Jesus Heals a Blind, Mute Demoniac

We gather here today with open hearts and minds To grow in faith and truth in every

Every word we find the pages of the word alive and full of grace, inspiring faith with him, as we seek his face, Bible.

Bible bites In starting faith one bite at a time With every verse we find our way

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Welcome to Bible Bites, the podcast where we work to inspire faith one bite at a time.

I'm your host, Randy Black.

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus demonstrates his authority over demonic forces by healing a man who is blind and mute due to demonic oppression

This miraculous event reveals both the power of Jesus and the skepticism of those who witnessed it.

Through these scriptures.

We will explore the implications of Jesus' actions, the reactions of the crowd, and the eternal truths about his authority and the kingdom of God

As we do with every episode before we dive into our study of the scripture, let's open up with a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, we come before you in awe of your power and your love.

Thank you for the example of Jesus, who brings healing and freedom to those in bondage.

Open our hearts and minds as we study your word.

Teach us to recognize your authority in our lives and to trust in your power to overcome all evil.

May these scriptures and this lesson deepen our faith and strengthen our commitment to follow you.

In the name of your Son Jesus, we pray.

Amen.

Matthew chapter twelve verses twenty two and twenty-three.

Then a demon possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to Jesus.

Jesus, and he healed him so that the man who was unable to speak talked and could see.

And all the crowds were amazed and were saying, This man cannot be the son of David, can he?

Luke chapter 11, verses 14 through 23.

And he was casting out a demon, and it was mute.

When the demon had gone out, the man who was previously unable to speak talked, and the crowds were amazed.

But some of them said

Said, He cast out the demons by Beelzebel, the ruler of the demons.

Others to test him were demanding of him a sign from heaven.

But he knew their thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a house.

House divided against itself falls.

And if Satan also has been divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?

For you claim that I cast out the demons by Beelzebubel, yet if by Beelzebel I cast out the demons.

By whom do your sons cast them out?

Therefore they will be your judges.

But if I cast out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are secure.

But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.

The one who is not with me,

is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.

In both passages, passages of Scripture here, Jesus' power over

Demonic forces is unmistakable.

The man's condition was severe, as he was both blind and mute, making it clear that his affliction was beyond human remedy

Jesus' healing of the man demonstrates his divine authority, showing that no force of darkness can withstand his power

This act not only restored the man's physical physed this man physically, but also it it freed him spiritually.

and exemplifying Jesus' mission to bring liberation to the oppressed.

The reaction of the crowd reflects a mix of amazement

And of doubt.

In Matthew's account, some wondered if Jesus could be the promised Messiah, calling him the son of David

This title signifies the people's hope for a deliverer from David's lineage who would establish God's kingdom.

However,

Their question reveals uncertainty, as they struggled to reconcile their expectations of the Messiah with Jesus' actions.

Luke's account adds another layer by highlighting opposition to Jesus.

Some accused him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebal, the ruler of the demons.

This accusation reveals the hardness of their hearts, and their unwillingness to acknowledge Jesus' divine authority.

Rather than seeing the miracle as evidence of God's kingdom, they twisted it into something sinister.

Jesus' response to accusations is both logical and profound.

He points out the absurdity of Satan working against himself, stating that a divided kingdom cannot stand.

By exposing the flawed reasoning of his accusers, Jesus reinforces his authority and underscores the reality of his mission, to overthrow the kingdom of darkness and establish God's rule.

Furthermore, Jesus uses this moment to emphasize the seriousness of choosing sides

In Luke 11, verse 23, he declares, The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.

This statement challenges all who hear it to decide whether their allegiance where exactly their allegiances lie.

Neutrality is not an option in the face of Jesus' authority.

We have some key takeaways from these pieces of scripture.

Our first is that Jesus' power is unmatched

Jesus' healing of the blind and mute demonic is a clear demonstration of his authority over both physical and spiritual realms.

No human remedy could address this man's affliction

But Jesus' power proves sufficient.

This underscores his identity as the Son of God, capable of overcoming any forces of darkness

It also reminds us that no problem or challenge in our lives is beyond his ability to resolve.

His authority is both comprehensive and compassionate, always working for the good of those who trust him.

Our second takeaway is that the reactions to Jesus vary.

The crowd's response to the miracle was a mixture of amazement and skepticism.

While Saul some saw the possibility of Jesus being the Son of David, others doubted or even accused him of colluding with evil.

This reveals the diversity of human reactions to God's work, shaped by the condition of the heart.

It reminds us that faith requires humility and openness to truth.

Our response to Jesus should be one of belief and gratitude rather than doubt or resistance, as he continually reveals his love and his power.

Our third takeaway is that allegiance is essential.

Jesus clearly states that neutrality is not an option.

The one who is not with me is against me

This calls us to actively choose him and align our lives with his mission.

It challenges us to examine our priorities.

and to ensure that we are not inadvertently scattering scattering by neglecting our faith or our mission

Allegiance to Jesus means more than belief.

It requires action, such as sharing the gospel, serving others, and living according to his teachings

By standing with Jesus, we contribute to his kingdom's growth and reflect his love to the world

And our last takeaway is that the kingdom of God is advancing.

Jesus' miracle serves as

and as undeniable signs that God's kingdom is breaking into the world.

The healing of the man highlights the liberating power of this kingdom, which brings freedom from sin and from oppression.

This truth assures us that God's reign is active and victorious, even in the face of opposition

As followers of Christ, we are invited to participate in this advancing kingdom by living as ambassadors of his love, his grace, and his truth

Each act of faith and obedience contributes to the realization of God's will on earth as it is in heaven

These passages challenge us to reflect on how we respond to Jesus' authority.

Like the crowd, we are faced with a decision.

Will we recognize Jesus as Lord and align our lives with His kingdom?

Or will we resist and miss the freedom he offers?

Reflect on moments in your life where you may have doubted or delayed fully committing to his will.

How can you take steps to deepen your trust in his authority

Consider the faith of those who brought this man to Jesus.

They believed in his power to heal, despite the man's severe condition.

This example reminds us to bring our burdens and the needs of others to Jesus, trusting in his ability to provide restoration.

How often do we intercede for others, confident in God's power to change lives?

The accusations against Jesus highlight the danger of hard-heartedness.

It is possible to witness God's power and still reject Him due to pride or preconceived notions.

This serves as a warning to examine our hearts

and ensure we are open to the truth of who Jesus is.

Reflect on areas where pride or misconceptions might hinder your ability to fully embrace God's work in your life.

Jesus' statement about allegiance urges us to evaluate our commitments to Him.

Are we actively gathering with Him, contributing to His kingdom work, or

Are we passively scattering by neglecting our call?

This reflection invites us to deepen our devotion and participate fully in his mission

What specific steps can you take today to align more closely with his kingdom's work?

And lastly, the concept of the kingdom of God advancing reminds us that we are part of a much larger story

Every act of obedience, every prayer, and every step of faith contributes to God's eternal purposes

Consider the ways in which you can be an active participant in this kingdom, spreading his love and truth to those around you.

As we do in every episode as we finish up our examination and study of the scripture, let's close out with a prayer

Lord, we thank you for your power and authority over all things.

Help us to respond to your faith, respond to you with faith

And not with doubt or resistance.

Give us the courage to choose you daily and to align our lives with your kingdom.

Teach us to trust in your ability to bring healing and freedom to every area of our lives.

May we always stand with you and work to gather others into your kingdom.

In the name of your Son, Jesus, our Savior, we pray.

Amen.

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We do have prayer requests to include today.

First off, the the victims of of the previous winter storm we talked about Blair, and then there's another winter storm heading right in, uh uh barreling toward the east coast.

It's gonna hit us here in West Virginia where I'm at and some other places in the mid-Atlantic.

um and the north north some of the northeast, some of the southeast.

So we'll keep the people in in your mind with that that they can make it through and everything will be okay.

We also want to remember those who've been affected by the the wildfires in California, specifically Los Angeles, the Pacific Palisades area.

Um

tremendous devastation and things there.

But we want to hope that you know the recovery happens for these folks.

And if they don't know the Lord, that that this might be a a a sign for them that they need to come to the Lord uh as well in their lives.

Uh we have continued prayer requests for my dad, his cancer treatments are they're going okay.

He hasn't had a full week of treatment just with some

things at the at the at the treatment center and stuff, uh with some machinery issues.

Uh but he's he's doing well, not having a lot of

side effects from it other than being tired.

So we want to continue to ask the Lord to help him as he goes through this process and to touch him and maybe stir his heart a little and bring him bring him back to church and into into direct service with the Lord

Again, my mom as well, as she's going through all this with him, that she can be the rock he needs to for support and hold him up.

And, you know, I'd love to see her as well get back into church uh weekly um for services and for the

amazing uh fellowship you can have with others uh while in service to the Lord.

Again, Tim Kalekka

Uh he's a gentleman I've mentioned the past couple of weeks when I lift him up and continue to pray for him and as he deals with the the sickness and things he's dealing with.

uh family friend Greg um as well.

He's currently preparing to go and see the doctor and see what options they have for for treatment with what they found through the results and things they've they've gotten on the biopsies and stuff with him

Also his wife currently this week is pretty ill.

She's pretty sick.

So like we're having a family get together later on um today that she's not gonna be able to make it uh make it to we invited them down because they're such good friends and so close with them.

But they're not gonna be able to make it because of her illness.

So we wanna remember Kim, his wife, as she's uh dealing with that, that the Lord can heal her and touch her and and help her to get well.

And then again, continue to remember me.

I'm seeing some

Some success and some some things happening with the changes in the medication from the direction that the doctor has pushed things.

Um and I'm I'm feeling much better and I'm I'm

ready to say that I'm I think I'm gonna I'm gonna beat these things that are that are being issues.

And I know it's because I've handed that over to the Lord and asked the Lord for uh for the help on that.

So as we do each week, before we talk about our next episode, we're going to close out with a prayer for these requests.

Heavenly Father, we thank you again for the chance to

To come and spread your word, to share it with those, and to learn from your word.

We want to lift up these requests that uh we've we've had shared today.

The people affected by these winter storms as they're going on, California and the wildfires, my parents, um, friends, Greg and Kim.

Um

Friend Tim Kaletka and myself and any unspoken requests that we have, Lord, you know what the needs are and you know the best way to address them.

In a way that meets with your will.

We trust your wisdom in providing those answers for us.

It's in your name that we work each week to share the word

with those in the world to help them to gain better knowledge and better understanding of your word, but also if they don't know

your son Jesus personally as their Savior, that they can accept him and spend eternity in heaven with those who are saved and with you and with your son.

And it is in the name of your son that we pray and thank you for these things.

Amen.

Our next episode, we're going to look at the

30th miracle in our series, and that's when Jesus heals a woman who had been crippled for 18 years.

You want to go ahead and read up on that?

You can look in Luke.

chapter 13 in verses 10 through 17.

So join us on the next episode of Bible Bites, the podcast where we work to inspire faith one bite at a time.

Bible bites, Bible bites, Inspiring fake one bite at a time with every verse

We find our way to live our lives in his life and shine.

Bubble bites, bubble bites, inspiring faith one bite at a time.

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