Discovery BoxMatthew 12:18-27 
Context12:18 “Here is 1 my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I take great delight. 2
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
12:19 He will not quarrel or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
12:20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,
until he brings justice to victory.
12:21 And in his name the Gentiles 3 will hope.” 4
12:22 Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus 5 healed him so that he could speak and see. 6 12:23 All the crowds were amazed and said, “Could this one be the Son of David?” 12:24 But when the Pharisees 7 heard this they said, “He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul, 8 the ruler 9 of demons!” 12:25 Now when Jesus 10 realized what they were thinking, he said to them, 11 “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, 12 and no town or house divided against itself will stand. 12:26 So if 13 Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 12:27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons 14 cast them 15 out? For this reason they will be your judges.
1 tn Grk “Behold my servant.”
2 tn Grk “in whom my soul is well pleased.”
3 tn Or “the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
4 sn Verses 18-21 are a quotation from Isa 42:1-4.
5 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Grk “demoniac, and he healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.”
7 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
8 tn Grk “except by Beelzebul.”
sn Beelzebul is another name for Satan. So some people recognized Jesus’ work as supernatural, but called it diabolical.
9 tn Or “prince.”
10 tc The majority of
11 sn Jesus here demonstrated the absurdity of the thinking of the religious leaders who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. He first teaches (vv. 25-28) that if he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. He then teaches (v. 29) about tying up the strong man to prove that he does not need to align himself with the devil because he is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (4:1-11) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (a position for which they will be held accountable, 12:31-32).
12 tn Or “is left in ruins.”
13 tn This first class condition, the first of three “if” clauses in the following verses, presents the example vividly as if it were so. In fact, all three conditions in these verses are first class. The examples are made totally parallel. The expected answer is that Satan’s kingdom will not stand, so the suggestion makes no sense. Satan would not seek to heal.
14 sn Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27/Luke 11:19,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.
15 tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
