MARK 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said [of Jesus], ''He is possessed by Beelzebul,'' and ''By the prince of demons He drives out demons.'' Summoning them, [Jesus] began to speak to them in parables, ''How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.'' For they had said, ''He has an unclean spirit.'' By the prince of demons He drives out demons.
This is the scribes' verdict on Jesus' power of exorcism. The truth, however, is just the opposite: Jesus drives out demons because he is against demons! His love for people makes him expel the demons that possess men and women. It is about loving the sinner but hating the sin. But can we really differentiate the two? Can we keep them apart? Well, Jesus does! He is able to see the victim and the victimizer. He identifies the wrong and the wronged. He holds the bedeviled and drives away the demon. There is a whole world of difference, and to be able to see the difference is to define our actions. It will put compassion in our crusades, love in our fists, and heart in our fights.
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