 |
|
|
|
|---|
| << Matt 12 | |
| << Mark 3 | |
| << Luke 11 | |
For New King James text and comment, click here.
Matthew 12:22-50; Mark 3:20-35 Listen 
Luke 11:14-36
In these passages, we see the following events in Jesus' ministry:
The Jewish leaders step way over the line (Matthew 12:22-37; Mark 3:20-30; Luke 11:14-23)
Matthew 12 |
Mark 3 |
Luke 11 |
| 22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. 33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. |
20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. 22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. 28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. |
14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. |
Of the three accounts, Mark does not directly mention the healing miracle that brought about this discussion as do Matthew and Luke. As a matter of fact, Mark begins his account by mentioning the crowd-control problem that existed - so much so, they were not even able to sit down for a meal. Mark reports in verse 21 that Jesus' friends went out to pull Jesus from the crowd. It is not clear from the text who said "He is beside himself." It is also not clear what is meant by that phrase. The phrase "beside himself" comes from the Greek verb "existemi," which can refer to actions reflecting insanity, or it can mean to be astonished or amazed. If it was the reckless crowd witnessing the casting out of demons (verse 22) who made the statement, the conversation of demon possession that follows would indicate that they might have tried to portray Jesus as insane. If, on the other hand, it was Jesus' friends who made the statement, they could have been using the term in the context that Jesus was overwhelmed by the crowd.
Jesus casts out a demon and the people are amazed. Not the Jewish leaders though - they remain unimpressed and even accuse Jesus of casting out demons by calling upon the chief demon (Beelzebub, derived from II Kings 1:2, see notes), Satan himself. Jesus shows the fallacy of such an outrageous accusation, but did they go too far this time with their verbal attacks on Jesus? Yes, they did go too far! Impugning Jesus (which the Jewish leaders habitually did) was one thing, but to see the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit manifested through Jesus and call it the work of Satan went way over the line. We see this sin clearly identified in Mark 3:30 "Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit."
It is vital that we understand what brought on this condemnation. Specifically, they rejected the deity of Jesus and ascribed his source of power to Satan himself. You simply don't get a stronger rejection of Jesus as Savior than that. I'm convinced that this situation is unique in that these leaders viewed face to face the manifestations of the Spirit through Jesus, and yet accused him of being motivated by Satan. I make that point because of the misuse of this passage by many today. Specifically, some have incorrectly been told that they cannot be saved because of having blasphemed the Holy Spirit in their past i.e. laughing at those who spoke in tongues or otherwise proclaimed themselves to be demonstrating the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. THIS IS AN OUTRAGEOUS ASSERTION! Again, let me say that this scenario cannot be duplicated in this age; no one is prevented from being saved because of such an act. Click here to get a fuller understanding of the manifestation of spiritual gifts from the notes on I Corinthians 12.
Matthew gives more coverage to this incident than do Mark and Luke. Notice particularly Matthew 12:32, "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Matthew uses the Greek word "aion" ("age") to describe the longevity of the condemnation - neither in this age, nor the age to come. That age to come is the kingdom the Jews have been anticipating, the Messianic age. Jesus makes reference to this Kingdom age in Matthew 12:28 and Luke 11:20 by proclaiming that if his actions are of God, then that Messianic age "is come upon you."
Immediately following the outrageous claim by the Jewish leaders that Jesus was motivated by Satan, Jesus explains the principle of fruit bearing as applied to ministers of God. I can't resist mentioning Galatians 5:22-23 (see notes) here, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." When the source is God, the fruit is good.
You want a sign? How about my resurrection! (Matthew 12:38-42; Luke 11:29-32)
Matthew 12 |
Luke 11 |
| 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. |
29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. |
Note: Luke orders this account a little differently than Matthew, but both include the same dialogue. Luke 11:24-28 (see below) are summarized in the next section.
These Pharisees and scribes ask for a sign that Jesus is who they think he claims to be. Jesus cites Jonah (see notes). He explains in Matthew 12:40, "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." This verse is rich in meaning. First of all, he's referring to the period between his crucifixion and resurrection. Notice that period is three days AND three nights (so much for a Friday crucifixion). As a matter of fact, the reason so many have taught a Friday crucifixion for centuries is because they believed that the Jews were insisting that Jesus be taken off the cross before the beginning of the weekly Sabbath. However, John 19:31 (see notes) tells us that this was not the regular weekly Sabbath they were trying to beat, but rather the beginning of a special "high day," the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (treated like a weekly Sabbath). So, here's the sequence for the week in which Jesus was crucified. Thursday was Passover when Jesus was crucified. Friday was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Saturday was the regular Sabbath day. On Sunday morning Jesus resurrected after three days AND three nights. But there's another fascination with this passage. Where was Jesus for those three days? He prophesies in this passage that he'll be in the "heart of the earth." For a complete scriptural analysis of the location of Jesus for these three days, read the information in the box on the right side of this screen entitled, "Paradise Relocated."
Jesus also cites the inquiring mind of the Queen of Sheba when she visited Solomon in I Kings 10:1-13; II Chronicles 9:1-12 (see notes) as an example of what happens when people really desire to know God. Jesus uses these two Old Testament examples to make the point that these had embraced the manifestation of God's salvation, while the current generation is rejecting it.
Satan's demons are looking for a place to live (Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26)
Matthew 12 |
Luke 11 |
| 43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. |
24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. |
Jesus is still addressing these Jewish leaders who made the outrageous accusation against him in Matthew 12:31-32 (see above). Here's the lesson: If you don't fill your spiritual void with God's Spirit, you may be disappointed with your next tenant.
People often ask me if I think a Believer can be possessed by a demon. My answer is, "NO!" It flies in the face of New Testament consistency to believe that a Believer can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God at salvation (I Corinthians 12:13, see notes; Romans 8:9, see notes), and at the same time, be indwelt by a demon. As a matter of fact, is that not what Jesus is saying here in this passage? He implies that a demon sets up housekeeping in a vessel which is spiritually devoid, not the scenario that exists in a Believer who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
A woman hollers out a strange blessing (Luke 11:27-28)
Luke 11 |
| 27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. |
This word "blessed" in this passage is translated from the Greek word, "makarios," which means "fortunate" or "well off." Furthermore, the Greek word for "keep" there is "phulasso," a word meaning to guard or keep. We're talking about hearing and guarding God's Word. Yes, indeed, those who trust Jesus by faith are blessed.
Note: Luke 11:29-32 are summarized above with Matthew 12:38-42.
Follow the light (Luke 11:33-36)
Luke 11 |
| 33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. 34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. |
This follows the occasion of Jesus giving Jonah in the belly of the whale as an analogy (see above). He has explained who he is and what his ultimate sign manifestation will be (resurrection). Now, what will you do with this light? Literally, what will you do with this manifestation of Jesus' identity?
Jesus' mother and brothers send for him (Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35)
Matthew 12 |
Mark 3 |
Luke 8 |
| 46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. |
31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. |
These verses are included with the Luke 8:19-39 reading (click here) 19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. |
When Mary and Mary's other sons, the brothers of Jesus, come to where Jesus is speaking, he uses this occasion to introduce the concept of the Body of Christ. We refer to the Body of Christ as the church, a reference to all of those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their savior by faith. Jesus makes the point here that his relatives, as God in the flesh, Savior of the world and Messiah, are not limited to those are are kin by physical ancestry, but extends to all of those who accept him by faith.
Copyright 2003-2011 by Wayne D. Turner