#DailyDevotion Jesus Is Still Calling Us To Repentance & Faith Like In The Garden

Mark 3:22-30  ²²The Bible scholars who had come down from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebul is in Him,” and, “The ruler of the demons helps Him drive out the demons.” ²³He called them to Him and pictured it to them in this way: “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴If one part of a kingdom fights another, that kingdom can’t stand. ²⁵And if one part of a home fights against the other, it can never stand. ²⁶And so if Satan rebels and fights against himself, he can’t stand, but his end has come. ²⁷“No one can go into a strong man’s house and take away his goods without first tying up the strong man. After that he will rob his house. ²⁸“I tell you the truth, anything that people do will be forgiven, their sins and their slanders, though they slander ever so much. ²⁹But anyone who slanders the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. Yes, he is guilty of an everlasting sin.” ³⁰He said this because they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

The Bible scholars had come down from Jerusalem, because you always come down from Jerusalem and go up to Jerusalem. They heard and saw what Jesus was doing, healing the sick, casting out demons, freeing people from bondage to their sins. They attributed this to Beelzebul, the ruler of demons. They accused Jesus of doing these things by being possessed and using satanic powers. The unbelieving Jews are still taught this by their rabbis.

So Jesus calls to them. You remember how he called to Adam and Eve when they had sinned. Jesus is attempting to call them to repentance before it is too late for them. Even when they are false accusing him and rejecting him, from the bowels of mercy he calls to those who see him as their enemy. He’s calling to you today too, to confess your sins, believe in him and received the gift of eternal life. Jesus tries to reason with them, “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴If one part of a kingdom fights another, that kingdom can’t stand. ²⁵And if one part of a home fights against the other, it can never stand. ²⁶And so if Satan rebels and fights against himself, he can’t stand, but his end has come.” Seriously, would Satan be casting out demons? If he is then his kingdom cannot stand but fall. Either way, Jesus casting out demons or Satan casting out demons, his kingdom is at an end.

Jesus also reasons with them, ²⁷“No one can go into a strong man’s house and take away his goods without first tying up the strong man. After that he will rob his house.” Now Jesus is a stronger man. He is the LORD in the flesh. He is also the Adam doing what the first Adam should have done when Satan tempted him. Jesus is the stronger man than Satan (the strong man) because the Holy Spirit who was poured out upon him in baptism is overcoming and binding the evil spirits and casting them out through Jesus’ word. What Jesus is doing here is not necessarily by his own power as man but by the power of the Holy Spirit (he could have done it by his divine nature alone but he emptied himself when he became man).

Which is why we come to the sin against the Holy Spirit. A lot of people say it is unbelief. But that makes no sense in this context. Sure, unbelief damns. But unbelief can be forgiven. Mark writes, “He said this because they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” They were attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Slandering the Holy Spirit very simply is the everlasting sin. This is what the Bible scholars were guilty of or very close to it. Everything else can be forgiven.

Heavenly Father, may your son Jesus Christ continually call us to repentance and faith so we may have eternal life by the power of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.