God's Gospel Truths
Matthew 12:22-24
Jesus and Beelzebul
22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
Pondering Point
Today’s reading concludes with a point from Jesus about unity with Him, but that is not how the story begins. Let’s start with Matthew 12:22-24 (above).
We are then told that Jesus knew the thoughts of the Pharisees and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?"
Jesus logically pokes holes in their accusation of His power being inspired by Satan. Then He turns the tables by saying, "And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
Jesus describes two types of people at the end: Those who gather and those who scatter. Some people may presume to be gatherers by virtue of spiritual title or position. But like the Pharisees here, the fact that they are not with Jesus puts them in the category of scatterer. By not working with Jesus the Pharisees were, by default, working against Him. Many have tried to gather people under the guise of religion, but unless one is gathering with Jesus (united), the resultant action is scattering – away from Jesus, away from God.
Prayer for the Day
Father God, let it not be that I become one who scatters. Show me how to stay connected with Jesus and help gather people into Your kingdom. Amen.