Then a
demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed
him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. All the crowds were amazed, and were
saying, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?" But when the
Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man casts out demons only by
Beelzebul the ruler of the demons." And knowing their thoughts Jesus said
to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city
or house divided against itself will not stand. "If Satan casts out Satan,
he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? "If I by
Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason
they will be your judges. "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God,
then the kingdom of God has come upon you. "Or how can anyone enter the
strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong
man? And then he will plunder his house. "He who is not with Me is against
Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Matthew 12:22-30 NASB
The scribes who
came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul,"
and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons." And He
called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can
Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot
stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to
stand. If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand,
but he is finished! But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his
property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his
house." Mark
3:22-27 NASB
And He was casting
out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke;
and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by
Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." Others, to test Him, were demanding
of Him a sign from heaven. But He knew their thoughts and said to them,
"Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided
against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his
kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I by
Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be
your judges. But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of
God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house,
his possessions are undisturbed. But when someone stronger than he attacks him
and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied
and distributes his plunder. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who
does not gather with Me, scatters." Luke 11:14-23 NASB
 |
| Storm Clouds in the Heavenly Kingdom? |
Three accounts of Jesus’ parable about the Divided Kingdom. A kingdom divided
against itself cannot stand. War within the household is sure to cause the
walls of the home to crumble. There are countless examples of this in the Old
Testament with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah—the Northern and Southern
nations that made up the Promised Land. When a king fell from power or died
then all of his family and followers were often killed. Brutal. Look around
you. Do you see that families that have conflicts that they can’t resolve often
deteriorate to the point of divorce? The walls of that family unit crumble…and
with neglect or abuse the relationships between the parents and between
children and parents suffer. A family divided cannot stand. Life is tough. Do
they need tough love…or just old fashioned respect? There is not just one
answer…every person and family unit is different—but love and respect are still
the key elements in healthy relationships. Love one another—put others first.
Those are Jesus’ teachings—not my ideas.
I’ve often thought about Jesus’ statement… He
who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. That is a moment by moment choice…to stand with Jesus. That is
important since Jesus also taught…
Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here
on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who
denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. Matthew
10:32-33
I don’t want to stand before the Heavenly
Father someday and have Jesus say…I don’t
know her! Everyone has a choice to make…moment by moment…to follow Jesus—to
love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.
Are you with Jesus or against Him?
Prayer
~ Jesus—I want to gather my family and friends together with You that we may
serve You and honor You and our Heavenly Father in all that we do. Please help
us all to choose to follow You—that we would not be scattered about abandoned, forlorn,
and neglected.
Daily
Bible Reading: Isaiah 54-58
©
2017 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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