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113. The Divided House


Mark 3:20-30, Matthew 12:22-37, Luke 11:14-20
Key Verse: "I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
Mark 3:28-29

A house divided cannot stand. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit and a good tree cannot bear bad fruit. Jesus was being accused of doing Satan's work. Healing and teaching are satan's work? To us, the accusation sounds ludicrous. However, that demonstrates for us the power of jealousy and religious zeal. Nothing, not even seeing with their own eyes, was going to get in between themselves and their traditions and preset convictions. Truly, the closed mind can be a dangerous thing.

Even when Jesus points out the truth that any soldier knows, that if you divide and fight among yourselves, the war is lost, yet even that practical fact would not change their minds. It is this closed mindedness that causes Jesus to issue His warning against the unpardonable sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

The Lord longs to forgive, but He will not force His offer of forgiveness upon a sinner. It is necessary for the sinner to have an open mind about his or her sins, to be able to confess those sins, repent and then ask for the forgiveness that is so readily available. Remember, "He who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened." (Matt. 7:8) However, a closed minded person won't ask. They don't think that they need it because they are sufficient in themselves. Forgiveness cannot be given if it is not asked for.

The Pharisees thought that they had all that they needed to know God. They had their religious understanding of works not grace. Jesus threatened their belief system so he had to be demonized. We need to be cautious of our religious convictions. They deserve to be examined, especially if they just may be blocking our view of Jesus and our understanding of who and what He truly is.


Hymn: Holy Spirit

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