Matthew 9:32-34

While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."  But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons."

This is at once amazing, sad and disturbing.  Amazing that Jesus, the Son of God -God incarnate, was doing exactly what He said  He said He had come to do -destroy the works of the devil.  We, of course, know the bigger picture, what is coming up.  We know that Jesus is headed toward the cross where the wrath of God will be fully satisfied and our sins we will be forgiven and we will be extended mercy and grace and a full and right relationship with God will be made possible.  But isn't it amazing that even before the triumph of the cross, Jesus was healing the sick and proclaiming God's favor and driving out demons?  Jesus, before enduring the cross, was constantly confronting the kingdom of darkness and destroying the works of the devil.

But this story is also sad -sad because what Jesus was doing was plain and obvious and clearly empowered by Father: God's glory was being declared, sick were being healed, and demons were being driven out.  The Kingdom of God was actively confronting the kingdom of darkness.  Yet, the religious elite refused to see it.  All they saw was a man doing things differently than they did things, which, naturally, challenged their existing paradigms of ministry.  These religious leaders actually accused Jesus of confronting the demons and the kingdom of darkness empowered by demons Himself.  Sad.

Ultimately, this story is disturbing because we tend to do the same thing.  I have more than once heard Christians who should know better accuse other Christians of cooperating with demons simply because divine healings are taking place and demons are being driven out.  We have a tendency to criticize (and demonize) whatever we don't understand and whatever challenges our existing paradigms.

I wonder what would happen if Christians actually rejoiced at the news that God is being glorified, people are being healed, demons are being driven out, the works of the devil are being destroyed, and the Kingdom of God is growing?