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32 As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” ~ Matthew 9:32-34
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 9 where the Lord Jesus is healing many different people of all kinds of maladies from paralysis to demon-possession. The healings of God have always been designed to merely to point us to a much bigger issue and that other issue is our need for forgiveness of sin. The greatest contemplate of any human is whether to be believe the Gospel, that God sent His Son to remedy our sin problem. The tragedy is that one might receive physical healing from the Lord and then to spend eternity in Hell.
In v.32 of today's passage we read, "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed."
After the Lord Jesus touched the eyes of the two blind men, another needy man was brought into the house, perhaps he was brought in by the previously blind men. This demon-possessed man could not speak. At that time deafness caused by infection in the middle ear was quite common. They had a severe problem with the blowing of the sand that collected in the ears of the people. With some of them infection set in because they were not quick to remove all of the particles that made their way into the ear drum. This man's inability to hear, though, was caused by demon-deafness.
According to the Bible there are demons who war against God and His people. And, we can knowingly open ourselves up to demonic possession or oppression without realizing where the forces of darkness desire to take us. Even though Christians cannot be demon-possessed, demonic oppression is a real possibility. There are certain arenas that opens us up to the influence of the demonic world such as involvement in pornography, witchcraft, and the occult. Another arena that opens us up to either oppression or possession is blatant disobedience to God particularly in the sexual realm.
In v.33 of today's passage we read, "And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, 'It was never seen like this in Israel!'"
The people that witnessed this man being freed from the demon were blown away. Matthew didn’t give us the details as to how this man was delivered. In fact, I find it quite instructive that there was no fanfare about the power of the Lord Jesus to cast out this demon. This was so due to the fact that there was so much demon possession at that time. Freeing this man of the demon was a simple thing for the Lord Jesus. He cast the demon out and the man could speak.
Unlike the previous miracles, Matthew mentions nothing about this man’s faith. This merely reminds us that faith is not necessary for healing. The gospels are loaded with times that the Lord Jesus healed and people didn’t have any faith. Whereas faith isn't necessarily a requirement for healing, faith is necessary for conversion. The Greek word for "salvation" really means "healing." When we are "saved", we are healed from our broken state of fallenness. In our broken state spiritual death permeates our lives. We are enslaved to our passions, physical and emotional, to such an extent that we cannot even begin to perceive an existence apart from such slavery. To repent doesn't mean to be sorry for something or to suffer punishment for something, it means rather to turn one's mind towards God. Thus, salvation is something beyond simply "going to heaven." The real outcome of salvation is that we have been reunited in relationship with God.
Faith is much more than a mental assent. It is something that is exercised not just with our minds, but with our entire being. Faith or belief leads us to trust God in an increasing way. It is belief in and trust in God that leads us to salvation. It is the path by which we reach salvation; it is not some abstract prerequisite. Faith is the activity of the soul set free from the bonds of guilt and shame. It does not mean that we will reach perfection, it does not mean that we will not sin. It just means we will increase in our obedience to God because we have grown to trust Him more.
In v.34 of today's passage we read, "But the Pharisees said, 'He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.'"
Without eyes of faith no man can conclude that the Lord Jesus is God. This is why the religious leaders of Israel mounted up their opposition to the Lord Jesus. They had faith. Their faith was just not faith in the Lord Jesus. Their faith, primarily in themselves, protected their religious domain at all cost. There are some people who will not believe no matter how much evidence is given them. The reason for such unbelief is primarily pride. This explains why the religious leaders accused the Lord Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan. They were so accustomed at calling the shots in their own lives, they could not come close to entertaining the idea that they needed a Savior. It is quite ironic that on the heels of the blind men being given sight, the religious leaders of Israel were being made more and more blind to the fact that their Messiah had come to deliver them from the domain of darkness.
