Two Kingdoms, One Choice Mt 12@22-30

Intro:

Matthew 12:22–30 KJV 1900

22 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. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

We’re going to continue to see Jesus’ credentials as the Messiah in this section. Because we already know that Jesus is the Messiah, this may not mean very much to us. And the reason we know that Jesus is the Messiah is because of His resurrection from the dead.

But our faith should not just be built on only one event, the resurrection and then we know hardly anything else about Jesus. It is the Gospel writers’ intention to get us acquainted with Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Messiah predicted by OT.

In the previous chapter, Jesus has called Himself the Lord of the Sabbath and this is a claim to deity. The subsequent multiple healings attest to His claim of deity (v15).

In the passage we just read, we’re presented with 2 kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil.

Jesus’ casting out a demon itself should show which kingdom He is from. But the Pharisees still harden their hearts and claimed that Jesus is from the devil’s kingdom.

Now we see the passage and Jesus’ reasoning with the Pharisees.

I. The Demon-possessed man and the people’s reaction v22-24

A. Demon-possessed man who is blind and dumb

Matthew 12:22a KJV 1900

22 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.

Matthew 12:22 NASB95

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.

Note in v22a, only one man was brought to Jesus. This man was not only demon-possessed but also blind and dumb at the same time. NASB is a clearer translation.

And in the subsequent verses we see that the Pharisees claims that Jesus cast out demons by the prince of demons. So the people’s attention is not so much of the healing than the casting out of a demon.

What does this mean? It means that the man’s muteness and blindness was a result of demon possession. Of course we can’t conclude that all sickness is a result of demonic activity though we must not rule such a possibility.

I know of many Charismatics when they want to heal a sick person, what they do is to cast out a demon. In China, we have a lady who was very hesitant to receive the Christian faith because she was from a Charismatic church before. They tried to cast the demon out of her to the extend that they even kicked her until she pretended that she was cured of her illness. Otherwise, they’ll continue to assault her.

Such unfortunate incidents should not drive us to the opposite extreme and rule out that sickness can be caused by demons. I’m not saying that sicknesses are always caused by demons.

Remember Job when God gave Satan permission to afflict him, Job was afflicted with sore boils from head to foot.

And Satan is the prince or ruler of this world . And he can afflict man with sicknesses though he can’t possess a believer. And Job was definitely a believer. Even in his sickness, he still refused to deny God.

So when we pray for the sickness, we are not to totally ignore the spiritual dimension especially when we feel that the sickness is rather unusual.

B. Jesus’ healing of the demon-possessed man

Matthew 12:22b KJV 1900

22 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.

Matthew 12:22b NASB95

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.

Next we see Jesus’ healing. After the demon was cast out, the man was also healed of his blindness and muteness. Again the KJV translation is misleading especially in the 2nd half of this verse as we saw that only one man was brought to Jesus.

Although the text says that Jesus healed the man, the context speaks of casting out a demon.

C. The people’s reaction

Matthew 12:23 KJV 1900

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

Matthew 23 KJV 1900

1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. 16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 12:23 NASB95

23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?”

First, we see the people’s reaction. They were amazed or utterly amazed based on the Gk word which is used only here in Mat.

This means that this was a very significant as well as a real miracle and not some magic trick.

The miracle was so significant that the people said “is not this the son of David?” Unfortunately, the KJV translation is not good here too as the Gk suggests the crowds were none too sure. It should be “This couldn’t be the Son of David, could it?”

The phrase “son of David” can just mean a descendant of David but here the people were actually asking “this couldn’t be the Messiah, could it?” Being merely a descendant of David is nothing to be marveled at. But being the Messiah would be a cause for great surprise.

And this is because the people expected the Messiah to perform miracles and so the exorcism cum healing stands in Jesus’ favor.

D. The Pharisees’ reply

Matthew 12:24 KJV 1900

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

Although the exorcism clearly put Jesus on the side of God, the Pharisees would not accept it. In view of the miracle, the Pharisees had to come up with an explanation. And the explanation has to involve someone with supernatural power.

Hence, the Pharisees could only say illogically that Jesus cast out the demon by the prince of demons. Beelzebub, the prince of the demons, is thus equivalent to Satan.

So in essence the Pharisees is calling Jesus, Satan.

II. Jesus’ Reasoning with the Pharisees v25-27

A. Jesus’ 1st Reasoning

Matthew 12:25–26 KJV 1900

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

Jesus reasoned twice with the Pharisees and both are logical reasoning. The first reasoning is that a kingdom that has internal strife will destroy itself.

The demon that possessed the man must have been carrying out the orders of Satan. If Satan himself cast out a demon that has been obeying him, Satan is destroying his own kingdom. This is what Jesus meant in v26 when He says “if Satan cast out Satan.”

So basically Jesus was saying to the Pharisees, “don’t be absurd.” And Jesus further applied the same illustration to a city and even a household. Everyone can better identify himself with a city and even more with a household.

Imagine yourself setting up a home and then constantly quarrel with your wife. Will such a family grow? Many such families either end up in divorce or on the brink of divorce.

((I’ll always counsel the brother, who is head of the family, to apologize to his wife regardless of who is right and who is wrong. And one brother whose wife threatened to divorce him said to me, can’t a man have any self-respect? And I replied, “is your ego more important than your family?”))

B. Jesus’ 2nd Reasoning

Matthew 12:27 KJV 1900

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

“Your children” here refers to the Pharisees’ followers. The thought here is that if the Pharisees’ followers perform little exorcisms and no one doubts it is of God, then Jesus’ super-exorcism all the more has to be from God.

Jesus, by calling the followers of the Pharisees to judge them, is again telling them, “don’t be absurd.”

We can see from Jesus’ 2 reasonings that in view of clear evidence, any unbelief would have to be absurd.

Before we start calling anyone “absurd,” make sure we can present a clear evidence of the Gospel and this is what we call “apologetics.” And apologetics is not an option for the Christian, it is a command from the Bible. The word “answer” in Gk is apologia where we get our English word apologetics.

1 Peter 3:15 KJV 1900

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

III. Jesus Calls for a decision v28-30

A. Jesus claimed the arrival of His kingdom

Matthew 12:28–29 KJV 1900

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

If Jesus didn’t cast out the demon by the prince of the demons, what is the alternative? Here Jesus not only gives the alternative but tells us the implication of His exorcisms on earth.

The obvious alternative is that Jesus cast out the demon by the Spirit of God. And the implication is that the kingdom of God has arrived on earth.

Jesus says this not just on the basis of His exorcisms but also on the basis of His many miracles He performed on earth. And the last miracle is His own resurrection proving beyond doubt that the Messiah has arrived.

esus says this not just on the basis of His exorcisms but also on the basis of His many miracles He performed on earth. And the last miracle is His own resurrection proving beyond doubt that the Messiah has arrived.

This fact of miracles enables Jesus to say that “before Abraham, I am” where “I am” is actually God’s covenant name, Yahweh in Hebrew. He can also say in :

John 3:13 KJV 1900

13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

And He said to the Sanhedrin in and was sentenced to death as a result but later vindicated by His resurrection.

Luke 22:69 KJV 1900

69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

But Jesus’ exorcisms is a sign that He came to destroy the devil’s kingdom so that He can set up His own kingdom.

Hence implies that Jesus is coming to bind up Satan.

Matthew 12:29 KJV 1900

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

B. Jesus presents only 1 choice

Matthew 12:30 KJV 1900

30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

With the Pharisees saying that Jesus is from the kingdom of Satan and Jesus defending Himself as coming from God’s kingdom, Jesus in v30 asked the people to make up their mind. He can be only from one kingdom, God’s or Satan’s.

After His reasoning with the Pharisees, it would be very obvious that He is not only from God’s kingdom but also bringing God’s kingdom to the world.

Hence if any would not stand on His side, they are not on neutral ground but standing on the Pharisees as well as Satan’s side and therefore fighting against Jesus and even God Himself.

v30b: The OT viewed man’s judgment as a harvest that God would conduct. Jesus claimed that He would be the harvesting Judge. Jesus’ statement here would have rebuked the Pharisees and warned the undecided in the crowd. Apparently they were not only refusing to come to Jesus themselves but were even scattering the disciples that Jesus was gathering.

Conclusion:

The application of this passage is simply this: you can’t be neutral towards Jesus. If you’re not on His side, you are against Him.

The claims of the kingdom and the demands of Jesus are so exclusivistic that to be indifferent to him is to be on the side of His enemies.

In other words, a Christian can’t be half-hearted about his faith. In the war of faith, there is no neutral ground. Are you sure you’re on Jesus’ side?