Matthew 12: A House Divided Cannot Stand
“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. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
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. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 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. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”
Well, Jesus is at it again! Now he is healing a man who is demon-possessed, blind, and mute. Predictably, the Pharisees are infuriated. How dare this man do all these miracles? Unable to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah and carrying out the Messiah’s tasks, these critics conclude that Jesus must be a tool of the devil. But why should anybody working for the devil cast demons out of someone? Surely it would make more sense if such a person would increase the number of demons, rendering the man completely paralyzed as well as being blind and mute. And there’s another thing: even at this time, there are itinerant healers who go about attempting to cast out demons and sometimes succeeding. Where is the power coming from for these exorcisms?
Such thinking on the part of the Pharisees clearly demonstrates that once someone puts on prejudicial glasses, truth becomes irrelevant. Despite such short-sighted thinking, Jesus persists in attempting to teach everyone including the Pharisees. “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every 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? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges… 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. ”
Jesus fully recognizes that Satan rules over an extensive kingdom, one inhabited by untold numbers of demons. Satan will never oppose himself. How are these itinerant exorcists succeeding? Surely these men must be operating under the power and the anointing of God; otherwise, they will not succeed and they themselves might wind up demon-possessed. No mere mortal has power in himself to cast out demons.
“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. …He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” Here Jesus is clearly affirming that he is ministering by the Spirit of God, graphically demonstrating that the kingdom of God has arrived. Jesus is also warning that now that he has come, from now on exorcisms and healings are to be done through the same Holy Spirit that is giving him power over the devil.
We work in Africa, where demon possession is common. Some pastors have very effective ministries involving healing and exorcism. It seems that the closer the pastor is to the Lord and the humbler the pastor is, the more effective his healing and deliverance ministry will be. One of the pitfalls of such ministries is that the one doing the praying may become confused and think that he/she has power in and of himself/herself. Such an attitude is very dangerous, for if such a person prays for someone, they may find themselves in a worse situation rather than a better one. Such people begin to believe their own publicity and move progressively farther away from the Lord.
Satan is simply waiting for these people to cross the line and believe that the power is in them rather than coming from the Holy Spirit. Once over the line, one is no longer ministering by the power of the Holy Spirit but by Satan. Satan may give some small success to encourage the individual to continue to trust in themselves rather than in God. But Satan has to be careful, for if someone repents, confessing self-trust as sin, and turning their lives and ministry over to the Holy Spirit, that ministry can still be redeemed.
What about people who come in faith to be prayed for? Many times, God honors the faith of believers asking for prayer and uses whoever is available to pray for them, even if the person doing the praying is not in fellowship with God.
What happens to disciples who are not ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit? At the very least, such people become frustrated, discouraged, and disappointed. If the person swiftly realizes he/she is moving away from the Holy Spirit and repents quickly, little harm occurs. But if the person persists in attempting to operate alone, their ministry will grind to a halt. May God keep us humble and close to Him!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to always realize that You are the source of power and not us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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