JP49: Savior or Satan’s Friend?: How We Remain Open to Jesus When Unmet Expectations and Cultures Clash

A social and cultural brew of doubt, fear, control, tradition, politics, and jealousy set the stage for a showdown between the Satan’s consuming darkness and the coming Kingdom of Jesus.

What we learn from Matthew’s eyewitness account helps us remain open to Jesus when strong cultural currents clash with the truth.

“Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”  But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”  Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (NIV, Mt 12:22–30)

Conflict between Jesus' ministry and the influential Jewish leaders stretched the tension to a breaking point.  They spitefully faulted Jesus for healing a man’s withered hand and plucking heads of grain to satisfy hungry stomachs on the Sabbath.  Now, a group of brave associates publicly brought their stricken friend to Jesus for healing.

He was demon-possessed, suffering from massive physical limitations, but surrounded by merciful friends.  

Things change when Jesus heals.  Appearing to all a hopeless case - now he’s possessed by Jesus, demon-free, talking, and sighted.  Satan was defeated.

The eyewitnesses were stunned and couldn’t stop asking, “Is this the Son of David?” - a term alluding to Old Testament prophecies that their Savior would come through King David’s family tree.  

Instead of capping their bias when faced with facts, jealous religious leaders blindly closed ranks to control the narrative, reacting with irrational fear and entrenched disdain.  

How do we avoid irrational spiritual judgments and remain open to Jesus when prolific influencers, chaotic tides of culture, and unmet expectations conspire to narrow our view and steer us into spiritual drift?

Practice Rational Humility

After witnessing Jesus perform the miraculous deliverance from evil and divine healing, people pivoted toward Jesus as the promised Messiah - the “Son of David.”  Instead of making proud irrational statements, they practiced rational humility and trusted their eyes.

In contrast to the closed Pharisees, these everyday humans gained a greater openness to Jesus, even though He fell short of their expectation to serve as a political champion capable of casting off Roman rule.

Trust Eyewitness Accounts

Though surrounded by eyewitnesses, the Pharisees misjudged the man’s miraculous deliverance, claiming that Jesus did so by the power of Beelzebul.

Jesus exposed their illogical conclusion, saying that Satan could only drive out Satan if the king of demons acted to divide his kingdom against itself while at the same time building it up.  In this case, the domain of Beelzebul would not stand.

To highlight the eternal value of eyewitness testimony, notice how the apostle Peter spoke about the source of His teachings,

“For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16, NIV)  

Peter’s subsequent teaching about Jesus derived from trustworthy eyewitness accounts of historical events, not clever myths.  

Just because the truth is ancient and those eyewitnesses are no longer alive doesn’t relegate those facts into myth.

Trust Jesus' Power over Satan

Jesus demonstrates a truth that we are wise to trust: publicly driving out demons and healing by the power of the Holy Spirit signaled the arrival of the Kingdom of God on earth.  A Kingdom that is advancing in love all over the world today.

Rather than aligning with Satan, Jesus clarified that his frequent healing of demon-possessed people demonstrated his ability to bind and rule over Satan (the “strong man” in verse 29).  If Jesus can deliver the blind, mute man from Satan, He can do the same for us.

Move Courageously To Join Jesus

Jesus says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”  In doing so, Jesus explains that our words and actions in response to the eyewitness facts of His life have eternal consequences.  

It takes courage to open the door for Jesus when unmet expectations and culture clash, but by His grace, Jesus can take our openness and bring us to a place of faith and readiness for His coming Kingdom.

Questions for Application

1. Have unmet expectations caused you to question God's faithfulness?

2. How does social and cultural chaos diminish or challenge your openness to Jesus and His coming Kingdom?

3. What is the Holy Spirit whispering to you about how to move from doubt to rational humility?

4. In what ways might you be scattering instead of gathering for Jesus?  What is Jesus saying to you now?

Prayer: Jesus, I love you.  Thank you for loving me and how your power over Satan guards me daily.  I need your grace to keep trusting and move forward when my experiences and competing voices conspire to drown out the truth of your steadfast love and coming Kingdom.  Give me such an undivided and devoted heart so that others can see you through me, just like the demon-possessed man you healed.

Savior or Satan’s Friend?: How We Remain Open to Jesus When Unmet Expectations and Culture Clash

Practice Rational Humility

All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

Trust Eyewitness Accounts

“For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16, NIV)

Trust Jesus’ Power Over Satan

“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

Move Courageously To Join Jesus

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

Photo by Milo Bauman on Unsplash