Why You Should Be Slow to Condemn (Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 8-11)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Have you ever looked at a group of Christians who acted differently than you and thought, “How can they be doing God’s will?”

This was a challenge for the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. To them, Jesus did not fit the preconceived ideals of what they thought a Messiah would look like. Thus, in Matthew 5:22-23, when Jesus heals a blind demon-possessed man, the people are astonished and say, “Could this be the Son of David?” As Michael Wilkins writes, “Different Jewish groups had difficulty putting together all of the varied messianic promises of the Old Testament (e.g., prophet, priest, king). The common people especially seemed to focus on David as warrior and king, so that the messianic son of David would be a liberator. Thus, they are perplexed here and ask, ‘Can the coming Messiah be both a liberator and an exorcist?’”^[1]

Unlike the crowds, the Pharisees respond much more hostilely, saying in Verse 24, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” Of course, with this assertion, they’re validating Jesus’ miraculous activity. Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus responds:

²⁵ “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. ³⁰ Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. 

Notice what Jesus does in this exchange. He breaks from his typical pattern of response and defends his authority. First, he appeals to logic. Would Satan really use Jesus to thwart his own plans? Second, Jesus shows a point of comparison. Acts 19:13 reveals there were Jewish exorcists. Thus, as Adam Clarke points out, Jesus is basically saying to the Pharisees, “If the man who casts out demons proves himself thereby to be in league with and influenced by Satan, then your disciples, and you who taught them, are all of you in league with the devil.”^[2] Third, Jesus makes them think. After all, if Jesus really is from God and the kingdom of God has really come to earth, shouldn’t the natural result be that humans be set free from demonic oppression? As Jesus goes on to say, we know a tree by its fruit.

Unfortunately, the Pharisees and many of the people are so blind to the things of God that they miss his activity.