Rise and Follow: 30 Days in MarkSample

Throughout his gospel, Mark raises two unavoidable questions to his readers:

Who do you believe Jesus is, and what are you willing to do about it?

At this point in the story, several options are on the table—

Is Jesus a blaspheming law-breaker?

A prophetic miracle-worker?

Is he demon-possessed or out of his mind?

Could he be the son of God as the demons fear?

However people respond, they have strong reactions. The disciples leave everything to follow him. Crowds are traveling long distances for the chance to touch him. The Pharisees are plotting his death. In today’s verses, we see that even the elite officials from Jerusalem have decided to intervene. Their theory: Jesus’ power comes from demons.

Jesus’ response to this accusation reveals the nature of the mission that he’s called us to join. He compares himself to a thief who wants to rob a strong man’s house. Before he can plunder Satan’s kingdom, Jesus must tie him up. Satan’s ultimate power over humanity is death. If you have read the whole story, you know that the way he breaks the power of death is first by dying and then being raised.

With his resurrection, the strong man’s house was opened for plundering. Jesus’ followers are to join him in his mission of taking back territory from Satan, calling his former captives into the freedom of God’s kingdom.

Additional Resources

With Jesus’ message and mission, he was declaring war against the spiritual powers that had corrupted God’s good creation and enslaved humanity for so long. To learn more, check out this video from the BibleProject:

Reflection Questions:

• How is God speaking to me through these verses?
• What does this set of verses teach me about God?
• What does this show me about the good news of Jesus?
• How can I apply what I read today?