| << Matt 12 | |
| << Mark 3 | |
| << Luke 11 | |
| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
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 one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24 ¶ Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” 25 ¶ But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. 31 ¶ “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 ¶ “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” |
20 ¶ Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. |
14 ¶ And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” 16 ¶ Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. 17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. |
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," the phrase used in the KJV...translated "He is out of His mind" in the NKJV. It is actually not clear what is meant by that phrase. That phrase 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 has 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, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age 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 "has 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, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 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 some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 ¶ But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. |
29 ¶ And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah 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 Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will 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 an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, “I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” |
24 ¶ “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter 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 happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” 28 ¶ But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who 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 one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” |
This follows the occasion of Jesus giving Jonah in the belly of the great fish 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 was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 ¶ But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” |
31 ¶ Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. |
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.