Have you ever met a really big person? I don’t mean someone who is just taller than you – but someone that is really really tall.
I remember once meeting Terry Porter. You know – the guy that used to play for the Portland Trailblazers? On TV, Terry always looked pretty small. I was assigned to cover a story for Portland television at a downtown Nike store. Terry was going to be there and I just assumed that at six foot one, I’d match up pretty well. No chance.
Terry walked up to me to shake my hand, and I’m straining my neck to look up at him.
Robert Waldow is said to be the tallest man in history at 8’11". Waldo died in 1940 – his casket weighed 1,000 pounds and had to be carried by 12 pall bearers.
Svend Karlsen won the title as world’s strongest man in 2001. Svend, from Norway, had to compete in things like the Super Yoke, The Viking Press, and the Keg Circle. Basically you have to pull monster pickups and stuff like that.
My point is this – these guys, tall, athletic, strong – impressive – are 98 pound weaklings compared to Lucifer. Satan is strong, and downright terrifying. Going up against him single-handedly and you’re doomed – and his demons are nothing to sneeze at either. Just read "This Present Darkness" to get an idea.
There’s only one guy who’s not intimidated and cowed by Lucifer – Jesus Christ. But as powerful as He is – and we’ll see him describe it today – He is also the gentlest person you will ever meet. It’s this kind of dichotomy that makes knowing Jesus both a wonder and a challenge.
We pick up our story as Jesus has just healed a man in front of the Pharisees on the Sabbath – tweaking their beaks and proclaiming that He is Lord of the Sabbath. The Pharisees, as you can imagine, are livid. At that point they try to figure out a way to kill Jesus.
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick,
12:15 Jesus did withdraw out of fear, but out of timing. He had already confronted the Pharisees on many occasions – but to continue to taunt them would have meant moving His timetable up. But there was still plenty to do.
16 warning them not to tell who he was. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 "Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he leads justice to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope."
:16 Jesus didn’t want people coming to Him for the wrong reasons – physical healing, instead of as the Messiah. What reason do you come to Jesus? Is it to get stuff from Him, or to give yourself to Him?
Don’t have false hopes – Jesus is NOT going to make your life a bed of roses. He’s not going to answer every prayer in the way you envision. He is not going to make you healthy wealthy and wise – well, maybe He will make you wise – but wisdom of knowing Him, not wisdom in a worldly sense.
:19 He will not quarrel or cry out
Jesus will not be silent – He will proclaim justice – but He will not publicize or call attention to Himself.
Bruised reed … smoldering wick
Another indication of Jesus’ character. Fragile lives, lives that seem to sputter, as if they are about to go out all together (like a linen cloth with only a little oil on it). Jesus will not break them – will not snuff them out. Do you feel that your life is fragile? Do you feel so weak and tired and troubled that you are afraid that putting your life into the hands of the Almighty God will be just too much for you? He is so gentle with your life that He takes your biggest weaknesses into account – and will not hurt you.
Also – if you feel run over by the world – like your reed is broken and your wick put out by the meanness around you – know that Jesus will one day bring justice – victory to you over your enemies.
Are you a little guy? Not a PhD, not a millionaire, not a powerful politician – you just go to work and brings your lunch. God cares for you. God loves you. God goes out of His way to provide for you. Not in knowledge, or money, or power – but in love, and joy, and hope. Remember: "I am gentle and humble at heart," He said.
22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
:23 The people were astonished – could this be the Son of David?
"Son of David" was an expression for the Messiah. The way the question is constructed is: This couldn’t be the Son of David, could it?
The people were astonished because of Jesus’ actions of healing – but He wasn’t the kind of person they expected the Messiah to be? Again I wonder – what kind of Messiah do you expect Jesus to be? Do you get mad when He seems not to move when you ask, when He asks what you don’t want to give, when He gives to ones you think don’t deserve it? Jesus, if you really study Him, is far different than the images we have created for ourselves. Don’t put your preconceived "churchified" concept of Christ on Jesus. He is, as C.S. Lewis described – not safe, only good.
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
:24 The people were astonished – but the Pharisees were angry. They couldn’t bring themselves to admit that Jesus’ power came from God – so the only other answer was to blame it on Satan. They did this probably as well to try and erode Jesus’ popularity.
They called Satan by another name: Beelzebub. This word only occurs only in the New Testament – nowhere in Jewish literature or contemporary writers. The best guess as to where the word came from is a compound of two Hebrew words: Ba’al – the Canaanite fertility god, and zebul, which means: exalted house. The compound makes the word: Lord of Heaven. The point is that the hearers would have known that the religious leaders meant Satan.
We’ve talked about the danger they put themselves in – calling the spirit in Jesus as evil is the sin for which there is no forgiveness – it’s the rejection of Christ. In just a moment we’ll look at that more in depth. But there’s something else here too. People who can’t figure Jesus out, or refuse to answer the tugging in their hearts to believe – will find some explanation that takes them off the hook.
Baha’ism: He was one of nine great world manifestations. There is no Trinity. He is not God. He is a prophet beneath Baha’u’llah.
Buddhism: Most have no place for Jesus in their religion, although some might see Him as an enlightened Bodhisattva.
Christian Science: Jesus was merely human, and Christ is only a divine idea.
Hare Krishna: He was an enlightened vegetarian teacher of meditation, maybe Krishna.
Hinduism: Jesus was a teacher, a guru, or even an avatar (incarnation of Vishnu).
Islam: To Muslims, Jesus is but one of many prophets sent by Allah to various cultures.
Jehovah’s Witnesses: He is Michael the Archangel The first being God created. He came as a man, died and rose as an invisible spirit; came back invisible in 1914 to Brooklyn to head Watchtower.
Mormons: He is the spirit brother of Satan; one god in a pantheon of gods; born through physical incest.
New Age: He is an ascended master, guru, and spiritual guide, but not God and not Savior.
Spiritists: He is an advanced medium in the 6th sphere of astral projection.
Unitarians: He was a good man that followers mistakenly deified.
In reality there really are only three options – He is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Jesus said "I am THE way THE truth, and THE life – no man comes to the Father but my Me." I suppose the real question to pose is: you may have thought you figured Jesus out – that He isn’t the only way to be saved, but what if you’re wrong?
25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
:25 Jesus wasn’t doing mind reading – I believe that He gave up all of His powers when He came to earth to be a man. It’s possible that the Holy Spirit gave Him the information – but more likely that He used his incredible insight into human character to figure out what they were about.
He then draws this simple illustration from life to point out the fallacy of their argument – that a kingdom, city, or even a household – that is not unified in its goals will self destruct. It makes no sense to say Satan is at work in Jesus as he drives out demons. A general doesn’t attack his own army in battle.
27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
Jesus wasn’t the only one who was driving out demons in the first century – or at least others attempted it. There were exorcists among the Jews who would employ complex incantations, magical charms and even visual effects. Some were effective, most were not. But Jesus only needed to speak a word and the demons fled.
These exorcists came from the Pharisees (since the Sadducees didn’t believe in the spirit world). Jesus is saying: "if I’m demon possessed, then so are the people from your very group who do the same thing."
There’s a point here for us – none of us have been hypnotized into believing in Jesus as Lord. None of us took psychotropic drugs to be convinced – none of us went through brain washing or died and saw a vision of hell. We are all rational, normal human beings – and yet we saw the logic and truth in believing that Jesus is the way to escape the certainty of punishment for sin – and we have given our lives to Him.
We aren’t crazy – it does make sense – and there are those among the people who make fun or lash out at Jesus that have made that same decision. C.S. Lewis was an avowed atheist until God’s love finally won over his heart. Charles Colson was a politician and a crook until he gave his heart to Jesus. Paul the Apostle was a Christian killer until Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. The point is – don’t be ashamed or cowed by the fact that you have responded to the gospel. Not only is it the right thing to do – it is the logical thing to do – it makes sense.
But I’ll add this note here: Don’t try to explain ALL of Christianity to a pre-Christian. Start with salvation – once they are saved, then the rest will make sense.
28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Here’s the deal: If Jesus is who He says He is – and the "kingdom of God" has come upon us – then how should we live our lives? Just giving a passing prayer now and again – of mouthing the words of the worship songs but not really giving yourself over to worship – the days of not taking God seriously – are over, folks.
29 "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
The idea here would have made sense to the folks listening. He’s referring to wealthy people’s homes – which were virtual fortresses – with servants who could form a small army.
The analogy is that Satan is the "strong man" the owner of the house, which is his kingdom. In that "house" there is much suffering. The "possessions" are Satan’s demons. Jesus is saying that in order to cast out demons, someone must overpower the owner – Satan.
Jesus coming into this world did just that – finally overpowering the "strong man" in order to plunder his kingdom.
We need to realize that God is in control of this world – and your world. It may not seem like it sometimes as we suffer from apparently random troubles. But He is there, and nothing can happen to you apart from His will. Trust Him, He is in control.
