A House Divided

A House Divided

Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the  kingdom of God has come upon you.

When Jesus is under attack and his relationship with the Father is called into question, he reveals the impossibility of the accusations made against him. No kingdom or house that is divided can stand. He demonstrates that anytime members within an organization begin to work against each other, the institution is doomed to stand. It is important to highlight that Jesus includes the home in this description.

Our homes are not free from conflict and a cursory look into our society will affirm our Savior’s description. We have friends, or family, or possibly ourselves that have homes that are far from harmonious and generally, it is marriages that have fallen from their original unity that have caused it. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link” and the link in the home that is supposed to be strongest has in fact become the most fragile. At the time of this writing, Ken has not yet hosted our meeting on families and I’m sure by the time of this reading, he has given a generous amount of instruction, but may I humbly offer a few words of my own:
Your marriage is the most important relationship
you should have with any human.

So many marriages devolve because a husband or wife never committed to the original plan for marriage. God gave the direction that “For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife” (Gen. 2:24). Far too many people committed to marriages without decoupling themselves from their parents, and when contentions arise, they don’t give their spouse the commitment they should, and often cling to their parents or siblings.

Far too often, when children come along in a marriage, parents become so hyper focused on them, that their marriage is neglected. When children become the focal point of a home, that home will fail. Homes that revolve around children, starve spouses of the mutual attention they need and create a new generation that has received so much attention and accommodation, forming healthy, sacrificial relationships becomes a battle. Children are not the purpose of marriage, honoring God is! (Eph. 5:31-33).

I implore every one of you, whether you are just beginning your marriage, or have been married for 50 years, make certain your marriage is strong in your home. Commit to your spouse and express that commitment to them anew! May God give us Christian homes!