Matthew 12:27

27 You say I drive out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Then by whose power do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

Matthew 12:27 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 12:27

And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils
As the Pharisees asserted, and would have the people believe; for this is not allowed, only for argument sake supposed:

by whom do your children cast them out?
meaning not the apostles and disciples of Christ, the children of the Jews, to whom Christ gave power of casting out devils, and who had exercised it in his name; and therefore argues, if they in his name cast out devils, why could he not do it himself, without the help of Satan? wherefore these would be judges against them: but, no doubt, the Pharisees had no better opinion of the disciples, and of their ejection of devils, than of Christ; wherefore, it is not likely, that our Lord should argue with them from hence: but rather, he means, some among themselves, who pretended to have a power of exorcising and ejecting of devils, either in the name of Jesus, as some of them did, ( Mark 9:38 ) ( Acts 19:13 Acts 19:14 ) or in the name of their kings, righteous men, prophets and patriarchs, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob F23; and which practice, perhaps, they took up and made pretensions to, in imitation of Christ and his apostles; so as Christ healed men possessed of devils, they also affected to do the same. A story is reported F24,

``concerning Ben Talmion, that a miracle was wrought by R. Eleazar bar Jose, who healed a king's daughter at Rome, in whose body the devil entered, whose name was Ben Talmion; and they brought him (the Jew) to the king's treasury, to take what he would, but he would take nothing from thence, but letters, in which were written the decrees they had decreed against Israel; and when he found them, he tore them to pieces, and there he saw the vessels of the house of the sanctuary, in the treasury.''

Now since the Jews pretended to do these things, Christ asks them, by whom they cast out devils? Whether by the Spirit of God, or by Beelzebub? They would doubtless say by the former, and not the latter, which would show their great partiality; for admitting that the like actions were done by them, as by him, why not by the same power? Why should their ejection of devils be ascribed to God, and his to Beelzebub?

Therefore they shall be your judges;
who will rise up against you, and condemn you one day, for this unequal judgment you now pass; and which was just the reverse of the true state of the case: for he cast out devils by the Spirit of God, which they imputed to the assistance of Beelzebub; their children cast out devils, or pretended to do so, and it was by the help of Satan; and yet they ascribed it to a divine power, even though they made use of the name of Satan, under that of Beelzebub, or Asmodeus, their exorcising, of which take the following form F25.

``By the authority of the glorious and fearful name, I adjure thee Asmodeus, "king of the devils", and all thy company that ye hurt not, nor put in fear, nor trouble such an one, the son of such an one, but that ye help him, and sustain him (or deliver him) out of every distress and anguish, and from every evil thing, and from all diseases, that enter into the two hundred and forty eight members''


FOOTNOTES:

F23 Justin Martyr, adv. Tryphon. p. 311.
F24 In Gloss. in T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 57. 1. Meilah, fol. 17. 2.
F25 Raziel, fol. 41. 2.

Matthew 12:27 In-Context

25 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, "Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. Every city or family that is divided against itself will not stand.
26 If Satan drives out Satan, he fights against himself. Then how can his kingdom stand?
27 You say I drive out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Then by whose power do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
28 But suppose I drive out demons by the Spirit of God. Then God's kingdom has come to you.
29 "Or think about this. How can you enter a strong man's house and just take what the man owns? You must first tie him up. Then you can rob his house.
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