In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.”
Mark 3:27
There is always a tremendous benefit to the careful study of the Scriptures. This is that as we repeatedly go over the text of God’s Word we find ourselves gaining a new and a deeper appreciation of their message. This year I have been re-examining the Gospel of Mark fairly carefully. As I have been doing so I have become aware that as Mark writes his vivid account of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ he has been asking us to confront a question. This is to come to a conclusion about the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who do we believe that He is?
Mark leads us to answer this question by carefully presenting the information which he had heard from the Apostle Peter. In a fast paced and vivid way Mark teaches us that the Lord Jesus is the God man. We discover evidence of His humanity, seeing as we do in Mark 3:20 that the crush of the crowd at the house is even preventing Jesus from eating with His Disciples. Such is the strain upon Him that His family are becoming concerned that He is being driven mad. As Mark gives us this information he also leads us to confront the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see His power and grace powerfully at work fulfilling all that the Scriptures tell us that the Messiah would do when He came.
Mark keeps taking us back to evidence that the Lord Jesus Christ is in fact the fulfillment of Isaiah’s Suffering Servant, who comes in order to give up His life as a ransom for us. In the passage which is before us here in Mark 3:20-30 we see a growing opposition, and cost to the ministry of our Lord. With each day the hardships, demands, and opposition is growing. He is facing it all for us that He might redeem us from our sin. As we dig deeply into Mark’s Gospel we find ourselves discovering the costliness of our redemption. We are also brought to understand the nature of the task that the Lord Jesus Christ has undertaken.
In response to the accusation of the teachers of the law that He was in fact casting out demons by the power of Satan Jesus tells them a parable. You cannot rob a strong man’s house unless you first tie up the strong man. One would presume that to tie up a strong man would require someone of superior strength. The task would be beyond to ability of a weaker person. If the Lord Jesus has come and is casting out demons, robbing Satan’s Kingdom then the presumption must be that He is in fact stronger than Satan. For that to be true He must then be God in human flesh. There is no other explanation. The power of God has broken into our world in the person of the God man and it is therefore setting us free from Satan’s tyranny.
In Hebrews 2:14&15 we read that this is in fact what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us.
“Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil –and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
Do you know Him as the one who has set you free through His death on the cross?