And out comes the sun(glasses)!

This weekend was rather trying for us.  We know there is a reason for the trials we face, and at times we beg God to know what it/they is/are.  But it seems like part of His reason it to get us to trust Him more, without seeing the reason now.  We look back at what Piper calls bygone grace, and we see that, in 2003, when we left for our first term, we left much later than we wanted, and were spared many other hardships we would surely have found, had we followed our original plan.  But we can't see what's up ahead just now.
I went fishing On Saturday, and James and I each caught two fish. We came home, cleaned them up, and did a few other things around the house while everyone else was out.  Part of what I was doing was finishing prep for the two presentations I would make the following day.  Then the call came.  Kim was stranded 22 miles south on I-5 with a dead car (turns out it was only the transmission!), and the leisurely evening I had planned became a road trip, grabbing emergency drive-through on the way to pacify the natives (this was already the dinner hour when it happened). When we got home, we were told yet again how stressful our children are to our (very very gracious) hosts, and we stayed up late talking, realizing it was probably time to find other housing, rather than stress these people too much, and risk hurting our relationship with them.  So Sunday morning I babbled my way through a few stories, and we got home and all got a healthy 45 min nap before hitting the road again, this time an hour north.  More drive-through, and a hasty meal in a church courtyard.  This presentation went a lot more smoothly (though I messed up the instructions to the A/V people!), but it was hard to tell if anyone was touched.  We'll see.
All day Sunday, we're driving a 1982 Volvo we have been graciously loaned, with a car seat and two booster seats in the back, four-window AC, and sun visors that don't really block the sun.  But that's OK, since Kim got me these really cool sunglasses a couple months ago, that fit me well, and that I enjoy wearing.  Only I can't find them.  So I squint and groan, and ask God what His purpose in this is.
I had breakfast with a pastor last week, and we talked about this very question, that God doesn't always (ever?) show his purpose on our timeline, and sometimes God is just asking us to press on with what we know is right.  We don't see the dawn, but it does eventually come.  Plodding through this day, and the night that follows, another day does come.
So this morning, as we're rushing to get everyone out of the house for swimming lessons, Kim digs through the swim bag, and finds my sunglasses.  Apparently I left them there in the chaos of taking the boys on a swim picnic last Friday.  I don't know how to explain the joy I felt, though in putting them on (I didn't care that I was inside the house!)  It was like the dawn had finally come, and the sun was finally starting to shine.  I know it is such a silly thing to let such mundane things affect your outlook on life.  But it seems like our lives are so full of the mundane these days, that we've got to get it organized and put away, or it will kill us. 
So God puts my sunglasses away, and lets me struggle through a whole weekend of squinting, to show me that He is good even then, and that He does bring the sun out again.  Or, as the scriptures say, that His mercies are new every morning.  Even this morning.

Hezekiah and the Law

²For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month— ³for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— ⁴and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly.

Interesting that the king would know that he is breaking the law here, but that it would seem right to him, anyway. Presumably that it is better to celebrate a month late than to miss the year entirely.

¹⁵And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the LORD.

So apparently in addition to being late, the sacrifices weren't made by the priests and levites!

¹⁶They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the LORD.

Presumably some of those that made the priests and levites ashamed were those sacrificing without being clean, in addition to not being levites or priests.

¹⁸For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed.

Even though some of them did not offer the sacrifices unclean, they still ate of the passover unclean.

So, to summarize the points of breaking the law,

1. The passover was held in the wrong month.
2. The lambs were sacrificed (initially) by ordinary people.
3. (Some of) the people sacrificing were not clean.
4. The majority of the people ate without being clean.

I'm not sure how big of a deal #2 is in the law, but the others seem to be emphasized fairly strongly. And yet, what is the outcome?

For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD pardon everyone ¹⁹who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness." ²⁰And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

So seeking God, and asking forgiveness for the wrong ways we do it, brings healing.

And in the end, they broke/amended/added to the law one more time:

²³Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness.

I trust this was covered by Hezekiah's earlier prayer.


Edit Aug 1 2010:
I just noticed, a chapter earlier, in 2 Chronicles 29:


³⁴But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings, so until other priests had consecrated themselves, their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was finished— for the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves.

I guess this argues both for internships where people who aren't necessarily qualified for the work to it anyway, and for moving on with the work however you can.
In any case, I'm glad to see that there is Grace, and provision for our need.

Uses of the law in the body

Romans 14
¹As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ²One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ⁴Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master[a] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Don't pass judgment, it is a man's supervisor who criticizes his work.

⁵One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

You ARE responsible to your own conscience.

⁶The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. ⁹For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Whatever the result of our conversation with our conscience, we need to make our decisions out of our desire to serve the Lord. If we eat, or don't, or celebrate, or don't, or drink beer, or don't, we do it to please God. That's what He wants, more than anything else.

This is an interesting tension, between freedom and accountability. We are to leave each other's opinions alone, and let God instruct and criticize them. We have freedom from fear of public criticism. But we are responsible, and we must use the freedom we have to please Him. We are accountable to God for how we use the freedom his Son bought for us.

¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; ¹¹for it is written,

"As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God."

¹²So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Now here's an interesting mix. Until this section, we are accountable to God alone, and give freedom between each other. But here we see that we are all related, and how. We are all called to stand before God's judgment, and we are all called to worship him. So we are together in that we all will give account of ourselves, and we all worship the same God. We ARE a body, like it or not, but we are NOT the head, like it or not.

¹³Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Now we are not only not to judge, but we are to decide not to hinder. That almost sounds like encouraging one another. But what other response can we come up with, if this one must account for himself in the same way I do? If I'm going into an interview, I may look at the guy across the isle as a competitor, and not talk to him. But we know that God is not grading us on a curve, and there is not a quota he is filling with the best applicants. And we all will get along, not in the same company, but in the same family. If that guy succeeds, my boss gets more 'help,' and I get another co-worker. I want him to join our family, because I'm NOT accountable to him, but we DO get to worship together.

¹⁴I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.

This line has offended me almost every time I read it. What do you mean the facts aren't relevant? What about everything the law said about cleanliness? Is that all a matter of what you THINK?

¹⁵For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.

So, my boss/father tells me to get along with my brothers. I'm not loving either of them, if I insist on what I want, without concern for the effect it has on them. Even more so, if I specifically hurt the goals our Father is attaining.

¹⁶So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.

So how does this fit? I like drinking beer and wine. Do I let teetotalers talk about them as inherently evil? Or is he talking about good good stuff? probably. So I need to discern between what is simply pleasing, and what is good.

¹⁷For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

And I guess this is why. Because we aren't talking about early sustenance, we're talking about eternal life.

¹⁸Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Do Jesus really does care for His church, and if we care for Him, we will, too.

²⁰Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God.

Another reminder of perspective - we're talking about eternity here.

Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.

This summarizes much of the passage, I think. The thing itself is not inherently wrong, but we MUST care for our brother. Now, this stands out in contrast of two different positions I have held:

1. Alcohol is bad, and we should avoid any amount of it at all cost.
2. People who say #1 are wrong, and should be corrected, humiliated and/or avoided at all cost.

We don't have the freedom to make up facts about alcohol. Neither to we have the freedom to pretend that it is of eternal importance. What is eternal is people worshiping Jesus. So, if I meet with someone who thinks having a beer is normal, I'll have a beer, and enjoy it. And with someone from the first camp, I'll meet, eat, pray, and talk with them without making alcohol an issue (particularly by drinking in front of them). I have held the position that this passage applies to people who are tempted to drink, but I think it must go beyond that. The "work of God" here is the blood of Christ applied to a fellow believer. Someone, by my drinking, may not tempted to drink to excess themselves, but if they ARE tempted to criticize me and my profession, I should not be satisfied with that. I should not be satisfied by leading a brother into hypocrisy, judgment, and contention. I would only be satisfied with that when my concern is in doing what I want, and not with the spiritual health and maturity of the other person. So,

²¹It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

I'm not sure I want to bring up the question of vegetarians, though Paul seems to be saying that it applies... There is much less biblical warrant for vegetarianism than teetotaling, and we cannot be entirely responsible for others' thoughts. I imagine I should continue relating to people, and considering their (and my) maturity of the utmost importance, and figure out if we're having steak later.

²²The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.

This first half sounds like the coward's position, though I understand that we ARE relating to God, and that we ARE relating to each other.

²³But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Perhaps this last line is the best summary, that what we do from faith is the right thing to do. We will screw up any law we make, directly or indirectly, intentionally or not. But we MUST act with faith, trusting that the unseen (i.e., God, Heb 11:6) is both there and relevant, or we are in sin. So we don't ignore the law, but we can't worship it either. And we don't have to worship each others' silly rules, but we can't blow them off, either.

God have mercy on us all.

See the change You want to be in the world

Pastor Martin Emmrich gave a sermon tonight, looking at three questions in Mark's account of the calming of the storm, in ch 4:35-41. He started by asking why this account was placed as it was, following the three short parables on the Kingdom of Heaven that precede it in Chapter 4. In looking at the three parables, I found the following:

A Lamp Under a Basket
²¹ And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? ²² For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." ²⁴And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. ²⁵ For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

Or, the light brings things to visibility, things will be seen and heard. There will be complete transparency in weights and measures.

The Parable of the Seed Growing
²⁶And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. ²⁷He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. ²⁸The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

Or, the Kingdom of God is overnight change and growth that we do not understand, but we do profit from it.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed
³⁰ And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? ³¹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, ³²yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

Or, the Kingdom changes the small and insignificant to be great and others prosper in its greatness.

So we see three times that the Kingdom of God brings about change. It brings transparency, it brings fruit, and it brings growth in size and importance. And we profit from all these changes, though we do not bring them about. So the Kingdom of God brings change.

Then we get to the story in question:
Jesus Calms a Storm
³⁵ On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." ³⁶And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. ³⁷And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. ³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" ³⁹And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" ⁴¹And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

We see here a great change, but no mention of the Kingdom of heaven. So what is the connection? How does the change come about in this story? What is the focal point on which things turn? Jesus comes on the scene, awaking and saying "Peace! Be still!". So Jesus and His authority is the point on which things change, the power of the Kingdom of Heaven. Or, as Jesus said in Luke 17:

²⁰Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, ²¹nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."

Interesting that he would follow this up by saying

²²And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³ And they will say to you, 'Look, there!' or 'Look, here!' Do not go out or follow them. ²⁴ For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.[i] ²⁵But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

His switch from 'the kingdom of God' to 'the days of the Son of Man' could almost go unnoticed, and it is clear from the context, and from how we know the story unfolds, that he is talking about himself here. Before He arrives on the scene to bring the change we are all need so badly, he must first suffer and be rejected. But when He does come, there will be no doubt. I guess this is what we summarized from the beginning of mark on through the first several chapters. Jesus arriving on the scene changes things. His power over the spirit world, the natural world, the possessed, etc. is incomprehensible, yet undeniable.

Pastor Emmrich then brought us to the three questions:

1. ^38b"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" This is the existential question (why are we, if you don't care?)
2. ^40b"Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" This is the faith question.
3. ^41b"Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" This is the identity question.

The faith and identity questions go hand in hand, as the faith is in the person identified, and the identity requires faith to discern. Ultimately the question of the nature of faith must come up, at which point Hebrews 11:1 was brought up:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

What is hoped for is not yet, and what is not seen may be presently invisible, or future.

Pastor Emmrich went on to summarize Mark 5, with the three healings, of the demon possessed man in the graveyard, the woman with the 12 year old blood flow, and Jairus' daughter, who was brought back from the dead. He contends that in each of these cases, Jesus is contending and showing himself victorious over death, which is our greatest fear. Fear and faith are contrasted, and shown to be each others' opposites. He tells us "Do not fear, only believe." (Mark 5:36b) Thus fighting our greatest fear, that of death, is our greatest path to faith. What are we seeing, then, that gives us this victory over fear? We are seeing the change that Jesus brings, this "Kingdom of God."

We see that, though things are dark now, there will come a Light, that will make all things clear (and just!). We see that the small things we plant will grow and provide for us. We see that the smallest seed will bring us shade, that the world and its (unjust) systems will be turned upside down. We see that Jesus will come, and make all things right:

³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Rev 21)

So, when and how do we have/get this faith? The question was raised as to whether the disciples showed it before the coming of the Holy Spirit. Well, they hid at Jesus' arrest, they ran from the cross, and after his ascension they worshiped in an upper room, presumably to avoid the attention of the Jewish authorities. More fear than faith, it would seem. But then, after the Holy Spirit came upon them, and after Peter and John were arrested for preaching:

³¹After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4)

So it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we see the change that Jesus is bringing to our world, that He will consummate finally one day. And the faith that He gives to see that now helps us weather the trials that happen between now and then, as all this junk WILL be made right!

Amen! Maranatha!

Depression in a Bottle

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. (Acts 27:1-20 ESV)

I found this verse interesting. I've heard commentary on this passage, that talked about whether the centurion should have listened to the pilot and owner of the ship or to Paul, but not much about how people felt when it was clear they had gone wrong.

We have felt like this much this year, and this is perhaps the first time I see a really good representation of it. Not that I've been to sea much, though I have felt the uncontrollable wrenching of seasickness. What would it be like to not see the sun or stars for days? I think this is something of what we have felt. Praise God, it didn't end there. When we see the sun blotted out, we know that this is not the end of it. Paul did make it to Rome. And, as God promised Noah,

Gen 8: 21b "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake,
although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor
will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
22 "While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease."

In doing a bit of a word search, I also saw that the sun and stars would give testimony to the power of Jesus when He comes to make all things right:
Luke 21:25"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

But those distresses aren't the end, either. Once He has shaken the heavens and the earth, he provides for all our needs, giving us the light we need, and ending our mourning:
Isaiah 60:19 " The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory.
20 Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the LORD will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.

And in the end, we will praise Him, along with the very creation we feared to lose:
ps 148:
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For He commanded and they were created.
6 He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.

It is His eternal decree we aught to fear, I guess. Because the only way the sun and moon and stars would actually be lost is by command of the One who brought them to us in the first place. So until we lose His favor, we should be OK. And He tells us it will be OK when He does finally remove them, and fulfill our needs directly.

So, we want to feel fulfilled, responsible, loved, in control of our lives, etc. And we don't, which feels like the sun and stars have abandoned us. Can we trust God to fill the need for these affirmations? Can we trust that there will at least come a day, if it isn't already here, where God will fill these needs for us personally and directly, keeping us from needing affirmation in our suave personal relations, our organized dayplanner, our articulate speech, or our cool job? Having been through a shipwreck this last year, I can testify that I see clearly the vision presented in Rev 21:

3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

This is about thirty seconds of our road trip from Isiro to Ibambi, August of 2005.

For, or against?

I read Mark chapter 9 today, and came across verse 40, "For the one who is not against us is for us." I recalled the ironic placement of that verse next to Matthew 12:30: "Whoever is not with me is against me."

I think I've heard of these verses defining a tight in and out group, with both sides clearly defining themselves, but I took a closer look at their contexts, and I was a bit surprised at what I found.

Mark 9 reads: 33And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?" 34But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." 36And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me." 38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,[f] and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." 39But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

So the immediate context of the first, inclusive, statement is a question of his disciples, who want to stop someone from casting out demons, "because he was not following us." John says "we tried", and I wonder if they had then failed, and were asking Jesus to back them up. The larger context shows Jesus having just criticized his disciples for seeking to be the greatest -- and saying that being the last, and receiving children, is what counts in his kingdom. One must wonder if the "not following us" referred to submitting to the disciples, or to Jesus. How much was this question tied to Jesus teaching his disciples not to lord their power, either over each other or over others? This would also make sense of Jesus' comment "no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me." If someone is truly experiencing Jesus' power, they will come to him. We don't have to worry about where they fit, if anywhere, in our hierarchy.

This is born out in the abbreviated account given in Luke 9: 46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great." 49 John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us." 50But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you."

The second, exclusive statement, comes from a conversation with the pharisees, who criticize him after he heals a demon oppressed man:

Matt 12: 22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons." 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and wh oever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Jesus' statement is part of a larger criticism of people that stand against him. He says that divided kingdoms don't last. He says that they are criticizing their own (who also cast out demons). He says that if his power is from God, it is bigger than this one healing. You can't steal from a strong man unless you've dealt with him first (meaning that, if Jesus is stealing souls from Satan, he must have already dealt with Satan?). Then comes his if you're not with me you're against me, followed by if you're not with me, you scatter. Then follow some strong statements about blasphemy, and what can be forgiven. Namely, much, except if you're blaspheming the Holy Spirit (which he seems to be implying they were doing, attributing his works to Satan). Apparently one can even be forgiven of speaking against Jesus, but speaking against the Holy Spirit is another matter.

So he criticizes the pharisees for being internally inconsistent in their criticism of his work, as well as missing a much bigger thing than they thought. This isn't two sides, and you'd better pick which one you're on, this is the Creator of the universe against anyone else who would set himself up as a god. There is only one Rock of stability in this world, and there is only one question so important you really can't afford to get it wrong. And they were in the process of stumbling over that rock, and getting that question (i.e., by what power does Jesus work?) dead wrong.

The importance of this question is shown by the fact that, when they brought it up later (in Matt 21:23-27, Mark 11:27-33, and Luke 20:1-8), they didn't criticize the source of Jesus' power directly, but asked him where it came from. And when Jesus through the question back at them, they refused to take a public stand. This was, understandably, in part for political reasons:

Matt 21: 23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" 24Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26But if we say, 'From man,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet." 27So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

I find it sad that the don't seem to engage the question, and claim to not know, when "we don't care to take a public stand" might have been a more truthful answer. We cannot take a man (either John or Jesus) as from God, but not listen to him. And if we take a miracle working man to be acting on his own (or Satanic) power, we need to be ready for the consequences. There is no decision that doesn't have consequences. But in trying to take the middle road themselves, the cut the legs out from underneath their own implied criticism of Jesus.

But we digress. In Matt 12 Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their inconsistency, as well as for not recognizing the power of God, and the importance of that question. We see the same account repeated in Luke 11: 14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons," 16while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

So, when asked for backup, Jesus tells his disciples to stop hindering people who don't follow them yet work miracles in Jesus' name-- perhaps as an application of the principle that their authority is one of servanthood, not lordship. And Jesus answers the Pharisees' criticisms by saying that they are not only bad debaters, but they have missed the point of the power of God -- and in not coming to them, they will lose more than this debate.

So it would seem that these two verses are not meant in the same context at all. They weren't meant to be put together, ever, I suppose. If you're trying to follow Jesus but also want to shut down other people working in Jesus' name, back off, calm down, and let the power of Jesus work. But if you're trying to shut down Jesus himself, back off and think about what you're doing, because you can't afford to get this question wrong.