Tie Up the Strong Man
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Mark 3:27
unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Mark 3:27
Piety
Spirit of the Living God
Fall a-fresh on me
Melt me, mold me,
Fill me, use me
Spirit of the Living God
Fall a-fresh on me
Study
On the surface, the first part of this passage makes perfect sense. It was always in making the transition to the next section that caused me to pause.
First, we need to be sure that you know the "strong man" is Satan. That's right: Beelzebub, the ruler of demons, the evil one, or the "prince of this world." Once we establish the identity of the "strong man," the passage makes more sense. Unless you tie up a strong man, he's not going to sit around and watch you plunder his house. He's going to put up a fight. If you were going up against Muhammad Ali, the likelihood of winning this fight against the Champ is probably somewhere between slim to no chance -- even if you float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Your best shot at plundering his house is to first tie him up with a little rope-a-dope.
Here is a reasonable conclusion: Jesus has the power to bind "the strong man." After all, Jesus is here to bring about a kingdom that breaks through the presence of evil in the world. If Satan is not fighting amongst his friends, the person who will take him on is Jesus.
Demons get cast out by God's power in this world – and only the Holy Spirit wields such power. Now that we make THAT connection to the Holy Spirit, the second part about the one sin that is unforgivable – now makes sense too. Sinning against the power of the Holy Spirit in the world would be to deny the physical presence of God. It would be to deny God's strength in the battle. It would be to deny that God is incarnate in the world in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus succeeds because of only one factor: The Spirit of the Lord is upon him. That Spirit is what makes him "stronger." That Spirit is what frees us from sin. That Spirit is what calls us to a more profound union and friendship with him.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin." Mark 3:28-29
The notes in the NABRE explain that "this sin is called an everlasting sin because it attributes to Satan, who is the power of evil, what is the work of the Holy Spirit, namely, victory over the demons."
Action
Up until Jesus (and the Spirit of the Living God) come onto the scene, we have been the ones that the strong man -- Satan -- has bound up in sin. Envy. Gluttony. Lust. Greed. Gambling. Alcohol. Sports. What stops you from getting closer to Jesus? That is the rope that the "strong man" is using to tie you up. Only when we turn the tables – freed by Jesus from the confines of our sins – can we tie up the strong man and cast his power out of our lives. What ropes have you tied up? How can you get out of those traps?
1 comment:
I agree with you proclaiming that Jesus is stronger than the strong man (1 jn 4:4) and has done the work to free all who trust his completed work. But you may be confusing people by asking or applying "What ropes" or temptation have tied you up. Who is rescuer ? Jesus or me or the believer in the completed work of Jesus ? I and you simply have to confess and live aware that "the strong man" Devil is seeking to master us by his lies. The spirit simply confesses or states the JESUS is ONE we trust in RATHER than the lies or half truths. Relying on the completed work is the work of the Spirit that makes me & you confident that we are not mastered by The Devil. It's more about Jesus & his complete work and less about me or you trying harder to get out of the traps of bad behavior we confess our sins and Live according to the leading of JESUS' spirit or the Scriptures.
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