We saw yesterday how the Pharisees had to resort to an absurd argument to defend themselves from the obvious conclusion that they were on the wrong track. Jesus’ exorcisms were a sign that he was the Messiah, but, if he was the Messiah, then they were wrong. So, they argued that Jesus’ exorcisms were possible only because he was under Satan’s influence. What happens next is full of irony. The Pharisees say things to Jesus that echo the very temptations that Satan flung at Jesus in the desert. They challenged him to prove his divine sonship by doing a miracle. Jesus calls their bluff and cuts to the heart of the issue. They were defending themselves against God because they were unwilling to change (the Greek word for ‘repent’ literally means ‘to change one’s mind’). Never reject something because it challenges where you are, because it makes you feel uncomfortable, because it is outside your set way of understanding things, or because it might show you up to be wrong about something. The primary work of the Holy Spirit is to show us where we are at odds with God’s will. Don’t let your desire to be right overtake your desire for truth. You are always wrong about something. The journey into truth is a process in which the Spirit of God wants to expose our false securities and our self-devised agendas. He wants to expose the hidden conflict within us to lead us to peace. You will want to resist this, and many do so using theology as a mask. Be intentionally open to correction.
Have you resisted the Holy Spirit in the past? Ask God to forgive you and lead you to change.
Read Matthew 12:38-50
