Matthew 12:22, commentary and pictures

Jesus freed a man under demonic control who could neither see nor speak, so that he both saw and spoke, in a compassionate act that relieved the afflicted. The miracle amazed the people and moved them to ask if He was the Son of David, while the priests, rulers and Pharisees refused Him and charged that He cast out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. That healing was done by the power of God through the Holy Spirit, and their deliberate closing of their eyes to clear evidence and calling God's work the work of the devil was sin against the Holy Spirit, for which there is no forgiveness in this world or the world to come. Speaking against Jesus Himself from failure to discern His divine character may be forgiven, since the sinner may still be led to repentance, but willful rejection of the Spirit cuts off the channel by which God works on the heart and places the rejecter where repentance and faith cannot reach him. His words and works therefore leave no middle ground, demanding strict heed to every word of instruction and a people separate from sin who gather with Him rather than scatter.

Healing and Immediate Responses

Then was brought to Jesus one possessed with a demon, blind and unable to speak, and He healed him so that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw, freeing the sufferer from demonic control by compassionate divine power. The healing was a second such deliverance, restoring both sight and speech at once. It belonged to His heaven-commissioned work to speak to those who would hear and help those willing to be helped by relieving the afflicted through merciful miracle-working. It was one of His gracious works among the needy and suffering, and the people judged Him by what they saw.

The miracle amazed the people and led them to ask whether He was the Son of David, meaning the Messiah. It was convincing, undeniable evidence of God's power at work through Christ, a manifestation no man had done or could do and which could not be denied or explained by natural causes. The priests, rulers and Pharisees refused to receive Him and to cooperate with Him in relieving the afflicted, and bitterly opposed Him. They dismissed the Son of God as merely human, used speech to abuse the Redeemer, and charged that He casts out demons through Beelzebub the prince of demons, claiming His holy power was in league with hell and that His works were the works of the devil.

Jesus answered that charge by teaching that every divided kingdom, city or house cannot stand, so that Satan casting out Satan would divide his own kingdom against itself. Whoever is not with Him is against Him, and whoever does not gather with Him scatters. Had Jerusalem received the truth He brought in this setting, the city would have become a great missionary center, backslidden Israel would have been converted, and a vast army would have been gathered for the Lord.

Sin Against the Holy Spirit

The healing of the demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak, so that he both saw and spoke, was a work of the Holy Spirit and a manifestation of the power of God. It was one of Christ's gracious works among the needy and suffering, a work which no man had done or could do and which could not be denied or explained by natural causes, but was convincing evidence of God's power at work through Christ. The leaders had been given no reason for their charge, yet they deliberately and stubbornly, sullenly and ironheartedly closed their eyes to this clear evidence. They spoke of the Son of God as merely human, used their talent of speech to abuse the world's Redeemer, and falsely charged that Christ was in league with hell by attributing His holy power to satanic agencies and saying His works were the works of the devil, and those words were written by the recording angel in the books of heaven.

That deliberate rejection of clear evidence and false attribution of God's work to the devil was sin against the Holy Ghost, the unpardonable sin. For it there is no forgiveness in this world or the world to come. Speaking against Jesus Himself from failure to discern His divine character may be forgiven, because through the Holy Spirit the sinner may still be brought to see his error and repent. Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ. But wilful rejection of the Spirit and declaring His work to be from Satan cuts the soul off from the fountain of blessing, cutting off the channel by which God works upon the heart and communicates with men and placing the rejecter where repentance and faith cannot come to him, so that when the Spirit is finally rejected there is no more that God can do for the soul.

The spirit shown by the Jews in this account is the same spirit shown by those who separate from God, resist His warnings, do despite to the Holy Spirit, and oppress their fellow men. It is seen also in the desire of one institution to control all others. It is the same spirit as that of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. As soon as a man separates from God so that his heart is no longer under the subduing power of the Holy Spirit, the attributes of Satan are revealed in an influence contrary to truth and justice and righteousness. This is manifested in the relation of workers to one another and by men entrusted with weighty responsibilities but having no living connection with God, who do despite to the Holy Spirit and venture on in the same course after warnings from God have come again and again.

Heeding Christ Without Compromise

Christ's words and works in healing the blind and mute demoniac demand strict heed, with not one word of His instruction to be lost sight of, because His words are life eternal and the truth will abide forever. It is always safe to be meek and lowly and tenderhearted, yet firm as a rock to the teachings of Christ. No trust is to be placed in any lie or pretense, and to do so is at the loss of eternal life.

Straight paths are now to be made for the feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way, and when the lame are turned from safe paths those who misled them are accountable, because they set at naught His counsel for words of deception originating with the father of lies. The miracle forces open decision, leaving no middle ground in the service of Christ. God's elect must ever show their colors as a peculiar people separate from sin and departed from all iniquity, with heroism that rules the spirit, keeps self under discipline, regulates every word and deed by God's great standard of righteousness, and reveals a character pure and undefiled.