Work To Be Done!

For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. [Matthew 12.29]

Jesus is speaking of Himself here. He had just been accused of casting out demons by the power of Satan, but His words here indicate that it takes someone stronger to cast out a strong man!

This makes me think of something we just read yesterday in the One Year Chronological Bible:

And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. [Matthew 11.12]

There is a war taking place. Those on the side of the Kingdom of Heaven are forcefully advancing. There is "plunder" at stake.

"Forcefully" doesn't really depict a resigned acceptance of everything that happens as God's will, does it? No, instead, it sounds like wording that would be used to describe very engaged conflict to acquire "plunder."

Likewise, Jesus made clear that the opposition to God's Kingdom is also engaged in violent attack. Again, this is not a quiet and civilized game of chess!

In the same conversation, Jesus made this bold declaration:

“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. [Matthew 12.33]

In the context of this conversation, "fruit" is the "plunder" taken from the strong man, Satan, by the stronger Man, Jesus.

On the same day Jesus made declarations about "increase" not only in terms of "plunder" and "fruit" but also in "crops."

Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” [Matthew 13.8-9]

So now, we must deal with the obvious! There is conflict in which to be engaged - work to be done. If Jesus referred to Himself as "someone even stronger..." than Satan, then as Jesus dwells in us, we are stronger than Satan. The plunder taken, the fruit produced, and the crops yielded are all one and the same - they are EVIDENCE of strong hard work! That forceful work should be nothing else whatsoever than Christ Jesus manifested in our lives!

It is absolutely not remarkable then that Jesus said:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even

greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [John 14.12]

Because...

As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” [John 20.21b]

There is work to be done! And Jesus has already done it! Our task then is to stop our self-centered, self-dependent ways and allow Him to manifest through our lives. The results will be "plunder, fruit, and crops." There will be evidence of God's Kingdom gaining ground. Otherwise, ...well, otherwise we are plundered, we are fruitless, and we yield no crops.

Father, may we be found victorious for Your glory and the glory of Christ in us!