Lord of the Flies: Mark 3:22
The power that comes from popularity is all about connection. This dynamic is at work all over the place. In middle school and high school, this is how the mean girls function: they maintain power by socially connecting their enemies with undesirable qualities. This is how our legislative system works: if one congressperson wants a particular bill to pass it is all about how many other congresspeople can be brought on board in support – and often how many favors will be exchanged in kind. There is a social construct called six degrees of separation that claims between any two people on the planet you need at most six connections to tie those people together. Ideas often live or die because of what – or to whom – they are connected.
The religious elite once more offer up an opinion about Jesus among the crowd gathering to see Him work. They begin to throw shade at His work. They accuse Jesus of having Beelzebub as His source of power.
Historically speaking, Beelzebub may be another name for Satan or it could be one of Satan’s chief minions. In either case, Beelzebub comes to the Hebrew tradition from the Philistines, who were the chief enemies of the Hebrew people around the time of King David. The Philistines worshipped a god the Old Testament calls Ba’al Zevuv, or Lord of the Flies. It is possible that Ba’al Zevuv was the Hebrew name and Ba’al Zevul was the actual name the Philistines had for their god. Ba’al Zevul means Lord of the Heavenly Places.
In either case, the scribes claim Jesus’ power does not originate from God the Father. They connect Jesus’ power to the worst of all possible alternate sources. This is the beginning of their smear campaign.
Think about it. It’s obvious that Jesus has the eyes and the ears of the people. Members of the crowd are traveling perhaps as much as a hundred miles to experience the presence of Jesus. Even if they don’t all have the best intentions, the truth is they are coming out. For good or for bad, there is no denying Jesus is a popular man among the populace.
This is a threat to the religious elite. If Jesus’ teachings catch fire, the religious elite may find themselves on the outside looking in. The more support Jesus receives, the less support there is for the temple and its ministry.
Thus, these religious elite decide to smear Jesus’ name. Middle schoolers know the easiest way to take popularity away is to socially connect others to something unpopular. You don’t get much more unpopular than the chief opponent of God the Father. Should the religious elite successfully connect Jesus’ name and Jesus’ teaching with Satan, they can discredit Jesus. Then the story stops right there. The scribes know about the whims of any crowd. The power that comes from popularity is all about connection.
