And your [David’s] house and your kingdom shall endure before Me [the LORD] forever; your throne shall be established forever. - 2 Samuel 7:16
This morning we will cover the next 2 stories on our list of “The Miracles of Jesus Christ”. The first takes place while a pair of John the Baptist’s disciples come to visit Jesus. The second occurs when a demon-possessed man is brought to Jesus. Both of these encounters are found in multiple gospels, but the details vary slightly in each rendition. For the sake of this morning’s sermon, will will begin in Luke 7:18-23 and then move on to Matthew 12:22-29.
I. ARE YOU THE ONE? (Luke 7:18-23; Matthew 11:2-6)
It seems likely that John the Baptist was arrested only a few months after He baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. John was imprisoned in Machaerus, a hilltop fortress and palace of Herod Antipas which was located on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. Unable to witness it firsthand, John was forced to learn about Jesus’ ministry through whatever reports he received while in confinement. Although John had recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God and had heard the Father call Him His Son during His baptism, perhaps several months in prison had shaken his confidence. John sent a pair of his disciples to find Jesus and ask Him directly if He was, in fact, the long-awaited Messiah.
When they found Jesus, they introduced themselves as John the Baptist’s disciples and asked Him if He was the One to come as foretold in the Old Testament. Rather than answering their question explicitly, Jesus turned his attention to the people around Him and miraculously cured many of them and cast out several evil spirits as John’s disciples watched. This detail is not stated in Matthew’s account of this story, but it is made clear in Luke’s. Then Jesus instructed them to return and tell John what they had seen and heard.
Jesus quoted from various verses in Isaiah which prophecy that the coming Messiah would give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, cleanse the lepers, restore hearing to the deaf, raise the dead, and preach good news to the poor. Jesus was doing all of these things, and John’s disciples had just personally witnessed a sampling of it. Rather than just claiming to be the Messiah, Jesus showed Himself to be the fulfillment of these ancient messianic prophecies. Actions speak louder than words. Amazed, John’s disciples departed to go tell him that Jesus was indeed the One to come. After they left, Jesus spoke highly of John the Baptist to the listening crowd.
In this passage, Jesus performed both healing miracles and exorcisms. The method(s) He used are not specified. He performed these miracles before John’s disciples as irrefutable evidence that He was “the One to come” whom the prophets spoke of.
II. CAN HE BE THE SON OF DAVID? (Matthew 12:22-24)
A demon-possessed man who was also blind and mute was brought to Jesus. The Lord cast out the demon and healed the man enabling Him to speak and see. The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this man really be the Son of David?” Hearing this, the Pharisees replied, “Jesus casts out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
On this occasion, Jesus both healed the man and exorcised an unclean spirit from him. Were these 2 separate actions or was the man healed as a result of the demon being cast out? I’m not sure, but either way we will categorize this miracle as both a physical healing and an exorcism. These verses do not say what approach Jesus used to perform this miracle. Nevertheless, the people were amazed and many were beginning to question if perhaps Jesus was the Son of David, the long-awaited Messiah who would come to rescue God’s people.
III. A DIVIDED KINGDOM CANNOT STAND (Matthew 12:25-29, Luke 11:14-23, Mark 3:20-27)
Jesus knew that the Pharisees were thinking evil thoughts about Him. He declared, “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” Jesus asked in effect, “If I was empowered by Satan (referred to by His accusers as Beelzebul), why would I be casting out demons? Is Satan at war with himself?” The accusation doesn’t make any sense.
Furthermore, if this was the case it calls into question how the Pharisees and their associates were casting out demons. Apparently they practiced exorcisms also, or at least claimed to. Were they also empowered by Satan? If however, Jesus was casting out demons by the Spirit of God it would be powerful evidence that the kingdom of God was among them. Jesus compared the LORD’s almighty power to someone binding a strong man (Satan) and plundering his house (casting out demons).
Jesus regularly used His miraculous deeds as teaching opportunities. In this instance, He taught about God’s authority and power over Satan. He pointed out the lunacy of attributing His work to the Devil and, once again, made the Pharisees look foolish. Of course, this aggravated and angered them all the more.
There are 2 other variations of this story recorded in Luke 11:14-23 and Mark 3:20-27. They provide few or no details at all about the miracle that Jesus performed prior to teaching about a kingdom divided against itself. Seeing that this series concerns the miracles of Jesus Christ, I chose Matthew’s version as our primary text.
CONCLUSION
Before we draw today's message to a close, let’s take a quick look at Luke 8:1-3. Besides the apostles, there were also several women following Jesus who were contributing to His ministry. Somewhere along the way Jesus had healed them of various sicknesses and evil spirits. Among them were Joanna, Susanna, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus had cast 7 demons from Mary Magdalene. The Bible doesn’t say when or where these miracles occurred, so they are not formally included on the list of 46 miracles we’ll cover in this series. But they did happen, and I wanted to at least acknowledge them.
The 2 passages we discussed today share a similar question. John the Baptist wondered if Jesus was the One who was foretold by the prophets. The crowds wondered if Jesus was the Son of David who would restore Israel. Both of them were questioning if Jesus was, in fact, the promised Messiah, sent by God to save His people.
Maybe someone listening to this sermon today is asking themselves the same question. Perhaps they feel lost, alone, and unloved. Perhaps they are depressed, discouraged, and bound up by their own foolish choices. But, could it be that Jesus is the answer they so desperately need? Could it be that He actually is God’s beloved Son who was sent to set people free from the bondage of sin and death? Could it be that He made salvation available to everyone who would believe in Him by paying the price for mankind’s sin on the cross? Is He, could he be, the One? My friend, let me say without any doubt or reservation, “Yes! He absolutely is! He can change your life. Would you trust Him today as your Lord and Savior?”
Next week, we’ll take a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. Just so you know in advance, no sleeping will be allowed during the sermon. Well, there will be 1 exception… Until then, may you shine the light of Jesus and share His love with others.
This morning we will cover the next 2 stories on our list of “The Miracles of Jesus Christ”. The first takes place while a pair of John the Baptist’s disciples come to visit Jesus. The second occurs when a demon-possessed man is brought to Jesus. Both of these encounters are found in multiple gospels, but the details vary slightly in each rendition. For the sake of this morning’s sermon, will will begin in Luke 7:18-23 and then move on to Matthew 12:22-29.
I. ARE YOU THE ONE? (Luke 7:18-23; Matthew 11:2-6)
It seems likely that John the Baptist was arrested only a few months after He baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. John was imprisoned in Machaerus, a hilltop fortress and palace of Herod Antipas which was located on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. Unable to witness it firsthand, John was forced to learn about Jesus’ ministry through whatever reports he received while in confinement. Although John had recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God and had heard the Father call Him His Son during His baptism, perhaps several months in prison had shaken his confidence. John sent a pair of his disciples to find Jesus and ask Him directly if He was, in fact, the long-awaited Messiah.
When they found Jesus, they introduced themselves as John the Baptist’s disciples and asked Him if He was the One to come as foretold in the Old Testament. Rather than answering their question explicitly, Jesus turned his attention to the people around Him and miraculously cured many of them and cast out several evil spirits as John’s disciples watched. This detail is not stated in Matthew’s account of this story, but it is made clear in Luke’s. Then Jesus instructed them to return and tell John what they had seen and heard.
Jesus quoted from various verses in Isaiah which prophecy that the coming Messiah would give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, cleanse the lepers, restore hearing to the deaf, raise the dead, and preach good news to the poor. Jesus was doing all of these things, and John’s disciples had just personally witnessed a sampling of it. Rather than just claiming to be the Messiah, Jesus showed Himself to be the fulfillment of these ancient messianic prophecies. Actions speak louder than words. Amazed, John’s disciples departed to go tell him that Jesus was indeed the One to come. After they left, Jesus spoke highly of John the Baptist to the listening crowd.
In this passage, Jesus performed both healing miracles and exorcisms. The method(s) He used are not specified. He performed these miracles before John’s disciples as irrefutable evidence that He was “the One to come” whom the prophets spoke of.
II. CAN HE BE THE SON OF DAVID? (Matthew 12:22-24)
A demon-possessed man who was also blind and mute was brought to Jesus. The Lord cast out the demon and healed the man enabling Him to speak and see. The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this man really be the Son of David?” Hearing this, the Pharisees replied, “Jesus casts out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
On this occasion, Jesus both healed the man and exorcised an unclean spirit from him. Were these 2 separate actions or was the man healed as a result of the demon being cast out? I’m not sure, but either way we will categorize this miracle as both a physical healing and an exorcism. These verses do not say what approach Jesus used to perform this miracle. Nevertheless, the people were amazed and many were beginning to question if perhaps Jesus was the Son of David, the long-awaited Messiah who would come to rescue God’s people.
III. A DIVIDED KINGDOM CANNOT STAND (Matthew 12:25-29, Luke 11:14-23, Mark 3:20-27)
Jesus knew that the Pharisees were thinking evil thoughts about Him. He declared, “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” Jesus asked in effect, “If I was empowered by Satan (referred to by His accusers as Beelzebul), why would I be casting out demons? Is Satan at war with himself?” The accusation doesn’t make any sense.
Furthermore, if this was the case it calls into question how the Pharisees and their associates were casting out demons. Apparently they practiced exorcisms also, or at least claimed to. Were they also empowered by Satan? If however, Jesus was casting out demons by the Spirit of God it would be powerful evidence that the kingdom of God was among them. Jesus compared the LORD’s almighty power to someone binding a strong man (Satan) and plundering his house (casting out demons).
Jesus regularly used His miraculous deeds as teaching opportunities. In this instance, He taught about God’s authority and power over Satan. He pointed out the lunacy of attributing His work to the Devil and, once again, made the Pharisees look foolish. Of course, this aggravated and angered them all the more.
There are 2 other variations of this story recorded in Luke 11:14-23 and Mark 3:20-27. They provide few or no details at all about the miracle that Jesus performed prior to teaching about a kingdom divided against itself. Seeing that this series concerns the miracles of Jesus Christ, I chose Matthew’s version as our primary text.
CONCLUSION
Before we draw today's message to a close, let’s take a quick look at Luke 8:1-3. Besides the apostles, there were also several women following Jesus who were contributing to His ministry. Somewhere along the way Jesus had healed them of various sicknesses and evil spirits. Among them were Joanna, Susanna, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus had cast 7 demons from Mary Magdalene. The Bible doesn’t say when or where these miracles occurred, so they are not formally included on the list of 46 miracles we’ll cover in this series. But they did happen, and I wanted to at least acknowledge them.
The 2 passages we discussed today share a similar question. John the Baptist wondered if Jesus was the One who was foretold by the prophets. The crowds wondered if Jesus was the Son of David who would restore Israel. Both of them were questioning if Jesus was, in fact, the promised Messiah, sent by God to save His people.
Maybe someone listening to this sermon today is asking themselves the same question. Perhaps they feel lost, alone, and unloved. Perhaps they are depressed, discouraged, and bound up by their own foolish choices. But, could it be that Jesus is the answer they so desperately need? Could it be that He actually is God’s beloved Son who was sent to set people free from the bondage of sin and death? Could it be that He made salvation available to everyone who would believe in Him by paying the price for mankind’s sin on the cross? Is He, could he be, the One? My friend, let me say without any doubt or reservation, “Yes! He absolutely is! He can change your life. Would you trust Him today as your Lord and Savior?”
Next week, we’ll take a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. Just so you know in advance, no sleeping will be allowed during the sermon. Well, there will be 1 exception… Until then, may you shine the light of Jesus and share His love with others.