Matthew 9:32 As they were going, a man controlled by a demon and unable to speak was brought to Yeshua. 33 After the demon was expelled the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Isra’el,” they said. 34 But the P’rushim said, “It is through the ruler of the demons that he expels demons.”
Another physical ailment that we see is attached to the demonic.
How many issues do we account to just being “born this way”? All of them, right? That’s much easier to explain over some complicated opening that someone creates that allows a demonic entrance. Once it’s open, there are plenty of other concessions that give this thing a stronghold.
I’m not sure people are necessarily born with demons, though. That type of infestation seems to be connected with choices, not a lottery at birth. There are other instances where people are born with things that are there so Abba’s glory can be revealed but I don’t recall those being connected with demons (of course, I could be wrong so I’m making this claim lightly).
Back to our gentleman. We see that he was unable to speak due to a demon. He likely wasn’t born with a demon attached but instead it came through some other avenue. Was he an innocent victim that was walking through an alley and the demon jumped out around the corner and possessed him? Or was it a compromise? Then another compromise? Then another?
Whatever the cause, it had set up shop for a very long time.
So this demon’s full-time job was to hold this man’s tongue. FULL-TIME!
The question I have is: what did this man have to say that the demonic thought it better to keep him quiet? Maybe nothing, maybe something. Maybe it was to make life difficult for his family. Maybe it was to punish him for something he himself did.
Or maybe it really was because he had been given something to say and, instead of doing what he was created to do, he opted for something evil. Not really evil in the devilish context but in choosing-the-life-he-wanted-over-the-one-he-was-created-for context.
We aren’t really given any details here so this is 100% grasping at straws. But the point is to get you thinking about the varying ways something like this could take hold. Many possible inroads to this destination but the crazy thing is that a demon found it worth it's time to latch on to this man for a very long time.
Yeshua then set him free. We aren’t given the follow-up conversation but I’d assume it had to do with not sinning anymore. And maybe, just maybe, to go and say what he was created to say.
The people were amazed that this man was delivered and was freed from a bound tongue. They were making absurd claims like “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Isra’el” and that was ridiculous. The Pharisees, I’m sure, had healing institutes that taught others to repent and have extreme faith in order to have life, and life in full. I’m sure they also wanted to see everyone set free so they too could go around praising God for all He had done for them. They didn’t want all of the credit themselves, right?
Well, we know none of that was coming through the Pharisaical schools. They wanted glory for themselves and they also wanted people to approach God through them.
Which meant this statement from the crowds had to tick the Pharisees off. Big time! And once you feel threatened, what do you do? Accuse.
Let’s see if we have this straight. The Pharisees haven’t seen healing in any of their work (likely ever) and they claim to serve Abba. Someone outside of their denomination does heal people which clearly means it has to be demons removing demons? So a man held in bondage by a demon was turned loose by a higher-up demon? As you get promoted in the demonic ranks you become nicer?
“Hey guys, come on now…we’ve tortured this guy long enough. Let the poor man loose, would ya?”
I don't think we need to spend any extra time on this ridiculous notion, do you? Then again, maybe we should. There’s nothing like something ridiculous that someone else does to teach us how ridiculous we are.
Consider your judgment of others. The more justified you get (i.e., your judgments become even stronger), do you naturally reach a point of surrender? (Note: not learning the errors of your ways but increasing in your hatred.)
“Ok, they’ve been judged long enough. They haven’t changed during all the years I’ve been judging them even after I turned the heat up on them. So I’m going to let them off the hook.”
No chance! That’s the whole reason you’re judging them -- to make them pay for their crimes, right?
There’s no parole in our prisons. People we judge get a life sentence, right?
Does that mean the demons are nicer than you? If so, there could be a serious problem here.
Guessing they aren’t, we can assume they hold people in bondage at least as long as you do. And since that’s forever, it makes no sense that a ruler of demons would order a lower demon to set this man free.
The punchline: The statement the Pharisees made was a judgment on Yeshua. Having held Him in judgment was proof positive that the deliverance couldn’t have been through the power of a high-level demon.
And if that wasn’t proof enough, the Pharisee could have just called you.