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Mark

Mark 
Day 
Day 76

1 Peter 2:23a "Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return..."

Day 76 – Mark 3

“Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return…” 1 Peter 2:23a

THE SILENCE OF THE SCRIBES FROM JERUSALEM

Did the scribes from Jerusalem think that they were smart, when they tried to slur the name of Jesus by suggesting that He was in league with Beelzebub? They suddenly found that their supposedly strong argument against Jesus was flawed and weak! Jesus pointed out the obvious weaknesses latent in their accusation. As the scribes in Capernaum were put to silence, so the scribes from Jerusalem had no answer to what Jesus said.

INTERPRETING THE POWER OF JESUS TO CAST OUT DEMONS

How should anyone interpret Jesus’ power to cast out demons? Let us take time to ponder this vital text.

“No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods,
unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder
his house.”
MARK 3:27

1. A strong man’s house

a) Satan may indeed be called a strong man.
b) His strength is obviously greater than that of the human being.
c) The strong man will of course guard his possession most carefully.
d) Satan and his demons would guard the people they possessed well.

2. The binding of the strong man

a) Obviously there must be One far stronger.
b) He must first have the power to bind the strong man.
c) Only when the strong man has been bound can he plunder his house.

3. An apt description of the way Jesus cast out demons

a) Jesus was that Person far stronger than Satan himself, He led along his minions.
b) Each time He encounters a demon-possessed person, the demon must first be conquered.
c) The individual is then freed from the power of the demon(s).
How could anyone mistake the power of Jesus with the power of Satan?