A demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus. Jesus healed him instantly and completely, so that the man spoke and saw. This was a consummate expression of Jesus’s supernatural power, simultaneously dealing with a demonic possession and a physical illness with instantaneous, total, and permanent results. This man, unable to see the Savior or even cry out for mercy, was a clear picture of the sinner’s helplessness apart from God’s grace. Jesus granted him spiritual deliverance and physical wholeness, with all his faculties functioning perfectly.
Doubt of the people (v. 23)
All the crowds were amazed, which means they were totally astounded and beside themselves with astonishment. The imperfect tense suggests a continual state of being overwhelmed. This led to their critical question: “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?”
The crowds were in a state of ambivalence or mixed feelings. On one hand, Jesus’s miraculous power forced them to conclude he was extraordinary. On the other hand, they were reluctant to fully accept him as the Messiah (the Son of David) because he did not fit their preconception. They expected a political revolutionary who would overthrow Rome with armies and fanfare, not a meek, humble, and compassionate carpenter. The question, while framed with doubt, still allowed for a possible “yes”—they were on the road to belief, but needed guidance.
Pharasees accusation (v. 24)
The leaders, the Pharisees, hearing the people’s doubt, went into instant panic. They had to stop this spark of faith before it grew, as Jesus had already discredited their false religion. They aggressively poisoned the crowd, saying, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”
- Derision and Blasphemy: They called Jesus “This fellow,” a term of derision, and attributed his power to Beelzebul, one of the common titles for Satan, meaning “lord of the flies” or “lord of the dung.” This was an extremely vulgar and blasphemous accusation.
- Forced Admission: By doing this, the Pharisees unwittingly gave monumental evidence of Christ’s life. They could not deny the supernatural nature of his work. They were forced to conclude he was supernatural, but rather than assign his power to God, they willfully assigned it to Satan. Their goal was to stifle belief and prevent the people from being saved.
Answer of our Lord (vv. 25-29)
Jesus, knowing their thoughts (proving his divine mind-reading ability, as they spoke to the crowd, not to him), answers their accusation with simple, common-sense illustrations. He answers a fool according to his foolishness, using examples that even the uneducated can understand, demonstrating the sheer nonsense of their charge.
Jesus shows that their accusation is wrong in three ways:
- The Argument from Logic (vv. 25-26):“Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?” Satan’s goal is to keep people in bondage. If Jesus, using Satan’s power, is destroying Satan’s work, then Satan is working against his own kingdom. The accusation is illogical; Satan’s kingdom is united in opposing God.
- The Argument from Consistency (v. 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 Pharisees had their own exorcists (“your sons”) who attempted to cast out demons. Jesus asks: if my exorcisms are by Satan, then whose power is operating through your people? If the Pharisees refuse to accuse their own exorcists of using Satan’s power, their judgment against Jesus is hypocritical and inconsistent. Their own people become their judges.
- The Argument from Fact (vv. 28-29):“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” Jesus states the truth: his power comes from the Spirit of God. This means that the Kingdom of God has visibly arrived among them. The healing and deliverance are proof that Jesus is not Satan’s agent but the divine Conqueror. Casting out a demon from a man is like plundering the strong man’s house. The only way to plunder the strong man (Satan) is to first bind him. Jesus’s power over the demonic world demonstrates he is stronger than Satan and is already defeating him.
The Unpardonable Sin (vv. 30-32)
30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Jesus concludes the exchange with an absolute division: there is no neutrality. Everyone is either with Christ, actively gathering for his kingdom, or against him, thereby scattering and working for the enemy.
31 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
The context shows that the Pharisees were committing the sin against the Holy Spirit. While a misunderstanding or offense against Jesus (the Son of Man) could be forgiven, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot. The Pharisees had witnessed the clear, undeniable work of God’s Spirit—the healing of the blind, mute, and possessed—and willfully, maliciously, and finally attributed that work to the power of Satan. They hardened their hearts to the point of knowingly rejecting the final, clearest evidence of God’s saving power. The reason this sin is unforgivable is not because God’s grace is limited, but because the person has so completely and knowingly rejected the final call to repentance that they perceive themselves as beyond the need for it.
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Jesus’s Threefold Refutation of the Blasphemous Accusation
Jesus refutes the accusation by the Pharisees that He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub (Satan) by demonstrating that their claim is absurd, prejudiced, and a display of rebellion against the Kingdom of God.
1. The Accusation is Absurd (Logical Fallacy)
Jesus begins by attacking the illogical nature of their claim.
- The Truism: Jesus states a universally accepted truth: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” This basic truism means that chaos or division within any system inevitably leads to its collapse.
- The Application: He then applies this principle to their claim: “If Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided against himself. How then shall his kingdom stand?” The implication is that Satan, who is one of the most intelligent beings in existence, would not be so foolish as to actively commit suicide by systematically destroying his own kingdom, work, and purpose on the mass scale that Jesus demonstrated. No intelligent being works against its own primary goals; therefore, their accusation is the height of stupidity and absurdity.
2. The Accusation is Prejudiced (Moral Bias)
Next, Jesus shows that their condemnation is rooted in a deep, rotten prejudice in their hearts.
- The Challenge: Jesus asks, “If I, by Beelzebub, cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out?” “Your sons” refers to the disciples or students of the Pharisees, who were known Jewish exorcists. These groups claimed to perform exorcisms using their own methods.
- The Bias: The Pharisees were biased against Jesus. When their own disciples claimed to perform exorcisms (even if not genuinely successful), they ascribed the power to God. Yet, when Jesus performed the exact same activity with undeniable, irrefutable evidence, they immediately ascribed the power to Satan. Jesus points out that this arbitrary and unequal standard of condemnation proves their utter bias.
- Let Them Judge: He challenges them to let their own disciples be the judge. If their disciples affirmed they worked by God’s power, they would be affirming that Jesus’s power must also come from God. If they claimed Satanic power, they would condemn their entire religious system. By cornering them, Jesus proves their condemnation is based purely on prejudice.
3. The Accusation Reveals Rebellion Against the Kingdom (Spiritual Reality)
Finally, Jesus clarifies the true spiritual reality of the situation, showing that their accusation is an act of rebellion against God’s Kingdom.
- The Only Alternative: Since the Satanic option has been eliminated as absurd and prejudiced, the only remaining possibility is that Jesus operates by the power of the Spirit of God. Jesus, as the Incarnate Servant, restricted the use of His own divine power and performed these works energized by the Spirit.
- The Kingdom is Here: He states: “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” The miraculous demonstration of power over demons is the clear evidence that the King has arrived and the Kingdom of God is now present among them. By blaspheming Him, they are rebelling against the King Himself.
- The Stronger Man: Jesus explains the true nature of His work using a truism: “Or else, how can one enter into a strong man’s house and spoil his property… except he first bind the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.”
- The Strong Man is Satan, who has taken human souls captive.
- The Property is the human souls imprisoned in his domain.
- The Stronger Man is Jesus Christ, who has come to bind Satan. Jesus’s ability to cast out demons and deliver men from captivity is irrefutable proof that He is stronger than Satan and is actively plundering his domain. This activity is the essence of the Gospel: the Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.
The Warning: No Neutrality
Jesus concludes by presenting the ultimate choice facing them: “He that is not with Me is against Me. He that gathers not with Me scattereth abroad.”
- The Fork in the Road: There is no middle ground or possibility of neutrality when responding to Jesus Christ. You must affirm that He is the Son of God and the Messiah, operating by the Spirit of God, or you are against Him.
- The Consequences: This decision affects a person’s eternal standing and their influence on others. To be “with” Him by faith is to “gather” men into the Kingdom. To be “against” Him is to “scatter” people away from the Kingdom in opposition. Claiming to be neutral is self-deception; to not be with Him is to set oneself against Him.
Three Applications
- The Horrible Picture of the Human Heart: The Pharisees’ reaction illustrates the terrible state of the human heart and mind when blinded by empty religion and pride. Their intellect was rendered useless because they were unwilling to let go of their sin and pride, forcing them to adopt a foolish and absurd conclusion.
- The Importance of Unity: Jesus’s truism about a divided kingdom serves as a powerful plea to maintain unity in all God-ordained organizations: the home, the state (city/country), and the church. Division destroys these structures, and sowing discord among brothers in the church is listed in Proverbs as an abomination to God, because it sows the seed of its own destruction.
- The Wonderful Work of Jesus Christ: This passage wonderfully displays Christ’s work in destroying the devil’s power. A person not in Christ is controlled by the devil, captive to do his will. Only the Stronger Man, Jesus Christ, can break the power of sin and guilt, snatch the whip from the devil’s hand, and free a soul from his prison house. He bore the wrath of sin on His own body, and through the fountain of His blood, freedom from the prison house of guilt is possible.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 