When the crowd brought a demon-possessed man to Jesus, He quickly healed his blindness and muteness. It got the attention of everyone around and then some. Most likely, this scenario had been attempted before. If this crowd knew this man’s condition, they probably had brought him religious leaders before, hoping that someone had the knowledge or ability to free him from spiritual bondage. Up to this point, every effort had been unsuccessful.
You have to wonder if the Pharisees who criticized Jesus’ efforts were jealous that theirs had not worked. “Why couldn’t we heal this man? Sure, Jesus drove out this demon, but He must have done it by the power of demons. He must be working with the enemy.”
The reasoning is ridiculous. It reveals a desperate attempt to save face with the crowds questioning their expertise. They couldn’t deny Jesus’ ability, so they tried to invalidate His ministry by demonizing His power. Anyone who has a hardened heart often wanders into irrational logic. They were so defiant about accepting Jesus’ power that they sought to frame this good work as an evil deed.
24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
25 Knowing their thoughts, he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
Matthew 12:24-29.
Jesus’ quote about a “house divided” is often thought to originate from President Abraham Lincoln. In his attempt to unite the government on the issue of abolishing slavery, he said that two such polarizing convictions would never lead to a cooperative body. You can’t be working against each other and hope to succeed. You are only endangering the situation more.
Before Honest Abe ever said those words, Jesus spoke them first. His purpose was to show that if He had been successful at defeating the enemy, they weren’t working together. But anyone trying to stop what He was doing was doing the very thing they condemned. You can say you are against the devil, but if you attempt to thwart the one who came to defeat him, you might have mistakenly changed sides.
The brilliance in what Jesus communicated was twofold:
- 1) Jesus was not working for the enemy, and
- 2) be careful that you don’t either.
If Jesus is against something, don’t be for it. What Scripture condemns, you ought to affirm. And anything that it forbids, you should agree.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
