Pharisees said, ‘’It is only by Beelzebub the Prince of the Demons,, that this fellow drives out demons.’’
Mat 12:22 At that time a demoniac was brought to Him, blind and dumb; and He cured him, so that the dumb man could speak and see.
Mat 12:23 And the crowds of people were all filled with amazement and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"
Mat 12:24 The Pharisees heard it and said, "This man only expels demons by the power of Baal-zebul, the Prince of demons."
Mat 12:25 Knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Every kingdom in which civil war has raged suffers desolation; and every city or house in which there is internal strife will be brought low.
Mat 12:26 And if Satan is expelling Satan, he has begun to make war on himself: how therefore shall his kingdom last?
Mat 12:27 And if it is by Baal-zebul's power that I expel the demons, by whose power do your disciples expel them? They therefore shall be your judges.
Mat 12:28 But if it is by the power of the Spirit of God that I expel the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
Mat 12:29 Again, how can anyone enter the house of a strong man and carry off his goods, unless first of all he masters and secures the strong man: then he will ransack his house.
Mat 12:30 "The man who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.
Mat 12:31 This is why I tell you that men may find forgiveness for every other sin and impious word, but that for impious speaking against the Holy Spirit they shall find no forgiveness.
Mat 12:32 And whoever shall speak against the Son of Man may obtain forgiveness; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, neither in this nor in the coming age shall he obtain forgiveness."
Mat 12:33 "Either grant the tree to be wholesome and its fruit wholesome, or the tree poisonous and its fruit poisonous; for the tree is known by its fruit.
Mat 12:34 O vipers' brood, how can you speak what is good when you are evil? For it is from the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks.
Mat 12:35 A good man from his good store produces good things, and a bad man from his bad store produces bad things.
Mat 12:36 But I tell you that for every careless word that men shall speak they will be held accountable on the day of Judgement.
Mat 12:37 For each of you by his words shall be justified, or by his words shall be condemned."
Introduction.
Here in the casting out of a demon we see a blind mute delivered. The Pharisees were oppposed to Jesus and His healing ministry on every occasion. Jesus exposes the weakness of their arguments that He was in league with the evil one. He continued to teach them about the nature of good and evil.
Matthew here continues to show how Jesus handled the opposition of the Pharisees. He taught of the Two Opposing Kingdoms, that of Satan v.26 and that of God v.28
This is quite a lengthy section in contrast to the concise manner Matthew usually handles these subjects. He evidently regards this passage as very important and He treats it more fully than is his custom. (notes from L. Morris p. 313)
Mat 12:22 At that time a demoniac was brought to Him, blind and dumb; and He cured him, so that the dumb man could speak and see.
Notes
At that time then. This does not mean that this incident happened immediately after the preceding, merely it was later in time.
This man was brought to Jesus. How Important it is for believers to bring the needy to the Saviour for Comfort, Salvation and Healing.
With the minimum of details Matthew presents this healing. He seems to want to concentrate on the Controversy which led out of this healing itself.
Here we see a blind and dumb demoniac. There is no doubt that demons can cause disease but not all disease is demonic. Some people think that all sickness is demonic. This is not scriptural.
Some also maintain that Christians can be demon possessed. I ask “How can the Kingdom of God Almighty and the Kingdom of Satan be at home in the same body. Where Christ reigns the Devil cannot live.
Col 2:13 And to you--dead as you once were in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your natural state--He has nevertheless given Life with Himself, having forgiven us all our transgressions.
Col 2:14 The bond, with its requirements, which was in force against us and was hostile to us, He cancelled, and cleared it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross.
Col 2:15 And the hostile princes and rulers He shook off from Himself, and boldly displayed them as His conquests, when by the Cross He triumphed over them.
Jesus has Triumphed over Satan and his hordes at the Cross.
Mat 12:23 And the crowds of people were all filled with amazement and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"
Notes:
were all filled with amazement and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"
Is not this the Son of David? - That is, Is not this the promised “descendant” of David, the Messiah? They were acquainted with the prophecy in Isa_35:5, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped,” and they inferred that he must be the promised Messiah who was able to do this. This inference was drawn by the common people, and not by the proud and haughty Pharisees. It is not uncommon that people of plain common sense, though unlearned, see the true meaning of the Bible, while those who are filled with pride and science, falsely so called, are blinded.
Mat 12:24 The Pharisees heard it and said, "This man only expels demons by the power of Baal-zebul, the Prince of demons."
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| Baalzebul the Lord of the Flies |
Notes
It was necessary for the Pharisees, who had determined to reject Jesus of Nazareth, to account in “some” way for the miracles he had performed.
Here was a manifest miracle, an exertion of power unquestionably superior to what people could put forth. The common people were fast drawing the proper inference from it, and coming into the belief that this was the Messiah. The authority and power of the Pharisees were declining. Unless, therefore, some way should be devised of accounting for these facts, their influence would be at an end.
They therefore ascribed it to the prince of the devils - to Beelzebub. In this they had two objects:
- To concede to the people that here was a “miracle,” or a work above mere human power.
- To throw all possible contempt on Jesus. Beelzebub, or Beelzebul, as it is in the Greek, and correctly rendered in the margin, was an opprobrious name given to the leader of the devils as an expression of supreme contempt. See the notes at Mat_10:25. Barnes Notes
Mat 12:25 Knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Every kingdom in which civil war has raged suffers desolation; and every city or house in which there is internal strife will be brought low.
Notes
Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation - Our Lord’s argument was thus: - “The welfare of any kingdom, city, or family, depends on its concord and unanimity; Satan, like every other potentate, must wish to rule his empire in peace and security; how then can he be in league with me, who oppose his authority, and am destroying his kingdom?”
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| Aleppo in Syria |
The reasoning of the Pharisees, Mat_12:24, was not expressed, and Jesus, knowing their thoughts, gave them ample proof or his omniscience. This, with our Lord’s masterly confutation of their reasonings, by a conclusion drawn from their own premises, one would have supposed might have humbled and convinced these men; but the most conclusive reasoning, and the most astonishing miracles, were lost upon a people who were obstinately determined to disbelieve everything good, relative to Christ. How true the saying - He came unto his own, and his own received him not!
Mat 12:26 And if Satan is expelling Satan, he has begun to make war on himself: how therefore shall his kingdom last?
Notes
If Satan cast out Satan - A good cause will produce a good effect, and an evil cause an evil effect. Were I on Satan’s side, I would act for his interest and confirm his influence among you; but I oppose his maxims by my doctrine, and his influence by my power.
Mat 12:27 And if it is by Baal-zebul's power that I expel the demons, by whose power do your disciples expel them? They therefore shall be your judges.
Mat 12:28 But if it is by the power of the Spirit of God that I expel the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of God has come upon you. WNT
Notes
Mat 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God - Perhaps the Spirit of God is here mentioned by way of opposition to the magical incantations of the Jews; for it is well known that by fumigations and magical washings, they professed to cast out devils. See a case mentioned by Schoettgen on this verse.
Then the kingdom of God - For the destruction of the kingdom of Satan plainly implies the setting up of the kingdom of God.
Is come unto you - Is come unexpectedly upon you. Εφθασεν, from φθανω, to appear suddenly - unexpectedly.
They pretended to be in expectation of the kingdom of God, and consequently of the destruction of the kingdom of Satan. But, by being not prepared to receive Christ in these proofs of his Divine mission, they showed that their expectation was but pretended. They were too carnal to mind spiritual things.
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