Daily Devotional For Thursday, February 8, 2024

As we continue to look at the miracles Jesus did in Matthew’s Gospel, we come to the next one, which really gets the dander of the Pharisees worked up. Read the following in Matthew 12:22-32, “Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to Him, and He healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. (23) And all the people were amazed, and said, `Can this be the Son of David’ (24) But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, `It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.’ (25) Knowing their thoughts, He said to them, `Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. (26) And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? (27) And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. (28) But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (29) Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. (31) Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. (32) And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (ESV).

God, by His own nature, is forgiving. The Bible oozes and drips with God’s forgiveness. Look at Psalm 86:5, “For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You” (ESV). Look at Psalm 103:2-3, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, (3) who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases” (ESV). Look at Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (ESV). You are probably familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (ESV). Here is one of my favorite verses about God’s forgiveness — Psalm 88:5, “For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You” (ESV).

Why all these verses about forgiveness? It has to do with what Jesus says in Matthew 12:32b. And yet, no amount or duration of sin will cause God not to forgive. Yet, someone who has lived all 85 years of their life sinning, rejecting God, in immorality, profanity, lying and even committing heinous crimes, is forgivable to God. This means no kind of sin cancels or forgets grace. Not adultery, not homosexuality, not transgenderism, not drunkenness, and even not murder forfeits God’s grace and forgiveness. 

In today’s devotion, we see that the people who had been taught all their lives about the Messiah and the miraculous deeds He would do, now look at Jesus and His power, His passion, and His proclivity to accept all to point to Him as the Messiah, which ticks the Pharisees off. In those days, people would have attributed his deafness and muteness to him being demon-possessed. Reflecting on the last few devotionals, are you seeing a pattern here with the Pharisees? So, let’s look at Matthew 12:22, “Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to Him, and He healed him, so that the man spoke and saw” (ESV).

This poor man had many things going against him. He was deaf, which made him mute. But he was also demon-possessed. But this is the first time Jesus demonstrates He had power simultaneously over both the spiritual world and the physical world. We have seen Jesus do one or the other, but not both at the same time. Sadly, many of the people Jesus healed, though grateful, they were not grateful enough to make Him the Lord of their life. Probably because they had been taught the Messiah would be both a military and political Messiah. He would overthrow the Roman Empire and make Israel the lone super-power. 

This had to be a challenge for them. Jesus did not fit their picture. He was humble, compassionate, loving, no army but just 12 unprepared disciples. No chariots or horses, just crowds who followed Him. It seems from Matthew that Jesus intentionally decided to push the buttons of the Pharisees in our miracle for today. Right in front of them, they personally witnessed Jesus healing a man of 3 major issues: deafness, muteness and demon-possession. To them that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but not for the people.

Look at Matthew 12:23, “And all the people were amazed, and said, `Can this be the Son of David’” (ESV). This was a title limited only to the Messiah. It means “Deliverer.” The Bible says they were amazed. This is the Greek New Testament word [ἐξίστημι, existemi] and it means “to be totally speechless, astounded beyond words and wonder.” The New Testament Greek structure suggests that the crowds were not so convinced yet that Jesus was the Messiah. Another way to word their question is: “This couldn’t be the Son of David, the Messiah, can He be Him?” Matthew is reflecting back on Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah 42:1-4:

“Behold My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen, in whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. (2) He will not cry a loud or lift up His voice, make it heard in the street; (3) a bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice. (4) He will not grow faint or be discouraged till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law” (ESV).

Matthew is quick to compare Jesus’ tranquility (read Matthew 12:19, “He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets” (ESV) and gentleness (read Matthew 12:20,  “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench, until He brings justice to victory” (ESV) with the Pharisees hatred and hostility towards Him. Matthew, who was one of the original disciples, gives us here his first reference to Jesus’ impending death. If you notice, Matthew draws very little attention to the miracle itself because that is not the main issue here. For Matthew, the main issue is the conflict from the Pharisees that follow it. 

The Pharisees will not let the crowds speculate about Jesus being the potential Messiah continue. This put the Pharisees in a panic attack. Look at Matthew 12:24, “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, `It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons’” (ESV). In verse 25, “Knowing their thoughts . . .” (ESV) implies the Pharisees were some distance from Jesus, perhaps behind the crowd so that they could poison the crowd against Jesus. 

As before, they personally witnessed Jesus healing this man of 3 issues: deafness, muteness and demon-possession. They could not refute this supernatural miracle, only the means of it. Look at Matthew 12:24, “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, `It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons’” (ESV). As written in previous devotions, they accused Jesus of using supernatural demonic power for Beelzebul. This was a title from a Canaanite god. Knowing the thought and words spoken by Jesus, look what Jesus did. He called them to Himself. Jesus used logic they could not refute. 

First, Jesus embarrassed the Pharisees by showing how their accusation was. What is true in the physical world is also true in the spiritual world. Evil, by its very nature, is destructive — even upon itself. There has never been nor will be any kind of harmony with evil. It is chaotic, confusing, inconsistent and destructive physically and spiritually. 

This is why God’s people have to be alert. The devil is shrewd as we see in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “And no wonder, for even satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (ESV). This means that not everything that glitters is gold. satan and his demons will operate inconsistently with each other in order to accomplish as much destruction and death as possible — even appearing as “an angel of light.”

Second, Jesus showed that the Pharisees accusation was very based and prejudiced, thus revealing their corrupt, sinful and wicked hearts. Jesus told them that some of their own kind had cast out demons. So, did they use the power from Beelzebub also? Meaning also these same Pharisees had approved of these exorcisms by their own kind. So, where they supporting demonic and satanic miracles? Matthew’ point is to show that the Pharisees did not reject Jesus as the Messiah for lack of proof, but due to their personal and jealous bias against Him.

Third, Jesus told these Pharisees their rejection against Him was due to their own rebelliousness against God. Jesus proved their logic wrong and still they refused to see it. If He did His miracles by God’s Spirit, then He was the Messiah. Every religiously literate Jew knew that the prophets predicted that just such signs would accompany the Messiah’s coming (Isa. 29:18; 35:5–6). They also knew that the Messiah was to be Israel’s supreme and eternal King (Ps. 2:6; Jer. 23:5; Zech. 9:9). 

Jesus’ use of a thief was to show the He had demonstrated to everyone His power over satan and satan’s kingdom, evil, darkness, and destruction. Then Jesus hit them hard. He made it clear there is middle ground here. If you are not with Him, you are against Him. The person who is not in Christ is an enemy to Christ. There are only two options: loyalty to Jesus Christ and His kingdom or loyalty to the devil and his kingdom. 

Questions To Consider

1. How do you respond when you know others are plotting against you?
2. How aware are you of the devil’s schemes and plots against you and Christ’s church? What are you doing to personally stand against that?
3. Have you ever experienced 2 Corinthians 11:14? If so, what happened and how did you deal with it?
4. Has God ever left you speechless? If so, when and what happened?
5. Is there anyone you have ever thought was beyond God’s forgiveness? Have you ever acted as if they were?
6. Take your Bible and read Ephesians 6:10-20. Do you do this? How does this help?
7. When have there been times you were “against” Christ? How can you use that experience to help others in the same boat?

Scripture to Meditate On: John 8:44b, “He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (ESV).

Prayer to Pray: “Dear Jesus, I want to see evil for what it is — evil. I do no want to toy with it or accept it or be under its control. Thank you I can trust and experience the truth of 1 John 4:4b, “For He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (ESV). Please help me see the blatant obvious from You as well as from the devil. I love You and desire to serve You and bring You glory with my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you!, Pastor Kelly