Mark 3

Mark 3:20-27
A House Divided Cannot Stand

- v24-25. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Jesus used this parable to rebuke the scribes who accused Him of using Satan to cast out unclean spirits. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." He could've just stopped there with this one line, and it would have been very direct, clear, and easy to understand.

But He repeats the line again using a "house" as another example. I checked the Greek, and it is really just a house, so I presume that Jesus is now emphasising His point in a general perspective.

Therefore, if a church is divided against itself, that church cannot stand. If a CG is divided against itself, that CG cannot stand. If your project group is divided among yourselves, your project group cannot stand. If your spouse and you are divided among yourselves, your marriage cannot stand.

To Jesus, what is the most important thing you must realise when you are in a context of a group/team/company (i.e. you are not the sole person involved in something)? Your group/team/company must unite and stand together for a common goal/vision/mission. And should anyone not be able to run with this goal/vision/mission, that individual is at risk of bringing everyone down with him.

In the context of a church/CG, if you are unhappy with anything or anyone, bring it up to your leaders, shed light on it, and remove all the darkness. In the counsel of multitudes, there is wisdom to see the truth. Don't sow poison into others. And be prepared for correction as well if you are deemed to be in error.

Think about this: If you really, really love your church/CG, what is there to fear about correction out of love compared to the risk of bringing down the whole house?