Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 136, Matthew 12:25-27 — The Pharisees Rebuked Matthew 12:25-27 (NASB1995) “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. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.’” Discussion Yesterday, we started reading Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees for blasphemy and also detailed one of His greatest healings—a demon-possessed man healed of blindness and muteness. Following this healing, the crowds marveled at Jesus. This provoked the Pharisees who came all the way from Jerusalem (Mk. 3:22) to collect evidence to use for their plot against Jesus. They then accuse Him of performing His miracles by the power of Satan. The LORD has shown corrective gentleness toward some Pharisees whose hearts might not have been completely hardened to the truth. But He also has rebuked many hard-hearted Pharisees for their unbelief, hypocrisy, lack of compassion, and now blasphemy. Sadly, these blind, hard-hearted Pharisees refuse to acknowledge the reality of Jesus’ power and authority as the Messiah. What is most interesting about the Pharisees is their possessed knowledge and belief in Satan and his demonic realm, while constantly professing their rejection of Christ and His kingdom. Their stubbornness is truly unbelievable. They witness Jesus doing mighty and glorious works yet accredit His miracles to Satan again (9:34) and again (10:24-25) and again (12:24). Today, we discuss Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ accusation that He performs under the authority of Satan. Notably, v. 25 says Jesus heard their thoughts indicating that their accusation was secretive, amongst themselves. He has read their minds before (9:4), which you think would be enough evidence that He is the Messiah. Regardless if they know He is the Messiah or not, their hard hearts will keep them blind to acknowledging the truth. Jesus then begins His rebuke, saying, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Notice how this is not some super spiritual rebuke with a hidden meaning. The LORD uses logic and reason in His response, which is something Paul and most other apostles employ in their gospel spreading. Obviously, a kingdom whose allegiance is divided will destroy itself from within. Likewise, a home whose core beliefs oppose each other will fall without a firm foundation. “The image here is of civil war within a kingdom and the desolation brought by it.”[1] Jesus then provides a clearer example of what He means. He says, “26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?” There is a very straightforward point to Jesus’ statement—layman-esque even. If Satan’s goal is to oppress and demonize people, then why would he cast out his own demons? That would only hinder his own goals to destroy humanity. It is illogical to reason that Satan would fight against himself because that would only destroy his kingdom. Jesus adds, “27 If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.” The LORD questions their credibility with this response. It was common for Pharisees and other pagan sorcerers to attempt exorcisms, as demon possession was rampant. If it is true that Jesus casts out demons by Satan’s authority, then who gives the authority to the Pharisees and their sons? ‘Sons’ here simply means ‘members of your own group’ or ‘disciples.’[2] Some of the Pharisees and their associates also cast out demons but did so via more fantastical, magic-like methods.[3] “Our Lord here seems to admit that such works were wrought by them; in which case the Pharisees stood self-condemned and [judged].”[4] We will continue Jesus’ response to the Pharisees tomorrow. Application We spoke yesterday about how stubborn the Pharisees were in this passage. Although they might have secretly known Jesus was the Messiah, they refused to acknowledge it. Instead, they accused Him of blasphemy and attributed His miracles to Satan—which is genuine blasphemy as we will soon read about. More interesting to me is Jesus' initial response. He does not go straight into an outright rebuke but provides them with a logical and reasoned perspective. It might seem like He is questioning their intelligence but how one responds to simplified reasoning reveals their heart and intentions. These are knowledgeable men with high intelligence, so they must know that Jesus is right in His assessment. A kingdom cannot war against itself and stand rightly, just as Satan cannot cast out his own demons. Why would he do that? It is completely illogical, which puts the Pharisees on the spot. Clearly, Jesus does not cast out demons by the power of Satan, so He must be working from God’s authority, right? Jesus even reads their minds, providing further evidence that He is at least a prophet of God, right? Will the Pharisees continue to ignore all the proof that Jesus has laid out before them? Will they continue to stubbornly reject Him as the Messiah? Sadly, they do. Stories like this really put into perspective the stubbornness of man’s flesh. Our sin is so wicked that it can completely blind us to the truth even when it smacks us right in the face. It is important to remember that we were all once lost in our sin, blinded to the truth of Christ, and serving the kingdom of Satan. There are still billions of people in the world in that same position, making the sharing of the gospel and truth of His Word more important than ever. We must not be a kingdom divided, stepping on each other’s toes but remain united on the foundation of Christ and His Word. If we continue to war against each other, then we are no better than Satan. It makes his job easier, as he wreaks havoc in the minds of men. Thankfully, we have the Word to establish us and the light of Christ within us to prevail over these attacks. Let us continue seeking the truth of God’s revealed Word and sharing it boldly. Let us continue to turn from sin as we seek Christ and His holiness in a world marred by wickedness. Let us remain in the strong foundation of the cross. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 12:28-30. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [2] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [3] Ibid. [4] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.”
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