"...by whom do your children cast them out?.."
“Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” Matt 12: 24-33 (Emphasis added)
In the above story we see that Jesus is going about healing. He went out and healed “…one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.” Matt 12:22. What we witness next is that Jesus is accused by the Pharisees as one who is doing “…his works…” by Beelzebub, the prince of devils, who in turn represents Satan. As the Pharisees made this accusation, Jesus knew what they were thinking, and addressed them in regards to the work he (Jesus) was doing.
In his rebuke love was always the centre of his tone. As he set forth the ministry of his healings Jesus said to the Pharisees “…if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges…”. Then he moves on to say “…But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” Already having mentioned how a kingdom divided against itself will bring desolation, Christ shows both how his works and by whom his works and ministry had come from.
If the ministry that Jesus testified of was from Satan, then the Works of Christ would have a sinister impact on those beholding, and the ministry he commenced would have been of no avail. The ministry of Christ contradicted the Ministry of Satan, and the distinguishing factor between how Christ was ministering, by whom he ministered, should have shown these leaders where his work had come from. But because they were of the world, and they knew not the divine presence attending them, they could not see him.
And so it is in the world today. Humble servants will go forth in the meekness and power of Christ, those whom the Lord has lead will do wonderful things for him. There will be a turn of the hearts to the Father and in each work that is being established will shine forth the true nature of the Heavenly Kingdom. Although opposition would arise from the world and those who profess to have the truth, the work will be clearly seen that it is by the Spirit of God.
As Jesus mentions of whom he “cast out devils”, he gave the Pharisees an opportunity to make an intelligent judgement on whether his work was genuine or whether it was fake. Christ allowed this to happen, for he never forced himself or his ideas upon others, even on those that persecuted him, but rather spoke the truth in love, worked as none other did, and allowed that to witness on his behalf. Those that stood by were to behold what he had done to see whether it was of God or of man.
Jesus uses an analogy that flowed from his rebuke in enlightening his hearers on the witness of his statements. The strong man is the keeper of the house, and unless the strong man is overcome, then there would be no spoiling of any goods. This analogy is used to express the idea of the heart. Unless that which is inside is purified by the true witness, it will rend itself worthless and desolate. Although it may appear to be standing good in the sight of man, if the heart is still possessed by that which is contrary to the word of God, then in that heart the strong man remaineth and the house will forever be trapped. But if it is cast out, then he that cast out the strong man has also the power to overcome all that is inside, because the strong man is cast out.
Jesus then moves on to say that all manner of sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which is the Presence of God (Ps 139:7) cannot be forgiven. Christ then points, in his human nature, being clothed with humanity “… whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him.” Jesus came as our surety for the human race, and as he became the “…son of man…” he took upon himself the seed of Abraham. Here was the lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world, to be the surety of the repentant sinner. Here was the blessed assurance that God had sent to redeem man from this world of Sin. He was and is the mediator that would tie man back to God, therefore in his humanity, as the son of man, our sins are forgiven.
Speaking against the Holy Ghost begins by closing our eyes to the truth and putting our fingers in our ears to that which is just and true. In the healings of Christ, in the gentle rebukes, in the turning of the hearts of the leaders to a true understanding of justice, mercy and righteousness, the Spirit of God, manifested in the Only begotten Son of the Father, was revealing to these men him who was, is and is to come. Clothed in humanity, divinity was flashing through, and as the word of the Son of God spoke, the truth plain truths of the plan of salvation were at hand.
When we realise how the Holy Spirit speaks to us, we can begin to understand what speaking against the Holy Ghost involves. When the Spirit of the Lord convicts us of our errors and we surrender according to that Conviction, by his word, our hearts and characters begin to mold after the divine similitude, and the new creature grows. But when our sins are brought before us, and the will that God has given us to choose becomes negleted, our hearts become hardenend and the promptings of Gods holy Spirit will not find a place to dwell there. When Jesus is knocking on the heart, and we neglect his inivitation to come in, then by our own choice we reject the Lord, and his presence will not find a place there to abide. Our lives will become shattered and broken, like a chaft blown in the wind.
The Saviour revealed to these men that in condemning his work on earth, they knew not whom they were condemning, hence the rebuke given in mercy. Jesus Words to these men were quickening. The Life giving Spirit, which proceeds forth from the infinite fullness of God, was here speaking to these men. The true Manna of Heaven, of whom Moses spake of, the fountain of everlasting life was here expressing the true nature of his Father. Had these men submitted to the authority that was higher than they, they would have saved themselves and their nation. But this did not happen, as the Prophet said:
“ …Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” Isaiah 6:9-10
It is clearly evident that the Lord himself cast out the devils by the Spirit of God, which is the Lord God himself (2 Cor 3:17). God is a Spirit (John 4) and it was his presence that bear witness to the truth. The Lord Jesus did everything by the Father, of whom are all things, and that by the “…finger of God…” (Luke 11:20) these miracles were wrought. It was the Father's hand, through Christ, that these things were done, for he himself (Jesus) said that he does all things by the Father.
As these things were revealed to the Children of Israel, so it is for modern day Israel. God has blessed his remnant church with an understanding of who he is, by the gift of his Son. If we neglect to search for that which the Lord has revealed, we will become like those virgins that knock on the door of the groom saying "Let me in". The fearful words that were spoken by the Lord "depart from me, ye that work iniquity, for I know ye not." But if we turn to the lord, and move by his Spirit, then the Words will fall upon us "Well done my faithful and loyal servant, enter ye into my joy. The True Witness is now standing at the Door, repeating the Words Recorded in the unveiling of Christ:
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 3:19-22
