A house divided (A divided kingdom, Mark 3:23-27, Matthew 12:24-30)

A house divided (A divided kingdom, Mark 3:23-27, Matthew 12:24-30)
According to current statistics the likelihood of a marriage lasting is right at 50%, meaning that half of all marriages will end in divorce. The reason this occurs is that the home is divided as the individuals involved cannot agree on major issues that the family is facing. Not being likeminded on even the smallest of issues cause cracks that only worsen over time eventually causing a split in the home that is seemingly unrepairable. Sadly, the home pictured in our illustration is exactly what the relational state of many homes in America until they simply fall apart. In this parable of the divided kingdom Jesus wanted to give His listeners a clear visual of what happens when there is division in a kingdom and make clear that His Kingdom was at war with the kingdom of this world and not in partnership with it. The religious leaders of His time had been corrupted with manmade rules and structural systems that would not allow them to accept anyone who threatened their authority or power in the community. The irony of the whole situation is that they were guilty of exactly what they accused Jesus of, they were puppets of the demonic religious spirits that had bound them by manmade rules and regulations.
These demonic forces have become experts in deceiving the religious hearts of mankind into believing that they are the only one who can be right and anyone who disagrees is the enemy. They are still doing it today as denominationalism keeps the body of Christ in competition with each other instead of working towards common goals. This division within the body of Christ weakens our message and causes the world to see us as weak and confused on all fronts. The body of Christ must forget the manmade dogma that has been feed to us over generations and simply focus on the truth of God’s Word. We do not want to end up like the Pharisee’s and Sadducees of Jesus’ time protecting and defending a religious system that God Himself (Jesus) came to tear down because of its corruptness. We are living in an unprecedented time, in which we are nearing the end of this age and the return of Jesus for His Bride, we do not want to miss what God is doing because we are tied up in our religious practices. Jesus is returning for a bride (church) without blemish not one divided and at odds with itself, we need to get things right before it is too late.