12:22,23
“Then they brought Him ...” It doesn’t tell us who the “they” were, but the point Matthew is making is that anyone who came to Jesus, with whatever condition, could be healed. This man was blind and mute, and this was as a result of demon-possession. The Biblical position is that not all sickness and physical ailments are a result of demonic activity, but some are. Anyway, Jesus healed him so he could see and speak. The reaction of the crowds was to be delighted and amazed. They also wondered if Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Son of David. There is a deliberate contrast repeatedly brought out in the synoptic gospels between the reaction of the religious leaders to Jesus and that of the common people. The common people are often more intelligent than the “elite”. We should not be cowed into submission by a dismissive or even hostile reaction of the elite. We should also see that the common people are impressed by reality.
12:24
The religious leaders could not deny the fact that the man was healed, so they had to come up with some other explanation. The one thing they refused to do was to acknowledge that it was the power of God at work, for that would have forced them to change their own position, their own way of looking at life, and indeed of living life. If people are determined to deny the truth then they will always find a way. These ways will become increasingly illogical, but that will not hinder them. TSo the Pharisees next tact was to say Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.
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