But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
The Pharisees were religious leaders in first-century Judaism — highly respected experts in Jewish law. Jesus had just healed a man who couldn't speak by driving out a demon, a miracle witnessed by watching crowds. Rather than acknowledging this as the work of God, the Pharisees claimed Jesus was operating through Satan — the "prince of demons" — to perform these miracles. This was the most damning accusation they could make: taking a display of divine power and labeling it the work of evil.
Lord, save me from the blindness that comes from having already decided. When you move in unexpected ways, give me eyes to see it for what it is. Keep my heart open and my grip on my own certainty loose. Amen.
There is a particular kind of blindness that comes not from ignorance, but from having already decided. The Pharisees were not stupid men — they were scholars, trained their whole lives to recognize the work of God. And yet when it stood right in front of them, healing a man who couldn't speak, they called it evil. Why? Because accepting it would have cost too much — their position, their certainty, their version of how God was supposed to operate. How often do we do the same? Not usually with miracles, but with quieter things — a person who challenges our theology, a circumstance that doesn't fit our plan, a nudging that would require us to change. We find ways to dismiss, label, and explain away. The question worth sitting with today isn't really about the Pharisees at all. It's this: Is there something in your life you've already decided about — and what if you're wrong?
Why do you think the Pharisees, with all their religious training and knowledge of Scripture, landed on this particular explanation for what Jesus did?
Can you think of a time when you dismissed something — an idea, a person, or a conviction — too quickly because accepting it would have felt too costly?
What is the difference between healthy skepticism and the kind of willful blindness the Pharisees show here — and how do you tell which one you're operating in?
How does this verse challenge the way you interact with people whose beliefs or spiritual practices look different from yours, especially in a church or faith community?
Is there one area of your spiritual life where you've already made up your mind? Are you willing to genuinely ask God to show you if you're missing something?
And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
John 10:20
And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
Matthew 12:23
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
Matthew 12:24
It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
Matthew 10:25
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
John 3:20
And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
Luke 11:14
Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
Matthew 12:22
But the Pharisees were saying, "He casts out the demons by [the power of] the ruler of demons."
AMP
But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
ESV
But the Pharisees were saying, 'He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.'
NASB
But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”
NIV
But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
NKJV
But the Pharisees said, “He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.”
NLT
The Pharisees were left sputtering, "Hocus pocus. It's nothing but hocus pocus. He's probably made a pact with the Devil."
MSG