Choosing the Disciples; Unpardonable Sin.—Mark 3:13-35

Notes

1. Disciple and Apostle.—"Disciple" means a learner, a follower; one who follows to learn by experience. "Apostle" means "one sent forth." The twelve were chosen as learners that they might be sent forth as heralds and witnesses of Christ. They were called and chosen as disciples; they were chosen and appointed (ordained) as apostles. The latter is the official title.

2. The Zeal of Christ.—The eagerness of the people to hear Jesus was shown by the dense throngs which were continually crowding round him. It may have been, and doubtless often was, mere curiosity which moved many. But Jesus eagerly accepted every opportunity to instruct; to heal, to save. His eagerness and zeal were shown in the concern of his friends as regards his sanity. They could not understand his zeal for God and his love for souls. He had already said, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish his work." John 4:34. The secret of this is revealed in Ps. 40:8.

3. Reproached with Christ.—Human nature is the same in all ages; and as those who have been zealous for God in past ages have been called foolish, fanatical, and mad, we may expect the same thing in the last days. We should not so act as to invite such criticism, neither should we quench the Spirit of God in our hearts or neglect to obey his word in order to escape it. It will come; for Isa. 59:15 applies to the last days, as the following verses show, and Peter (2 Peter 3:3, 4) confirms the testimony. But if we act wisely and faithfully, we may comfort our hearts that we are not in bad company; for so did the world unto the prophets and the Lord Jesus.

4. The Prince of Demons.—Beelzebub, or Beelzebul, is used here as a name for Satan. It means "the master of the house," the one whom the Jews had admitted. Its origin is doubtless the Old Testament term Baal Zebub, "the Lord of flies," and, earlier still, the sun-god. He became the head of the demons, according to Schaff-Herzog, "because the fly is an unclean and annoying thing; and so the connection of Baal with the flies showed that he was in a sense the most unclean god, and therefore worthy of the greatest contempt." Those who know of the licentiousness of Baal-worship can see another reason for investing the god with a name denoting uncleanness and contempt. "Devils" in the New Testament does not come from the same word as "the devil," referring to Satan. The former comes from daimon, slightly changed to our demon, while the latter comes from ho diabolos, the devil. The devil is prince of the demons, his angels. Matt. 25:41. The Pharisees declared Christ to be in league with Satan, the prince of demons.

5. Satan Overthrown.—The description given of Satan in the Scriptures indicates that aside from divine power none are stronger or wiser than he. See Isa. 14:12-14; Eze. 28:12-17. He was cast out of heaven by God (2 Peter 2:4); he was conquered by Christ (Rev. 12:7-10; Luke 10:18); he will be bound by a mighty angel at the beginning of the thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3), and will finally be destroyed by the power of Christ (Heb. 2:14; Eze. 28:18, 19), and to the name of Christ will be all the glory. His first advent was an advance step toward the great consummation, when the house of God's earth would be restored to its pristine glory, and the trail of the serpent forever removed.

6. Outside of Mercy.—The only means whereby man can be purchased and cleansed is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. His change of life and character is wrought through the word of God by the power of his Spirit. To deny one is to deny all; and to deny them is to cast from us the only means which God has for saving us. This everyone does who finally rejects Christ. The Jews not only rejected Christ, but with the most conclusive demonstrations of divine power before them, they dared to say it was a manifestation of Satan. They attributed the work of the Spirit of God to the devil. They committed the unpardonable sin, for they cut off the only means of pardon.