Today’s lesson will once again center around Jesus casting out a demon. This was something Jesus was called upon often, in His ministry, to do. Read today’s text in Matt 12:22-37.
The crowd had brought to Jesus a demon possessed man. This situation had also caused the man to be blind and mute. He was unable to see or speak because of the particular demon which was within him. Verse 22 of our text tells us that, when the demon was cast out, the man was once again able to speak and to see. The crowd was astonished at what had occurred and began to wonder amongst themselves whether Jesus were, in fact, the Son of David (meaning the Messiah). The healing miracle itself was enough to cause the crowd to begin thinking this.
Verse 24 tells us something odd, however. The Pharisees, in contrast to the crowd, began to murmur amongst themselves just the opposite. They did not deny Jesus’ miracles. The miracles were established fact and could not be denied. But they began to attribute Jesus’ power to do those miracles to something other than God. The Pharisees were speculating that this power came from Beelzebub, the prince of demons. In other words, they were attributing Jesus’ miraculous powers to Satan as a source. It is important to note that, at that time, practicing any kind of magic under the power of Satan was considered a capital offense, punishable by being stoned to death.
No surprise here, but Jesus knew what they were thinking. He is all-knowing (omniscient) and was aware of what was going on with them, and He began to address their position. In the first part of His argument to them, He said that a kingdom divided against itself will fall and a household divided against itself won’t stand. He was saying that their thinking was illogical. Satan, and his demons, were all about destruction and ruin. It did not make sense to think that they would give Jesus His power to overcome and remove their chaotic work. What Jesus was doing went totally against the work of Satan and his demons, restoring peace and order and bringing healing. Jesus suggested then that it must be by the Spirit of God that He has power to do these things and told the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God had come upon them.
The second part of Jesus’ argument to the Pharisees came as a parable. Jesus told them about a robber entering a strong man’s house. That robber would not be able to carry away any of the strong man’s possessions unless he first was successful in tying up the strong man and rendering him helpless. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that He had succeeded in tying the hands of Satan and his demons, rendering them helpless, so that He would be able to cast out the demon and heal the man.
Jesus did not cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub and He addressed such ridiculous accusations from a totally logical standpoint with the Pharisees. He summed up His arguments, in verse 30, by stating that you are either with Him in His causes or you are against Him. There are two clear sides to the struggle and they do not work in harmony. On another occasion, Jesus made a similar, but opposite comment, that whoever is not against Him is for Him (Mark 9:38-41).
Having dispensed with the logical portion of the discussion, Jesus then went on the offensive. He began to attack the Pharisees for their sins and their slanders against Him. This brings us to an important and famous part of Scripture which is often much misunderstood and worried about by many… The Unpardonable Sin.
Jesus informed the Pharisees, clearly, that any type of sin or slander again Him could be forgiven. We know that Jesus came to bring forgiveness for our sins. Jesus was in the world, among folk, and preached often. People had heard the message of repentance from sin from John the Baptist, and they would continue to hear it repeated by Jesus. Jesus told the Pharisees that their rejection of Him was a sin for which forgiveness could be sought. They might hear the Gospel message again and perhaps have another opportunity to believe. This is a temporary, perhaps even repetitive rejection of the Gospel.
Jesus follows that with a ‘but’. Sinning against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. This is an unpardonable sin. You see, folks, John and Jesus’ ministries were to share the Good News. If you don’t get it the first time, there is always a chance of hearing it again later in life and understanding its importance. The job of the Holy Spirit, however, is different. His ministry is to work in the hearts of man and convince Him of the truth of what John and Jesus were teaching and of the man’s need for the Savior. If the Holy Spirit’s work is rejected in the heart of man, the Holy Spirit will choose to respect the person’s free will choice, God is respectful that way, and leave the man then to live out the rest of His life to his own choosing. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, the man’s heart will probably never be convicted again, with Holy Spirit level of power, of his need for the Savior. At that point, the man’s chances of salvation are gone. Please be clear. This is not saying that the man cannot be saved in the future. It is saying, that without the work of the Holy Spirit in his life, the man will choose not to be (1 Cor 2:14).
Rejecting a religious message taught by John, or Jesus, or even myself or any other teacher, is not the end of the line. It is sin, it can be forgiven, and future opportunities to hear the Word and understand it taught may still come. But rejecting the Good News message, when the Holy Spirit is working in your heart convicting you clearly of its truth and your need, and making a conscious decision to reject God anyway, is a totally different thing. There is no middle ground with God. If you make Him welcome, He will come in. If you do not, He will politely accept your decision (Luke 12:10).
The book of 1 John is all about confirming what we believe and the things which we can know for sure. In 1 John 5:16, we are told that when we see a brother sinning, we should pray for them, hoping that they will be restored. The Holy Spirit will be able to work in this brother’s life still. But it also says, that there is a sin, an unpardonable sin, that leads to death and therefore is not included in this teaching. There is no point to pray about that, once it is committed (Heb 10:26).
1 John 5:16, which we just looked at, is a very difficult verse to understand. For clarity, please read it in several translations:
- KJV - If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
- NIV - If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.
- HCSB - If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God[a] will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin[b] that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that.
The Bible teaches us clearly that the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of Satan are opposite. Nothing God does and nothing Satan does support each other. Jesus made this clear in His response to the Pharisees. Read the definition of the purpose of God’s grace in Titus 2:11-12. Now read the definition of Satan’s work in Eph 2:2-3 and compare the two. Any possibility that Jesus was casting out demons through the power of Beelzebub is ludicrous.
Then, after this teaching, Jesus went on to repeat to the Pharisees some of His previous teachings on good trees producing good fruit and bad trees producing bad fruit and how whatever fruit is produced is always the product of what has been stored up inside. Jesus also then repeated, for the Pharisees, His previous teaching that everyone will give an account for their words and deeds at the day of judgment. He was calling the Pharisees bad fruit and warning them of their future.
Responding to God: Praise God for His unlimited power (omnipotence) and His loving compassion to those in need. Worship Him that He is more powerful than Satan. Recognize His wisdom in dealing with the blasphemy and hate this world has brought against the truth. Pray for wisdom and knowledge and guidance. Seek His help in reaching others with the truth of the Gospel.
Add comment
Comments