Lecture 5
PHARISEES ACCUSE JESUS OF HEALING BY SATANIC POWER (Matthew 12:22-37)
Jesus delivered a man from demon possession. The demons had caused the man to become blind and dumb. Only the Messiah could cast out demons causing dumbness. Pharisees and Rabbis and those who followed them could cast out demons (v27). However, in casting out demons, the exorcist would demand to know the demon’s name and by using the demon’s name, cast the demon out from the man. Jesus asked the name of the demon his name which indwelt the demoniac recorded in Mark 5. The demon reply was, ‘my name is legion’. The Pharisees and others could not cast out the demon who caused dumbness, because the demon could not use the man’s voice to name himself! There was no way for communication between religious leaders and the demon, to find out the demon’s name! The Rabbis taught, however, that when the Messiah came, He would be able to cast out such a demon who caused dumbness. When Jesus had cast out this demon, no wonder the crowds were amazed and exclaimed, ‘could this be the Son of David’ – meaning the Messiah.
The crowds had always followed the way of their religious leadership. How easy, therefore, was it to raise up strong opposition against Jesus. The evidence of this is the time leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, when the people said, ‘upon our own heads be His blood’. That responsibility brought the judgment of God upon that generation , the Temple and Jerusalem. History verifies this by the destruction brought about by the Romans in AD 70.
Demons cast out must be the work of the Spirit of God, through the Son of God, by the power of God and the will of the Father. Thus the Kingdom of God is present among the people then (v28).
Christ had ‘bound the strong man’ having power over the demonic realm, illustrating His Messianic Kingly power. Jesus demonstrated the full nature of His Person, power, Messiahship and Kingship of His Kingdom by this crowning act. How could He be working by Satan’s power. That would divide Satan’s kingdom. This act finally brought out the reaction of rejection by Israel’s leaders and subsequently the people.
The final break between Israel and her Messiah King had become clear and the ‘die was cast’.
The Pharisees were guilty of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (v31 & 32). To that generation, this was the unforgivable sin. A tree is known by its fruit – good or bad (v33-37). That generation had declared its decision about Jesus. Jesus was a ‘bad tree’ in their opinion. Such error of judgment sealed their fate. In fact, that generation of Israel and her leaders especially were the ‘bad tree’. Had not Jesus said, ‘every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire’( Matthew 7:19). That would be fulfilled in AD 70. Had not John the Baptist said, ‘every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees’ (Matthew 3:10). That generation was the ‘bad tree’ and ‘bad fruit’ came from it. Both John and Jesus called the Pharisees poisonous and venomous snakes.
Their very words would bring condemnation on judgment day. Verse 37 of Matthew 12 says, ‘by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.’ The axe was indeed laid to the very roots of Pharisaic Judaism.
What is the unpardonable sin in this context? It is the national sin of Israel at that time and cannot be applied to any other Jewish generation or to any other people other than the Jewish people. Certainly not Christians or Gentiles. The unpardonable sin was the rejection of Israel’s Messianic King by Israel’s leaders and subsequently and eventually, the people of Israel of that generation, in the light of the Biblical truth that here was Israel’s Messiah, displaying His credentials before their eyes, and they declared that he did this miraculous Divine work by Satan’s power. Beelzebub is a combination of two Hebrew words Baal – zebub meaning ‘lord of the flies’. They declared Jesus Himself to be demon-possessed!
Jesus often used the phrase ‘this generation’ when pronouncing their sin or a judgment upon that generation of Israel, which witnessed so much of His power and heard His teaching. This meant that that generation of Israel, of His day, was under judgment and that the Kingdom promised was now postponed until a much later generation, after the Church Age is completed. The Kingdom would be brought in at the second coming of the Christ and would be offered to the surviving generation which would witness His coming and the setting up of His Millennial reign and Kingdom. In other words this would be the Millennium generation of Israel.
PHARISEES SEEK A SIGN TO VALIDATE JESUS’ CLAIMS (Matthew 12:38- 45)
There would be no sign given to such people, supporting Jesus’ own words in chapter 7:6, ‘give not that which is holy unto the dogs (initially, meaning Gentiles), neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you’. The only sign given was Jonah – a type of death over three days followed by the resurrection of Jesus. Jonah being a ‘type’ for Jesus. Verse 40 says, ‘as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth’. Nineveh, a heathen, hostile enemy of Israel, repented from the king downwards and the judgment threatened was removed for that time. Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, but a greater than Jonah was present (v41). The queen of Sheba (south) came all the way from Ethiopia to hear Solomon’s wisdom, but a greater than Solomon was present. Jesus was a greater prophet and a greater King, yet Israel and her leaders hardened their hearts in rejection.
Here was the turning point as Jesus postponed His Kingdom until a future generation of Israel would repent and receive Him as their King, Messiah and Redeemer. Belief among the Gentiles like the Ninevites, the queen of Sheba and in this Gospel, the Centurion, condemned Israel for her unbelief.
Verses 43-45 show that religion is empty formality without the life-giving power of God in the life of the believer. Should a man be delivered from evil and cleansed, swept clean enough, only to perform religiously without being born again by the Spirit of God, evil spirits enter into the empty man and he would be in a worse state than at the beginning. The empty religion of the Pharisees leads to greater spiritual bondage and final condemnation on the judgment day to come. Religion through self-effort is rejected by God.
TRUE DISCIPLESHIP IS THE NEW RELATIONSHIP (Matthew 12:46-50)
Jesus’ family wanted to see Him. Jesus said that only those who do the Father’s will are in His family. Discipleship is needed above all earthly ties or religious pedigree within Israel. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 9:6, ‘they are not Israel, which are of all Israel’. This means there is a difference between Israel after the flesh and those Jewish people who, through faith, obtain salvation. The latter are truly of Abraham’s spiritual seed. Thus there is the vital difference between natural and spiritual Israel among the Jewish people. Disciples will do the will of the Father.