SUMMARY
Growing concerns over Jesus’ authority cause some scribes to accuse him of being in league with the devil. JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. responds with a parableA parable is a brief story with a setting, an action, and a result. A prominent aspect of Jesus' teaching was telling parables to illustrate something about the kingdom, or reign, of God. that summarizes his salvific work.
ANALYSIS
At first, Jesus’ power over the demonic inspires amazement and wonder. After he exercises these same powers on the SabbathSabbath is a weekly day of rest, the seventh day, observed on Saturday in Judaism and on Sunday in Christianity. In the book of Genesis, God rested on the seventh day; in the Gospel accounts Jesus and his disciples are criticized by some for not..., he begins to see increasing opposition. His new opponents seek to attack the base of his authority by alleging that he receives it from Beelzebul. This is a mocking name for a demonA demon is an evil spirit often depicted in human or animal form. Sometimes frightening, sometimes alluring, the unclean spirit represents destructive power. derived from a Philistine god (2 Kings 1:2). The name may have originally meant “Lord of the Heavenly Dwelling,” but Israelite tradition changed it to Beelzebub, meaning “Lord of the Flies.” The scribes also attribute Jesus’ power to Satan himself, the so-called “Prince of the devils.”
Jesus responds with a parable that lays out the work of salvationSalvation can mean saved from something (deliverance) or for something (redemption). Paul preached that salvation comes through the death of Christ on the cross which redeemed sinners from death and for a grace-filled life. that he has come to accomplish. First of all, he asserts that Satan is not fighting against Satan, meaning that Satan’s “householdA household is a living unit comprised of all the persons who live in one house. A household would embrace all the members of a family, including servants and slaves. In the book of Acts, stories are told of various persons and their households, like...” still remains strong. Rather, a strong man is needed to rescue people from the prince of the devils. That strong man is Jesus as shown through his ability to terrorize and exorcize the uncleanIn Hebrew law many regulations warned against impurity. Unclean things were numerous and included leprosy, menstruating women, dead bodies, shell fish, and pigs. spirits.
