Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldnt speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. The crowd was amazed and asked, Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah? But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons. Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even strongersomeone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. Anyone who isnt with me opposes me, and anyone who isnt working with me is actually working against me. So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgivenexcept blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come. A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you. One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority. But Jesus replied, Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is herebut you refuse to repent. The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is herebut you refuse to listen. When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, I will return to the person I came from. So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation. As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. Someone told Jesus, Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you. Jesus asked, Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Then he pointed to his disciples and said, Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!Matthew 12:22-50 NLT Jesus was (and is) polarizing because He called for absolute obedience. The Pharisees (mostly) did not believe; they couldnt deny that He cast out demons, so they decided that Jesus was possessed by a demon. Jesus knows what it is like to be misunderstood and opposed. Christ said that their defiancecalling the work of the Holy Spirit an act of Satanis an unforgiveable sin. God can forgive any sinexcept the one for which you dont want to be forgiven. A hard heart runs away from grace and love, refusing to be forgiven. Repentance is the first step home. Some of the Pharisees were at least curious about Jesus, and they asked Him for a sign. Jesus said it was a twisted generation that demands a sign, asking God to perform a miracle like a circus trick. The wonders of God are all around us. Satan tempted Jesus to perform signs to make people believe (Matthew 4:6); the Pharisees tried to do the same. They called Him a powerless liar. Even Jesus' own family didn't totally understand who He was. Jesus cared for His earthly family (see John 19:25-27), and they loved Him as family, but that was not enough. We cant just say, I love Jesus, to be in the eternal family of Jesus, we must do the will of the Father. It is hard reaching out to family members who do not believe in Jesuseven Jesus experienced this! He invited His family to believe in Him; at first, they thought He was insane (Mark 3:21) and only later came to believe in Him (Acts 1:14). Jesus never gives up on us! He patiently waits for our hearts to turn to Him, our Creator. Do you sometimes feel responsible for convincing others of Jesus identity and His love, or do you simply tell your faith story? What does it mean for you to do the will of the Father?
