THE GOSPELS: LESSON 36:

A DEMONIAC HEALED; TALK OF BLASPHEMY

TEXT: MATT. 12: 22 - 45; MARK 3: 19 - 30; LUKE 11: 14 - 26

WE WILL CONCENTRATE ON THE ACCOUNT IN MATTHEW.

MATTHEW 12: 22 - 23. A MAN WITH A DEMON IS HEALED.

Verse 22: “Then a blind and dumb demoniac was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw.” This man who was brought to Jesus was dumb (the Hebrew word signifies either deaf and dumb, or one who is dumb but who can hear) AND he was blind. Why? Not because of an accident of birth or by disease. The demon dwelling within caused his infirmities. Jesus healed him, and the man both spoke and saw.

Verses 23: "Can this be the Son of David?" The people were obviously amazed at this miracle, and so they seemed sure that the one who worked this miracle was surely the “Son of David.” The many writings of Jewish Rabbis before (and after) the time of Jesus teach us that this phrase “son of David” was used to mean the Messiah. The people were actually saying, “This man who did this miracles is surely the Messiah, isn’t he?”

MATTHEW 12: 24 - 37. CHARGES OF DEMONISM AND COUNTERCHARGES OF BLASPHEMY.

Verses 24: The Pharisees counter the question of the people by saying that Jesus actually cast out the demon with the aid of Beelzebul (Lord of the House), the Prince of Demons. The KJV says Beelzebub (Lord of the Flies). This is probably the same as Baalzebub, the chief deity of the Ekronites mentioned in II Kings 1: 2. The Jews believed (as did John Milton, author of Paradise Lost) that all the pagan deities were actually demons. They believed that there was one demon who was their chief. They called this demon Asmodeus or Samael, the Prince of Hell, and associated him with Baalzebub the false god of Ekron (a city of Philistia about 20 miles west of Jerusalem). In other words, they said Jesus was under control of the chief demon of Hell! Jesus later informs these hard-hearted Jews that the king of Hell is Satan. When the Pharisees refer to Jesus as “this man” they actually called him “this vile fellow,” according to the intent of the Greek phrase used.

Verses 25, 26: “ . . . every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:” This where Abe Lincoln got his famous saying, which he used about the Union, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

          First, Jesus uses a logical argument against their charges of demonism: “. . . if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?” Obviously Satan would have no desire to help exorcists cast demons out of men. That would only weaken his influence and several such actions would cause his demonic kingdom to fall.

Verses 27, 28: Next Jesus uses a more philosphical argument against the Pharisees. Their “children” (Jewish exorcists, as in Acts 19: 13) had cast out demons, so if demons are cast out with Satan’s help, who helped the Jews cast out demons? The answer (unstated) is that only the Spirit of God can enable men to cast out demons. If they believe that (and their practices show that they must, for they don’t condemn their own) then they must surely realize that the kingdom of God has arrived, for God’s power is displayed in Jesus.

Verses 29, 30: In order to despoil Satan’s house, Jesus must first bind Satan. He here asserts that he is stronger than Satan. With Jesus there are only two options: A man is for him or against him. There are no neutral spectators. Everyone who is not working for Jesus is working for whom? SATAN. There can be no fence riders.

Verses 30, 31: “. . . blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” “. . . whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. . .” The two phrases, “blasphemy against the Spirit” and “speaks against the Spirit” are entirely synonymous.

          To blaspheme in this sense is “ to maliciously attribute works clearly performed by the Holy Spirit to the actions of Satan with the intent of discrediting Christ and/or God, bringing disgrace upon them, and causing men to disbelieve the power and glory of God displayed.” This act is not one of ignorance or lack of faith, but is clearly a malicious and overt act intended to bring shame upon Christ and his power. Can we commit such blasphemy today? YES. For it is possible today to reject the works of the Holy Spirit (such as those recorded in the Bible) and attribute them to demons. Such is the claim of many, such as some Muslims. some Jews, and some others who reject Christ and the Holy Spirit as possibly demonic and His followers (Christians) as deluded. Anyone who rejects the miracles of scripture (liberal religionists and humanists) tread very close to this sin by denying that the Holy Spirit has any power at all.

          This is how Gill’s Commentary explains how this sin can be committed today:

it shall not be forgiven him:
not because the Holy Ghost is greater than Christ; or for want of efficacy in the blood of Christ; or because God cannot pardon it; but because such persons wilfully, maliciously, and obstinately oppose the Spirit of God, without whom there can be no application of pardon made; and remain in hardness of heart, are given up to a reprobate mind, and die in impenitence and unbelief, and so there is no forgiveness for them,

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In verse 32, what are the two “ages” Jesus speaks about? The word used here is the Greek aeon, which should be translated age, not world. [The Mosaical Age (Dispensation) and the Christian Age (Dispensation).]

Verse 33: The tree represents the one who casts a demon out of a man. His fruit is the exorcism of the demon. Jesus is saying either the exorcism was done by God’s power for both of us (Jesus and the Jewish exorcists) or it was done by Satan’s power for both. You can’t have it both ways!

Verses 34, 35: “Brood of vipers” – literally the offspring (children) of poisonous snakes. John the Baptizer used this phrase in Matt. 3 to describe the Sadducees and Pharisees. Jesus uses it twice (here and in Matt. 23) to describe the Pharisees and scribes (most of the scribes were Sadducees).

What is the evil spoken of in verse 35? Surely it is the careless (idle) words (see verse 36) they had spoken concerning the casting out of the man’s demon.

Verse 36, 37: On the day of judgement men will have to give an account of all the worthless words they utter, unless what happens? [Jesus has washed their sins away!]

By your words you will be justified or condemned? Not entirely, for your deeds will carry more weight than your words. See Romans 2: 13. See also Matt. 21: 28 - 31. However, since the mouth speaks according to what fills the heart (verse 34), our words generally are a true indicator of what we are really like.

MATTHEW 12: 38 - 45. AN EVIL GENERATION SEEKS AFTER A SIGN.

Verses 38 - 40: “An evil generation seeks a sign. . .”

What is a sign? An attesting miracle. A miracle done to confirm the words spoken have divine approval.

Why is it evil to seek (the word actually means to demand or crave) a sign from God? Because people who crave miracles are not satisfied with the simple truths of scripture. They are only interested in having their senses inflamed.

What sign would Jesus give the Pharisees? The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.This sign is surely enough to satisfy those who demand miracles today.

Verses 41, 42: Why will the people of Ninevah and the Queen of Sheba rise and condemn the people of Jesus’ day? Because they repented when they heard God’s Word. Those Jews mentioned by Jesus did not.

Verses 43 - 45: This is a parable Jesus tells about his generation. Jesus is the exorcist who cast out the demon. The demons are the evil works of Satan. Jesus came to push back the works of Satan and deliver true religion to the Jews. For a time they seemed to hear him and exhibit faith and repentance. Then they conspired to kill Jesus and rejected his message utterly. The end of all this would be even worse than when Jesus began to preach his “Gospel of the Kingdom.” As Josephus recounts in his Wars of the Jews, the Jews of that day were the most vile and evil generation that could be imagined. Josephus said a bad flood (in 66 or 67 AD) was punishment from God for their deeds, and was amazed that the earth did not open up and swallow them all. The end of that generation was the utter destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the total defeat of the Jews which ended in 73 AD at Masada.. Historians estimate that ⅓ to ½ of all Jews then living were slaughtered by Rome and her allies.

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