[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?”
[24] But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
[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? [27] And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. [28] But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."
I like these verses because they show Jesus' own proving of the Kingdom of God exists by His own demonstration of authority over demonic powers. His ability to deliver the afflicted man into healing and freedom, proved that He had authority. Although not specifically mentioned here, most all the times we see Him dealing with demons, He commands them to come out and they must bow to His authority and respond accordingly (see Mark 1:25 or Mark 5:8 for examples).
The people understood authority and power, and Jesus was clearly demonstrating both in this case. He specifically tied His authority and power to the reality of the Kingdom of God. What He means in verse 28, is that the power and authority that He personally demonstrated came directly from the authority and power of the King (Father God) who He is representing. They were proof that the power and authority of the King, was greater than the demonic power He confronted.
Jesus described his greater power and authority by using an analogy as follows - Matthew 12:29 NIV: “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 plunder his house." The only way to tie up a strong-man would be to over-power him, because you are more powerful. Jesus describes Himself as doing exactly that, but in this case the possessions are people that He is setting free. He (Jesus) is plundering the enemies house, setting people free, restoring them to freedom and health.
Lord, we look to Your continued demonstration of Your power and authority in our lives. Help us to faithfully represent You and Your kingdom reality in our lives.
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