“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. All the people were astonished 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.” Matthew 12:22-30
There is a wealth of truth in this parable about Jesus healing the demon possessed man.
What if you personally witnessed Jesus drive out a demon and heal a man?
Would you attribute this miracle to the power of Jesus or be persuaded this was the work of Satan?
The hidden truth in this story is the religious leaders did not want to see their power stripped away. They insisted on defining Jesus in the terms of religion.
They defamed Jesus by accusing Him of doing this miracle under the power of Satan.
Religion is a sinking ship today and is very threatened by the power of the Holy Spirit. They mislead people under the camouflage of laws and regulations.
The goal of Satan is to discredit the power of Christ. He wants to remove the influence of Christ in our world.
Jesus refuted the Pharisees by explaining a divided kingdom will be ruined. If Satan works against Satan the results will be futility.
Jesus said if I cast out demons by the power of Satan how do those in the kingdom of God cast them out? He then says judge Me by My works!
Satan and his demons have the ability to create strongholds over people like the man in this story. These strongholds can only be broken by the Spirit of Christ.
There are two opposing forces at work in this story and in our world—Jesus and Satan.
Jesus was given the authority to drive out demons and set people free. And, you can do this work as a follower of Christ.
The first step is to understand the world is not your friend. Satan is alive and at work to steal, kill and destroy. He is the strong man in this story.
To gain the valuable possessions of Christ, you and I have to bind the strong man and take away his power. We do this through prayer and fasting, faith in Christ, and the resurrected power of the Holy Spirit.
Satan is terrified by the blood of Christ! Call upon the weapons of the Cross to defeat the evils of darkness.
Finally, Jesus states you are either with Me or against Me. There is no middle ground. Your allegiance cannot be divided between Christ and the things of the world.
Believe in Christ and walk with Him through the power of the Holy Spirit!
Hal Hollister Ministry 