He Who is Not With Me is Against Me
Posted by Pastor Pat on April 26, 2009
Our text is found in Matthew and Luke, but excluded from Mark. If we follow Mark’s reading, Matthew 12:30 is wedged between the statements concerning the strong one and the sin of blasphemy (Mark 3:27, 28). In looking at the passage there is a primary idea.
Jesus is King, and His kingdom has overthrown the prince of the power of the air. He is removing enslaved citizens of darkness and transferring them into the kingdom of light. The story begun in Genesis is coming to fruition in the arrival of the woman’s seed, the seed of Abraham and of David. Jesus has subjugated sin, separation, and Satan. He has conquered and we are living in His victory. Jesus Christ is the victor. He has destroyed all of His opponents. All who oppose Him will bow before Him.
Early church father, Augustine, noted how, “Christ came to plunder the strong man’s good – the devil’s hold upon the ungodly.” ([emphasis added] Augustine, in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament II – Mark, 41). Jesus has dethroned the Devil; the one who bound others would now be bound. The text shows us two kingdoms in conflict. One sits in a position of possessor, and the other comes to take back what is rightfully His. Ultimately the two lie in mortal combat. It is impossible for the two ever to be reconciled.
