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•22从耶路撒冷下来的文士说：“他是被别西卜附着。”又说：“他是靠着鬼王赶鬼。”23耶稣叫他们来，用比喻对他们说：“撒但怎能赶出撒但呢？24若一国自相纷争，那国就站立不住；25若一家自相纷争，那家就站立不住；26若撒但自相攻打纷争，他就站立不住，必要灭亡。27没有人能进壮士家里抢夺他的家具，必先捆住那壮士，才可以抢夺他的家。28我实在告诉你们：世人一切的罪和一切亵渎的话，都可得赦免；29凡亵渎圣灵的，却永不得赦免，乃要担当永远的罪。”30这话是因为他们说：“他是被污鬼附着的。”
如果你经常对别人说同一件事，即使那是谎言，人们也会开始相信它。这就是耶稣的敌人在他们的谎言中所使用的策略。”他是靠撒旦的能力赶鬼”，他们这样指控耶稣。这有点像我们听到某些网络上的造谣抹黑。他们必须用这样的方式来毁灭耶稣，从而保持他们的权力。
你注意到耶稣是如何冷静而合理地挫败他们的谎言吗?如果耶稣背后的力量是撒旦，那么撒旦就是在毁灭他自己的王国。撒旦从不做任何好事。他一直都很邪恶。如果耶稣有能力胜过邪灵，并把它们从人身上赶出去，那么耶稣就是他所宣称的，上帝的儿子。如果耶稣是上帝的儿子，那么耶稣的敌人应当清楚耶稣到底是在撒旦一边还是在神一边。所以那些耶稣的仇敌是在故意说谎毁谤耶稣，人们听信之后就不会相信耶稣。
我们也会听信谎言吗？每一天我们都会听到一些撒但的谎言，并因我们罪恶的本性而陷入这些谎言。我们常常对其他人有误解有偏见甚至歧视，这些误解和偏见常常来自撒旦的谎言，实际上我们最常违反的诫命不是第五条诫命（不可杀人），而是第八条诫命（不可作假见证陷害人，不以恶意的方式揣测他人的言语和行为，而是以善意去看待）。我们对别人产生误解和偏见甚至仇恨，往往是因为我们不会以最善意的方式去理解他人的言行。我们常常是在对一个人一无所知的情况下，去做出假设，而不是真正的去了解一个人才做出判断。我们宁可相信谎言，也不愿了解真相。
是的，我们每天都会落入撒旦的谎言。来听一听耶稣所说的:“世人一切的罪和一切亵渎的话，都可得赦免；凡亵渎圣灵的，却永不得赦免。”你知道自己是站在哪一边的。你不是站在魔鬼那一边的。圣灵在你心里做工，使你相信耶稣。你自由地承认你的罪，并来到耶稣面前，寻求只那有他才能赐予你的洁净。在我们的新生命里，你与耶稣站在一起。
祷告:主耶稣，我真的相信你，我转向你，只有你是我得救的盼望。求你洁净我，除去我心里毁谤别人的罪。因为当我没有以最善意的方式去看待邻舍的行为时，我就是在心里毁谤他们了。求你教我在任何情况下都能凭着爱心说诚实话。阿们。
Mark 3:22-30: And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” 23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.” (NIV)
If you say something often enough, even if it is a lie, people will begin to believe it. That was the tactic that Jesus’ enemies were using with this lie they were telling. “He drives out demons by the power of Satan himself.” It’s kind of like the political rhetoric we hear and the attack ads on television. In reality, the enemies of Jesus had taken a spiritual issue and turned it into politics. They had to destroy Jesus to keep their power.
Do you notice how Jesus calmly and reasonably defeats their lie? If Satan was behind Jesus, then Satan was destroying his own kingdom. Satan never does any good. He is only evil all the time. And if Jesus had power over the evil spirits and was driving them out, then Jesus was who he claimed to be, the Son of God. And if Jesus was the Son of God, then the enemies of Jesus better take a close look on whose side they were on.
Have we ever been on the wrong side? Sure we have. Every single day. We listen to Satan’s lies and fall for them in our sinful nature. Yesterday, in a discussion among pastors about racism among us, this comment was made. In our relations with people of other races, and in fact with people in general, the commandment we break most often is not the fifth commandment but the eighth commandment. We do not take the words and actions of others in the kindest possible way. We make assumptions based on ignorance instead of knowledge. We are content to believe a lie rather than learn the truth.
Yes, we fall for Satan’s lies every day. Only listen to what Jesus says, “People can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, except for blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.” You know which side you are on. You are not on the devil’s side. You believe in Jesus with a Spirit-worked faith. You freely confess your sins and rush to Jesus for the cleansing only he can give. In our new self, you stand with Jesus.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I do believe in you and I turn to you and you alone for the hope of my salvation. Cleanse me from the sin of slander, which I commit in my heart so often by not taking the actions of my neighbor in the kindest possible way. Teach me how to speak the truth in love in all circumstances. Amen.