#51 Beelzebub Charge

#51 Beelzebub Charge

Please first read: Matthew 12:24-37; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 8:1-3

Jesus can no longer move around anonymously in any of the main Jewish areas. His fame seems to have spread everywhere … Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Decapolis, and Perea. His miracles and teachings are very challenging to the existing spiritual and political leadership, and opposition to him has become strong. On one hand there are numerous healings of all kinds. Sick, diseased, and broken bodies are made well, blind eyes see, deaf ears hear, the dumb speak, evil spirits are cast out, and (unbelievable) sins are forgiven! On the other hand are individuals and forces whose existence is now being threatened, and they are reacting against Jesus and his followers.   The Sanhedrin, Scribes, Pharisees, the Sadducees, leaders of Synagogues, Rabbinism, and others who view Jesus as an enemy are watching and following very closely. For them this is undermining their very livelihood and way of life. Spies are in the crowds. The actual miracles could not be disputed. One line of attack among these opposed to Jesus was to encourage the populace to turn their attention away from the actual miracle, and debate about the source of the power involved (i.e. Satan). This became a strong argument for many even though it defies logic.   The conclusion Edersheim draws in “Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah” is, “They could believe in the miracles and yet not believe in the Christ.”  

Jesus along with many followers, including the Twelve and other Brothers and Sisters, now continues his traveling through the cities and villages of Galilee. There is much preaching and healing being done and we can assume that others of his party are actively participating in these activities. Included in the things Jesus needs to accomplish is the preparing of those who will continue in the Gospel after his departure from them.  

In Capernaum there is brought to him for healing one who is blind and dumb … he cannot see, hear or speak. One of the fallen spirit followers of Satan has taken possession of this individual.   The miraculous healing takes place and is now an established and verified fact.

For some, and maybe many, the elimination of such a hideous power under which this man was held captive was something they had never before witnessed. For some, and maybe many, their thoughts were in another direction … we have heard this may be the Deliverer we have been waiting for. Can this man be the Son of David? The Messiah? The Son of God? Maybe, and why not?

The Jews have long believed there are only two sources of power in the world:  Evil and Satan; Good and God. The power for this healing must come from one of these two sources. If Jesus casts out devils by the power of Satan, it will fail. If he has done this by the Spirit of God then the kingdom of God is with them in the form of Jesus, the Messiah. This is both proof, and a sign. They also believed that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand … it will fall. They had experienced this in their own history. When the tribes disagreed and fought against each other this invited other nations to invade them.

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie:

“These Jews believed both in devils and in an organized kingdom of evil spirits which was presided over by the prince of devils, Beelzebub, one of the name titles of the devil.  It was also applied in ancient Israel to a heathen god.” (Matthew 12:24) (2 Kings 1:3)

“Satan: Literally, adversary; a formal Hebrew name for the devil, which signifies that he wages open war with the truth and all who obey its principles.” Satan cannot cast out Satan. “Devils are not cast out except by the power of faith and the authority of the priesthood. Lucifer’s ministers exercise the power to perform many miracles in imitation of those done by the Lord’s authorized servants. But no one, acting pursuant to a delegation of authority from the devil, ever casts one of his kindred spirits out of the mortal tenement such spirit has unlawfully inhabited. Satan is not divided against himself any more than angelic ministrants of the Lord are rebelling against each other.” (Matthew 12:25-26)

Apostle James E. Talmage:

“At the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry, the curing of the blind, deaf, or dumb was regarded as among the greatest possible achievements of medical science or spiritual treatment; and the subjection or casting out of demons was ranked among the attainments impossible of Rabbinical exorcism. Demonstrations of the Lord’s power to heal and restore, even in cases universally considered as incurable had the effect of intensifying the hostility of the sacerdotal classes; and they, represented by the Pharisaic party, evolved the wholly inconsistent and ridiculous suggestion that miracles were wrought by Jesus through the power of the prince of devils, with whom He was in league.”

Jesus seems now to have moved away from preaching in the synagogues and is teaching the crowds in the open air.  There are probably several reasons for this:

1.      Leaders of synagogues are among those feeling public pressure to conform to the traditional spiritual themes of religious instruction. Jesus, of course, is not doing this.

2.      There were a number of women in Jesus’ entourage. These women disciples were a source of both spiritual and financial strength to the group and traveled with them. The Rabbis (leaders of the synagogues) refused to teach women; they held inferior places in the synagogue.

3.      Jesus welcomed all to come and hear him … Jew, Gentile, men women, children.   Geographically, trade and traffic came through the area from all over that part of the world … all races and levels of humanity. This caused problems within the synagogues.

Jesus is constantly in demand … large crowds and long days … many sick and ailing individuals all wanting to be healed. All this activity is increasing the hostility of the ecclesiastical authorities who are losing members of their congregations. Any religious movement or activity that did not originate in the Rabbinical schools was suspect and opposed by the Rabbis. What was originally something deemed insignificant and of no concern had now grown in popularity and was a threat to their religious authority. Jewish history bordered on fanaticism for the Law, the Scribes, Rabbis, and the Temple. This was now being threatened by a new order.

The Pharisees seem to be the leaders of the opposition against Jesus and claim he is working with Satan. They believe that within the satanic kingdom there is a well-organized and sustaining structure of various powers. Jesus indicates that this is true. The demonic realm is very much an active power on the earth and Satan is “master of the house.” Matthew 12:30-39

There is no such thing as “middle of the road.” One is either for the Lord or against him. Jesus cautions the Pharisees against going too near the point of sinning against the Holy Ghost. He again calls them a “generation of vipers” (evil, wicked, venomous snakes.) Can that line be crossed when one is actively plotting to kill Jesus?

Other Points of Interest:

·         Jesus has dealt with Satan on the earth before … beginning with Herod trying to kill him when he was born … to Satan testing him in the wilderness … and now in his earthly ministry until his resurrection.

·         These confrontations between Satan and Jesus showed the source of Jesus’ power was always superior to that of Satan.

·         Both Jesus and John the Baptist singled out the Pharisees, accusing them of special workings of evil. Both referred to them as a “generation of vipers.”

·         Mary called Magdalene was among those traveling with Jesus. She was walking proof, having been healed of seven evil spirits, as were other women there who had experienced the same healing from the Lord.

·         Jesus’ enemies were all men. There is no gospel record of a woman taking action against Jesus.

·         Beelzebub” (Canaanite.) From the Hebrew Bible (2 Kings 1:2.) Baal, The Prince: he is “Lord of the Earth.” He later became the chief of demons in early Jewish demonology.

·         Jewish belief was that evil was personified in individual spirits. Satan was the chief of these and also the head of the dominion of evil.

These scriptures also refer to others casting out devils. From the Inspired Versions of Matthew, Mark, and Luke we learn these were other persons “who had gained the Spirit of God, that is they had been baptized, were members of the Church, held the priesthood, and were walking uprightly and faithfully before the Father. False ministers have not, do not, will not, and cannot cast out devils.”

Glenn R. McGettigan

April 2016

References:  

“Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah.” Edersheim

“Life & Words of Christ.” Geike    

“Life of Christ.” Farrar

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” McConkie

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage    

“Complete Biblical Library – Luke & Matthew.”

“Communicator’s Commentary – Matthew & Luke.”

 “New Testament Commentary – Matthew, Mark & Luke.” Tyndale

“Anchor Bible – Matthew, Mark & Luke”

#33 Unclean Spirit Cast Out

#33 Unclean Spirit Cast Out

Please first read: Mark 1:21-28; Luke: 4:31-37

In the preexistence, when 1/3^rd of our Father’s children openly rebelled and followed Satan, they were not only cast out of heaven, but were specifically sent to this earth. They therefore continue to be the force of opposition to God’s plan here on earth. They will never be able to have bodies of their own. In this dejected state they seek to house themselves in the mortal bodies of others, and under certain conditions are able to do so. When this happens the devil, the evil spirit, takes control and overpowers that individual’s agency.

The Lord exercised his power over such devils on numerous times during his earthly life here. This was a Messianic promise, “And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which shall dwell in the hearts of the children of men.” (Mosiah 3:6) Jesus had full power over these devils and they knew it. They knew him and he knew them from the dealings in the preexistence. Unlike mortals on this earth, evil spirits here do not have a veil drawn over their knowledge of the preexistence. They have full memory of the great council in heaven and their time there. They recognize who Jesus is, that he has power to destroy them, and that he eventually will destroy their kingdom. They want nothing do with him, but they must obey him.

Jesus refuses to allow them to testify of his divinity. To do so would only lend credence to future accusations that “he does his works by the power of Satan.” Other similar instances occurred and Jesus’ reaction was the same; testimonies that he is the Christ should only be borne by the power of the Holy Ghost. Here, when Jesus says, “come out of him,” the evil spirit steps literally out of the possessed one’s body. To mortals, this is a miracle. In 1830 Joseph Smith cast a devil out of Brother Newell Knight and they “saw the evil spirit leave him and vanish from sight.”

Christian scholars today generally seem to agree that demonic possession in the time of Christ was more prevalent than in recent history. This could possibly be that with the Lord physically on the earth Satan would be moved to be a stronger presence here as well. The spiritual state of the Israelites was at a very low ebb. Several centuries of being enslaved by stronger nations had taken a toll on them. Also the Jews believed in only two sources of supernatural power; God or Satan. When Jesus comes claiming to be the Messiah, and exercising miraculous powers, they must decide which of these two sources he is using. When they reject him as God the Messiah, the only other choice is from Satan. Jesus’ miraculous powers are very much in evidence and will continue. The dilemma here is a very difficult and uncomfortable position especially for their leaders … the Sadducees - those who control the temple and all its activities … and the Pharisees/ Scribes – the primary teachers of the law and members of the Sanhedrin.

Like most eastern and ancient nations the Jews attributed any evil happening to demons, spirits of the wicked. Sudden sicknesses, mental breakdowns, unusual changes in a person’s behavior, negative happenings, etc. When things like this occurred they believed the Lord was punishing a person or peoples for something they had or had not done. They believed the same for a married woman who was barren. (Example: John the Baptist’s mother and her “reproach” among women.) The Jews will eventually try to claim that these healings and miracles of Jesus are being done by the power of Satan, which Jesus will point out to them is totally illogical.

“[T]hey were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22) “What thing is this? What new doctrine is this? ... the unclean spirits… do obey him.” (Mark 1:27)

 

There should have been nothing so startling new to them in the healings and miracles of Jesus. Their ancient prophets had cured diseases, cast out devils, and raised the dead. Israel had been, by their own actions, without prophets for over 400 years, and thus had not recently seen these things. There were magicians and exorcists at work in the first century in the Hellenistic world, of which Israel was a part, but these could not easily be confused with the actions of the Savior.

It is interesting to look at the range of several Greek word translations:

• “Destroy: the cry of the possessed is the language of terror, a declaration of Jesus’ avowed intent.”
• “Amazed / astonished: very strong, deep, in feeling and meaning.”
• “Silence: to muzzle, bind, very strong meaning; for stifling evil spirits with a magic spell.”

Glenn R. McGettigan

December 2014

References:

“Behold the Messiah.” Matthews

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” McConkie

“The Miracles of Jesus the Messiah.” Howick

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage

“The Mortal Messiah.” McConkie

“Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ.” Holzaphel

“The Life of Jesus Christ.” Farrar

“Bethany Commentary.”

“The Gospel of Mark.” Mann

“The Gospel of Luke.” Fitzmyer

#17 The Temptation of Jesus

#17 The Temptation of Jesus

The accounts of Jesus’ temptation in Matthew and Luke in the King James Bible have some mistranslations and items missing that substantially distort what occurred. This is one of the events that the Lord changed when he led Joseph Smith to review and correct some parts of the bible that were misleading and confusing. (Referred to as the Joseph Smith Translation – JST.)

In the following passages of Matthew and Luke I have used the King James Version, but with the JST corrections.

Matthew 4:1-11:

“1. Then Jesus was led up of the Spirit, into the wilderness, to be with God.

2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, and had communed with God, he was afterwards an hungered, and was left to be tempted of the devil.

3. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5. Then Jesus was taken up into the holy city, and the Spirit setteth him on the pinnacle of the temple.

6. Then the devil came unto him and said, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8. And again, Jesus was in the Spirit, and it taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them.

9. And the devil came unto him again, and said, All these things will I give unto thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

Luke 4:1-13:

“1. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2. And after forty days, the devil came unto him, to tempt him. And in those days he did eat nothing; and when they were ended, he afterwards hungered.

3. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

4. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

5. And the Spirit taketh him up into a high mountain, and he beheld all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6. And the devil came unto him, and said unto him, All this power will I give unto thee, and the glory of them; for they are delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give them.

7. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

8. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan:  for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

9.  And the Spirit brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple. And the devil came unto him, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence;

10. For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

11. And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

12. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

13. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.”

There are a number of scriptural sources and commentaries that support each other with insights that greatly increase our understanding of this account between our Savior and the devil.  I believe the ones I have selected are representative of the others.

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie:

Jesus dwelt in mortality as a man.   He was subject to all of the passions, desires, appetites, and temptations that go with this mortal probation. To work out his own salvation, he had to overcome the flesh, bridle his passions, control his desires and appetites, and resist the

tempting wiles of Lucifer. Though he was called upon to “suffer

temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst and fatigue,” (Mosiah 3:7; 15:5) though he dwelt in the flesh as the Son of God, “yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”  (Hebrews 5:8)

True, he remained obedient and faithful in all things, and never at any time did sin gain power over him. Though he “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet he remained without sin.”  (Hebrews 4: 15) However, in accordance with the eternal laws of free agency he could have succumbed to temptation; he could have lost his own soul and failed in his divinely appointed mission. That he remained true to his trust, that he was faithful and obedient to the whole law, made him the great Exemplar, the Light of the World, who could say to all men, “Follow thou me.” (3 Nephi 31:10)

As with all men, Jesus was tempted from time to time. The particular temptations occurring after he had fasted and prayed for forty days presumably were some of the most severe. That they were real, and that overcoming them constituted a major spiritual triumph is evident.

Jesus did not go into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; righteous men do not seek out temptation. He went “to be with God.”  Probably he was visited by the Father; without question he received transcendent spiritual manifestations. The temptations came after he “had communed with God.”

Lucifer did not transport Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple or into a high mountain. Such is not his power or prerogative. In each instance Jesus was taken to these locales by the Spirit, and then the devil came to tempt him. Nor did Lucifer show him all the kingdoms of the world; such was done by the Spirit; it was after he had seen the vision that the devil made his false offer.

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie:

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to commune with his Father in Heaven, and ultimately to be tempted of the devil. After forty days of fasting, prayer and divine communion he was visited by the devil who came tempting, enticing, seeking to destroy the house of faith in which Jesus dwelt. Jesus had his agency, he could have succumbed and failed. All three temptations were really an effort to get Jesus to test his divinity, to test his Father. Our Lord, as a mortal, was subject to the same laws of trial and testing that govern all mortals. After his baptism greater temptations confronted him than ever before.

Ending forty days of fasting, Satan's first temptation is to Jesus' bodily hunger. “If thou be the Son of God, command these stones be made bread.”  Jesus answers “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

The second temptation occurs after the Spirit has taken the Lord to the pinnacle of the temple.   The scriptures foretell that the Father will see that Jesus, as the Son of God, will be protected by the Father and his angels. Satan challenges Jesus to test this and prove it: “If thou be the Son of

God,” cast thyself down for all to see. Jesus replies, “thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

The third temptation seems again to be to the mortal side of Jesus ... to receive all earthly wealth and power if he will fall down and worship the devil. Jesus' reply to this: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Jesus was tempted, if we may say so, to fulfill all righteousness. It was part of the eternal plan. It gave him the experiences he needed to work out his own salvation, and it prepared him to sit in judgment upon his erring brethren, who, in a lesser degree, are tried and tested as he was.

Holzapfel and Waymen:

                                                                  

This appears to be the last incident of preparation before Jesus begins his ministry. It is interesting to note that Jesus performed miracles over and over for and on behalf of others, but nowhere (not even here) do we see him perform one in his own behalf.

Several issues seem to be involved in Satan’s temptations:

1. The devil is enticing Jesus to choose an easier road to fulfill his divinely appointed and accepted mission.
2. Jesus' loyalty to God is being challenged and tested.
3. The temptations demonstrate that the external threats constitute a real, not imaginary, opposition to the mission Jesus is now beginning ... one of antagonism, malice, rejection, and betrayal. (Chapter six “Jesus in the Wilderness”) 

Jackson and Millet:

The Apostle Paul wrote that “Christ was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4) Temptations following Jesus' baptism were not the first with which he was confronted, Jesus was now a mature man and surely had been tempted before.

Satan's personal appearance to Jesus was real ... face to face with open and spoken conversation. After forty days of fasting, Jesus' hunger was real and physical.

Satan's tempting of Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple ... and his challenge “If thou be the Son of God;” Jesus’ physical fall was not the point. The point was would the Lord “fall” in his obedience to the Father? Would he fail? The promise of protection for Jesus was a scriptural fact ... there was no need for Jesus to test the Father's promise.

With the third temptation, the kingdoms, glories, and powers of the world as offered by Satan, we see his true motives: “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” The devil was really offering nothing here. Christ knew that he would ultimately and

completely vanquish Satan by continuing and completing the mission given him by the Father.

Glenn R. McGettigan

March 2012; Revised April 2014

References:

“Commentary on the Book of Mormon.” Volume 1. p. 40. Reynolds & Sjodahl

“Journal of Discourses.” Volume 2. p. 326. Smith 

“The Inconvenient Messiah.” BYU Devotional. February 2, 1982. Holland

“The Temptation in the Desert” from “The Gospel According to Luke.” Volume 1. p. 506+. Fitzmyer