Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope." 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. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
ordered them not to make him known - "Many were drawn to Christ because of His reputation as a healer, which may have been diverting attention from His primary role as Messiah." (Ryrie)
vss 18-21 - "For this OT quote, see Isa 42:1-4. Here is one of Matthew's descriptive gems, high-lighting Jesus' graciousness and gentleness." (Ryrie)
“Can this be the Son of David?” - "Their question, 'Could this be the Son of David?' (Matt 12:23), expected a negative answer. We could state it, 'This couldn't be the Son of David, could it?' The question arose not because of insufficient evidence but rather because the Pharisees had rejected Christ. Having been taught that they were sheep who should follow the shepherds, they could not conceive of accepting Christ apart from the approval of the Pharisees. Therefore, a conflict arose in their minds over the evidence that Christ presented and the response of the Pharisees to that evidence. They professed a willingness to accept Christ if the Pharisees approved but felt they must reject Him since the Pharisees disapproved. The Pharisees quickly presented their explanation of the miracle that had so convinced the multitude. They said, 'It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons' (Matt 12:24)." (Pentecost)
if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? - "Some in Israel could cast out demons, and Israel deemed them to be God's gifts to the nation. Even the Pharisees acknowledged this manifestation of God's power and thanked Him for the gift of the exorcists. Christ's argument was that since the Pharisees recognized the ability to drive out demons as coming from God, they should not charge Him with being demon-possessed when He drove out demons (Matt 12:37). The implication of Christ's words was that if He cast out demons by Satan's power, He could not be offering the prophesied kingdom of God to them. 'But,' He said, 'if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you' (Matt 12:28). Since Christ did cast out demons by God's power, it must be concluded that His offer of the kingdom was genuine and He was its bonafide King." (Pentecost)
"The charge made against Him was that He wrought His wonders by complicity with evil; that by Beelzebub, Satan, He cast Satan out. In His refutation, our Lord attacked and denied their suggestion; and then proceeded to state and defend the truth concerning His method; He affirmed that He wrought by the Spirit, and defended His affirmation. He revealed in His answer, first, the folly of their suggestion; secondly, the inconsistency thereof; thirdly, the willful rebellion that induced it; fourthly, the blindness which caused it; and, finally, their complicity with Satan as the secret of it. So that commencing by denying His own complicity with Satan logically, and in such a way that they could not reply, He ended by inferentially charging upon them complicity with Satan." (Morgan)
“Can this be the Son of David?” - "Their question, 'Could this be the Son of David?' (Matt 12:23), expected a negative answer. We could state it, 'This couldn't be the Son of David, could it?' The question arose not because of insufficient evidence but rather because the Pharisees had rejected Christ. Having been taught that they were sheep who should follow the shepherds, they could not conceive of accepting Christ apart from the approval of the Pharisees. Therefore, a conflict arose in their minds over the evidence that Christ presented and the response of the Pharisees to that evidence. They professed a willingness to accept Christ if the Pharisees approved but felt they must reject Him since the Pharisees disapproved. The Pharisees quickly presented their explanation of the miracle that had so convinced the multitude. They said, 'It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons' (Matt 12:24)." (Pentecost)
if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? - "Some in Israel could cast out demons, and Israel deemed them to be God's gifts to the nation. Even the Pharisees acknowledged this manifestation of God's power and thanked Him for the gift of the exorcists. Christ's argument was that since the Pharisees recognized the ability to drive out demons as coming from God, they should not charge Him with being demon-possessed when He drove out demons (Matt 12:37). The implication of Christ's words was that if He cast out demons by Satan's power, He could not be offering the prophesied kingdom of God to them. 'But,' He said, 'if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you' (Matt 12:28). Since Christ did cast out demons by God's power, it must be concluded that His offer of the kingdom was genuine and He was its bonafide King." (Pentecost)
"The charge made against Him was that He wrought His wonders by complicity with evil; that by Beelzebub, Satan, He cast Satan out. In His refutation, our Lord attacked and denied their suggestion; and then proceeded to state and defend the truth concerning His method; He affirmed that He wrought by the Spirit, and defended His affirmation. He revealed in His answer, first, the folly of their suggestion; secondly, the inconsistency thereof; thirdly, the willful rebellion that induced it; fourthly, the blindness which caused it; and, finally, their complicity with Satan as the secret of it. So that commencing by denying His own complicity with Satan logically, and in such a way that they could not reply, He ended by inferentially charging upon them complicity with Satan." (Morgan)
the strong man - "The strong man is Satan, but the Lord, stronger than Satan, had bound him and has the power to enter his domain and take away his prey. Who then is He who bound the enemy? Perhaps His voice rested here. Perhaps He waited for an answer. 'Thou art Christ the Son of the living God' would have been in order here. And stronger still He speaks. 'He that is not with me is again me, and he that gathers not with me scatters.' He demands decision. Half-heartedness does not satisfy Him and in face of such open-faced accusations and blasphemies would be impossible. This was a decision to decide." (Gaebelein)
"...before a robber can enter a guarded citadel, the robber must have sufficient power to subdue the guard (Matt 12:29). The inference was that if Christ can enter Satan's stronghold and deliver people from his control as He had just done, then it is evident that He is stronger than Satan. Satan could not give Christ a power greater than what he himself possessed." (Pentecost)
"...before a robber can enter a guarded citadel, the robber must have sufficient power to subdue the guard (Matt 12:29). The inference was that if Christ can enter Satan's stronghold and deliver people from his control as He had just done, then it is evident that He is stronger than Satan. Satan could not give Christ a power greater than what he himself possessed." (Pentecost)
blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven - "Technically, according to the scribes, blasphemy involved direct and explicit abuse of the divine name. Jesus here teaches that it also may be the reviling of God by attributing the Spirit's work to Satan. The special circumstances involved in this blasphemy cannot be duplicated today; therefore, this sin cannot now be committed. Jesus exhorted the Pharisees to turn and be justified (Matt 12:33, 37)." (Ryrie)
"These Pharisees had sinned against this Holy Spirit by accusing Christ, that He drove out the demons by Satanic power. They had blasphemed the Spirit, spoken injuriously about Him, in saying that Beelzebub, the prince of demons, was present with Christ and not the Holy Spirit. This they did maliciously. And this and nothing else is the sin of which our Lord here speaks. The sin is to charge the Lord with doing His miracles through Satanic power and not through the Holy Spirit. We do believer, therefore, that this sin could only be committed as long as our Lord Jesus Christ was in the earth and that it was committed by the Pharisees with their blasphemies. This is the sin which would not be forgiven neither in this age nor in the coming one." (Gaebelein)
"Christ was warning that generation in Israel that if they rejected the Father's testimony and the Spirit's testimony to His person and His work, there was to be no further evidence that could be given. Their sins would stand unforgiven and result in temporal judgment on that generation. That judgment ultimately fell in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed. This sin, then, was not viewed as the sin of an individual but rather as the sin of the nation, and this sin brought that whole generation under divine judgment." (Pentecost)
"Christ was warning that generation in Israel that if they rejected the Father's testimony and the Spirit's testimony to His person and His work, there was to be no further evidence that could be given. Their sins would stand unforgiven and result in temporal judgment on that generation. That judgment ultimately fell in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed. This sin, then, was not viewed as the sin of an individual but rather as the sin of the nation, and this sin brought that whole generation under divine judgment." (Pentecost)
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