Jesus – defeater of Satan
Mark 3:20-30
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”
23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
Jesus has been confronting demons (impure spirits) as he started his ministry. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was overcoming Satan (Beelzebub) and bringing freedom and restoration in the lives of people enslaved to Satan, the prince of demons. (See 1:25-27; 1:34 and 38.)
He was on a collision course with Satan and the religious leaders. Here in chapter 3 this comes to a head.
Who is Jesus? Notice the failure of people to recognise him – his family who knew him best thought he was crazy. The religious leaders tried to explain him away by saying he was acting in Satan’s power. The demons were the ones who recognised him for who he was – the Holy one of God. People today are also struggling to recognise Jesus for who he is and would rather see him as a good moral teacher.
In fact, Jesus announces who he is in this parable – the one sent to “bind the strong man,” that is the one who overcomes Satan, who defeats Satan by the Holy Spirit’s power (that’s why he condemns the failure to recognise the Spirit of God is at work in v 29.) What Jesus is doing is ushering in a new order, which Matthew calls The Kingdom of God. In Matthew 12:28, Jesus said about this event “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God then the kingdom of God has come on you.” No longer will Satan have free reign, but Jesus is bringing people back from Satan’s clutches (the strong man’s possessions) and into relationship with the Father. Now God will reign on earth and his kingdom is here with us, through Jesus. Of course, Satan is active and scheming to keep people enamoured of him, however he does not have free reign, and Jesus is overcoming by the Holy Spirit. When we say Jesus brings freedom, it is from the rule of Satan over our lives, minds and hearts.
I thank God that Jesus has defeated the “prince of the world” (John 12:31) and restored me to God the Father. I will never be owned by Satan when I trust in the salvation Jesus has won.
Lord, you are the great rescuer because you have defeated Satan. I pray that through me by your Holy Spirit others will recognise you and you will bind Satan’s influence in this world. Amen
Written by Claire Moore