Matthew 12:27

27. Your children That is, your disciples. That there were among the Jews exorcists, who at least professed to cast out devils, we know from the Apocrypha, from Josephus, and from Acts 19:12-14. It appears by the writings of the earliest Christian fathers that this power of exorcism remained for some time in the primitive Church. The truth doubtless is, that as the power of Satan had been for a period extraordinarily manifest at our Saviour’s coming, (see note on Matthew 1:20,) by the fact of possession, so some power had been divinely allowed to the Jews to dispossess. If, therefore, the Jews looked upon the appearance of demoniac possession as an increase of the power of Satan in the world, and if they looked upon the power of expulsion exercised by their own sons as a benevolent power and hostile to Satan, what right had they to ascribe this stupendous mastery over evil spirits, displayed by our Lord and exercised by him in the most merciful way, to any power but the highest power of God? Judging our Saviour as they judged their own sons, they were bound to attribute his miracles to a gracious power.