Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Matthew 9:32-34 wherein we see Jesus doing an awesome work and dividing a crowd.
As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
If Jesus had entered into a popularity contest during His time of ministry, He probably wouldn’t have won. The things that He did so often caused great division and even His “fans” would go back and forth in their own minds as to whether or not they even liked Him! Perhaps you’ve been in that place where you’ve worked hard at being faithful unto the Lord, showing kindness and speaking truth to those in your path, but you just haven’t been able to make everyone happy. You and I are in good company, and perhaps even some of the pain that we’ve felt over such experiences were the same kinds of emotions that Jesus went through as He walked in obedience to the Father. Look at what Jesus was doing in the present account. He was performing an act that probably most of us would say should score pretty high in what it would mean to do a great work of ministry to someone in need: He drove a speech-stealing demon out of man who was then able to chat it up immediately! That’s pretty heavy duty; nobody would have denied such.
But notice the reactions that He gets for showing such mercy. The crowds are blown away at seeing something completely new, something that their other religious leadership had never performed. It was a miracle and they marveled at it. They saw Jesus, at the very least, as unique even if they didn’t recognize His full identity. And the Pharisees’ thoughts on the matter? “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” I wonder what their demeanor was like in saying this. I would guess that it didn’t come from a well thought out, rub-your-beard-and-ponder type of attitude. More likely, they spouted it forth like a sixth grade kid who hasn’t learned the art of good comebacks yet. Or perhaps they ribbed one another in that “good ol’ boy” fashion with stupid grins on their faces and treated Jesus like He was an inferior joke. However you want to look at it, what they said didn’t make much sense and Jesus pointed this out, as we see recorded later in the gospel: Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand (12:25). Jesus reminded them that such a principle applied to Satan and his cronies just as it would with any other group.
We might find ourselves in a number of places as we think about this exchange. Perhaps, as mentioned, we can identify with Jesus a bit in that we sometimes feel as if we form as many enemies as friends in living for the Lord. Or maybe we have that tendency toward skepticism and don’t recognize the work of God when it is staring us in the face? In either case, we stand in need of the help and direction of the Holy Spirit for courage, wisdom, and discernment. Look to Jesus with awe and wonder, giving careful consideration to His ways and claims today.
Last 5 posts by Seth
- Matthew 28:18-20--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 24th, 2010
- Matthew 27:20-23--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 23rd, 2010
- Matthew 26:30-33--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 22nd, 2010
- Matthew 25:29-30--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 21st, 2010
- Matthew 24:3-5--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 20th, 2010
No Responses to “Matthew 9:32-34–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation”
Trackbacks/Pingbacks