The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 123

Ing to the most approved rending, the words tween the tbonghts of the multitude and o{ are (tpxE-ro., Eh ol1<ov), He c<Ymeth into an those who professed to be their teMhers, thi, house, or, He comet/, home. There is here scribes and Pharisees. The multitude, free a oonsidera.ble ga.p in St. Ma.rk's narrative. from prejudice, and nsing only their natura-1. 'fhe sermon on the mount followed upon the light of reason, candidly owned the great- oall of the apostles, at a.II events so for a.s it ness of Christ's miracles as wrought by a affected them and their mission. Moreover, Divine power; whereas the Pharisees, filled St. Matthew interposes here two miracles with envy and malice, attributed these wrought by our Lord after his descent from mighty works which be wronght by the finger the mount, and before his return to his own of God, to the direct agency of Satan. house at Capernaum. St. Mark seems Vere. 23-27.-How oan Satan cast out anxious here to hasten on to describe the Satan 1 Observe here that onr Lord dis- treatment of our Lord by his own near tinctly affirms the personality of Satan, and :relatives at this important crisia in his a real kingdom of evil. But then he goes ministry. So that they-i.e. our Lord and on to show that if this their allegation were his disciples--oould not so mnch as eat bread; true, namely, that he cast out devils by the such was the pressure of the crowd upon prince of the devils, then it wonld follow them. St. Mark evidently records this, in that Satan's kingdom would be divided order to show the contrast between the zeal against itseU. As a hollBe divided againat of the multitude and the very different itself cannot stand, so neither conld the feelings of our Lord's own connections. kingdom of Sat.an exist in the world if one They, his friends, when they heard how he evil spirit was opposed to another for the we.s thronged, went out to lay hold on him ; purpose of dispossessing, the one the other, for they said, He is beside himself. This from the minds and bodies of men. Our little incident is mentioned only by St. Lord thus employs another argument to Mark. When his friends saw him so bent show that he casts ont evil spirits, not by upon his great mission as to neglect his Beelzebub, but by the power of God. It is bodily necessities, they considered that he as though he said, "As he who invades the was bereft of his reason, that too much zeal house of a strong man cannot succeed until and piety had deranged his mind. His he first binds the strong man; in like man- friends went out (l(;jA6ov) to lay holtl on ner I, Christ Jesus, who spoil the kingdom him. They may probably have come from of Satan, whilst I lead sinners who had been Nazareth. St. John (vii. 5) says that" even under his power to repentance and salvation, his brethren did not believe on him; " that must first bind Satan himseU, otherwise he is, they did not believe in him with that would never suffer me to take his captives fulness of trust which is of the essence of from him. Therefore he is my enemy, and true faith. Their impression was that he not in leagne with me, not my ally in the was in a condition requiring that he should casting out of evil spirits, as you fa.lsely be put under some restraint. represent me to be. It behoves you, then, to Ver. 22.-The soribes whioh oame down understand that it is with the Spirit of God from J'erusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, etc. that I cast out devils, and tha.t therefore the These scribes had apparently been sent kingdom of God is come upon you." down by the Sanhedrim, on purpose to watch Ver. 28.-All their sins llhall be forgiven him, and, by giving their own opinion upon unto the sons of men, etc. St. Mark adds his claims, to undermine his influence. They the words (ver. 30), "Because they said, gave as their authoritative judgment," He [lA.-yov, • they were saying,'] He bath an un- hnth Beelzebub." One of the most prominent clean spirit." This helps us much to the characteristics of the public works of our true meaning of this declaration. Our Lord Lord was the expulsion of evil spirits. There does not here speak of every sin against the was no questionillg the facts. 1!:ven modern Holy Spirit, but of blasphemy (\gainst the scepticism is here at fault, and is con- Holy Spirit. These words of St. l\Iark point strained to admit the fact of sudden and to a sin of the tongue more especially, complete cures of insanity. So the scribes although not excluding thoughts and deeds were obliged to account for what they could against the Holy Spirit. Observe what these not deny. "He hnth Beelzebub," they say; scribes and Phe.risees did; they cavilled at that is, he is possessed by Beelzebub, or works manifestly Divine-works wrought by " the lord of the dwelling," as a source of God for the salvation of men, by which he supernuturo.l power. They had heard it confirmed his faith and truth. Now, when alleged against him, " He bath a devil ; " and they spake against these, and knowingly and so they fall in with this popule.r error, and of malice 11scribed them to the evil spirit, give it emphasis, by saying, Not only has he then they blasphemed 11ga.inst the Holy a devil, but he is possessed by the chief of Ghost, dishonouring God by assigning his the devils, and therofore be.s authority over power to Satan. What could be more hateful Inferior ~pirita. Observe the contrast be- than this? What ~reo.ter blasphemy could 120 THE GOSPEL AOCORDING TO ST. MARK. [oa, m.1-35.