Thoughts for the Day

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? 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, but his end has come. 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.'

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Jesus has been making a name for himself in Galilee, preaching in the synagogues, healing the people, and carrying out other miracles. We have seen in Mark's Gospel how quickly the Scribes and Pharisees, together with the Herodians, have watched him waiting to accuse him of breaking the Law (see 2.15-17 and 3.1-6). Now we see the 'big-guns' have arrived - some Scribes have come from Jerusalem to decide if he should be called an "apostate preacher" that is someone who has abandoned the teaching of the Mosaic Law. The Scribes have been sent by the ruling body, the Sanhedrin, and have a lot of authority. After watching and listening to Jesus they subsequently accuse him of being obsessed by Satan - not any devil - but by Satan himself, and they intend to declare all his work as evil. However, Jesus, with a clever use of metaphor, points out that this would actually mean that Satan was fighting himself, which would make no sense.

This incident can help us when we need to make big decisions. Jesus is saying that his accusers should look at the end result of his work. It is God who heals, not Satan. It is the same today. When we need to make any important decision we should involve God at the beginning, weigh up the pros and cons, and look at the likely outcomes.

Finally we might seriously ask ourselves two questions:

1. Will there be a just outcome for myself/others?
2. Or will my decision affect myself/others negatively?

Be honest, and choose wisely with God's help.

Lord Jesus,
You know that sometimes
we find it difficult to make decisions
that are true to our faith.
Guide us to a conclusion
that is just and fair,
and that reflects
Your Kingdom of love.
Amen.