Jesus Expels Demon and Heals Mute, Blind Man

Passages: Matthew 12:22-26 and Luke 11:14-20. Signs and wonders (really just demon expulsion and healing in this passage) is a sign that the kingdom of God has come.

Can we build a kingdom theology on demon expulsion and healings? Let’s find out.

The translations are mine, but if you would like to see many other translations, please go to biblegateway.com. I include the Greek text to bring out the nuances, but readers may scroll past it, if they wish.

Let’s begin.

Jesus Expels Demons and Heals Mute, Blind Man

Matthew 12:22-26

Luke 11:14-20

²² Then at that time a demonized blind and mute man was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. ²³ All the crowds were amazed and were saying, “Is this man, perhaps, the son of David?”

²⁴ But the Pharisees, when they heard, said, “This man does not expel demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons!” ²⁵ But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every town or household divided against itself shall not stand. ²⁶ And so if Satan is expelling Satan, he has become divided against himself. How then shall his kingdom stand? ²⁷ But if I expel demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers expel them? For this reason, they themselves shall be your judges. ²⁸ But if by the Spirit of God I expel demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

¹⁴ Now, he was in the process of expelling a mute spirit, and it happened that when the demon left, the mute man spoke, and the crowds marveled.

¹⁵ Some of them said, “By Beelzebub, the ruler of demons, he expels demons.” ¹⁶ Others, to test him, were seeking from him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself undergoes destruction, and a household against household falls. ¹⁸ If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? You say that I expel demons by Beelzebub. But if I expel demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers expel them? ¹⁹ For this reason, they shall be your judges. ²⁰ But if I expel demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

²² Τότε προσηνέχθη αὐτῷ δαιμονιζόμενος τυφλὸς καὶ κωφός, καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτόν, ὥστε τὸν κωφὸν λαλεῖν καὶ βλέπειν. ²³ καὶ ἐξίσταντο πάντες οἱ ὄχλοι καὶ ἔλεγον· μήτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς Δαυίδ;

²⁴ οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἀκούσαντες εἶπον· οὗτος οὐκ ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ Βεελζεβοὺλ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων. ²⁵ Εἰδὼς δὲ τὰς ἐνθυμήσεις αὐτῶν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· πᾶσα βασιλεία μερισθεῖσα καθ’ ἑαυτῆς ἐρημοῦται καὶ πᾶσα πόλις ἢ οἰκία μερισθεῖσα καθ’ ἑαυτῆς οὐ σταθήσεται. ²⁶ καὶ εἰ ὁ σατανᾶς τὸν σατανᾶν ἐκβάλλει, ἐφ’ ἑαυτὸν ἐμερίσθη· πῶς οὖν σταθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ; ²⁷ καὶ εἰ ἐγὼ ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια, οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν; διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὶ κριταὶ ἔσονται ὑμῶν. ²⁸ εἰ δὲ ἐν πνεύματι θεοῦ ἐγὼ ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια, ἄρα ἔφθασεν ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.

¹⁴ Καὶ ἦν ἐκβάλλων δαιμόνιον [καὶ αὐτὸ ἦν] κωφόν· ἐγένετο δὲ τοῦ δαιμονίου ἐξελθόντος ἐλάλησεν ὁ κωφὸς καὶ ἐθαύμασαν οἱ ὄχλοι.

¹⁵ τινὲς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν εἶπον· ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια· ¹⁶ ἕτεροι δὲ πειράζοντες σημεῖον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐζήτουν παρ’ αὐτοῦ. ¹⁷ αὐτὸς δὲ εἰδὼς αὐτῶν τὰ διανοήματα εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· πᾶσα βασιλεία ἐφ’ ἑαυτὴν διαμερισθεῖσα ἐρημοῦται καὶ οἶκος ἐπὶ οἶκον πίπτει. ¹⁸ εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ σατανᾶς ἐφ’ ἑαυτὸν διεμερίσθη, πῶς σταθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ; ὅτι λέγετε ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκβάλλειν με τὰ δαιμόνια. ¹⁹ εἰ δὲ ἐγὼ ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια, οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν; διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὶ ὑμῶν κριταὶ ἔσονται. ²⁰ εἰ δὲ ἐν δακτύλῳ θεοῦ [ἐγὼ] ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια, ἄρα ἔφθασεν ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.

Comments:

The first thing to notice is that Luke does not say he is blind, while Matthew does. Critics misinterpret these differences as contradictions, but they are not. Just because one Gospel writer includes a data point and another one omits it does not add up to a contradiction. How can silence (blindness unmentioned) contradict a data point (blindness mentioned)?

Example:

You say, “Yesterday at noon I saw Jack walking to the bus stop on a sunny day.”

But I say, “Yesterday at noon I saw Jack walking to the bus stop.”

My omission about the weather does not contradict your comment about it.

A difference ≠ a contradiction

Or more fully: omitting a data point in one account + including a data point in another account ≠ a contradiction but = a difference, and a difference ≠ a contradiction.

The main message is that the man was delivered and healed (which is what we will focus on).

Now let’s move on.

“demonized”: the one verb is translated simply. There are two main ways in the Greek NT to express demonic attacks to varying degrees, from full possession to just attacks: “have a demon” and “demonized.” The latter term is used often in Matthew: 4:24; 8:16, 28, 35; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22, but only once in Luke (8:36), and Mark four times (1:32; 5:15, 16, 18). John uses the term once (10:21). In Luke 8:26-39, Luke uses both “have a demon” and “demonized,” so he sees the terms synonymously. “Demonized” comes from the verb daimonizomai (pronounced dy-mo-nee-zo-my), which just adds the suffix –iz to the noun daimōn (pronounced dy-moan). It is a very convenient quality about Greek (English has this ability too: modern to modernize). Just add this suffix to a noun, and it turns into a verb. So it looks like “have a demon” and “be demonized” are synonyms. The context determines how severe the possession was.

Healing: the verb is therapeuō (pronounced thair-ah-pew-oh, our word therapy is related to it), and it means to “make whole, restore, heal, cure, care for.”

Jesus could read their thoughts or motives and perceive what they were seeking: a contest of honor and shame.

First, he speaks of a general principle. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Nor can a household divided against itself stand. Self-division is destructive, while unity and a common purpose is constructive.

We learn from this passage that Satan has a kingdom that corresponds to countless numbers of worldly kingdoms run by humans (v. 17). So there are three kingdoms (1) God’s, (2) Satan’s, (3) and humanity’s (many of them are kingdoms; others Republics and other forms of government). God wants to guide—as distinct from theocratically ruling over—the third kingdoms towards righteousness and justice and light, so he gave them moral law, which is figured out by reason and conscience. The best path for worldly kingdoms is for reason and conscience to then implement moral law by legislation, so they will have no more injustice, like slavery or joblessness, because the economy booms with liberty and life. The problem is that Satan wants to rule over the third kingdoms and absolutely control them.

He is called the god of this age:

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor. 4:4)

He has been granted authority over worldly kingdoms:

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. (Luke 4:5-6)

He rules over them by blinding leaders with all sorts of human vices, like greed and oppression and extermination. Any society that practices extermination is on the side of Satan. Any nation that practices slavery—or used to practice slavery—was listening to Satan within that singular policy (but not entirely wrongheaded about other issues, like liberty and freedom of the press and freedom of religion and so on). However, the third, human-ruled kingdoms have enough evil people in them that Satan does not need to work very hard to implement his evil oppression. All he has to do is nudge people.

The best news is that eventually, when God sees that the time is right, he will send his Son a second time, and he will sweep aside all worldly kingdoms and set up his lasting kingdom. But right now, we his followers have to fight for truth and righteousness and most of all for the salvation of people’s souls and hearts.

Application for Ministry

We can learn many practical lessons about ministry to the sick and demonized. In this section I number my points for clarity and order.

1.. Important point: if Jesus expels demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon the people. So one must have the fulness of the Spirit to watch the finger of God expel demons.

2.. The word “come” is phthanō (pronounced phth-ah-noh, and be sure to pronounce the -ph- and -th- together, as if you have a lisp!). It speaks of immediacy or imminence. The kingdom has arrived with the advent of the son of David (Olmstead, p. 290). But the kingdom of God has not come in its full manifestation and power, which will shatter the entire earth (so to speak), at his Second Coming.

5 The Kingdom of God: Already Here, But Not Yet Fully

“Although many Pharisees apparently rejected miracles as proof of truth […] Jesus summons them to consider an alternative explanation for his miracles, namely, that the promised time of the Spirit and the kingdom have come on the scene. Indeed the Greek construction here might be bettered rendered, ‘since I drive out demons by the Spirit, the kingdom has come on the scene’” (Keener, p. 364).

3.. The Vineyard churches have built up a theology of signs and wonders (really just healings and demon expulsions), which are evidence that the kingdom of God has come or is manifest. Even the Vineyard’s statement of faith is built on the word “kingdom” (check it out with a google search). I prefer to expand the evidence that the coming of the kingdom includes discipleship and righteous living.

4.. In this case demonic oppression was connected to the man’s blindness and muteness, but it is best not to over-generalize about this. Sometimes sickness has a demonic origin; other cases it does not. So the gift of discernings of spirits is needed.

7. Gifts of the Spirit: Discernings of Spirits

5.. Luke’s version says “in the process”: the Greek is emphatically in the continuous tense, so this is a sound translation. Sometimes it takes a process to cast out a demon.

6.. The Pharisees demand a sign. Whatever the demanded sign was, he rejected their games. He would not produce a sign in the heavens or skies to dazzle the crowds. He was going to be a different kind of sign (see vv. 29-32). “Jesus rejected the ‘signs on demand’ approach to revealing himself” (4:9-12). The imperfect tense of the verb may reflect an ongoing demand (Bock, p. 1075).

7.. We need to be careful about following men who can produce weird signs.

⁹The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, ¹⁰and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (2 Thess. 2:9-10, NIV)

Satan will counterfeit God’s genuine miracles. The solution is seen in v. 10. We should love the truth and be saved. Right doctrine, as far as this is possible, and salvation are the most important things. Then we can more clearly detect the satanic false signs and wonders and God’s true signs and wonders.

4. Gifts of the Spirit: Gifts of Healings

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For fuller commentary, please click on these links:

Matthew 12

Luke 11

Scroll down to the right verses.

Maybe these links will clarify matters:

5 The Kingdom of God: Already Here, But Not Yet Fully

Bible Basics about the Kingdom of God

Questions and Answers about Kingdom of God