Matthew 12:21-25

Mat 12:21 (KJB)
And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

At this time, Jesus was quoting the prophecy from Isaiah that the Messiah would not only be the savior of the Elect in Israel, but He will also be the means of salvation for all the Gentiles, that is, the Elect in every other country in the world. (Acts 4:12 KJV) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. As Acts 4:12 states there is no other name under Heaven. Luke pens this as if he received it directly from Isaiah who penned it about 750 years before the coming to earth of the Messiah. So salvation will not be limited only to Israel but salvation will be world wide through the Lord Jesus Christ and will commence on Pentecost.

Mat 12:22 (KJB)
Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

This event did not take place immediately after the prior events. Sometimes Matthew places two different events right after each other for emphasis. The man who was brought to Jesus was not only devil possessed but he was also blind and dumb. To be dumb meant that you were unable to speak. This man may have been blind and dumb because of the indwelling of a devil. When he was brought to Jesus, Jesus had healed him completely. Not only was he free from being possessed by a devil, he was now able to speak and to see.

Mat 12:23 (KJB)
And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

The people that had witnessed this were amazed or astonished and the fact that Jesus not only had authority to heal the man’s speech and blindness but He had authority over the devil which possessed this man. Then the people started asking the question, is this the Son of David? They were literally asking if Jesus was the Messiah. The name “Son of David” was another term for “Messiah.”

Mat 12:24 (KJB)
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

Once again the Pharisees heard it and their jealousy was aroused and now they accused Jesus of casting out the devil, not by the power of God, but by Beelzebub, which is another name for Satan. The name Beelzebub means “lord or master of the flies” and is attributed to the chief deity of Ekron. (2 Ki 1:2 KJV) And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. The Pharisees were in essence saying that Jesus was in league with the devil to deceive the people and gain a following. They believed Jesus was under the authority of Satan.

Mat 12:25 (KJB)
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

Jesus knew what lies the Pharisees were telling about Him, so He gives them a lesson in maintaining the power of a kingdom. If a kingdom was all in agreement and the people were obedient and served the goals and aims of the kingdom, then it would become much stronger. Jesus then brought it down from a kingdom and applied the principle to a city and even a family in a house. History has proven that empires have crumbled not because of being attacked from the outside but from the inside. Whenever there is dissension and it turns into factions and those factions turn into street actions, it will cause trouble for the government, then that will weaken the nation and eventually it becomes so weak that it will be unable to defend itself and then it would be ripe for takeover. We see this happening in so many countries in the world today, including the United States.

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