Cross the line

If a demonic presence possesses someone it can manifest itself in several different ways. A negative behavioural change, an uncharacteristic change in voice, a negative change in things said, or as in this case of today’s Gospel passage, a man who had been perfectly capable of speaking being made mute. All these cause the person being possessed to be diminished in their humanity.

Jesus drives out the demon and the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. It’s quite shocking that even though this compassionate act represents the restoration of a man’s dignity and humanity, setting him free to be how God created him, some of the people went on to say, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” This statement is shocking for the following reasons:

• It betrays total ignorance of who Jesus is and why he had come.
• It is deeply insulting in the extreme to accuse Jesus, God incarnate, of being able to do this “by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.” We know that Jesus exercised his earthly ministry full of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus said, “…every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:31-32).
• It suggests the crowds couldn’t appreciate the restoration of the man and the dignity and freedom he was now able to enjoy. The fruit of the Spirit was in evidence and the crowds failed to recognise it.
• The statement from the crowd was a blatant lie, and slanderous. The fact that we are told that “Jesus knew their thoughts” implies that the statement was being whispered behind his back, and not said to his face. You sometimes find that when people are against what you are seeking to achieve for the glory of God, they resort to speaking behind your back with lies and slander to try and bring division and undermine you. Lies often come to the surface and reveal the dark heart of the accuser. In reality, all that they achieved was to lose credibility in themselves because Jesus’ response, said with some grace, served to illustrate how absurd their accusation was.

We are also told how others tested him asking for a sign from heaven. My response to this is, how many signs from heaven did they need to see when they had already witnessed everything that Jesus had said and done in his earthly ministry up to that point, and yet they still didn’t believe? The irony, of course, is that no matter what kind of sign Jesus might have given, they would have stubbornly refused to believe. We will sometimes encounter people who have stubborn and hardened hearts who still refuse to believe even when presented with an abundance of evidence in black and white.

Jesus then goes on to explain that their whispered accusation was both illogical and nonsensical because any kingdom divided against itself would be ruined, as would a house divided against itself. If Jesus was indeed driving out demons by Satan, then the only conclusion would be that Satan is divided against himself. If that were true, it would mean civil war in the kingdom of evil. No king would throw his own soldiers out of his kingdom; neither would Satan throw his soldiers out of a person they had possessed. Such a kingdom could not stand.

In stark contrast, Jesus’ exorcisms were specific evidence of the long hoped-for, long-awaited Kingdom of God breaking through, in the power of Jesus’ authority. That Jesus was powerfully casting out demons and plundering Satan’s kingdom revealed that the Kingdom of God had begun and was being ushered in.

In Jesus’ first coming, the battle line was drawn. There are two kingdoms—God’s and Satan’s. Satan may well be active and powerful in the world, but the truth is God’s kingdom is far stronger and will eventually triumph. We cannot be neutral in this matter. It is a binary choice. Either we choose to side with God, or we do not. Those who choose not to side with God or simply attempt to remain neutral side with Satan. That is the meaning of Jesus’ ominous words: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

In the movie Hook, a revived Peter Pan draws a line in the sand. Everyone who believes must cross. In the account of the Texas Alamo, Colonel Bowie does the same, asking defenders to commit to dawn’s battle. In neither case is it possible to stand on the line. If we’re considering Jesus, weighing the options, and exploring the possibilities— we must take the step, cross the line, and trust God today. Our unanswered questions are still important. If we seek, we shall find. Our doubts are still to be settled. If we knock, the door of knowledge will open. Our unmet needs are vital and known by God. If we ask, it will be given.