2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10; Psalm 89:20-22, 25-26; Mark 3:22-30 How can Satan drive out Satan? ...all men’s sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but... (Mk 3:23, 28-29) If you’ve ever been near the take-off point of an airport as a huge jet takes off, you know that it can be a very powerful experience. The deafening noise, the forceful gust, and the shaking ground can make your pulse quicken and your whole body tingle. Now imagine that you can erase the airplane and the noise, but keep that excited feeling. That’s how some people have described their experience of the Holy Spirit: a quickened pulse, a sense of awe, and an excitement over all that his power can accomplish. Sometimes, however, the Holy Spirit’s work can be very subtle: perhaps a chance encounter or an answer to an unspoken prayer. It’s this kind of experience, this subtle work of God, that can be overlooked all too easily. In this Gospel passage, the people see the miracles of Jesus and fear that his power is of demonic origin. But Jesus is quick to attribute the miracles to the Holy Spirit. He even rebukes them for slandering the Holy Spirit. It’s striking to see him defending the Spirit as if he were a brother or a close friend. This close relationship with the Holy Spirit is something that God wants us to develop as well - a relationship so close that we can detect his subtle movements just as easily as his more obvious ones. Pope Francis recently urged us along the same lines: “Let’s ask ourselves: are we open to the Holy Spirit? Do I pray to him to enlighten me, to make me more sensitive to the things of God? This is a prayer we need to pray every day, every day: ‘Holy Spirit, may my heart be open to the Word of God, may my heart be open to good, may my heart be open to the beauty of God, every day.’ ” Today, try to identify the Spirit’s work in your life. Pray that you may be open to the word of God, to the goodness in the world, and to the beauty that we experience in creation and in our relationships. Don’t wait for the noise of the jet! Now, when danger lurks what kind of protection do you seek? Jesus came to free us from the greatest danger of all - the corrupting force of evil which destroys us from within and makes us slaves to sin and Satan (Jn 8:34). Evil is not an impersonal force that just happens. It has a name and a face and it seeks to master every heart and soul on the face of the earth (1 Pt 5:8-9). Scripture identifies the Evil One by many names, Satan, Be-elzebul - the prince of demons, the Devil, the Deceiver, the Father of Lies, and Lucifier, the fallen angel who broke rank with God and established his own army and kingdom in opposition to God. Jesus declared that he came to overthrow the power of Satan and his kingdom (Jn 12:31). The numerous exorcisms performed by Jesus brought freedom to many who were troubled and oppressed by the work of evil spirits. Jesus himself encountered personal opposition and battle with Satan when he was put to the test in the wilderness just before his public ministry (Mt 4:1; Lk 4:1). He overcame the Evil One through his obedience to the will of his Father. Some of the Jewish leaders reacted vehemently to the healings and exorcisms Jesus carried out and they opposed him with malicious slander. How could Jesus get the power and authority to release individuals from Satans influence and control? They assumed that he had to be in league with Satan. They attributed his power to Satan rather than to God. Jesus asserts that no kingdom divided against itself can survive for long. We have witnessed enough civil strives and wars in our own time to prove the destructive force at work here for the annihilation of whole peoples and their land. If Satan lends his power against his own forces then he is finished. Jesus asserted his authority to cast out demons as a clear demonstration of the reign of God. Gods power is clearly at work in the exorcisms which Jesus performed and they give evidence that Gods kingdom has come. What kind of spiritual danger or harm should we avoid at all costs? Jesus used the illustration of a strong man whose house and possessions were kept secure. How could such a person be overtaken and robbed of his goods except by someone who is stronger than himself? Satan, who is our foe and the arch-enemy of God, is stronger than us. Unless we are clothed in Gods strength, we cannot withstand Satan with our own human strength. What does Satan wish to take from us - our faith and confidence in God and our readiness to follow Gods commandments. Satan is a rebel and a liar. Satan can only have power or dominion over us if we listen to his lies and succumb to his will which is contrary to the will of God. Jesus makes it clear that there are no neutral parties in this world. We are either for Jesus or against him, for the kingdom of God or against it. There are ultimately only two kingdoms in opposition to one another - the kingdom of Gods light and truth and the kingdom of darkness and deception under the rule of Satan. If we disobey Gods word, we open the door to the power of sin and Satans influence in our lives. If we want to live in true freedom from the power of sin and Satan, then our house - our mind and heart and whatever we allow to control our appetites and desires - must be occupied and ruled by Jesus Christ where he is enthroned as Lord and Saviour. Do you know the peace and security of a life submitted to God and to his Word? What is the unforgivable sin which Jesus warns us to avoid? Jesus knows that his disciples will be tested and he assures them that the Holy Spirit will give them whatever grace and help they need in their time of adversity. He warns them, however, that its possible to spurn the grace of God and to fall into apostasy (giving up the faith) out of cowardice or disbelief. Why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit reprehensible? Blasphemy consists in uttering against God, inwardly or outwardly, words of hatred, reproach, or defiance. Its contrary to the respect due God and his holy name. Jesus speaks of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit as the unforgivable sin. Jesus spoke about this sin immediately after the scribes and Pharisees had attributed his miracles to the work of the devil instead of to God. A sin can only be unforgivable if repentance is impossible. If people repeatedly closes their eyes to God, shuts their ears to his voice, and reject his word, they bring themselves to a point where they can no longer recognize God when he can be seen and heard. They become spiritually blind-sighted and speak of evil as good and good as evil (Is 5:20). To fear such a state of sin and spiritual blindness, however, signals that one is not dead to God and is conscious of the need for Gods grace, mercy, and help. There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who refuses to acknowledge and confess their sins and to ask God for forgiveness, spurns Gods generous offer of mercy, pardon, grace, and healing. Through their own stubborn pride and wilfulness, they reject God, refuse his grace and help to turn away from sin, and reject the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to heal and restore them to wholeness. God always gives sufficient grace and help to all who humbly call upon him. Giving up on God and refusing to turn away from sin and disbelief results from pride and the loss of hope in God. What is the basis of our hope and confidence in God? Through the death of Jesus on the cross and his victory over the grave when he rose again on the third day, Satan has been defeated and death has been overcome. We now share in Christs victory over sin and Satan and receive adoption as Gods sons and daughters. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord enables us to live a new life of love and freedom from slavery to sin. The Lord Jesus is our refuge and strength because he makes his home with us (Jn 15:4) and gives us the power and help of the Holy Spirit. Do you take refuge in the Lord and allow him to be the Ruler of your life? “Lord Jesus, you are my hope and salvation. Be the ruler of my heart and the master of my home. May there be nothing in my life that is not under your lordship. And, Holy Spirit, show me the ways that you are working in my life and the path that you have planned for me. Help me to recognize and acknowledge the big and little miracles you have done in my life.” Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 07:29:43 +0000
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