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Pharisees, Demons and the Kingdom of God - Part 1

Matthew 12v22-28

15th June 2013

Matthew 12v22-24
Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."

Most people in our culture would deny that demons are real, on the grounds that their existence can't be proved. Many would deny the existence of God for the same reason. But I've met God, so His existence has been proved for me. And I've encountered demons, so their existence has been proved to me. Once you've met someone, or experienced something, you don't need scientific evidence for their existence.

For example, I remember things that my father, now dead, said to me. No-one can prove scientifically that he said those things, but I know he did. In the same way, I can remember many times that I've experienced God. The fact that no physicist or biologist can prove that I had those experiences really doesn't bother me.

Occasionally, I've had to pray for someone that they would be set free from demons. It's not something I enjoy doing; it's the spiritual equivalent of cleaning out the drains. It's horrible but sometimes it has to be done.

But even if I hadn't experienced demons, I'd believe they exist - because the Bible says so. I do wonder about people who genuinely think they know better than the Bible, especially those who doubt the truth of the Bible simply because Biblical truth doesn't fit into their very imperfect scientific models.

Matthew tells us that this man was in a terrible state. He was demon-possessed... blind and mute. We don't know if he was blind and mute because he was demon possessed, or for some other reason. But we do know that demon possession can cause physical symptoms (Matthew 17:18, Luke 9:22, 11:14, Mark 9:17). Anyway, Jesus drove out the demon and healed the man's blindness and gave him back the ability to speak.

Picture the scene. Imagine how astonished the onlookers must have been. This miracle was so amazing that it made them wonder if Jesus was the Son of David - the Messiah.

Do you remember the first time you began to think that maybe Jesus was the saviour of the world? What a great moment that is! You began to see that He is the Answer, the Healer, the Redeemer. This was their moment.

And that was very troubling for the Pharisees. They didn't want people believing in Jesus! He did and said things that were not Politically Correct! He challenged the opinion formers. He said that the standard moral teaching of his day was seriously flawed. He called their spokesmen hypocrites. He spoke up for the vulnerable, and challenged the powerful. He insisted on God's moral values. So they tried to shut him up. They tried to discredit him. "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons", they said. I suppose it was the first thing that they thought of. They must have been desperate.

(Some English Bibles say "Beelzebub", others say "Beelzeboul". I think "Beelzubul" is a better reading, but the NIV says "Beelzebub", probably because that name is more familiar to us - which is not a good reason. But the prince of demons has many names, including "Satan" and "The Devil". We tend to call him "Satan" but it usually doesn't matter very much which name you use.)

How dark our hearts can be! The Pharisees were willing to destroy the reputation of a good man, just because they found his teaching threatening. Politicians try to do this to their opponents all the time. If they can't win the argument, they try to diminish the person. It's called "playing the man instead of the ball". And it's not unknown for Christians to slander other Christians who threaten our position or our comfort. The Pharisees were doing it to the Son of God!

Matthew 12v25-28
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Jesus didn't merely know what they were saying; He knew why they were saying it. He refuted their ridiculous charge:

The onlookers could judge between them. Who seemed to them to be the more godly: the Pharisees or Jesus, the ones throwing around wild accusations or the One who healed the sick man? When there's contention in a church, or in a country, it would be wise to ask which side of the argument is the more godly.

And then Jesus clinched the argument by saying, "If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."

More on this next time.