22Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.23The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”24But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out ademons. He gets his power from bSatan, the prince of ademons.”
25Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart.26And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.27And if I am empowered by cSatan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.28But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.29For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.
First note: Satan has a kingdom. He is a king and ruler, so lets be sure he does not rule us. Jesus does another good work, and to no one’s surprise the Pharisees cannot embrace His good work but instead try to find fault with it again. But this time, they go even further. They attempt to credit Satan with the power of Jesus’ Holy Spirit. Jesus will have much stronger words concerning this in a few verses, but lets look at what He says here before we move on.
A kingdom divided is doomed. It can be applied to so many things: our families, our marriage, our business…ourselves. Lets start with what we have control over, ourselves. Is my heart completely in love with Jesus, or is it divided? Have I kept a portion for some sin I really like? If so, it will cause me so much trouble. We must never stop working to love the Lord with our whole heart, and from there move on to also work for unity in our marriage, our family…etc. etc. etc.
Lord, open my eyes to any part of me that does not love You. Rid me of my secret corners and selfish pride and evil thoughts. Change me so I love you completely and purely and then use that love to help me live in unity with my spouse, my family, my coworkers, and all those with whom I will someday share all eternity. Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*
