No Middle Ground | Matthew 12:22-30

Scripture

• Matthew 12:22–30

About this sermon

Introduction: As we follow Matthew’s account of the life and ministry of our Lord, the intensity of opposition to the Lord Jesus grows stronger and stronger. The opposition has moved from questions to conclusions. The battle lines are fixed. There comes a time when boldness in evil means no more reservations. It results in a person or a people telling you exactly where they stand. Maybe for a time, they attempted to appear neutral. Maybe for a time they seemed friendly. I think about the religious leaders of the Jews coming out for John’s baptism. But eventually they are forced by the truth, by the power of God, by the exposure of their true character, to take the mask off. And in our verses, they are unmasked. When evil is unmasked it is disturbing, but it is also valuable. It makes clear what exists in the realm of WHAT GOD KNOWS. ESV Hebrews 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. When evil is unmasked men now see what God has known all along. And what becomes plain is on which side of the spiritual divide a person exists. THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND. When R.C. Sproul dealt with these verses he entitled it “War Between Kingdoms.” And He was correct. This is precisely how our Lord saw it, and we will see that in our verses. THE QUESTION EVERYONE MUST ASK WHO COMES TO THESE VERSES IS, “WHICH SIDE OF THE DIVIDE AM I ON?” We see this great divide on display in four parts. • AN AMAZING MIRACLE (vs.22) The Holy Spirit not only reveals a man’s problem, He reveals the source of the man’s problem. The man was blind, and he was mute, and it was due to demon oppression. Once again there are two kingdoms in conflict. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. And, once again, the authority of Jesus over the kingdom of darkness is proven. The man is brought to Jesus and walks away whole. He can see. He can speak. HE IS IN HIS RIGHT MIND. • AN ASTOUNDED CROWD (vs.23) And, once again, you have an astounded crowd. The word translated “amazed” (ESV) and “astounded” (LSB) is ἐξίστημι One lexicon has this: 25.220 ἐξίστημι ἐξιστάνω: cause someone to be so astounded as to be practically overwhelmed—‘to astonish greatly, to greatly astound, to astound completely. BDAG, the standard lexicon has this: be amazed, be astonished, of the feeling of astonishment mingled w. fear, caused by events which are miraculous, extraordinary, or difficult to understand The healings that Jesus performed produced a sense of wonder on the one hand, and uneasiness (overwhelmed) on the other, because you were witnessing a power that was other-worldly. And the result of this sense of awe was the voicing of a possibility that was unavoidable. “CAN THIS BE THE SON OF DAVID?” Is this the Messiah? And, of course, they are not wrong. This is the Son of David. This IS the Messiah. This IS the explanation for an explosion of the supernatural. • A PREJUDICED EXPLANATION (vs.24) In fact, as we saw last week, what Jesus was doing no one could deny was SUPERNATURAL. When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand in a synagogue, and the Pharisees saw it as an opportunity to accuse Him — the Pharisees condemned themselves. THEY KNOW THAT HIS HEALING POWERS ARE REAL THEY KNOW THAT HE CAN PERFORM THESE MIRACLES AT WILL THEY KNOW HIS COMPASSION FOR PEOPLE IN NEED THEY KNOW THEY ARE AT ODDS WITH HIS VIEWS (SABBATH VIEWS DEMONSTRATING THAT) So, they are left with only two choices. HE IS THE MESSIAH AND THEY ARE REALLY, REALLY, WRONG —THEY NEED TO BE SAVED OR HIS POWER HAS TO BE EXPLAINED IN SOME WAY THAT REFUSES TO ADMIT THAT IT’S GOD’S POWER And that, of course, is where they settle. THE PHARISEES HEAR THE COMMENTS ABOUT JESUS AS MESSIAH AND THEY SEEK TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE. THEY BEGIN TO VOICE AN ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION FOR THE MIRACLES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE OR SINCE. How do you explain these healings and deliverances? BY BEELZEBUL! This is the power of Satan. Beelzebul was the name of a Philistine deity that the Jews rightly associated with Satan. “He’s not the Messiah, he’s a deceiver like the world has never seen.” Now, don’t underestimate what I just said. IF THEY WERE TRYING TO SELL WAS TRUE, NOT ONLY WOULD JESUS HAVE BEEN A DECEIVER, BUT HE WOULD ALSO HAVE BEEN THE MOST POWERFUL HUMAN REPRESENTATIVE OF SATAN IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD! I mean, on a spectrum of explanations we are on polar opposites. THE SON OF GOD OR THE GREATEST SON OF THE SERPENT? • AN INESCAPABLE ARGUMENT (vs.25-30) Our Lord answers the accusation in a way that demonstrates the truth. • THE CAUSE OF HIS ANSWER (vs.25) In great irony, Jesus answers the charge that He is in league with Satan by displaying an attribute that doesn’t belong to Satan. Jesus KNOWS THEIR THOUGHTS. This is the exercise of omniscience. And this is not the first time nor the only time that Jesus demonstrates such an ability.