Sunday's Message: The Parables of Jesus - A Strong Man (Mark 3:23-27)

During the months of September, October and November, we'll discuss the following parables found in the Gospel of Mark:

• September 22 - New Wine and Old Clothes (Mark 2:21-22)
• September 29 - A Strong Man (Mark 3:23-27)
• October 6 - The Sower (Mark 4:1-20)
• October 13 - Lamps and Baskets (Mark 4:21-25)
• October 20 - A Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)
• October 27 - The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32)
• November 3 - Clean and Unclean (Mark 7:14-23)
• November 10 - The Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-11)
• November 17 - The Fig Tree (Mark 13:28-31)

During the service on Sunday, September 29, we used Mark 3:23-27 to better understand that parable of a strong man. Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Well, this morning we’re moving on the second message in our series The Parables of Jesus: The Parables in the Gospel of Mark. You see, last week we kicked it off by talking about the old clothes and the new wine skins. And as y’all may remember, we looked at how Jesus brought something new and radical and revolutionary and how this might demand that we change a little bit while remembering that the old and the comfortable and the reliable still have value. Now, that’s what we did last week.

And this morning we’re going to move on to the next story in our list, the parable of a strong man. And you know, it’s kind of  interesting, this whole idea of relative strength is particularly significant today and I’m talking for both you and me. Let me explain by asking a couple of questions. What’s going to happen at 1:00 this afternoon? The Pittsburgh Steelers will be playing the Indianapolis Colts in Lucas Oil Stadium. And for my own curiosity, how many of y’all will be cheering for the Colts? Disappointing, but expected. Now, in the most simple terms, what’s going to determine the outcome of the game? Will it be the color of the uniforms, the size of the field, the skill of the cheerleaders? No, of course not, it’ll be the relative strength of the two teams. I mean, will the Colt defense do a better job with Justin Fields and George Pickens than the Steeler defense with Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor? This ain’t rocket science. Now I recognize that unexpected injuries and bad officiating and just plain luck can certainly influence the outcome. Still, the team that better controls the other will probably win.

And I’ll tell you, I think this idea of comparative strength really lies behind the story we’re looking at this morning, the parable of a strong man. And to understand what I’m talking about, we’re going to approach this story in the same way we did the one last week. You see, first, we’ll answer the question, what did Jesus actually say? And then, second, we’ll consider, what does the parable mean? And then, third, we’ll try to figure out, what are we going to do about it? 

But, of course, to answer this last one, we really have to start with the first question, don’t we: what did Jesus actually say? And I’ll tell you, as it is with most of the parables we’ll be looking at, the context is really important. In other words, to understand what he said, I think we need to have a sense of why he said it. And to understand why he said it, we need to know what was going on. I mean, that just makes sense, right? And so, before Jesus spoke a single word, according to the Evangelist Mark, this was what happened:

Jesus went back home, and once again such a large crowd gathered that there was no chance even to eat. When Jesus’ family heard what he was doing, they thought he was crazy and went to get him under control.

Some teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem and said, “This man is under the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons! He is even forcing out demons with the help of Beelzebul.” [Mark 3:20-22, CEV]

Now, that’s what it says. And I’ll tell you, even though I think it’s really interesting that Jesus’s family thought he was nuts and came to get him under control, I believe the parable Jesus offered has everything to do with what the teachers of the Law said and not what his family came to do. You see, these fine, up-standing guardians of order and structure had seen that, "...whenever any evil spirits saw Jesus, they would fall to the ground and shout, ‘You are the Son of God!’” [Mark 3:11, CEV] Now they’d seen that. And since, in their opinion, some of the other stuff that Jesus had been doing wasn’t exactly kosher, you know, like doing things on the Sabbath he shouldn’t have been doing, they were sure that he wasn’t playing for God’s team. And so they accused Jesus of two things: One, that his power came from Beelzebul, another name for Satan, and two, that the only way Jesus could bring demons to ground was because he was getting help from his Satanic friend. Now, based on what these guys said, that would seem to reflect the assumptions they had. 

And so, when Jesus responded, I think it was directly answering these accusations, starting with the second and then going to the first. You see, according to Mark, 

Jesus told the people to gather around him. Then he spoke to them in riddles and said:

How can Satan force himself out? A nation whose people fight each other won’t last very long. And a family that fights won’t last long either. So if Satan fights against himself, that will be the end of him.

How can anyone break into the house of a strong man and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can take everything. [Mark 3:23-27, CEV]

Now that’s what Mark wrote, and like I said, I believe these words were directed squarely at those teachers of the Law. I mean, just think about what he was saying. To the accusation that he was being helped by Satan to cast out his own demons, well, that’s just plain stupid, and Satan’s no fool. Why would Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, help Jesus destroy demons? Man, he’d be hurting himself, right? Good night nurse, that what be like Mike Tomlin emailing his game plan to Shane Steichen last Monday afternoon. If you’re fighting against yourself, you’re going to lose. And Satan isn’t playing this game with us to lose. And as to the charge that Jesus was under Satan’s power, not only was that baloney, but in actual fact Satan was under Jesus’s power. You see, Satan was like this strong man who could fight off any threat to his stuff unless he’d been tied up by someone stronger. Therefore, the fact that Jesus was able to cower and cast out demons right under Satan’s nose and Satan could do nothing about it, well you tell me, which one has the most power? It’s Jesus, right? And I’ll tell you, I think that’s exactly what Jesus was saying, the answer to the first question.

And as to the second one, you know, what does it mean, well, just like we saw in Jesus’s answer, I think we can break it into two parts. I mean, first, I think he was offering a principle, and I’m talking about a rule that’s just as true today as it was back in the day. Simply put, unity just makes sense and choosing to be divided is stupid and counterproductive, and I think that applies to congregations and communities and countries. My gosh, just think about it, if we’re all running around, doing our own thing and undercutting everyone else, what’s going to happen? Man, we’re going to fall, because, using the words of Jesus, “A nation whose people fight each other won’t last very long. And a family that fights won’t last long either.” [Mark 3:24-25, CEV] I mean, duh. And you know, maybe that’s why the Apostle Paul wrote this to the Ephesians:

As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace. All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God’s people. We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. [Ephesians 4:1-5, CEV]

Unity just makes sense. And I think that principle is the first thing Jesus offers us in this parable.

And second, I think he was also stating a reality, you know, something that’s true regardless of what we might think or assume or want. You see, whether we accept it or not, God has authority, he always has and he always will. As a matter of fact, Satan is nothing more than a strong man who’s been bound, you know a tiger that has no teeth or a team that has no quarterback. And because of that, his clock isn’t the only thing Jesus has cleaned. That’s the way it is. And for that reason, it might be worth our while remembering these words written by the author of the letter to the Hebrews:

Long ago in many ways and at many times God’s prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son. God’s Son has all the brightness of God’s own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together.

After the Son had washed away our sins, he sat down at the right side of the glorious God in heaven. He had become much greater than the angels, and the name he was given is far greater than any of theirs. [Hebrews 1:1-4, CEV]

You see, I think through his words, Jesus offered a principle and stated a reality. And that’s the answer to the second question: what does the parable mean?

Which leaves us with the third question: What are we going to do about it? In other words, how can we apply the principle and the reality we’ve been talking about;  how can we apply them to our congregations and communities and even country? Now for me, that’s an excellent question, and even though there may be many specific applications, I think we can apply both the principle offered and the reality stated in two very specific ways. 

For example, in the principle that Jesus offered, I believe there’s a definite challenge for us to accept. In other words, since we know that it just makes sense, we can work to forge as much unity as we can. Of course, I think we all know, that’s not going to be easy. I’ll tell you, in my 67 years, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen our country more divided. And let’s get real, it’s no longer enough to disagree, we’re told to hate and demonize those who aren’t in our tribe. They’re Un-American and probably Satanic; therefore, they must be crushed and eliminated. That’s what we’re told. And this attitude is filtering down into our communities and congregations and even families. My gosh, regardless of the outcome, can you imagine Democrats and Republicans being thankful to share turkey and stuffing on November 28th, especially if they’ve been forced to sit at the same table? That’s what we’ve become. But we don’t have to be. And what’s really exciting is that you and I can be involved in making the change. You see, by keeping things together, by finding common ground on which we can stand and by putting aside all the juvenile and often false rhetoric we hear all the time, we can change the narrative. Of course, it ain’t going to be easy; the animosity is too deep. But since we know that “a nation whose people fight each other won’t last very long. And a family that fights won’t last long either “ [Mark 3:24-25, CEV], isn’t it worth our best effort? Well, I’ll tell you, I think Paul thought so, because just listen to what he wrote to the Ephesians:

We must stop acting like children. We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings, which are like winds that toss us around from place to place. Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love. [Ephesians 4:14-16, CEV]

You see, because Jesus offered a principle, right now, we can decide to accept the challenge.

But that’s not all we can do, because, remember, he also stated a reality, and I’m talking about the reality that God is in control, he always was and always will be; therefore, we can claim the hope, a hope that’s grounded in the authority of God himself. You see, no matter how difficult life becomes, we know the strong man has been bound. And no matter how discouraged or scared we might feel, we know that God and his people have the power to plunder the strong man’s house and take his stuff. And I’ll tell you, and this might be best of all, no matter how miserably we might fail in being the kind of people and congregation and community and country we’ve been called and empowered to be, we know that doesn’t change the power and authority and control of the one who knotted the rope. You see, whether we succeed or fail, the whistle has blown, the game is over and God has won, but then it was a victory that was never in doubt. Now that’s the basis for our hope, something that Peter wrote we should be sharing with everyone:

Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ. You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong. [1 Peter 3:15b-17, CEV]

You see, along with accepting the challenge, we can claim the hope. And I’ll tell you, that’s what we can do with this story that Jesus taught.

And you know, it’s interesting; as it relates to the Indianapolis Colts who are playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in a couple of hours, well, it also comes down to a very definite challenge. I mean, can a defense that ranked 31st in the NFL control an offense that stands at 24th? But maybe even more challenging, can an offense that’s 17th in the league move the ball against the defense that, based on statistics, is number one. Now that’s the challenge. But maybe, if they play together as a single unit and unite as a team, maybe, just maybe... Well, a guy can always hope.

And I’ll tell you, that’s exactly what I think we can do as we move forward with this parable in our back pockets. You see, based on what Jesus said in response to the accusations made by those teachers of the Law and based on the principle he offered and the reality he stated, right here and now, as the one body of Christ, we can accept the challenge and claim the hope. You see, in my opinion, this is exactly what we can take from this parable about a strong man. And next week, we’ll look at a sower, sowing seed.