jesus possessed by Satan? The people flocked to Jesus as if He was a curiosity. His family seized Him as if He was senseless. The scribes attacked Jesus’ credibility by calling Him evil. Jesus’ parables proved He was more than what they thought or imagined. He proved He is powerful, authoritative, knows all things, and is good and pure.
Jesus, in union with the Father and Spirit, is stronger than the strong man. These three persons of the Godhead join in unity of being and purpose. Nothing defeats them, not Satan, people, or any living or intangible thing. God’s kingdom and home last forever.
The scribes had not considered their rhetoric carefully when they accused Jesus. They could not conceive that the Son of God would come in human form as a baby and grow up as one of them, while still being Deity. But God conceived it. It was His plan from before creation. God knows the mind of humankind. And because He is God and knows the best way to redeem humanity, He prepared the way for us to reunite with Him. God’s actions were inconceivable to us because we cannot think that broadly or grandly. We had no precedent to show us just how great God is. It was unprecedented to us until it happened. Paul reiterated what Isaiah said in Isaiah 64. He said, “Things which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the human heart, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 [NASB]).
Living takes more than being strong—like the strong man, the head of the household, or the king/queen of a kingdom. It takes being strong in the Lord, as Paul said in Ephesians 6:10-11, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”
God set the precedent through Jesus of how to be strong when Satan tries
to deceive us and/or trials dismay us. Being strong in the Lord is the only firm
defense we have when faced with Satan’s attacks and life’s trials. Standing on
God’s word, His goodness, and His power gives us a firm foundation. Paul wrote,
See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ. For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every rule and authority. (Colossians 2:9-10 [NASB])
One question remained from Jesus’ audience with the people.
Did the people of the three groups trust Jesus is who He said He is and that
His works proclaimed? We do not know about most of this grouping of people.
Yet, what is important for us now is if we consider Jesus is who He said He is
and that His works proclaimed? God already set the precedent. He planned and
paid the full cost for you to receive salvation from your sins and guilt. God
made a way for you to be in a relationship with Him and to stand strong against
Satan. Will you trust in Jesus today, right now, and receive the salvation He
gives?
This will enable you
to
walk in God’s
strength
with His wisdom
for His purposes
so you can defeat empty philosophy and lies.
Take an
unprecedented–an extraordinary—step for yourself and accept the incomparable love
of God.
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will also help you. I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 [NASB])
