14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
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?” 24 But 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. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or 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.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The Pharisees have just accused Jesus of working on the Sabbath when He did good. Now they go out and work for evil in plotting together to kill Him—on the Sabbath.
Jesus avoided unnecessary conflict. He didn’t needlessly challenge His enemies in debate or use physical force against them. He is not a violent man. Jesus is the gentle, promised Messiah of Isa 42:1-4. Jesus is God’s beloved and approved, Spirit-anointed servant (Mat 3:16-17). His ministry was gentle and restrained and didn’t cause harm to even the weakest of people. “In His name the Gentiles will hope.” This is our hope. The Jews had lived in hope of the coming Messiah. We now live in hope of the second coming of Messiah. This hope is not wishful thinking but an expectation of something certain (Tit 2:13).
Jesus heals a demon-oppressed man who was both mute and blind. This was immediately recognised by the people as a sign of the Messiah (Isa 42:1-4) and they ask “can this be the Son of David?” But the Pharisees mislead the people by saying that it was by the power of Satan that Jesus was able to cast out the demon. Jesus points out the ridiculousness of their suggestion. How does it benefit Satan to cast out his own demons? If he were doing that, then he would be fighting against himself and his kingdom would have no chance. The Jewish exorcists were also casting out demons (though not from people who were blind and mute). How were they doing it? Also by the power of Satan? It didn’t make sense that the Pharisees held Jesus to one standard while applying a different standard to their own. The glaring issue was if Jesus was casting out demons by the power of God, which was the only logical explanation, then they had to face the fact that the kingdom of God had arrived. But they rejected the facts without any logical explanation. If you want to go in and take goods from a strong man’s house, it is only logical that you need to first tie up the strong man before you can take anything from him. Satan is the strong man. He had in his house the oppressed people. Jesus is the Stronger One who is able to bind Satan and release those who are oppressed. There is just no way that Jesus and Satan were allies. Satan is Jesus’ adversary and Jesus exercised His authority over him by tying him up and releasing people from his influence.
How are you in the face of opposition? Do you needlessly engage in confrontation? The lesson is not to avoid confrontation, but to be wise about what really needs confrontation and then to be bold to speak up when speaking up is warranted.