​Community Group Discussion Guide: A Divided Kingdom
 
Read Text: Mark 3:20-30 (NASV) And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.
   21        When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”
   22        The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
   23        And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
   24        “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
   25        “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
   26        “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!
   27        “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
   28        “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;
   29        but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”--
   30        because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
 
Icebreakers:

1. Without getting into the politics, how do you feel about the partisan political divide that exists in today’s United States?
2. What makes a country stronger—the things that divide us or the things that we have in common?
3. What generally happens after a coup or a coup attempt in a country?

 
Big Idea: Jesus has declared war on an established kingdom. He is healing the sick, bringing new authority and teachings, forgiving sins, breaking the oral tradition, "working" on the sabbath, overcoming temptation, and opposing the Jewish/religious leaders of his time. However, it is not the kingdom of Israel or the Jewish religion that is under attack but the Kingdom of Darkness. Jesus says in Matthew 5:17 that "He has not come to abolish the law and prophets but to fulfill them," but He says no such thing about the realm of Satan. In fact, He is in open opposition and has begun to attack this kingdom. It started in the desert when Jesus resisted the devil's temptations and continues as we see Jesus exert his power and authority over the demon possessed. In this passage we see Jesus’ power and authority come into question by two different groups in two different ways. It reminds me of a C.S. Lewis quote from Mere Christianity, “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” This is exactly what we see play out in the passage and Jesus leaves the Pharisees with a very stern warning about the road they are headed down. 
 
Text Exploration:
(Verses 20,21)  And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”

• How would you describe a modern-day intervention?
• Why did Jesus’ own people want to do an intervention with Jesus?

 
 
(Verse 22) The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

• Why do you think the scribes made this accusation concerning Jesus?
• Are politicians noted for perpetrating honest narrations? 

 
 
(Verses 23-27) And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.  “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!  “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

• What is the meaning of Jesus’ parables in these verses?
• In a kingdom or a country, what problems are created by division?

 
(Verses 28-30) “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

• What was it about the scribes accusation concerning Jesus that caused Jesus to warn them about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
• How would you define or describe the sin called, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
• Why would this particular sin be beyond the scope of forgiveness?

 
Conclusion: In accusing Jesus of doing works of power by the power of Satan, the scribes were indeed siding with Satan in the work of deception.  It is a very dangerous act for a group of people who claim to be God’s ambassadors to enlist in the work of the Enemy.  Jesus warned His critics about the danger of engaging in such subterfuge.

Big idea: Jesus had many people who followed Him throughout His earthly ministry. In fact, in Acts 1 when the first disciples had gathered in the upper room before the day of Pentecost had fully come, it mentions 11 disciples by name, but there were about 120 actually gathered together. But Jesus primarily had 12 disciples that walked closely with Him and that are consistently referenced throughout His ministry. Jesus gives these twelve disciples three appointments or assignments in verses 14-15. These three assignments are:
1.) That they would be with Him
2.) That they would go out and preach 
3.) That they would have authority to cast out demons

Text: Mark 3:13-19  ​13  And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14  And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15  and to have authority to cast out the demons. 16  And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), 17  and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, "Sons of Thunder"); 18  and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; 19  and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. 

Ice Breakers:

• If everyone has not heard yet, take some time to share your conversion story. How did you come to Christ?
• John and James were called "Sons of Thunder", what was/is your nickname from your parents or others? 

Read verse 13:  And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 

• Why didn't all of the crowds of people in verses 7-12 not follow Jesus up the mountain? 

• What does the phrase "being with Jesus" mean to you? What does that look like in your life? 
• The Greek word for 'wanted' is: theló (θέλω0) which means to desire or wish. Commonly used as the Lord extending His "best-offer" to the believer. Desiring to birth His persuasion (faith) in them which also empowers, and manifests His presence through them. What does it mean to you that Jesus wants you in order to give you something instead of only wanting to use you?

Read verses 14-15: 14  And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15  and to have authority to cast out the demons.

• Jesus' first calling that the disciples would be with Him. "That they would be" in the Greek is one word that means to exist (See John 14:6 "I am"). What does it mean in your life to exist in Christ? 
• Why do you think Jesus is reiterating the call to 'be with him' in verse 14 after just calling them to Himself in verse 13?
  
• What were the disciples called to preach? See cross reference in Matthew 10:7
  
• Have you ever experienced a demon being cast out? Has God you ever used you to cast a demon out of someone? 
• Jesus gives the disciples authority to cast out demons. Why is Jesus giving the disciples authority, important? Why not just tell them to go and do it? 
  

Read Verse 19: and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. 

• Why did Jesus choose Judas if He knew all things? How is the life of Judas important in the will of God?
• Read 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. Judas was called the 'son of perdition (destruction)' in John 17:12. But he is not the only one called that. How can we be prepared for the next 'son of destruction' and 'lawless one' that is coming? Talk about the signs of this lawless one that is coming.