Verse 28
The Spirit of God stands in stark contrast to Beelzebul. Matthew probably used "kingdom of God" here rather than "kingdom of heaven" to connect the kingdom with the Spirit.
"References to the Spirit occur only twelve times altogether in Matthew’s gospel, with one-third of them in chapter 12. As might be expected in a gospel concerned to interpret the significance of the life and ministry of Jesus, most of the references describe the work of the Spirit in relation to Him." [Note: Lowery, pp. 31-32.]
Jesus was claiming that He received His power from God’s Spirit (cf. Matthew 12:18), a clear messianic claim. [Note: See Mark R. Saucy, "Miracles and Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God," Bibliotheca Sacra 153:611 (July-September 1996):281-307.] The kingdom was imminent because the King was present.
"Upon" you does not mean the kingdom had somehow entered the Jews or overtaken them and they were then in it. Jesus was addressing the Pharisees, and He did not mean the kingdom had come on them of all people. Moreover Jesus’ concept of the kingdom was an earthly physical one. Furthermore everywhere else Jesus spoke of people entering the kingdom, not the kingdom entering them. [Note: H. D. A. Major, T. W. Manson, and C. J. Wright, The Mission and Message of Jesus, p. 596.]
Be the first to react on this!
