Matthew 12:25-28

Matthew 12:25-28

And having known their thoughts, He said to them, “Every kingdom after being divided against itself – or every city or every house after being divided against itself – will not continue to be set in place.  And if Satan casts out Satan, he was being divided against himself.  Therefore how will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons in Beelzebub, in whom do your sons cast them out?  Because of this they will be your judge.  But if in the Spirit of God I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I can’t help but be amused at Jesus’ quip about the sons of the Pharisees.  After all, Jesus is clearly giving the glory to God all throughout His ministry.  It’s not like He’s looking for His own glory, or His own wealth, or His own power.  He is doing all of these incredible acts all while giving glory to God.  If in doing this he is actually accused of doing it by Beelzebub’s power, then who is to say anyone is doing it by God’s power?  If we can’t trust a person who is giving all the glory to God, how we trust anyone – even the children of people we deem to be religious?

Why is it dangerous to denounce those who claim to be doing things in God’s name and genuinely not seeking their own fame or fortune?

Second Thought:

Jesus makes another great point about kingdoms being divided.  After all, if Satan was helping Jesus get rid of demonic possessions, then Satan’s kingdom would be working against itself.  We would naturally assume that when Satan’s kingdom fights against itself that humanity and the kingdom of God benefits!  If there is civil war in the ranks of Satan, that’s a good thing!  Of course, this naturally means that Satan would not act in such a manner.  Why would Satan want to help the kingdom of God?  No, it just doesn’t make sense that Satan would give Jesus the power to undo work that he had already accomplished.

Do you agree with Jesus’ logic?  What does this tell us about anyone who is claiming territory for the kingdom of God?

Third Thought:

Finally, Jesus reminds us that if demons are actually being cast out by the Spirit of God, then God’s kingdom is coming into our midst!  That’s reason to celebrate!  We return back to the point that we spoke about yesterday.  How sad is it that the kingdom of God comes into the midst of humanity and human beings reject it and even try to denounce it?  We should be celebrating the coming of the kingdom. 

How often do you think about the events in your life with respect to the coming of the kingdom?  Are you tuned in to what God is doing in your life on a regular basis?  How well are you celebrating His work in the world?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 12:29-32