Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 12:27
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast [them] out? therefore they shall be your judges.
27. by whom do your children cast them out? ] The children are the disciples of the Pharisees, who either really possessed the power of casting out evil spirits, or pretended to have that power. In either case the argument of Jesus was unanswerable.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 27. By whom do your children cast them out?] Children, or sons of the prophets, means the disciples of the prophets; and children or sons of the Pharisees, disciples of the Pharisees. From Ac 19:13; Ac 19:14, it is evident there were exorcists among the Jews, and, from our Lord’s saying here, it is also evident that the disciples of the Pharisees did cast out demons, or, at least, those who educated them wished to have it believed that they had such a power. Our Lord’s argument here is extremely conclusive: If the man who casts out demons proves himself thereby to be in league with and influenced by Satan, then your disciples, and you who taught them, are all of you in league with the devil: ye must either give up your assertion, that I cast out demons by Beelzebul, or else admit this conclusion, in its fullest force and latitude, that ye are all children of the devil, and leagued with him against God.
Envy causes persons often to condemn in one, what they approve in another.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Our Saviours argument is this, Where the case is the same the judgment ought to be the same, and the contrary judgment speaketh malice, and hatred of the person. Do I cast out devils? So do your children. You say they do it by the power of God; why do you say that I do it by a prince of devils? What appeareth in their casting of them out more than in mine, which can argue that they do it by the power of God, and I by the power of the prince of devils? The only question is who our Saviour here meaneth by their children. Some think that he meaneth his own apostles, who were all of them Jews, and to whom they might be more favourable than to him, because of their relation to them. Others think that he means some exorcists amongst the Jews; such they had, Act 19:13. But concerning these there is a double opinion. Some think that they were such as themselves, acted by compact of the devil. Others think that they invocating the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God might honour them so far, as upon that invocation to command the devil out of persons. Origen and Justin Martyr both tell us, that there were some that used that form with such success. But so they might do, and yet not obtain their effect from a Divine influence, nor so much cast as flatter out devils, upon a homage first paid to the devil. I find some difficulty to persuade myself that in those times, especially when God by this miraculous effect was demonstrating the Messias, God should so far concur with any but him, and those that did it by his express name and authority; and I observe, that when the seven sons of Sceva attempted such a thing, Act 19:13, they called over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth, ( which they, being the sons of the chief of the priests, would not have done if the more grateful form of, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, would have done it), yet could they not prevail, as you read there, Act 19:14-16. Our Saviours meaning therefore must certainly be either,
1. You do not say so of your children, my apostles, who do, and profess to do, what they do by a power derived from me; why do you say this of me, not of them? Or,
2. There are some of you who seem to cast out devils, whereas the devil only plays with them, and yields to their magical arts for his own advantage, and abates some more external effects on peoples bodies, upon the surrender of their souls to him, by believing he is able to cure them, and imploring his help; yet you think these men endowed with the power of God: why are you so unequal to me?
I observe, though we read of exorcists amongst the Jews, Act 19:13, yet they are called , vagrants. They were an idle, vagabond sort of persons, (such probably as we call gypsies), with whom, or by whom; it is not probable God would work such effects, especially at such a time, though they used the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Nay, it is plain from the story of the Acts, that though they used the name Jesus, God would not work by them; Mat 12:16, the demoniac leaped on them, overcame them, prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
27. And if I by Beelzebub cast outdevils, by whom do your children“your sons,” meaninghere the “disciples” or pupils of the Pharisees, who wereso termed after the familiar language of the Old Testament inspeaking of the sons of the prophets (1Ki 20:35;2Ki 2:3, c.). Our Lord here seemsto admit that such works were wrought by them in which case thePharisees stood self-condemned, as expressed in Luke (Lu11:19), “Therefore shall they be your judges.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils,…. As the Pharisees asserted, and would have the people believe; for this is not allowed, only for argument sake supposed:
by whom do your children cast them out? meaning not the apostles and disciples of Christ, the children of the Jews, to whom Christ gave power of casting out devils, and who had exercised it in his name; and therefore argues, if they in his name cast out devils, why could he not do it himself, without the help of Satan? wherefore these would be judges against them: but, no doubt, the Pharisees had no better opinion of the disciples, and of their ejection of devils, than of Christ; wherefore, it is not likely, that our Lord should argue with them from hence: but rather, he means, some among themselves, who pretended to have a power of exorcising and ejecting of devils, either in the name of Jesus, as some of them did, Mr 9:38 or in the name of their kings, righteous men, prophets and patriarchs, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob w; and which practice, perhaps, they took up and made pretensions to, in imitation of Christ and his apostles; so as Christ healed men possessed of devils, they also affected to do the same. A story is reported x,
“concerning Ben Talmion, that a miracle was wrought by R. Eleazar bar Jose, who healed a king’s daughter at Rome, in whose body the devil entered, whose name was Ben Talmion; and they brought him (the Jew) to the king’s treasury, to take what he would, but he would take nothing from thence, but letters, in which were written the decrees they had decreed against Israel; and when he found them, he tore them to pieces, and there he saw the vessels of the house of the sanctuary, in the treasury.”
Now since the Jews pretended to do these things, Christ asks them, by whom they cast out devils? Whether by the Spirit of God, or by Beelzebub? They would doubtless say by the former, and not the latter, which would show their great partiality; for admitting that the like actions were done by them, as by him, why not by the same power? Why should their ejection of devils be ascribed to God, and his to Beelzebub?
Therefore they shall be your judges; who will rise up against you, and condemn you one day, for this unequal judgment you now pass; and which was just the reverse of the true state of the case: for he cast out devils by the Spirit of God, which they imputed to the assistance of Beelzebub; their children cast out devils, or pretended to do so, and it was by the help of Satan; and yet they ascribed it to a divine power, even though they made use of the name of Satan, under that of Beelzebub, or Asmodeus, their exorcising, of which take the following form y.
“By the authority of the glorious and fearful name, I adjure thee Asmodeus, “king of the devils”, and all thy company, &c. that ye hurt not, nor put in fear, nor trouble such an one, the son of such an one, but that ye help him, and sustain him (or deliver him) out of every distress and anguish, and from every evil thing, and from all diseases, that enter into the two hundred and forty eight members, &c.”
w Justin Martyr, adv. Tryphon. p. 311. x In Gloss. in T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 57. 1. Meilah, fol. 17. 2. y Raziel, fol. 41. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1) “And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils,” (kai ei ego en Beezeboul ekballo ta diaimonia) “And if I expel demons by the instrument, agency, or power of Beelzebub,” as you Pharisees charge.
2) “By whom do your children cast them out?” (hoi huioi humon en tini ekballousin) “By what means, instrument, or agency or power do your sons or children expel them?” Some who professed this power traveled as exorcists among them; these were fake healers, but no more fake than the religion of the Pharisees, Act 19:13-18.
3) “Therefore they shall be your judges.” (dia touto autoi kritai esontai humon) “They therefore shall be your judges,” or pass judgment regarding you all; You Pharisees, your own conclusion in this matter, Luk 9:49-50; Luk 10:17.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
27. By whom do your children cast them out? He charges them with passing an unjust and malicious decision, because in the same case they did not decide in a similar manner, but as they were affected towards the persons. Now this inequality shows, that their prevailing motive was not a regard to what is just and right, but blind love or hatred; and that it was even an evidence of wicked self-love ( φιλαυτίας) and envy, to condemn in Christ what they praised in their own children By your children some understand the children of the whole nation; and some think that the Apostles are so called, because they were acknowledged to be children, while Christ was treated as if he had been a foreigner. (121) Others refer it to the ancient Prophets. I have no doubt that he means the Exorcists, who were at that time generally employed among the Jews, as is evident from the Acts of the Apostles, ( Act 19:19.) There is reason to believe, that no greater kindness would be exercised in judging of the disciples of Christ than of their Master; and to apply these words to the dead is a forced construction, when they manifestly denote a comparison of the present time.
There was indeed no statute of the Law for having Exorcists among the Jews; but we know that God, in order to maintain their fidelity to his covenant, and their purity of worship, often testified his presence among them by a variety of miracles. It is even possible that there were persons who cast out devils by calling on the name of the Lord; and the people, having experienced such a display of the power of God, rashly concluded that it was an ordinary office. (122) The Papists afterwards, resolving not to occupy a lower rank, imitated them by creating Exorcists; and in this way were apes of apes. Besides, it was not necessary that Christ should approve of those exorcisms, in order to point out the malice of those who wished to have them regarded as sacred, and as authorized by the name of God; for the objection was, as we say, of a personal nature. (123)
Therefore they shall judge concerning you. These words are not to be taken literally, but the meaning is: “We need not go far to seek your condemnation. You attribute to Beelzebub the miracles which I have performed, and you praise the same things in your own children. You have at home what is sufficient to condemn you.” But if any one prefer to understand them differently, as reproaching them with the grace of God, which was sometimes exhibited through the Exorcists, I do not greatly object to that view. Though they were greatly degenerated, yet the Lord was pleased not to leave them altogether without evidences of his power, that there might be some testimony to authorize the priesthood in general, and the service of the temple; for it was of the highest importance that there should be evident marks to distinguish them from the superstitions of the Gentiles. I look upon the former view, however, as the natural one.
(121) “ Et cependant les scribes tenoyent Christ pour estranger;” — “and yet the scribes held Christ to be a foreigner.”
(122) “ Le peuple en a fait un office ordinaire sans regarder comment;”— “the people made it to be an ordinary office, without considering in what manner.”
(123) “ Car l’objection s’addresse a la personne, comme on dit, et non pas a la chose: c’est a dire, Christ ne regarde point ce qu’a la verite il falloit dire de ces Exorcistes, mais ce qu’en pensoyent les scribes;” — “for the objection is addressed to the person, as we say, and not to the thing: that is to say, Christ does not consider what in truth ought to be said of these Exorcists, but what the Jews thought of them.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(27) By whom do your children cast them out?The children of the Pharisees are their disciples, and in this case, such as practised exorcism, like the sons of Sceva in Act. 19:13. The belief in demoniacal possession had as its natural accompaniment the claim on the part of those who could control the disordered reason of the possessed person of power to cast out the demon. We need not assume that such power was always a pretence, or rested only on spells and incantations. Earnestness, prayer, fasting, faiththese are always mighty in intensifying the power of will, before which the frenzied soul bows in submission or yields in confidence, and these may well have been found among the better and truer Pharisees. Our Lords question, indeed, requires for its logical validity the admission that the children of the accusers did really cast out demons, and that not by Beelzebub.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
27. Your children That is, your disciples. That there were among the Jews exorcists, who at least professed to cast out devils, we know from the Apocrypha, from Josephus, and from Act 19:12-14. It appears by the writings of the earliest Christian fathers that this power of exorcism remained for some time in the primitive Church. The truth doubtless is, that as the power of Satan had been for a period extraordinarily manifest at our Saviour’s coming, (see note on Mat 1:20,) by the fact of possession, so some power had been divinely allowed to the Jews to dispossess. If, therefore, the Jews looked upon the appearance of demoniac possession as an increase of the power of Satan in the world, and if they looked upon the power of expulsion exercised by their own sons as a benevolent power and hostile to Satan, what right had they to ascribe this stupendous mastery over evil spirits, displayed by our Lord and exercised by him in the most merciful way, to any power but the highest power of God? Judging our Saviour as they judged their own sons, they were bound to attribute his miracles to a gracious power.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“And if I by Beelzeboul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges.”
Furthermore let them consider another factor. If Jesus cast out demons by Beelzeboul, how did their own exorcisers cast them out? ‘Your sons’ indicates those of whom the Pharisees approved. Or it may mean just ‘true Jews’ in their eyes. But either way they accepted that their work, if successful, was of God. Any who were seen as ‘good Jews’ who cast out evil spirits were seen as doing so by the power of God. And in that case they could be their judges as to the fact that demons only responded to God’s power. For it was no different in His case.
There certainly were exorcisers around Galilee at that time, and in many parts of the world. Jews were famed for exorcism. And there was widespread belief in evil spirits, not all of which was concerned with genuine phenomena, and these men made claims to deliver men from evil spirits (compare Act 19:13, which would, however, appear to have been a genuine case). Josephus speaks of having witnessed such an exorcism which he saw as genuine, and links it with the abilities of Solomon in the field. But it does not matter here whether they were genuine or not. The argument still stood.
It is sometimes said that Jesus could not have used this argument as it would have suggested that these men also brought in the Kingly Rule of God. But that is not so at all. All that He is claiming here is that their ability, combined with their acceptability to the Pharisees, proves that the Pharisees accepted in their case that what they did was being done by the power of God. Thus it should also demonstrate that He too does it by the power of God. But the difference lies in the fact that these exorcisers did not make any special claims for themselves for God to be displeased about. So their exorcisms simply revealed the power of God through godly men. But in His case it was different In His case He is casting out evil spirits while claiming to be the Coming one. So His following argument is now also based on the fact of Who He is claiming to be. It is when it is done by Him that it demonstrates that the Kingly Rule of God is here, because the very fact that God acts through Him demonstrates that God does not see His particular claims about the presence of the Kingly Rule of God in Him as false, but is well pleased with Him.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 12:27. By whom do your children, &c. Your sons, . Dr. Chandler paraphrases the verse thus: “You do not impute the miracles of your prophets to Beelzebub, but, on the evidence of these miracles, you receive them as the messengers of God; nevertheless you reject me, who work greater and more numerous miracles than they, and impute them to the power of evil spirits. Is this conduct of a piece? Wherefore these prophets shall be your judges; they shall condemn you.” Others, however, suppose, and, as it seems to me, with better reason, that by your sons is meant your disciples, or your countrymen in general; for that manyof the Jews did at this time attempt tocast out devils, is plain from Mar 9:38. Luk 9:49. Act 19:13 and Josephus, Antiq. lib. viii. c. 2. Calvin thinks that God conferred a power of this kind on some particular persons among the Jews anciently, that, by thus proving his presence among them, he might retain the nation in the faith of his covenant; and that the people, having experienced God’s power in those instances, came foolishly to institute for themselves the office of an exorcist. Agreeably to this it may be observed, that our Lord’s argument does not require that the demons were actually expelled by these exorcists; it is sufficient that the Jews thought they were expelled, and did not condemn those pretended miracles, as they did Christ’s real ones. See Whitby and Grotius on the place.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 12:27 . A second way of rebutting the charge.
Notice the emphatic antithesis: and . The latter ( people of your own school; see, in general, note on Mat 8:12 ) are exorcists who have even pretended actually to cast out demons (Act 19:13 ; Josephus, Antt. viii. 2. 5, Bell. vii. 6. 3; Justin, c. Tryph. p. 311), who have emanated from the schools of the Pharisees, not the disciples of Jesus , as the majority of the Fathers have supposed. “Quod discipuli vestri daemonia ejiciunt, vos Beelzebuli non attribuitis; illi ergo possunt hac in re judices vestri esse, vos ex virulentia haec de actionibus meis pronuntiare,” Lightfoot. Jesus reasons ex concessis .
( ipsi ) are placed together for sake of emphasis.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
Ver. 27. By whom do your children, &c. ] That is, your countrymen. Not the disciples (as Augustine, Civ. Dei, and other ancients would have it), but the Jewish exorcists, of whom see Mar 9:38 ; Act 19:13 . As if our Saviour should have said, Unless that be a blemish in me that you hold to be a beauty in others, why should you condemn me for a conjurer? Why doth your malice thus wilfully cross your consciences? Certain it is, saith Erasmus, that the selfsame things are condemned as heretical in Luther’s books, that in Augustine and Bernard’s works are read and regarded as pious and orthodox sentences. a So these passages were gathered as heresies out of Tyndale’s works. He is not a sinner in the sight of God that would be no sinner. He that would be delivered, hath his heart loose already. It is impossible that the word of the cross should be without affliction and persecution. The gospel is written for all persons and estates, prince, duke, pope, emperor. We cannot be without motions of evil desires, but we must mortify them in resisting them. God made us his children and heirs while we were his enemies, and before we knew him. Men should see that their children come to church to hear the sermon, &c. Were not these perilous heresies? b Saith not the Scripture the same in various places? Is not this to have the glorious faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons? Jas 2:1 . So the greatest errors that Henry Voes and John Esch, martyrs, were accused of, were, that men ought to trust only in God; forsomuch as men are liars, and deceitful in all their words and deeds; and therefore there ought no trust or affiance to be put in them.
a Compertum est damnata ut haeretica in libris Lutheri, &c. Eras. Epist. ad Cardinal. Moguntin.
b Novum crimen C. Caesar, et antehoc tempus inauditum. Cic. pro Ligar.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
27. ] The interpretation of this verse has been much disputed; viz. as to whether the casting out by the ( scholars, disciples; see 2Ki 2:3 and passim) were real or pretended exorcisms. The occurrence mentioned Luk 9:49 does not seem to apply; for there John says, , ., which hardly could have been the case with those here referred to. Nor again can the of Act 19:13 be the same as these, inasmuch as they also named over the possessed the name of the Lord Jesus: or at all events it can be no such invocation which is here referred to. In Josephus (Antt. viii. 2. 5) we read that Solomon , . . It is highly necessary to institute this enquiry as to the reality of their exorcisms: for it would leave an unworthy impression on the reader, and one very open to the cavils of unbelief, were we to sanction the idea that our Lord would have solemnly compared with his own miracles, and drawn inferences from, a system of imposture, which on that supposition, these Pharisees must have known to be such. I infer then that the . did really cast out devils; and I think this view is confirmed by what the multitudes said in ch. Mat 9:33 , where upon the dumb speaking after the devil was cast out they exclaimed : meaning that this was a more complete healing than they had ever seen before. The difficulty has arisen mainly from forgetting that miracles, as such , are no test of truth , but have been permitted to, and prophesied of, false religions and teachers. See Exo 7:22 ; Exo 8:7 ; ch. Mat 24:24 , &c.: Deu 13:1-5 . There is an important passage in Justin Martyr, Dial. with Trypho, 85, p. 182, as follows: . , , , , . , . Irenus (cited by Grotius) says that “hujus invocatione etiam ante adventum Domini nostri salvabantur homines a spiritibus nequissimis, et a dmoniis universis,” and adds, “Judi usque nunc hac ipsa invocatione dmonas fugant.” Jer [121] , Chrys., Hil [122] , understand to mean the Apostles: , , ; . , . . Chrys. Hom. xli. 2, p. 446.
[121] Jerome , fl. 378 420
[122] Hilary, Bp. of Poictiers , 354
] your judges, in the sense of convicting you of partiality .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
children = sons: i.e. disciples. The Pharisees believed in and practiced exorcism. See Josephus (Antiquities viii. 2-5), and compare Act 19:13.
therefore = on account of this. Greek. dia touto. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
27.] The interpretation of this verse has been much disputed; viz. as to whether the casting out by the (scholars,-disciples; see 2Ki 2:3 and passim) were real or pretended exorcisms. The occurrence mentioned Luk 9:49 does not seem to apply; for there John says, , ., which hardly could have been the case with those here referred to. Nor again can the of Act 19:13 be the same as these, inasmuch as they also named over the possessed the name of the Lord Jesus: or at all events it can be no such invocation which is here referred to. In Josephus (Antt. viii. 2. 5) we read that Solomon , . . It is highly necessary to institute this enquiry as to the reality of their exorcisms: for it would leave an unworthy impression on the reader, and one very open to the cavils of unbelief, were we to sanction the idea that our Lord would have solemnly compared with his own miracles, and drawn inferences from, a system of imposture, which on that supposition, these Pharisees must have known to be such. I infer then that the . did really cast out devils; and I think this view is confirmed by what the multitudes said in ch. Mat 9:33, where upon the dumb speaking after the devil was cast out they exclaimed : meaning that this was a more complete healing than they had ever seen before. The difficulty has arisen mainly from forgetting that miracles, as such, are no test of truth, but have been permitted to, and prophesied of, false religions and teachers. See Exo 7:22; Exo 8:7; ch. Mat 24:24, &c.: Deu 13:1-5. There is an important passage in Justin Martyr, Dial. with Trypho, 85, p. 182, as follows:- . , , , , . , . Irenus (cited by Grotius) says that hujus invocatione etiam ante adventum Domini nostri salvabantur homines a spiritibus nequissimis, et a dmoniis universis, and adds, Judi usque nunc hac ipsa invocatione dmonas fugant. Jer[121], Chrys., Hil[122], understand to mean the Apostles: , , ; . , . . Chrys. Hom. xli. 2, p. 446.
[121] Jerome, fl. 378-420
[122] Hilary, Bp. of Poictiers, 354
] your judges, in the sense of convicting you of partiality.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 12:27. , your sons) whom you cannot but accuse, says Jesus, if you calumniate Me. See also Mar 9:38, and cf. Act 19:13.-, your) whom you do not harass in this manner, since they are of your own race and discipline.-, cast out[571]) See ch. Mat 8:22, and Mar 9:38.-, they) emphatically.
[571] In My name.-V. g.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Beelzebub: Mat 12:24
by whom: Mar 9:38, Mar 9:39, Luk 9:49, Luk 9:50, Luk 11:19, Act 19:13-16
they: Mat 12:41, Mat 12:42, Luk 19:22, Rom 3:19
Reciprocal: Num 23:23 – no enchantment
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2:27
Jesus did not admit that these persons really did cast out devils, they just made that claim such as the case in Act 19:13. But their position on the subject gave Christ another basis for exposing their inconsistency. They would not admit that their children did their work by the help of Beelzebub, for that would be classing
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
[By whom do your children cast them out?] by your children; Christ seems to understand some disciples of the Pharisees; that is, some of the Jews, who using exorcisms seemed to cast out devils such as they, Act 19:13; and yet they said not to them, “Ye cast out devils by Beelzebul.” It is worthy marking, that Christ presently saith, “If I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then the kingdom of God is come among you.” For what else does this speak, than that Christ was the first who should cast out devils? which was an undoubted sign to them that the kingdom of heaven was now come. But that which was performed by them by exorcisms was not so much a casting out of devils, as a delusion of the people; since Satan would not cast out Satan, but by compact with himself and with his company he seemed to be cast out, that he might the more deceive.
The sense, therefore, of Christ’s words comes to this: “That your disciples cast out devils, ye attribute not to Beelzebul, no nor to magic; but ye applaud the work when it is done by them: they, therefore, may in this matter be your judges, that you pronounce these words of my actions out of the rankness and venom of your minds.”
In the Gloss mention is made of a devil cast out by a Jew at Rome.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mat 12:27. By whom do your sons, i.e., disciples, cast them out? If casting out devils is an evidence of a league with Satan, then this holds good against your scholars who profess to do it also.
Therefore they shall be your judges. They shall convict you of partiality. The argument is valid, whether the Jewish exorcists cured or only pretended to do so. It is probable they did exercise some influence; though to no great extent, else the wonder at Christs power would not have been so great. Our Lord does not hint at any imposture; in every age there has been something analogous and inexplicable, e. g., the Egyptian sorcerers. The existence of demoniacs in those days, is proof that supernatural power, of itself is no test of truth.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mat 12:27-28. And if I by Beelzebub, &c. This is the second argument made use of by Jesus for confuting the calumny of the Pharisees; by whom do your children cast them out? As if he had said, For the same reason that you attribute my miracles to the devil, you may attribute all the miracles that ever were wrought in the world to the devil, and particularly the miracles of your own prophets which, nevertheless, you acknowledge to be divine. To this purpose Dr. Chandler paraphrases the verse, Ye do not impute the miracles of your prophets to Beelzebub, but on the evidence of these miracles ye receive them as the messengers of God. Nevertheless, ye reject me, who work greater and more numerous miracles than they, and impute them to the power of evil spirits. Is this conduct of a piece? Wherefore these prophets shall be your judges; they shall condemn you. It seems, however, more probable that, by your children, is meant your disciples, or your countrymen in general, for that many of the Jews did, at this time, attempt to cast out devils, is plain from Mar 9:38; Luk 9:49; Act 19:13; Josephus, Antiq., Mat 8:2. Calvin thinks that God conferred power of this kind on some particular persons among the Jews anciently, that by thus proving his presence among them he might retain the nation in the faith of his covenant; and that the people, having experienced Gods power in those instances, came foolishly to institute for themselves the office of an exorcist. Agreeably to this it may be observed, that our Lords argument does not require that the demons were actually expelled by these exorcists. It is sufficient that the Jews thought they were expelled, and did not find fault with those pretended miracles, as they did with Christs real ones. Therefore they shall be your judges Ask them, if Satan will cast out Satan; let even them be judges in this matter. And they shall convict you of obstinacy and partiality, who impute that in me to Beelzebub, which in them you impute to God. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God As it is evident, and you cannot reasonably deny that I do; then the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you The time is certainly come which God has appointed for taking the power out of the hands of the devil, in order that he may himself rule, both in the bodies and souls of men. The word , rendered is come, implies, is come unawares; before you expected it. In other words, the Messiahs kingdom is come, and you ought with joy to enter it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Verse 27
Your children; persons of your sect or party. It seems that there were such, who claimed the power of dispossessing evil spirits.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
The Pharisees’ "sons" cast out demons occasionally. These "sons" were probably their disciples or less likely the Jews more generally. In either case some Jews in Jesus’ day could cast out demons (cf. Act 19:13). If the Pharisees asserted that Jesus cast out demons by Satan’s power, they would have to admit that their sons did so by the same power, something they would have denied.