20:6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection.
The ministry of Jesus best explained the “binding of Satan.” Matthew 12:22-24 records the exorcism—casting out—of a blind and mute demon. (Not all illness or disease was attributed to demon-possession. Therefore, when one was, it had to be true.) The laymen immediately wondered if it identified Jesus as the Son of David—the Messiah. The leaders, led by Pharisee-scholars, instead immediately charged that Jesus cast out the demon by the power of “Beelzebub, the prince of demons....” Now...while Jesus publicly corrected every mistaken view of his ministry, Matthew 8:18-22, 9:1-8, 9-13, 14-17 as a few examples, he instantly and forcefully demolished the Pharisee’s attack on his NATURE as the GOD-MAN. Allowing any diminution of his NATURE to stand uncorrected imperiled his mission from God and the Christianity he would establish on Pentecost Acts 2. That explains the withering broadside he unleashed when accused of alliance with Satan. It consisted of four rational corrections. First, since any kingdom divided against itself collapsed, why would Satan at once claim ownership of mortals AND drive himself out of mortals? Second, since the leaders believed their own students exorcised demons by God’s power, and Jesus claimed God as his inspiration, how could the leaders inconsistently praise their disciples and criticize Jesus? Third, Christ’s exorcisms of Satan from mortals heralded the advent of God’s Kingdom in the most dramatic way. Fourth, piling incontestable evidence on unquestioned truth, anyone taking possessions from a strong man had to first disable/ manacle him with superior strength. Which meant Jesus had bound/manacled Satan! Christ’s rationale naturally silenced the Pharisees without convincing them. But then, Jesus consistently silenced his critics without convincing them. Matthew 12:9-14, 15:1-9, 10-14, 16:1-4 as examples. And unbelievers had only themselves to blame, as Jesus powerfully taught in verses 30-36, all of which constituted a single context. In conclusion, claiming that Jesus served as Satan’s ally proved only that Judaism’s leadership corps had become totally depraved. By from the first rejecting Christ’s evidence, John 2:13-22, they established a mind-set that refused all new evidence. In turn, God sent them “a powerful delusion so that they would believe the lie...” II Thessalonians 2:10-11. What the Pharisees saw in Jesus, and what they concluded about him, determined their complete spiritual depravity. Which constituted the unpardonable sin. Which means a person who wonders if he has committed it HASN’T because he wonders if he has. It does pose a challenge to us. We can make mistakes about Jesus and be corrected. Many of us have had many such corrections in our discipleship service, thinking from ignorance mistakes that more knowledge removed. However, any wrong belief about Jesus runs the risk of becoming an even greater wrong about him, no matter the evidence Jesus piles high to confirm his integrity. End Part A of Part VIII.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|