Taught by
Stephen ArmstrongGospel of Matthew
Matthew - Lesson 12C
Chapter 12:15-30
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The die has been cast…we’ve reached the point of no return for Israel and for Jesus
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Jesus made His best case to Israel as their Messiah Who has come offering them a Kingdom
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Nevertheless, most of the people remain unconvinced and now Israel’s leaders have turned openly hostile toward Jesus
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Obviously, this impasse can’t continue forever
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Jesus can’t offer Himself to Israel indefinitely hoping they will eventually come around to the truth
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Sooner or later a decision must be made, and that time has now come in Chapter 12
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Matthew is ready to show us the final straw, the moment that Israel lost the Kingdom in that day
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And to bring us to that point, Matthew first explains why the offer of the Kingdom couldn’t last forever
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Matt. 12:15 But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all,
Matt. 12:16 and warned them not to tell who He was.
Matt. 12:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
Matt. 12:18 “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.
Matt. 12:19 “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
Matt. 12:20 “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
Matt. 12:21 “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”
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Being fully aware of the Pharisees’ conspiracy, Matthew says Jesus withdrew for a time to avoid further conflict
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Jesus left the synagogue where He had just healed the man and then probably retreated into the hills around the Sea of Galilee
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Matthew says the crowds followed Him as usual, and Jesus continued performing healing for all of them as usual
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Jesus knew the time to withdraw the Kingdom offer had arrived
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But that was all the more reason to heal as many as He could in the meantime
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Because the time for mass healings was also coming to an end
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But now notice a new detail that appears for the first time in Matthew’s account
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Jesus instructs the crowds not to share His identity with others
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That statement in v.16 is our clue that a change was taking place
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Jesus was beginning His transition from a Kingdom proposal to a Kingdom program
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In the period of the Kingdom proposal, the whole point of Jesus’ ministry was to announce Himself to Israel and propose a union of sorts
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Jesus offered Himself as King bringing the Kingdom, and then He waited to see if Israel would accept that proposal
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But once they reject that proposal, the plan of God moves forward without Israel, at least for a time
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At that point, the entire thrust of Jesus’ earthly ministry changes to preparing His disciples to assume leadership over the Kingdom program
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Matthew then reminds us this transition was in keeping with prophecy that foretold the Messiah’s rejection and the need for Him to take His message elsewhere
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Isaiah 42 says the Messiah would come to Israel as a Servant, One chosen by the Father
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The Messiah wouldn’t be a man of ego or self-promotion…He lived a humble life
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And even when the time came to present Himself to Israel as their Messiah, He let the Spirit of God make that testimony
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The Spirit of God was upon Him, Isaiah says, so that by the anointing of the Spirit, Jesus performed many miracles
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In that way, Jesus was both humble and yet also glorified by the Father
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John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.
John 5:37 “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.
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But Isaiah goes on to say Israel would reject their Messiah despite the Spirit’s testimony
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Isaiah says in v.19 that Israel wouldn’t see their Messiah standing on street corners begging or arguing people to believe in Him
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Jesus wouldn’t quarrel with Israel or try convincing them into accepting Him…Jesus simply went to a new audience
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Which is why the truth then goes to the Gentiles instead
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Nonetheless, Israel wasn’t going to be forsaken for their rejection…the Messiah will win them over eventually
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Isaiah uses two euphemisms to explain the Messiah’s grace and mercy for Israel
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In v.20 Isaiah says the Messiah wouldn’t break off a battered reed or put out a smoldering wick
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Both phrases refer to making something out of nothing
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A battered reed is useless just as is a smoldering wick…we would give up on both and look elsewhere for a replacement
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And that’s what we might have supposed God would do with Israel after they rejected Jesus
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But Isaiah says that Messiah will not break off a battered reed nor put out a smoldering wick…He will make something out of nothing
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Jesus leads justice to victory, Isaiah says, meaning Jesus will eventually bring the just outcome to God’s people
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In time Jesus will bring Israel into the light, which is just given God’s promises to His people in keeping with God’s word
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So before Matthew shows us the moment Israel lost the Kingdom in this day, he reminds us that the Bible said this would happen
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Yet despite Israel’s rejection of Jesus in that day, this would not be last word for God’s people
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They might look like a broken reed, a smoldering wick about to die, but the Lord would kindle the flame in a day to come
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So don’t worry when you see this rejection happen…the story isn’t over yet
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But meanwhile, the Kingdom offer has to go somewhere, and Isaiah says in v.21 that it will go to the Gentiles instead
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That’s Matthew’s prologue to the rejection moment, so that we understand what is happening and also what’s not happening
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The Israel of that generation is losing the Kingdom here, yes
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The Israel of the future will still obtain it, however
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So now Matthew is now ready to show us the moment of paradise lost
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And it begins with another healing…
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Matt. 12:22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.
Matt. 12:23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?”
Matt. 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”
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At some point after the Sabbath, Jesus is presented with a demon-possessed man as many times before
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We’ve studied a little about demon possession in past lessons, so let me just remind you of some of the important details
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We learned that demons are angels that fell into sin by following after Satan’s rebellion
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They chose to become part of Satan’s army, and today they serve Satan in a spiritual war against God
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When demons target human beings for attacks, one of their tactics is inhabiting or indwelling the bodies of unbelievers
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Just as the Spirit of God can indwell a believer, so too can demonic spirits indwell the bodies of unbelievers
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And just as when the presence of the Spirit of God in a believer produces new and lasting positive behaviors (fruit)
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So too when a demon takes up residence in the body of a person, it will bring lasting negative effects on that person
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Over time, the demon’s presence in the person degrades a person’s mental and physical state leading to increasingly bizarre behaviors
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The demon speaks to the person constantly, day and night, tormenting them with voices of condemnation and perversion
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The person experiences growing feelings of fear, dread, anxiety and paranoia
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Eventually, the person’s thoughts and emotions may be so disrupted by the demon’s influence that he loses touch with reality and becomes incommunicative
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Notice in this case the man who is possessed by the demon has been made blind and mute by the demon’s presence
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So apparently this man was experiencing the later stages of demon possession
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And once a demon is finished with a person and ready to move on, the demon will try to make the person take his or her own life
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As we learned in an earlier lesson, a demon can only leave a human body when the body dies
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But there is a second way a demon may leave a body…if they are cast out (i.e., forced out) by the power of God
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In Jesus’ day, casting out demons from human bodies was not unknown
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The Lord equipped some men from time to time by His Spirit to cast out demons as healing ministry
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We can find evidence of this practice here and elsewhere in the Scripture
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Notice in v.27 Jesus challenges the Pharisees concerning their “sons” who cast out demons
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Jesus is referring to some in Israel who were casting out demons from time to time
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Furthermore, Acts 19 describes Jewish exorcists traveling from place to place removing demons
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So we know the Lord granted certain people power to remove demons but that ability came with certain restrictions
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Think back a few months ago to our study of Matthew 8 when we studied the miracle of Jesus healing a leper
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At that time I told you that there had never been before in Israel’s history an example of a Jew healed of leprosy
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Yet I also told you that we have an entire chapter in the Law devoted to how to deal with a person healed of leprosy
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The rabbis noticed this contradiction, and wondered what it meant
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The rabbis concluded the Lord must have reserved the power to heal leprosy for a special occasion
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Specifically, they concluded that only the Messiah would possess the power to heal a leper
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So when someone did heal a leper, that meant that man was the Messiah
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This gave rise to the notion of a “Messianic miracle” or a miracle that only the Messiah would be permitted to accomplish
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Healing a leper was a Messianic miracle, and another was casting out a mute demon
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Once again, casting out demons was not a unique miracle, since men did this from time to time in Israel
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But casting out a mute demon was unprecedented in Israel…like healing a leper, it had never been done before
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And the reason it had never been done before is because of the unique way exorcists operated in conducting their healing
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A Jewish exorcist could only cast out a demon by calling on the name of the demon
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The exorcist would speak directly to the person asking the person to divulge the name of the demon inside
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Perhaps the demon had shared its name with the person or perhaps the exorcist could coax the demon into divulging it
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According to rabbinical teaching in that day, this was the only way the Lord granted healing for a demon-possessed people
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We can see Jesus using this rabbinical method elsewhere in the Gospels
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For example, in the incident of the demons who possessed a man living in the tombs, notice Jesus’ method
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Luke 8:28 Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.”
Luke 8:29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.
Luke 8:30 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him.
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Jesus asks for the demon’s name during His exchange with the man
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There was a group of demons in the man, so they respond to Jesus calling themselves “legion”
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Which brings us back to our moment here in Matthew 12
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If the exorcist couldn’t learn the demon’s name because the man was made mute by the demon, then the exorcist was stuck
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There was no way to get the demon’s name, and therefore there was no way to cast him out
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That’s why a mute demon could not be cast out under ordinary circumstances
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And for that reason, the rabbis concluded that casting out a mute demon was a miracle reserved for the Messiah alone
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We can see evidence of that problem in another scene in the Gospels
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Mark 9:17 And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;
Mark 9:18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”
Mark 9:19 And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”
Mark 9:28 When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?”
Mark 9:29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”
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Notice again Jesus was dealing with a mute demon, and His disciples tried to cast out the demon
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But because they couldn’t learn the demon’s name, they couldn’t use the normal rabbinical method and so they failed
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When they asked Jesus why they failed, Jesus says because “this kind” of demon only comes out by prayer and fasting
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“This kind” refers to a mute demon, which only God can cast out
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Therefore, it requires prayer (i.e., appeal to God)
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Also notice that Jesus rebukes the disciples and the crowd for being an unbelieving generation
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Why was Jesus so upset at them? Because they should have realized they were facing one of the Messianic miracles
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And had they believed Jesus was Messiah, they would have asked Jesus to cast out that demon in the first place
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Which brings us back to Matthew 12 and what happened next
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Notice in v.23 the crowd sees Jesus perform this special miracle and responds by asking, “This can’t be the son of David can he?”
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They were acknowledging that they had just seen a Messianic Miracle, and they ask if this man could really be the Messiah
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The term “Son of David” is a special title that Jews used only in reference to the Messiah
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The term comes from the OT prophecies that say the Messiah will be a descendent of David, a “son” of David
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But also notice at the end of v.23 their response takes the form of a negative question
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This can’t be the Son of David, can he?
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Jesus simply didn’t look the part, because He didn’t fit their preconceived ideas of the Messiah
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He was a plain man from a nothing town…hardly Messiah material
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And the people of Israel couldn’t wrap their heads around an ugly, plain Messiah, so they ask, this can’t be the son of David?
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They directed their question to their religious leaders, who were the experts in all things Messiah (the people assumed)
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But now those leaders have a problem, because they too saw the miracle and of course they also recognized its meaning
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But obviously, the Pharisees do not want to confirm that Jesus is the Messiah
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Jesus had rejected Pharisaic Judaism and the authority of the Mishnah, the Oral Law
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So if the Pharisees acknowledged Jesus as Messiah, they would lose their place of authority over the people
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On the other hand, they couldn’t simply deny the miracle, since everyone saw it and everyone knew what it meant
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So their solution in v.24 is to claim that Jesus did perform the miracle but He did so by the power of Beelzebul
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My translation reads “Beelzebul” but the Greek word used here is “Beelzebub,” meaning lord of the flies
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The Jews adopted that title for Satan as a way of mocking him
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So the Pharisees said Jesus was working with the power of Satan, which explained why He did something that ordinary people couldn’t do
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The leaders’ response and the crowds’ willingness to accept the explanation was the precise moment they lost the kingdom
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This leads to the crucial point where Jesus withdraws His Kingdom proposal from that generation of Israel
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We see that moment more clearly in the rest of the chapter, which we examine some today and the rest next time
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Matt. 12:25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.
Matt. 12:26 “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
Matt. 12:27 “If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
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Matthew says Jesus knew their thoughts, but what thoughts is Matthew referring to?
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The Pharisees’ spoke their response to the people, so their explanation wasn’t the “thoughts” Jesus knew
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Everyone knew what they said
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Matthew is referring to the unspoken thoughts of the crowd as they consider what the Pharisees said
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Jesus knew the crowd was agreeing with what they heard and, knowing their thoughts, Jesus shows how they were acting foolishly
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He rebukes the people by exposing the nonsensical nature of the Pharisees’ explanation
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In vs.25-26 Jesus responds saying a kingdom or city or house that is divided against itself will not stand
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Jesus’ metaphor is set in the context of a battle or war, where a kingdom or city or house is battling against a common enemy
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Winning a war against a determined enemy is hard enough even when everyone is working together
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But if you start fighting among yourselves, then you have no hope to prevail against the enemy
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In the metaphor, Jesus is speaking about the spiritual war that Satan wages against God
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Satan and his demons are waging war, so he can’t afford to waste time fighting against themselves
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So if Jesus were casting out demons with the power of Satan, then it would mean Satan’s house was divided against itself
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Therefore, the Pharisees’ argument just doesn’t make sense
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Then Jesus makes a second point…in v.27 He asks, if I cast out demons by the power of Satan, what power do your sons use?
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Jesus is showing the inconsistency of their logic
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They claim Jesus is using Satan’s power to cast out demons
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But since the Pharisees’ sons were exorcists, why not assume they too were working with Satan’s power?
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Why make one assumption for one group but a different assumption for Jesus?
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Finally, Jesus makes His main point
Matt. 12:28 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Matt. 12:29 “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
Matt. 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
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In v.28 Jesus notes that there is one explanation that these men have refused to consider…the only explanation that actually makes sense
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Jesus says He casts out demons with the Spirit of God
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Jesus is referring to the anointing power He received when the Spirit came upon Him at His baptism
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At His baptism, Jesus received the Spirit Who then empowered Jesus for the miraculous works of His ministry
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Because of His humanity, Jesus was dependent upon the Holy Spirit to accomplish the miracles that testified to Jesus’ claims
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That’s why Jesus says He cast out the demon by the Spirit of God
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That Messianic miracle was a testimony of the Spirit of God to the people that the kingdom of God had arrived
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That’s the only reasonable conclusion you can make
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Yet in their thoughts, the crowd accepted the illogical explanation their leaders told them
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Jesus finishes with a parable to indict their willful ignorance of the truth
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Jesus asks how could someone enter into a strongman’s house to carry off the man’s possessions without first binding the strongman
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The answer is obvious: you can’t because the strongman will prevent you from taking his possessions
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So if someone is able to take what belongs to a strongman, then it must mean the strongman has been bound
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In that parable, the strongman is Satan and Satan’s house is this world
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Jesus is the One Who comes into Satan’s home, into the world, to plunder Satan’s possessions by freeing people from His curse
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Jesus brings healing, hope, joy and the promise of eternal life to a lost and dying world…freeing us from the dominion of Satan
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And in this one example, the demon possessed this man, but Jesus took that possession away from Satan’s forces
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Therefore, we must conclude that Jesus wasn’t working with Satan…Jesus had the power to bind Satan, to arrest him
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And if has the power to bind Satan, then Jesus must be a greater power…He must have the power to replace Satan’s dominion
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Which means Jesus was bringing the Kingdom of God
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The unavoidable conclusion in that moment was that Jesus performed a Messianic miracle, and therefore Jesus was the Messiah
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And if Jesus was the Messiah, then the Kingdom had come to Israel
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And the only reasonable response to the Kingdom is to embrace the king and enter into His reign
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But instead, the people chose to accept a ridiculous explanation offered by Jesus’ enemies
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They chose to believe that the miracle done by the power of the Spirit of God was actually a work done by the power of Satan
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As they did, they lost the Kingdom
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Notice in v.30 Jesus says you’re either with me or you’re against me…you are either on God’s side or you’re fighting against God
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There is no third choice
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And Israel made its choice
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Next lesson we’ll study the consequences of that choice, beginning in v.31
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But please consider the ramifications of Jesus’ statement here…you are for Him or else you are against Him
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There is before faith and after faith
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Before faith we are enemies of God because we oppose the One God sent for us – Jesus Christ
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Someone may be a good person in many respects…perhaps even a devout religious person, even a loving person
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But until they truly receive by faith the One the Father sent in His name, Jesus says they are an enemy of God
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That means there truly is no such thing as a seeker, though there are people seeking to know more about God
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The person who is on the fence when it comes to Jesus may seem themselves as a neutral party, but God sees them as an enemy
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We are enemies until we are reconciled with God by faith, Paul says
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Rom. 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
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Until we accept Jesus as our Messiah, we are scattering while God’s trying to gather
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That was Israel’s choice too…they couldn’t have their cake and eat it too
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They wanted healing, they liked it when Jesus multiplied fish and bread, they enjoyed hearing His teaching
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They even recognized His power to perform a Messianic Miracle
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But they weren’t willing to acknowledge or submit to Jesus’ rule and authority as King
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As Christians, we have come to Jesus’ side, and we are no longer His enemy…He calls us friends and a child of God
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But all the more reason we should obey Him, right?
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The Israel of Jesus’ day missed their Messiah because they took their eye off the word of God, and got wrapped up in a manmade religion instead
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We must do better…remember the words of the writer of Hebrews:
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Heb. 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb. 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
Heb. 10:24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
Heb. 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
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We too are waiting for the Messiah…for Jesus’ return
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And while we wait, the writer says we should draw near to Christ even now with a heart fully assured that Jesus has made us clean
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And knowing we are forever saved, don’t waiver in your confidence nor in your obedience
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While we await Christ, don’t let false teaching persuade you to deny the obvious truths of the Bible or become distracted with temporal things
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Don’t waiver in your confidence that the Lord is going to return and that the Kingdom will appear one day
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Time is not an enemy of God…He is faithful, the writer says, because God’s word doesn’t change with the passing of time
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Instead, let’s stimulate one another to love and good deeds in the meantime
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Don’t be satisfied with ritual and rule keeping, as we’ve discussed here before
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Live to serve Jesus knowing that’s why He’s left us here for a time
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And do it in the company of other believers, making every effort to gather together because that’s where real ministry happens
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If we do these things, then we don’t overlook Jesus when He comes
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We don’t overlook Him in His word
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We won’t overlook Him in the work He does in us and through us
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And we won’t overlook His commands as He prepares us for His return
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Because I can assure you we won’t miss His return…the question is, will you be ready for it when it happens?
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