Christian Art | Scribes Accuse Jesus
Mark 3: 22-30 – Week 3 Ordinary Time, Monday (Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
22 ¶ And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
As Jesus’ popularity grows, so too do those opposing voices ranged against him. Jesus has worked saving miracles, and now the scribes come from Jerusalem declare that this has not been holy work but rather diabolical. This sounds to modern day listeners to be absurd, although we might wonder at Jesus’ manner as he exorcised demons, and bear in mind that his friends and family thought he had lost his wits and was beside himself. Certainly, the intention of the scribes is to find fault and seize on anything they can to try to vilify Jesus. They are looking to reject the good news and are happy to pervert the truth if they feel by doing so they may harm Jesus.
Jesus proves by his words in reply that he is perfectly compos mentis and that the scribes’ accusations are self-evidently nonsensical. Can Satan cast out Satan? Is Satan divided against himself, at war with himself, tearing himself apart? In which case, Satan must fail; his time must be coming to an end, as evil consumes itself. Of course, what is happening is that one stronger than Satan is here. Christ has come to liberate mankind from bondage to Satan. There will be salvation.
The scribes see Beezebub/Beelzebul, meaning the god of the flies/the god of excrement – excrement the word used by the Jews to describe pagan sacrifices. They are right to know that evil is a force in this world, but in saying that Jesus’ miracles are the work of the devil, they are themselves in the grip of evil and they blaspheme. As Jesus tells the scribes: ‘[H]e that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.’ This is what the scribes have done, in refusing to give God the glory for the miracles of healing. In so doing, they close their hearts against the Holy Spirit, and so they refuse God’s grace.
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12: 31-32)
Concluding Prayer
King of heaven and earth, Lord God,
rule over our hearts and bodies this day.
Sancify us,
and guide our every thought, word and deed
according to the commandments of your law,
so that now and for ever
your grace may free and save us.
We make our prayer through our Lord.
Audio Bible KJV | Endnotes
Scribes Accuse Jesus
In Mark 3: 22-30, the scribes accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. This accusation marks a pivotal moment in the ministry of Jesus and raises important theological questions about the nature of evil and the power of God.
The scribes, who were experts in Jewish law and tradition, were highly critical of Jesus’ teachings and actions. They saw Jesus as a threat to their authority and were quick to accuse Jesus of blasphemy and other transgressions. In this instance, the scribes accuse Jesus of working with the devil, claiming that ‘He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils’ (Mark 3:22, KJV).
Jesus responds to their accusation with a powerful argument, pointing out the logical inconsistency of their claim: ‘And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.’ (Mark 3:26, KJV) Jesus goes on to affirm that it is only by the power of God that he is able to cast out demons: ‘Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.’ (Mark 3:28-29, KJV)
The Church has traditionally understood the sin against the Holy Ghost as a willful and persistent rejection of the grace of God, which ultimately leads to the loss of salvation. Protestant theologians have interpreted this passage in different ways, with some arguing that it refers to a specific historical situation in which the scribes were rejecting the witness of the Holy Spirit through Jesus’ miracles, and others seeing it as a warning against the danger of persisting in unbelief.
Regardless of the precise interpretation of this passage, one thing is clear: the power of God is greater than the power of evil. As Jesus said: ‘No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.’ (Mark 3:27, KJV) By casting out demons, Jesus was demonstrating his authority over the forces of darkness and his power to set people free from sin and bondage.
This theme of spiritual warfare is a recurring motif throughout the Bible, from the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to the book of Revelation/Apocalypse, which speaks of a final victory over the powers of darkness. As the apostle Saint Paul wrote: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’ (Ephesians 6:12, KJV) In the face of such opposition, it is crucial to remember that our ultimate hope lies not in human strength or wisdom, but in the power of God, who is able to do far more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
The story of the scribes accusing Jesus raises important questions about the nature of evil and its relationship to God. In the Christian tradition, evil is often understood as a distortion or corruption of the good that God has created. As theologian Saint Augustine of Hippo famously wrote: ‘Evil has no positive nature; but the loss of good has received the name evil.’ (City Of God, Book 11, Chapter 9)
This understanding of evil as a privation of the good is important because it underscores the fundamental goodness of creation and the power of God to redeem even the most broken and fallen aspects of it. As the apostle Saint Paul wrote: ‘For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.’ (Romans 8:22-23, NLT)
This hope for the ultimate redemption of creation is at the heart of the Christian Gospel, which proclaims that in Christ, God has overcome the power of sin and death and has inaugurated a new creation in which all things will be made new (2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 21:5). This hope sustains us in struggles and trials of this life.
In light of these biblical and theological reflections, the story of the scribes accusing Jesus challenges us to examine our own hearts and minds and to ask ourselves where we are placing our trust and hope. Are we relying on our own strength and understanding, or are we surrendering ourselves to the power and grace of God? Are we seeking to overcome evil with good, or are we contributing to the darkness in our own ways?
As the apostle Saint John wrote: ‘Light shines in the darkness, and darkness has not overcome it.’
Christian Art | George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner Lord, how I am all ague, when I seek What I have treasur’d in my memorie! Since, if my soul make even with the week, Each seventh note by right is due to thee. I finde there quarries of pil’d vanities, But shreds of holinesse, that dare not venture To shew their face, since crosse to thy decrees. There the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre. In so much dregs the quintessence is small: The spirit and good extract of my heart Comes to about the many hundredth part. Yet Lord restore thine image, heare my call: And though my hard heart scarce to thee can grone, Remember that thou once didst write in stone. George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner The poet reflects on his spiritual state, describing a struggle with weakness, sin, and the desire for divine alignment. The poem opens with the poet addressing God, expressing discomfort, likened to an ‘ague’ (fever or chill), when he searches his memory for spiritual treasures. This ‘ague’ suggests both a physical and spiritual unease, revealing the tension the poet feels in self-examination. The second line conveys a sense of regret as the poet searches for ‘treasur’d’ holiness in his memory. He recognizes that, although he might strive to keep his soul ‘even with the week’, dedicating every seventh day to God, he falls short. This phrase reflects the expectation to honour the Sabbath, but the poet’s efforts are met with disappointment in their perceived spiritual emptiness. The poet goes on to examine his inner self, describing ‘quarries of pil’d vanities’ that dominate his mind. Here, ‘quarries’ implies an overwhelming quantity of earthly or superficial concerns, while ‘vanities’ suggests that these concerns are meaningless in the context of divine expectation. In contrast, he finds only ‘shreds of holinesse’, fragmented attempts at righteousness, which he hesitates to bring forward as these elements are ‘crosse to thy decrees’, or in opposition to God’s laws. This imagery underscores the poet’s internal conflict and recognition of shortcomings. Further, the poet contrasts earth and heaven, saying that ‘the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre.’ This phrase symbolizes the poet’s focus on worldly concerns (the circumference) that orbit around a neglected spiritual core (the heavenly center). The poet reflects that his life is filled with ‘dregs’, the lesser, unrefined aspects of his being, while ‘quintessence’, or the purest part of himself, is scarce. This ‘quintessence’ is described as the ‘spirit and good extract’ of the poet’s heart, amounting to a ‘many hundredth part’ — a small fraction of life’s essence. The poet realizes that, despite attempts to cultivate holiness, his internal state largely lacks spiritual substance. The final lines shift to a plea for restoration. The poet calls on God to ‘restore thine image’, asking for renewal and transformation. This restoration request implies a yearning to reflect God’s nature more fully, as humanity is believed to be made in God’s image. The poet acknowledges that his heart ‘scarce… can grone’ to God, reflecting the difficulty he feels in truly connecting with or petitioning the divine. The poem ends with reference to the biblical account of the Ten Commandments, when God ‘didst write in stone’. This allusion serves as both a reminder of God’s past willingness to communicate directly and a plea for a similar intervention to etch divine law into the poet’s heart. The poem examines themes of introspection, human fallibility, and a longing for divine transformation. The poet’s self-examination reveals struggle to balance earthly concerns with spiritual commitments, culminating in a plea for God’s direct action to restore spiritual integrity.
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