Devotional:

“32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” 35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” — Matthew 9:32-38

This is the fourth specific account written in the gospels that shows us Jesus’s complete authority over all things, both good and evil. Let’s not skim past these first three verses too quickly. These accounts written in the gospels aren’t just in the Bible by chance. There is a reason for every single word written in the bible. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul tells us that all scripture is breathed out by God and used for teaching so that we can be equipped for every good work.

Demon possession was not an unusual thing during this time. In the New Testament, people were surrounded by many religions, Greek, pagan and Jewish. People very much believed in the existence of demonic spiritual forces. Although the Bible does not reference details about how demonic possession was handled, after reading through some historical studies of Jewish rituals and culture, I learned that Rabbis and religious leaders used very specific and lengthy rituals to exorcise demons.

One thing they thought was an essential part of removing a demon was to find out its name or the type of demon they were dealing with. This meant they had to force it to talk or expose who it was. They believed there were different types of demons, each requiring different strategies and rituals. These were very detailed and specific processes. The practices include liturgical passages and sacred texts chanting over and over, rebuking, and threatening the demon by name. And over time, the evil spirit would hopefully be weakened to submission and leave. It is possible that this or something similar was used to exorcise evil spirits during Jesus’s ministry.

This demon chose to afflict this man with the inability to speak. Why is this significant? So far, all the demons have talked to Jesus, right? He commanded them to. We’ve read and know that demons were never in control when Jesus was present. He had power over them and only needed one simple command for the demon to leave. Maybe, by making this man mute, this demon thought he had a strategy to protect himself from Jesus’s authority. Maybe thinking if He couldn’t speak to Jesus and Jesus couldn’t command Him to speak, He would be able to stay in control.

But Jesus showed His power has no limits, and without talking to the demon or demanding a word from the demon, He commanded it to leave. We understand what the crowds meant in verse 33, which says, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” They couldn’t comprehend Jesus and the magnitude of his power. There was no liturgical process, incantations, or any other ritual required by Jesus to remove this demon. It didn’t even say if Jesus said “come out” as He did with the others. Maybe He did, but what is important is that the demon was exposed and cast out immediately. Jesus knew this demon by name and did not need to have a conversation to demand it to leave.

The Pharisees, in verse 34, accuse Jesus of doing Satan’s work, witchcraft, sorcery, whatever you want to call it. They were trying to expose Jesus as a heretic and liar. Isn’t it so true, back then and even now, when we see evidence of God’s power so visible and undeniable, there are always those who refuse to see it? And Satan is always lurking in the background, trying to twist the truth to keep people from knowing Jesus.

Verses 35-37 show us how Jesus stayed the course, even amid the hate, ridicule, and lies the Pharisees were spreading about him. He continued even more fervently, from city to city, village to village, synagogue to synagogue, preaching and teaching and healing every disease and every evil power. And it says Jesus had compassion on the people and realized that this was no simple task. Many lost people needed to hear and believe the good news of God’s kingdom and He could see and feel their fear and their worry about the future, and Jesus knew there were so many that needed to be reached beyond the borders of Israel and beyond His days on earth. So, He asked the disciples to pray for more laborers, teachers, and believers to continue spreading the good news. Little did they know what Jesus meant. He wasn’t going to be there much longer. And one day soon, it was going to be up to them, to continue the ministry without Him.

Jesus, after experiencing so much doubt, ridicule, judgment, and who knows what else, did not stop the movement of God. He kept going, never feeling hopeless or defeated, and his compassion was made even more evident.

Are you living as if this world is temporary, or are you living as if the things of this world matter most?

How do you handle doubters, haters, and unbelievers? Do you let the fear of ridicule and hate affect your willingness to go and tell others about Jesus?

Do you have compassion for the lost as Jesus did? Doing whatever it takes to reach as many as possible?

Are you living out your faith as if nothing else matters?

God, I pray for laborers, for we know this world is a plentiful harvest. I pray for us to be your laborers for the kingdom of God. Give us the compassion that Jesus had for those who were lost, fearful and worried because they did not have a Savior.

Lord, open every eye to see who you are through your miracles, works, and power. Keep the lies of Satan far from us. You have all power and authority over the darkness in this world; thank you for your mighty love, grace, and mercy on us.

Let us walk in the knowledge of that daily, and give us power through your Holy Spirit to do kingdom work for Your glory and honor. Amen