20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
22 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.”
-Mark 3:20-29
Would you recognize Jesus if he was standing in front of you? Have you spent enough time with God that you would be able to recognize or discern what He would do or how He would act in a situation?
Being married to Maria for 5 years now and having known her for 11 years, I can predict pretty well how she will react to a certain situation. For example, when our governor first urged people to stay home for the purpose of social distancing, I knew before we even practiced social distancing that this time at home would be good for Maria. She’s a natural introvert and enjoys spending time at home and time alone to herself. And I was right. But I was able to recognize what Maria would do and how she would react because I spent a lot of time with Maria and I know her.
The same is true with our relationship with God. When you spend a lot of time with God, you start to see your world and your reality the way God sees it. You begin to recognize things that He would do and things that he wouldn’t do. You begin to recognize God.
The Pharisees or “teachers of the law” did not recognize Jesus because they didn’t really have a relationship with God. They knew the Bible, but they read it so they can try to master the rules of the Bible on their own to prove that they were better than others. They read the Bible to use it to control others. It wasn’t about growing closer to God.
This why the Pharisees did not recognize Jesus as God. In fact, they thought Jesus was Satan. When you can’t tell the difference between God and Satan, that’s a problem!
God is working in your life right now. If you’re reading this devotional, it’s proof of that. If you want to learn to recognize more of Him and His works, keep reading the Bible with an open heart. Keep on praying honestly and earnestly. In the Book of James, it say this:
“Come near to God and He will come near to you.” -James 4:8
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