Jesus and Beelzebul^(A)

²² Then some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon. Jesus healed the man, so that he was able to talk and see. ²³ The crowds were all amazed at what Jesus had done. “Could he be the Son of David?” they asked.

^24 (B)When the Pharisees heard this, they replied, “He drives out demons only because their ruler Beelzebul gives him power to do so.”

²⁵ Jesus knew what they were thinking, and so he said to them, “Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long. And any town or family that divides itself into groups which fight each other will fall apart. ²⁶ So if one group is fighting another in Satan's kingdom, this means that it is already divided into groups and will soon fall apart! ²⁷ You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. Well, then, who gives your followers the power to drive them out? What your own followers do proves that you are wrong! ²⁸ No, it is not Beelzebul, but God's Spirit, who gives me the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you.

^29 (C)“No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house.

^30 (D)“Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering. ³¹ For this reason I tell you: people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say;^[a] but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ^32 (E)Anyone who says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven—now or ever.

Jesus and Beelzebul^(A)

¹⁴ Jesus was driving out a demon that could not talk; and when the demon went out, the man began to talk. The crowds were amazed, ^15 (B)but some of the people said, “It is Beelzebul, the chief of the demons, who gives him the power to drive them out.”

^16 (C)Others wanted to trap Jesus, so they asked him to perform a miracle to show that God approved of him. ¹⁷ But Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them, “Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long; a family divided against itself falls apart. ¹⁸ So if Satan's kingdom has groups fighting each other, how can it last? You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. ¹⁹ If this is how I drive them out, how do your followers drive them out? Your own followers prove that you are wrong! ²⁰ No, it is rather by means of God's power that I drive out demons, and this proves that the Kingdom of God has already come to you.

²¹ “When a strong man, with all his weapons ready, guards his own house, all his belongings are safe. ²² But when a stronger man attacks him and defeats him, he carries away all the weapons the owner was depending on and divides up what he stole.

^23 (D)“Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering.

^10 (A)Surely you have read this scripture?