Breaking Free From the “Strong Man!”
Mark 3:20-35
and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sistersa are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
At first reading I found our gospel lesson quite unsettling. In fact at second, third, and fourth readings I still found Mark’s account unsettling. Jesus’ family wants to restrain him? People think that Jesus has gone out of his mind? And, the scribes are saying Jesus has Beelzebul? Furthermore, they accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the ruler of the demons? What is going on here?
Here’s the back story…
All the people from the Judean countryside and from Jerusalem come to John in order to be baptized and to confess their sins. John proclaims that one who is much more powerful than he is coming. And, along comes Jesus to be baptized.
So, John baptizes Jesus. Immediately the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. He spends forty days there with the wild beasts; he is tempted by Satan; and the angels wait on him.
Jesus begins his ministry, preaches the good news, and proclaims that the kingdom of God has come near. He begins to invite people to be his followers, preaches with authority, casts out unclean spirits, heals the sick, cures many diseases, and forgives the sins of those who come to him. As he does these things, the demons claim to know him.Those who are closest to him do not have a clue who he is. And, the crowds swell and swarm around him.
Now, the scribes begin to take notice of Jesus, who they claim speaks blasphemy. In other words they accuse Jesus of calling the work of God’s Holy Spirit evil. And they accuse Jesus of demonic possession. After all, Jesus can’t forgive sins, only God can forgive sins. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
To make matters worse, Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors. He allows his disciples to pick grain and eat it on the sabbath. And furthermore, Jesus heals on the sabbath. The tension is building between the religious authorities and Jesus. And now, people are seeking Jesus in droves.
I don’t know about you, but I had a lot of questions about our gospel lesson today. What is going on with Jesus’ family? It seems they think he is crazy too! And what’s up with the religious authorities? Are they jealous, threatened, angry? Who are really filled with demons? And how can Jesus cast out demons if he is the head of the demons? It just doesn’t make sense!
Jesus calls his family and the scribes together and he tells them a cryptic parable. First he addresses the accusation that he is Beelzebul— a fallen angel who is called “prince of demons.” Then Jesus asks them, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” Let me remind you that Mark tells us that when Jesus was baptized, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descended like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus knows who he is and knows they are full of nonsense!
Jesus goes on to say, “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. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand.His end will come.” And then Jesus says, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then the house can be plundered.”
Okay, so what or who is a “strong man?” A strong man could be a person who performs remarkable feats of strength. He could be a political leader who controls by force such as a dictator. Or, he could be the most powerful or influential person in an organization. Hmm, is Jesus saying the strong man is his family, the scribes, or Satan? If a strong man is one who has power and the ability to control and bind others could it be all three? But here, the strong man is Satan.
Now Let’s just pause for a moment and bring this lesson into today’s world! Where do we find the strong man, “Satan” or the power of evil in our lives? By the way, Satan does not mean a personality with horns and a red tail, but it does name a demonic power that acts against the compassionate and reconciling love of God. This is the reality that Jesus is dealing with here, and whether we believe in a person named “Satan” is not as important as knowing we can be captive to the powers of evil that seek our allegiance to something we call Satan. Stated in this way, the reality of Satan and Beelzebul become disturbingly clear. As Nibs Stroupe, pastor of Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia puts it, “They name the forces and configurations of power that capture us and cause us to hurt ourselves, to hurt others, and to hurt God.”
So, what is it that binds us? What is it that causes us to separate ourselves from God? Is it addiction? Anxiety? Anger? An abusive relationship? Could it be vocational—not knowing what we are called to do and worrying about it? Pastor Stroupe suggests a few more. He says, “There is the power of race, which tells us to believe that one group is superior to another simply because of skin color or cultural heritage. There is the power of patriarchy, which tells us that men should dominate women. There is the power of materialism, which roars at us that money gives us life. And the power of militarism—the belief that weapons and war bring us peace and security—causes us to kill one another, often in the name of God.”
How can we break free from the strong man—the evils that bind us? Jesus gives us a solution. He says, “No one can enter a strong man’s (Satan’s) house and plunder his property (conquer his power over us) without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.” In other words, if we can identify those things that bind us and not deny them, then we break free of them? And who helps us do this? Jesus! Jesus is the one who has conquered sin, death, and the devil.
Today Andrew Eisele, along with all of you—the congregation of Good Shepherd—will stand and profess your faith in Christ Jesus, reject sin, and confess the faith of the church. You will be asked to renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God, the powers of this world that rebel against God, and the ways of sin that draw you from God?n And your response will be? I renounce them.
Jesus is the one who is stronger than the strong man! Jesus has the power to tie up the strong man and plunder (do away with) what is in the strong man’s house. And those who accept Jesus, believe in Him, and do his will are the true members of his family. They are revealed as those who do the will of God. So, when we think about what is going on in this story, we come to the conclusion that those who cannot, will not, refuse to accept Jesus become the outsiders.
At the conclusion of this lesson, we find Jesus’ mother, brothers and sisters outside, asking for him. So the outsiders are his family, the religious authorities, and the demons who “know” him. For us it is the evil powers in our lives—Satan—that keep us from living a good, productive life full of love and care for others.
Insiders are the ones Jesus has healed and cured, his disciples who follow his teachings, and those who seek to do God’s will. We are part of Jesus’ family. For he unbinds us and lifts us up as his beloved ones. When it comes down it, Jesus is the one who breaks us free from the strong man—the one who has us bound! I’m so glad that Jesus frees us, lifts us from the one who binds us.
I invite you to sing and rejoice along with me!
I'm so glad Jesus lifted me.
I'm so glad Jesus lifted me.
I'm so glad Jesus lifted me,
singing glory, hallelujah! Jesus lifted me.
Satan had me bound, Jesus lifted me.
Satan had me bound, Jesus lifted me.
Satan had me bound, Jesus lifted me,
singing glory, hallelujah! Jesus lifted me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.