A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT STAND

PROCLAMATION

“And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebub!  By the prince of demons He is driving out demons.’  So Jesus called them over to Him and began to speak to them in parables: ‘How can Satan drive out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.’ ”  Mark 3:22-25 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, according to Mark, a companion Simon Peter. (1 Peter 5:13)   While in the synagogue, Jesus had healed a man who was possessed with an impure spirit. (Mark 1:21-28)  On another occasion while He was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath, a man with a shriveled hand was there and Jesus healed him. (Mark 3:1-6)  Jesus and His disciples left the synagogue and went to the lake and large crowds followed them. (Mark 3:7-12)  Even when they went into someone’s home, the large crowds followed them. (Mark 3:20)  The scribes and Pharisees also followed Him, but they were plotting against Him. (Mark 3:6)  They said that He could drive out demons because He was a demon.  That was when Jesus said that Satan could not oppose himself and still stand.

APPLICATION

The old saying, “united we stand, and divided we fall” applies to teams, families, countries, and kingdoms.  If we stand together and support each other, we will succeed.  If we fight against one another then we will fail.  We should not tear other believers down; we should help to build one another up.  None of us will succeed if we act like crabs in a barrel.