Driving Out Satan

Matthew 12: 22-50

Happy Year of the Ox! I don't really celebrate Chinese New Years, but being in Chinese 202, I pretty much have been hearing about this day since the beginning of the semester. In any case, I wish your year of the ox will be full of goodness. Oh and if you do celebrate it and received a red envelope full of money, keep in mind that I am a pretty poor hungry college student (keyword: hungry). :)

Anyways it's Monday and you all know what that means. AUGGGHHH. Yea, well my Monday has been nothing special other than the fact that I've been on campus since 8:30. Exhilarating, I know. Has anyone read the Exponent today (it's the Purdue newspaper, for those in Cali) ? I found that article about the RIAA pretty interesting.

Jesus And Beelzebub
Reading: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2012:22-37;&version=31;

Jesus attacks the Pharisees indirectly for the first time here. Throughout Jesus's journey, the Pharisees has kept close watch and nit-picked on every little detail. Finally the Pharisees referred Jesus as Beelzebub, and Jesus spoke out to prove them wrong. And He makes a strong point with a rather simple logic.

A kingdom will be destroyed if it is divided against itself. In other words, if the people in the kingdom is fighting against others in the same kingdom, then the kingdom will struggle and eventually struggle; it will be an internal breakdown. So, if what the Pharisees says is right and Jesus is Beelzebub, or Satan, then why would He drive out demons. Demons are Satan's tools. Driving them out will be countering what Satan stands for. Thus, it will cause a division and an eventual fall to Satan's kingdom. Thus, it can't be true. Thus, Jesus driving demons out is actually bring the Kingdom of God to the people. If He didn't, then who would take care of the demons? They would prevail and take
over. Sounds pretty simple. No? Maybe His second example will help.

You cannot rob a house of a strong man's without tying up the strong man. Makes sense right? Like if you one day thought about robbing Arnold Schwarzenegger, you'd have to do something to him first. Otherwise, you'd die. So if God was to take over Satan, then He'd have to do something with the demons. Hence, Jesus is driving them out.

Jesus then makes a strong statement about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He says that we will be judged by what we say. A man who is evil produces evil and says evil. This person cannot enter the kingdom. Thus, we need to be a good tree that produces good fruit. We need to really watch what we're saying. Sometimes that means saying very little. And that's advocated in the Bible. We must be people of very few words. That's my challenge to you today.

The Sign Of Jonah
Reading: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2012:38-45;&version=31;

When the Pharisees ask for a miracle, Jesus replies with statement about how wicked their generation was. This statement is rather difficult to follow, but the gist of it is in the fact that the people are so wicked that no matter what miracles may come, it will not help them.

Jesus gives them the sign of Jonah, as the name suggests. He says that the people that listened to Jonah and Solomon will condemn them for they are evil. The second part of His answer is even scarier. He says that even if a miracle is performed an the evil is driven out of the man, the evil will return to the man because the man will not have prepared his body to prevent it. Thus, the evil will return to the body, only stronger than before. Thus, the men will be worse. That's the condition they will be in.

What can we get from this answer? The message was rather difficult to follow for me and even harder for me to relate to my life. But I think the important thing is to not be like the Pharisees. They are there nitpicking and testing Jesus. They want a full 100% proof before accepting Him. And the answer He gives them is that no matter what He does, it will not help them because they are already so shut-in. We have to make sure that this doesn't happen to us. I find myself doubting Him a lot too and almost testing Him. But if He did send a sign or miracle, will I be able to then prepare my body to prevent all evil? Or am I just as bad as these Pharisees, where nothing will help our cause...

Jesus' Mother and Brothers
Reading: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2012:46-50;&version=31;

It is great to hear, then, that if we're not like the Pharisees, we can be Jesus' mother, brothers, and sisters. He says that whoever does the will of the Father in heaven will be one. The choice really is ours.

Summary:

Jesus And Beelzebub
22-24 Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute and people wondered if He was the Son of Davis. The Pharisees said He was Beelzebub, the prince of demons.
25-29 Jesus says that a kingdom, city, or household divided against itself will be ruined. In the same sense, if Satan drove out Satan, he would be divided. Jesus driving out demons by the Spirit of God means the kingdom of God has come upon them. He gives one more explanation. How can someone rob a strong man's house without tying up the strong man.
30-32 Jesus declares that anyone who is not with Him is against Him. He says the sins will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirt will not.
33- 37 Jesus says to make a tree good and the fruits will be good. So anyone who is evil cannot produce good. He also makes a statement about the words that we speak for it is by a man's words the man will be condemned.

The Sign Of Jonah
38-39 The Pharisees asked for a miraculous sign, but Jesus did not give it to them. Instead He gave them the sing of Jonah.
40-42 He says just as Jonah was in the belly of a fish, He will be in the heard of the earth. The men of Nineveh, who repented at Jonah's preaching, and Queen of the South, who listened to Solomon, will condemn the generation. Jesus is here and He is greater than both Jonah and Solomon.
43-45 Jesus says that once evil leaves a man it will not find a home and return back more evil than before. Thus, the man will be in worse condition. That is the state of the generation.


Jesus' Mother and Brothers
46-47 In the crowd, someone told Jesus that His mother and brothers were present and wanted to speak to Him.
48-50 Jesus then said that His mother and brothers were them, the disciples because whoever did the will of God was His brother, sister, and mother.