Crazy Talk...

Matthew 12:22-32 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. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Jesus' opponents had to find some way to explain away His authority. They were trying to erase in people's minds the thought that Jesus might be the Messiah. In their twisted thinking, demons must have been afraid of Him because He was a more powerful demon. That's crazy. Satan would not allow that kind of self-destructive competition among his minions. No, the source of His power was not satanic; what was satanic was the idea that it was. It was unforgiveable to attribute to satan that which the Holy Spirit was using to convince people of their need to repent and trust in Christ.