Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus healed him so that he could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, “Could this one be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this they said, “He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons.” (Matthew 12:22-24 NET)
Amazing! A man that had been tormented by an evil spirit for many years, and who had practically zero communication with the outside world was freed by the Lord Jesus in a matter of minutes. This should remind us of 1 John 3:8 that explains that Jesus came into the world to destroy the works of the devil. Immediately after the demon was cast out the man was able see and talk. But the reaction to this amazing scene was not what it should have been… some people were happy and amazed, while others accused Jesus of being a Satanist—using Satan’s power to perform this feat.
Be careful with religion, and with religious leaders. In the past, in the present, and in the future, one of our worst enemies was and is religion. Isn’t it ironic that the Pharisees made this accusation right after demons had been cast out? They should have been happy. In fact, isn’t their reaction proof that they were possessed? Only a possessed person cannot be happy at another person being freed from demons. Only a possessed believer would accuse Jesus of being in league with Satan. A person would have to be very blind and deceived not to see the good in what Jesus did.
I don’t know if you already know this, but we are continually accused of having the spirit of Beelzebul because we believe in casting out demons, healing the sick, and seeing amazing transformations in people’s lives through the power of the Lord Jesus. The same spirit that accused Jesus 2000 years ago is very much alive today, working among unbelievers, believers, and pastors. But we can’t be sad about this… in fact these criticisms should drive us to do even more because they are proof that we’re making Satan and his demons uncomfortable.
In the case above, demons made a man blind and mute. Other passages of the Bible reveal that demons can also cause sickness, pain, insanity, uncontrollable rage, epilepsy, fortune-telling, suicidal thoughts, aggression, self harm, drunkenness, sexual immorality, insomnia, poverty, constant failure, and many other issues. Because evil spirits are the root of these problems, doctors are unable to properly treat or even diagnose them, and unless people find a Church and pastor that does the real work of the Lord Jesus Christ by casting out demons, their suffering and misery will continue, even though they go to Church and read the Bible.
If the Lord Jesus felt the need to cast out demons, shouldn’t we?
yes! we should!
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