Sermon Tone Analysis

Date: 2022-05-15

Audience: Grass Valley Corps

Title: Jesus is NOT the Chief of Demons

Text: Matthew 12:15-37

Proposition: Godly results support God’s Kingdom

Purpose: Look at the fruit, not the tree

Grace and peace

Left off at v.14: Pharisees actively seeking to DESTROY Jesus.

Jesus had advised followers who faced opposition to leave it behind and move on.

What does he do?

(Mt 12:15 NIV)

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place.

A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.[1]

Religious leadership focused on Jesus as upstart – began to treat him as an adversary to be defeated.

Jesus response: Move on, continue to focus on loving others.

But he does begin to actively discourage the fame that led to this hostility.

(v.16)

16 He warned them not to tell others about him.[2]

As more and more people realized who he was, Jesus had to try to control the response and expectations of those around him.

What they expected from Messiah: Warlord

Matthew recognizes this, and tries to head the impulse off by showing how Jesus is God’s Servant as described by Isaiah.

Says that Jesus moving on and keeping things on the DL is done with a purpose in mind: (vv.17-21)

17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,

the one I love, in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on him,

and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

19 He will not quarrel or cry out;

no one will hear his voice in the streets.

20 A bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,

till he has brought justice through to victory.

21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”

p[3]

Quoting from Isaiah 42.

Notice main points:

- God’s chosen Servant.

Loved, “in whom I delight”

This is WHO Jesus is, explains his authority

- God’s Spirit is on him

This is WHY he does what he does – God has given him Spirit – life, breath, authority, ability, direction

- Proclaim Justice to the nations – Not just Israel, but the multitudes – everyone.

Special focus for Matthew, reminding his audience that message is inclusive, not exclusive.

This has been a recurring point of contention with Pharisees, who tended to condemn those who did not conform to their view.

This is the WHAT he is doing, flows from who Jesus is and why he is doing what he is doing.

Remember: Justice, Biblically-speaking, is about reconciliation – bringing people together into the Kingdom of God.

- Will not fight or shout

This is HOW Jesus is doing ministry.

Not raising riot.

Not inciting crowd.

Not about victory through bloodshed or warfare, but about that justice which can only be obtained by peace.

- Won’t break the damaged reed or snuff out the smoldering candle wick – Suggests a gentleness in approach, but also suggests that WHO Jesus is here to work with are damaged people – those in need of healing, those who need care, or treatment, or protection.

Literally “until this justice is triumphant.”

Matthew is saying that Jesus is this promised Servant whose focus is to include and care for those who are broken, ill, or in need until we’re all reconciled, brough back into the Kingdom of God.

To make sure that message is heard and understood, he’s quoting this from Isaiah 42.

I’m reminding us of this almost every week, but back then, there were no chapters or verse numbers in scripture.

To teach about a passage, the teacher would quote a piece of it, and the hearers would remember that passage and the whole section it was part of.

The passage we now call Isaiah 42 is about Israel failing in its role as God’s servant.

It was supposed to be a beacon, drawing people into the Kingdom, but in Is 42:19-20 he says:

19 Who is blind but my servant,

and deaf like the messenger I send?

Who is blind like the one in covenant with me,

blind like the servant of the Lord?

20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;

your ears are open, but you do not listen.”[4]

But the passage talks about God choosing one person to restore the rest, and in describing that person, God repeats that he will be “a light to the nations, to be my salvation to the end of the earth.”[5](from

Is 49:6)

Matthew keeps bringing us back to this theme of Jesus as God’s agent, reaching out to bring all people together into the Kingdom, to live as they had been created to live, in community, as a functional family that cares for and supports one another.

Jesus isn’t a political messiah or a warrior king.

He is the hope of Israel and of the rest of the world, and he is operating to fulfil that identity.

Which means he is NOT operating in a way to meet or exceed the expectations of the world or the Pharisees or any other group.

He’s God’s agent, not thiers.

Keep that in mind as we move through these next verses.

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?” [6]

Matthew keeps telling US that Jesus is the Messiah – here he’s pointing out that he’s not the only one who thinks that.

At this point in Jesus’ ministry, people are beginning to notice that he’s fulfilling the prophecies.

They were always looking for the Messiah to arrive and there had been plenty of claimants, especially in the decades around Jesus’ time, so they were good at trying to match the signs to what was going on.

But that’s the people.

Remember, the religious leaders who had been shown up or shown wrong by the things Jesus said were looking for a way to destroy him because his message was a threat to what they believed.

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” [7]

Beelzebul/Beelzebub = Baal Zebul = Lord/Master of the High Place.

Zebub is corruption = Flies.

Probably an insult perpetuated by scribes.

In First Century, name was applied to chief of demons and equated with Satan.

Pharisees are saying that the healing Jesus is doing, both in this instance and any other help he’s giving, is powered by the devil.

Unable to deny his supernatural power, because thousands have witnessed it all over the country in hundreds of places and ways, they accept that he can do miracles.

Unwilling to acknowledge that Jesus is God’s agent, because that would require them to change their position on some things and accept some things they were uncomfortable with, his opponents reject that idea completely.

What does that leave them with?

Supernatural power that isn’t from God?

Must be the devil!

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?[8]

And then, and I love this bit:

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.

[9]

If I’m Satan’s agent because I do exorcisms, what about all of the exorcists in your ranks?

What are you saying about them?