Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #37 The Two Spiritual Kingdoms

Following the dinner at Simon the Pharisee’s home, Jesus and the twelve continued to spread the good news to all in the region.

Luke 8:1
Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.

Certain women, particularly blessed by the deliverance and healing that they had received, also continued to accompany them.

Luke 8:2,3
And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him [them] from their substance.

A while back, just after Jesus had called out the twelve to be his apostles, they had hired a house. Here, they continued to dwell together as a base of operations in the area.

Mark 3:19b,20
…and they went into a house.
Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

And after a bit, the multitude that desired to hear Jesus finally caught up with him at his home. So many were clamoring for their attention that Jesus and his disciples had no room, and no time to even eat!

This particular day, one of the big topics of conversation was an incident where Jesus had previously healed a man. Looking back, we remember this amazing deliverance for the tormented man who had been brought to him. (See FLJC #30.)

Matthew 12:22,23
Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

As they were recalling this incident, different groups of people had their own version of Jesus and how he was able to heal and cast out devils. His own family thought he was out of his mind.

Mark 3:21
But when His own people [kinsmen, relatives] heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

The Pharisees and their scribes seemed convinced that he was working for the Devil.

Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22 [Matthew & Mark]
And when the scribes [Pharisees] heard it they who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons.”

Yet God revealed their thoughts to Jesus, who then describes how Satan’s kingdom truly works. The Pharisees are accusing Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan, not God. But Jesus makes it clear how ridiculous it would be for Satan to cast out his own evil spirits, his own workers.

Matthew 12:25,26; Mark 3:23-26 [Matthew & Mark]
But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?
Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
If Satan casts out Satan, and has risen up against himself, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? He cannot stand, but has an end.”

For the time being, Satan holds his spiritual kingdom together with an iron fist. Yet it is still divided by internal discord, mutiny, and uprisings. And it will have an end one day.

Jesus further replies to their accusations.

Matthew 12:27,28
“And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Some of the Pharisees performed exorcisms in an attempt to get rid of evil spirits that tormented the people. This usually involved elaborate rituals and certain incantations, and they were often unsuccessful. Jesus cast demons out repeatedly with only a word. (Matthew 8:16)

Clearly, this verified that his authority came from the spirit of God, and proof that he was ushering in the kingdom of God. The Pharisees did not want to accept this conclusion because it would mean an end to their power over the people.

Matthew 12:29,30; Mark 3:27 [Matthew & Mark]
“No one [Or how] can [one] enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”

Satan has had dominion over the world since Adam and Eve first sinned. He is the “strong man” whose house no one can enter, unless he first binds the strong man. And that is exactly what Jesus Christ did. In his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus Christ bound the strong man! And he continues to this day plundering Satan’s house, redeeming souls from death unto life.

Next, we hear an explanation of what can be forgiven and what can not.

Matthew 12:31,32; Mark 3:28-30 [Matthew & Mark]
“Assuredly, therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [and whatever blasphemies they may utter] will be forgiven the sons of men;
but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men, but is subject to eternal condemnation,” because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
“Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Blasphemy is contemptuous or profane speech directed toward God or anything considered holy. Jesus had cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet the Pharisees insisted his power came from Beelzebub—that is the blasphemy against the Spirit.

Any denigration of others could be forgiven, and would be if the sinner were to repent and seek forgiveness. But these Pharisees, willfully blind and hardhearted to the true God at work in His Son, could never receive forgiveness, only condemnation.

Continuing to expose the sharp distinction between good and evil, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and reveals to everyone the power of the words we believe and speak.

Matthew 12:33-35
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.”

Then he describes the consequences of those words.

Matthew 12:36,37
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

At times, even we who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ may speak “careless” words. And those words will “condemn” us in the final judgment, but only as a lost opportunity to have spoken wholesome, godly words. We have forgiveness and remission of sins in Christ, and our eternal salvation is assured.

But the scribes and Pharisees have not given up their intentions to bring Jesus down. From their lofty perch of self-righteousness, they demand a sign.

Matthew 12:38,39
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

Jesus refuses to take the bait of their taunting and confronts the Pharisees’ adulterous ways of seeking after other gods. (Jesus likens their behavior to adultery. The relationship between Israel and Jehovah had long been symbolized as a marriage. See Isaiah 57:3; Ezekiel 23:27) However, he does reveal the sign that would identify him as the true Messiah.

Matthew 12:40
For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus had confidence that his Father, the same Almighty God Who raised Jonah from death after three days and nights, would raise him to new life.

Matthew 12:41
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

When Jonah arrived in Nineveh with a message from God, even the pagan Assyrians repented of their vicious cruelty, avarice, and terrorizing of their enemies. Yet when Jesus, the Son of God, rebukes these Pharisees, in their arrogance, they refuse the forgiveness and redemption of God that was, and still is, in Jesus Christ. Jesus was the greatest prophet of all time, greater than Jonah.

Matthew 12:42
The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

The queen of Sheba also would condemn these religious leaders. She traveled a great distance to learn of God’s wisdom from Solomon. Yet these Pharisees, in their worldly wisdom, cared nothing for the true wisdom of God. Jesus was the greatest king of all time, greater than Solomon.

God gave His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to save any who would repent of their worldly ways. The Pharisees with their legalistic structures could not and would not give up their rule over the people. They refused to accept the wisdom of God that would release them through Christ from the bondage of the law. Today, the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes men and women free from the law of sin and death.

Next, using a parable, Jesus warns Israel of what will happen if they continue to reject the Son of God. As II Timothy 3:13 points out, “…evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Jesus shows this downward track.

Matthew 12:43-45
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.
Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.

As the two spiritual kingdoms continue to clash, Jesus’ family shows up.

Matthew 12:46; Mark 3:31,32a; Luke 8:19 [Matthew & Mark] [Matthew, Mark, & Luke]
And a crowd was sitting around him, and while he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers came to him and stood outside, asking to speak to him but they could not reach him because of the crowd.

It’s interesting to note that his mother and brothers (who thought he was out of his mind, according to Mark 3:21) were not among the crowd listening to what Jesus had to say. Instead, they stood outside and employed someone in the crowd to interrupt his teaching and ask him to come out to them because they had something to say to him.

Matthew 12:47; Mark 3:32b; Luke 8:20 [Matthew, Mark, & Luke]
Then they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”

But Jesus is not distracted by this, and he speaks to the heart of all who are listening.

Matthew 12:48-50; Mark 3:33-35; Luke 8:21 [Matthew & Mark] [Matthew, Mark, & Luke]
And looking about at those who sat around him, he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother [my mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it].”

What a wonderfully endearing proclamation of God’s love for all who hear, believe, and receive the Word of God that Jesus is proclaiming. These are his true family! And if that were to include his earthly mother, brothers, and sisters, then all the better. Let’s rejoice today that we are counted in the family of God as we continue to follow our Lord Jesus Christ!

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