The Parables of Jesus – The Divided Kingdom
(Bible Portion to read: Matthew 12:24-30, Mark 3:23-27)
The Lord Jesus Christ healed many sick people during his ministry on this earth. This did not go well with few people who were witnessing all these miracles, for example, the Pharisees who eagerly waited for an occasion to find fault in His teachings and works. On one sabbath day, the Lord Jesus healed a man who was possessed with a devil which made him both blind and dumb. The people who witnessed this miracle were amazed to see the man both see and talk. The pharisees, on the other hand, used this opportunity to misguide the people by trying to convince them that this work is not by God but by devil. We read this in Matthew 12:22-24.
Generally, when someone tries to misrepresent our motives behind our deeds, we become really angry and are deeply hurt. In such cases, we either remain calm or we show our emotions either by crying or shouting. The same thing happened to our Lord Jesus Christ when the Pharisees called him a servant of the prince of devils. However, He did not react like we do. He explained to the people how wrong their thoughts are by stating this parable- “The divided kingdom”.
The Lord Jesus mentions in this parable about a kingdom. He says that if a kingdom was divided against itself how can it stand? It would be easy for the enemy to overcome it. This reminds us of an incident which took place in the history of our dear country – India. During the 1857 Revolt, the Indians were all united which made it difficult for the foreign rulers to win over them. The British saw this and decided to disturb the unity among the Indians so that they could easily win over them. So, they divided people based on their religions, caste, and occupation and created a competition between each group. This made the unity among the Indians to disappear and made it easier for the British to exercise their power while the Indians were busy fighting among themselves.
When people of the same kingdom fight with each other, they cannot fight the enemy and save their territory. If the Lord Jesus was a worker of the prince of devils, he obviously would not cast out the devils. . The fact that the Lord Jesus cast the devils out from the people clearly tells us that his kingdom is not of devils but the devils are his enemy. So, what could be the motive or intention of the Lord Jesus in driving the devils out?
In verse 28 we read,” But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come to you.” We live in this world which is under the control of Satan, a wicked master. For humankind to attain the kingdom of God, it is mandatory to defeat the existing kingdom, that is, the kingdom of Satan. For this reason, the Lord Jesus ministered on this earth and cast out devils from the devil-possessed, not only that but He also gave His life as a ransom for sinners like us to be redeemed from the bondage of Satan. On the cross, the Lord Jesus defeated death and the devil and today we are victorious because we are dealing with a defeated foe. So being redeemed by Him we become the citizens of the kingdom of God.
This activity is beautifully explained by the Lord Jesus in the same chapter. He says that when you want to spoil the things in a strong man’s house, you first need to bind that strong man. This is what he did. He wanted to destroy the wickedness present in us. So, He had to bind the strong man that is, Satan residing in us. Satan is not weak, he is mighty. Our strength cannot drive him away. Our Lord Jesus is the Almighty One who alone can drive Satan away. He has driven Satan out of us and hath filled us with His Holy Spirit.
We learn two things from this parable. First, we should not mock the works of God as the Pharisees did (Read Mark 3:29). Second, we read in Matthew 12:30 – God says that anyone who works with him gathers but the one who does not work with him is against him and scatters. We see many people who toil in doing various kinds of ministry. They are the gifts and talents that they receive from the Lord. However, any gift or talent used by us without God’s approval and guidance is considered as nothing. Not just nothing but the Lord says that they are working against him. If we are with Christ and being guided by Him to use our talents then we see souls being added to the church by our small ministry. If we do not minister according to God’s will in our lives and depend on our own abilities to use our talents, then we can see souls backsliding. Even to do the work of the Lord, it is very important to be in the will of God. Never think that if you are a great orator or a very talented person, you can win souls for Christ. In the work of the Lord, it does not work that way…never.
Also, never allow the things or the desires of this world to have more preeminence in your life. The Lord Jesus says in Mathew 6:24, “If you are not with me then you are against me.” You cannot serve two masters you will either hate the one, or love the other. You cannot follow the Lord and yet cling on to the cultures, traditions, and attractions of this world. We need to be like alive fish moving against the tide and not as dead fish moving along with the world! We are in the world but the world should not be in us. This quote made me smile but how true it is…we are fighting a defeated foe but he is not giving up easily…so be careful!
Be with Christ as a gatherer not against him as a scatterer. This makes you the enemy of the Almighty. Who can stand against him and prevail? Remember the Lord says in John 15:5,” Without me you can do nothing!” Acknowledge Him at every step and never do anything even in the ministry without the Lord’s approval.
