Although the crowds were amazed, the Pharisees were offended, unable to tolerate the fact that through an extraordinary miracle the Lord Jesus had gained all the crowds. Hence, these Pharisees had to say something to deal with the situation. According to verse 24, they said, “This man does not cast out the demons except by Beelzebub, ruler of the demons.” This was the greatest blasphemy heaped upon the heavenly King by the opposing Pharisees. Beelzebub means the lord of the flies. It was changed in contempt by the Jews to Baalzebel, which means the lord of the dunghill, and was used for the ruler of the demons (Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15,18-19). The king of the dunghill, the most dirty place, full of flies, was Satan. Therefore, in the eyes of the ancient Jews, Beelzebub referred to Satan as the king of the demons and as the king of the dirty flies on the dunghill. To say that Christ cast out demons by Beelzebub meant that He cast them out by Satan. What blasphemy to accuse the heavenly King of this!
The Pharisees’ accusation afforded Christ an opportunity to reveal something further. Once again His ministry produced a situation that enabled Him to reveal something that we would otherwise be unable to see. Apparently the Lord had cast out a demon. Actually, that was not only the casting out of a demon; it was a fighting.
Verses 25 and 26 say, “But knowing their thoughts, He said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” The Lord seemed to be saying to the Pharisees, “How could I cast out a demon by Satan? If I did this, then Satan would be fighting against Satan, and his kingdom could not stand.” Verse 26 is unique in the whole Bible in that no other verse opens the secret that Satan has his kingdom. Satan is the ruler of this world (John 12:31) and the ruler of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2). He has his authority (Acts 26:18) and his angels (Matt. 25:41), who are his subordinates as principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph. 6:12). Hence, he has his kingdom, the authority of darkness (Col. 1:13, Gk.). Satan’s kingdom is built on earth and among men. But the heavenly King has come to establish a heavenly kingdom also among men on earth. Therefore, these two kingdoms are in conflict. Satan’s kingdom is the old kingdom, but the heavenly King is about to establish a new kingdom, the kingdom of the heavens. By this we see that a battle is raging.
In verse 27 the Lord told the Pharisees, “And if I by Beelzebub cast out the demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.” Actually, it was not the Lord Jesus but the sons of the Pharisees who cast out demons by Beelzebub. This word of the Lord indicates that the Pharisees were one with Satan, the ruler of the demons.
Verse 28 says, “But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you.” The Spirit of God is the power of the kingdom of God. Where the Spirit of God is in power, there the kingdom of God is, and there the demons have no ground. By the Lord’s word here we see that the battle fought for the kingdom is not fought by just a man himself, but by a man with the Spirit of God. In verse 28 the Lord said that He cast out demons by the Spirit of God and that this is the coming of the kingdom of God. Wherever the Spirit of God exercises His authority over the opposing situation, that is the kingdom of God.
The Lord is always careful with His words. In verse 28 He speaks of the kingdom of God, not of the kingdom of the heavens. Even at that time, the kingdom of the heavens had still not come. The kingdom of God, however, was there already.