JESUS HEALS ANOTHER DEMONIAC

Matt 12:22-24 Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. (Also see Mark 3:20-30; Luke 11:14-23)

We first hear of Jesus casting out an unclean spirit of one that was demon possessed while He was teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum (See Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37). In the instance recorded in the lesson text, we are fairly sure that Jesus was, at this time, in Galilee, but, of the city or town, we are not sure. The one that was brought unto Him was, not only possessed with a devil, but also was blind and dumb. Whether his inability to see and speak was also the result of being demon possessed, we are not told in this scripture. It certainly is a good spiritual analogy that applies to all people in all ages, as well as in today's society. With the "attractive" lure of sin that plies on the hearts of men and women today, Satan takes possession of one's complete being. When this takes place, they become blind to the guilt of sin and, due to their unwillingness to seek God's guidance, they become mentally dumb and unable to speak to God in prayer, through His Son, Jesus Christ. When a man or woman receives Christ Jesus as their Savior, the control of Satan is defeated and their eyes are able to see the sins around them, avoid them, and vocally praise God for their spiritual deliverance.

To demonstrate His godly power and control over Satan, Jesus immediately healed the possessed man that had been brought into His presence. The devil was cast out insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. When this occurred, all that witnessed this compassionate deed were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? This was a rhetorical question indicating they thought Jesus was the promised Messiah. At this period in His earthly ministry, Jesus had performed numerous miracles throughout the Jewish nation. The people that had heard of, or witnessed, them began to closely follow Him. It seemed that a few Jews that were less prejudiced, when they had viewed these wondrous and astonishing feats, began to believe and confess Jesus to be the Savior that was promised to come and save their nation.

However, when the Pharisees heard it they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. Mark further identifies these Jews as the scribes, which came down from Jerusalem. They were the elite teachers and interpreters of the Jewish law. Without the slightest indication that Jesus was Son of David, the promised Messiah, they referred to Him with extreme contempt as "This fellow." They were determined to denounce Jesus as a hoax who was spiritually seducing the Jewish people. However, in order to give an explanation for the unearthly power that Jesus exhibited before the multitudes, they attributed His miracles to "Beelzebub," the name ascribed to Satan. They contended that Satan authorized Jesus to cast out some of the inferior demons that followed him.

Matthew continues, in verses 25-27 by saying that Jesus, knowing their thoughts, proved their accusation to be impossible. Using a general, logical truth that they should understand, Jesus told these Jewish spiritual leaders that a house divided against itself shall not stand. Most kingdoms fail due to weakness and division from within. The logic is that Satan would not jeopardize the power of his realm by casting out demons himself, nor would he authorize any other being to do so. Satan and his followers stand united against the purity and righteousness that God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, teaches to men and women of the world. Jesus does not here confirm that there were some Jewish leaders that professed to cast out demons, but hints that it could have been. Jesus refers to these, so-called spiritual Jewish exorcists, as your children. By their denial of the power of Jesus, they also denied the power of their own spiritualists.

Jesus did, indeed, cast out devils by the Spirit of God. With His miracles, Jesus established Himself as the Son of God, and, that being so, then the kingdom of God is come unto you (Vs. 28). The meaning found in verse 29 it this: Jesus entered into the evil realm of Satan, securely bound him, and destroyed his power over mankind by providing them with the hope of eternal salvation. The world can choose to follow the Savior of the world, or Satan, its destroyer. We can gather with Christ or scatter with Satan (Vs. 30).