![]() The people of his day knew that his claims didn’t allow that. We cannot simply conclude that he was a good man. The age-old question posed by CS Lewis “Is Jesus mad, bad or God?” has its roots here. The far more likely answer is that the one making war on Satan’s forces is Satan’s opponent, the strong man entering the house to bind the enemy (v27). If Satan is using his powers through him to attack and subdue other demons then that suggests his kingdom is broken, divided, in the middle of civil war. Jesus responds by showing that their claim is ridiculous. The name Baal is itself a title rather than a first name, another word for “lord” or “master.” This demon is the lord and ruler of the other demons and so is seen as a synonym for Satan. The name here is a reference to one of the ancient gods -a form of Baal. They think that he is using demonic, Satanic power to work his magic. Well, then, the scribes turn up and they too have an assessment of Jesus. It is also possible that she has little agency in this, that she is not listened to and that it is Jesus’ brothers who are pushing the agenda. Or maybe she had expected him to come into his kingdom, just not this way. I’m sure that’s what doubters will have suggested often enough. It is possible that even she has a wobble, loses confidence in those past events, doubts her own mind, maybe she was just a confused teenage girl who got into a messy pregnancy and had a kind of breakdown. Wasn’t she the one who had received an angelic message? Wasn’t she the one who experienced a miraculous birth, as shepherds, visited, angels sang and wise men brought gifts? Hadn’t she had her husband themselves given up settled and secure life because of Jesus, fleeing to Egypt? It’s fascinating and challenging that Mark includes his mother, Mary among the family members. Yet he has left all that behind to pull together a ragtag motely crew and his family conclude that he has gone out of his mind, he has lost it. As the eldest son, he would have been heir to Joseph’s business, he had a safe stablished route as a carpenter ahead of him. What is happening? Well, Jesus is continuing to draw huge crowds to himself and his family grow concerned for his well-being. ![]() To understand what Jesus means when he describes a sin which is unforgivable, we need to look at the whole passage here and to set it in context. The possibility that I could commit a sin which puts me permanently and irreparably beyond God’s love and forgiveness is terrifying. It’s a question that someone may well have asked you at some point. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |