PER226

Jesus the Messiah challenged after a miracle

In Jerusalem, after healing a mute demoniac, Jesus the Messiah is challenged by opponents who attribute his power to Beelzebul and demand another sign. He answers with logical and spiritual arguments, cites the sign of Jonah, redirects a word of praise toward obedience to the Word, and concludes with a metaphor about the inner light. This discourse, reported only by Luke (11.14-36), illustrates two opposite attitudes toward the Messiah: authentic faith and unbelieving rejection.

9 min Jesus the Messiah challenged miracle mute demoniac Beelzebul sign of Jonah 11 verses 2 books

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Biblical texts

Matthew
Matthew (King James Version) not cited in the book
Mark
Mark (King James Version) not cited in the book
Luke
Luke 11.14-36 (King James Version)

And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.

But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.

And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
John
John (King James Version) not cited in the book

Technical details

Year AD 32

Location: Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Date: Late November or early December AD 32

Method: We continue with Luke

Note on the method: Luke is the only one to speak of this journey to Jerusalem

Jerusalem region

Jesus the Messiah is about to deliver a discourse in Jerusalem that only Luke reports to us.

The healing of a mute demoniac

The mute man who speaks

Then a woman calls out to him (Luke 11.27-28).

So we are in Jerusalem, most likely on the Temple Mount, a favorable place to meet the crowd but also, unfortunately, opponents.

Everything begins with the healing of a mute demoniac, and the crowd is amazed. However, a minority of that crowd, led by the , tries to turn the situation around and to discredit Jesus the Messiah.

It is by Beelzebul

Afterwards, this influential minority makes a request for a miracle (Luke 11.16), claiming that they want to believe in Jesus the Messiah. Yet their request aims more at obtaining an impressive spectacle than at nourishing a genuine step of faith. This shows that their request is not sincere, since they have already witnessed a concrete miracle: a mute man has just regained speech before their eyes. Rather than recognizing the spiritual significance of the event, they seek to divert attention and sow doubt around Jesus the Messiah.

They thus try to discredit Jesus the Messiah by urging him to produce a spectacular sign, convinced that he will refuse and that they can then call his legitimacy into question: “You see? He is not really a prophet.” This behavior reveals a strategy meant to preserve their religious authority and to avoid being challenged by the message of Jesus the Messiah. From then on, their attitude betrays a closedness to authentic faith, because they refuse to acknowledge the evidence already displayed before them.

Next, Luke 11.18-27 reports to us the . Witnesses of his miracles accuse him of collaborating with the devil. Jesus the Messiah, knowing their thoughts, answers with a series of logical and spiritual arguments.

The

Then a woman calls out to him (Luke 11.27-28).

The woman expresses a spontaneous word of praise to Jesus (Luke 11.27), glorifying his mother, Mary. It is a way of saying: “You are so extraordinary that your mother must be blessed!”

Jesus the Messiah does not reject the praise, but he redirects it (Luke 11.28). He affirms that true happiness comes not only from biological ties or motherhood, but from hearing and putting into practice the word of God.

This passage extends the blessing to all disciples. It shows that true closeness to Jesus the Messiah does not depend on birth, but on obedience to God.

Next, Jesus the Messiah answers those who still ask for a miracle (Luke 11.29-32).

The to those who ask for a miracle

Next, to conclude this discourse, Luke 11.33-36 relates a about the light that echoes the passage in Matthew 5.14-16, mentioned during the Sermon on the Mount delivered about a year and a half earlier in Galilee near Capernaum.

The

In conclusion, we would like to return to the development of the argument in this discourse of Jesus the Messiah, reported in Luke 11.14-36. We will show that there is a link between this argument and the teaching on prayer, presented to the disciples immediately before this discourse (Luke 11.1-13).

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