2 Samuel 5:1-7,
10
Psalms 89:20-22, 25-26 Mark 3:22-30 “It takes a thief to catch a thief.” The scribes were using
this way of thinking when they accused Jesus of working with devils.
They said because he could call demons out of others he must be possessed
of demons: A sort of 'like attracts like' theory. Being a demon
and knowing how demons work would in their thought be a help in calling
out demons. But Jesus says that he can destroy demons because he
is the opposite of demons. His ability to destroy demons comes not
from demons but from the Holy Spirit.
The scribes are erring in several ways in their analysis of the situation. They insinuate that Jesus can cast out demons because he is one, when of course demons would not want to destroy their own. He would have to be the opposite of demons to destroy them, and that would make him good instead of evil. So by saying he is possessed of demons they are in fact blaspheming against the Holy Spirit (and Jesus says that is an unforgivable sin). Jesus is not possessed of the devil, he is filled with the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t get his demon-destroying powers from the devil himself, but instead from the Holy Spirit. The scribes are therefore calling the Holy Spirit the Devil. Blasphemy for sure. The basic message of the theory and examples seems to be that evil
increases evil and destroys good, while good increases good and destroys
evil. So it’s not that it takes a thief to catch a thief, it takes
a good person of pure heart to destroy evil. An evil person will
not destroy evil, so it’s the job of the good to do it, and by doing so
to increase the good in the world.
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