Matthew the apostle shared when Jesus raised the little girl back to life again, “the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. And when Jesus departed there, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, You Son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus said unto them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yes, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straightly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.” In chapter nine and verse thirty-four of his book, Matthew shared how, “the Pharisees said, He casts out devils through the prince of the devils” where we read:
But the Pharisees said, He casts out devils through the prince of the devils.
The verse reads, “But the Pharisees said, ...” Matthew began with the word, “but” or “nevertheless, moreover and” “the Pharisees” which refers to “a sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to Old Testament books the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief and life. They sought for distinction and praise by outward observance of external rites and by outward forms of piety such as ceremonial washings, fasting, prayers, and alms giving; and, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good work” “said” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed”. Matthew shared how the religious “Pharisees” assessed Jesus and made the following declaration.
The
verse continues, “...
He
casts out devils through the prince of the devils.”
Matthew continued with the words, “He
casts out”
or “Jesus sent, drove away and commanded to depart” “devils”
which means “demons, ministers of the devil and evil spirits”
“through
the prince”
or “by way and manner of the ruler, magistrate, commander, chief
and leader” “of
the devils”
which means “belonging to the demons, ministers of the devil and
evil spirits”. Matthew shared how these religious “Pharisees”
judged that Jesus “commanded” the “demons and evils spirits”
to depart by the power of their leader -
“the devil” himself.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how wrong these religious leaders were about Jesus. Because they were jealous over His power, they made false accusations against Him. Here is the very Son of God, working miracles, helping people and defeating “demons”, and all they manage to say is that He is doing this by the power of the “devil”. God desires a true relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and when people recognize Him for who He truly is, they will “believe and trust” in Him and receive “everlasting life” as a result of it. May all who read these words truly “believe”.
Next time Matthew shares how, “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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