22 “Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons that this man casts out demons.” (Matthew 12:22–24 (ESV)
Demon possession was common in Jesus’ day (Matt. 4:24). Today’s text is the third recorded incident in Matthew’s Gospel of Jesus healing a demon possessed individual (See Matt. 8:28-34; 9:32-34).
Since the man was blind and mute, someone brought him to Jesus. This is interesting because in Matthew 8:28-34, the demons reacted violently; not only towards other people but also towards Jesus. Regardless, Jesus healed the man from his demonic possession and restored his sight and speech.
Unlike the people in Matthew 8:34 who begged Jesus to leave their region, the people to this miracle were amazed and wonder if He was the prophesied Son of David.
“The Messiah of Jewish expectation, a descendant of David, was not a miracle worker, but since God was with Jesus in such extraordinary ways, it is not difficult to see how messianic hopes would be attached to him. David was also the only exorcist reported in the Old Testament (1 Sam 16:23),” explains commentator Craig Keener.
However, when the Pharisees heard this, they said, ““It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” This was their typical response to Jesus’ miracle (Matt. 9:34).
“The title Beelzebul, “Lord of the House,” probably alludes to “Beelzebub” (“lord of flies,” a possible corruption of Baal-zebul), the local deity of Ekron (2 Kings 1:2–3). The title was appropriately applied in early Judaism to Satan,” explains Keener.
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)
These two verses, among many others, describe the spiritual condition of the lost. They fittingly describe the fallen condition of the religious Pharisees.
“Today’s passage reveals that Jesus’ healings and exorcisms prompt many to see Him as the son of David (vv. 22–23). Jesus’ miracles demonstrate the presence of the Father’s mighty arm; thus, the people recognize that He is the son of David who will rule the nations. But they fail so far to remember that the Messiah must first suffer vicariously for the sins of David’s line and the sins of His people before He ascends the throne,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.
May we serve King Jesus today. Have a blessed one.
Soli deo Gloria!
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