Satan is a spiritual being who rebelled against God and coaxed the first human beings into joining his rebellion (Genesis 3). Once they came out from under God’s authority they were at the mercy of Satan’s influence, in that sense, under his authority. When Jesus resisted the temptations of Satan in the desert (Matthew 4) he proved that he was not under the authority and influence of Satan. He was therefore able to exercise authority over Satan as Adam could and should have done with the authority that God gave him. Jesus often came across people who were ‘demonized’ (the word ‘possessed’ is not present in the original Greek). When he drove out demons, Jesus was demonstrating his authority. This made it clear to the Jews that Jesus was their Messiah, and so it caused a dilemma for the Pharisees. If Jesus was the Messiah then they were on the wrong track, and they did not want to be wrong. They wanted to be right. In fact, they want to be right more than they wanted to know the truth. So, to escape this clear implication they made the absurd claim that Jesus was able to do these things because he was under Satan’s power (when it should have been clear that the reason he was able to do this was precisely because he wasn’t under Satan’s power). Beware of using theology to protect yourself against the Spirit’s correction. You are not perfect and all-knowing and therefore you will always be wrong about something. If you resist correction you put yourself, in a sense, beyond redemption (vs.31).
Ask God to correct you and teach you.
Read Matthew 12:22-37.
