Day 5: Asking God for Truth

Day 5 of my challenge.

This morning, I read Mark 3.  When I first read the chapter, it seemed to skip from one point to the next in the chapter, with no coherence.  But when I asked God for Truth, I saw a single thread running through it.  Jesus is healing people and the demons cry out, "You are the Son of God!"  Jesus calls the 12 disciples and gives them authority over the demons (among other things).  Jesus' family comes to take him by force, thinking he is out of his mind.  The scribes accuse Jesus of working under the power of Satan.

Do you see the common thread?  Jesus' response kind of clinches it.  He tells them,  "And if a kingdom is divided and rebelling against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided (split into factions and rebelling) against itself, that house will not be able to last.  And if Satan has raised an insurrection against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is [surely] coming to an end."  

Jesus didn't want the demonic world to be the one to reveal who he was--he was content to wait until the fullness of God's time.  They  weren't part of him or his kingdom.  Because the disciples were now followers of Jesus (part of his kingdom), he gave them authority over the demons.  Because Jesus' family was divided over who he was, he didn't even respond to their demands.

The last verse seals the deal:  "For whoever does the things God wills is my brother and sister and mother!"