Jesus’ Power Is From God^(A)

²² Then some people brought a man to Jesus. This man was blind and could not talk, because he had a demon inside him. Jesus healed the man, and he could talk and see. ²³ All the people were amazed at what Jesus did. They said, “Maybe he is the promised Son of David!”

²⁴ When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man uses the power of Satan^[a] to force demons out of people. Satan is the ruler of demons.”

²⁵ Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking. So he said to them, “Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. And every city or family that is divided against itself will not survive. ²⁶ So if Satan forces out his own demons,^[b] then he is fighting against himself, and his kingdom will not survive. ²⁷ You say that I use the power of Satan to force out demons. If that is true, then what power do your people use when they force out demons? So your own people will prove that you are wrong. ²⁸ But I use the power of God’s Spirit to force out demons, and this shows that God’s kingdom has come to you. ²⁹ Whoever wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things must first tie him up. Then they can steal the things from his house. ³⁰ Whoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me.

³¹ “So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sinful thing they do and for every bad thing they say against God. But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² You can even speak against the Son of Man and be forgiven. But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven—not now or in the future.

Jesus’ Power Is From God^(A)

¹⁴ One time Jesus was sending a demon out of a man who could not talk. When the demon came out, the man was able to speak. The crowds were amazed. ¹⁵ But some of the people said, “He uses the power of Satan^[a] to force demons out of people. Satan is the ruler of demons.”

¹⁶ Some others there wanted to test Jesus. They asked him to do a miracle as a sign from God. ¹⁷ But he knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. And a family that fights against itself will break apart. ¹⁸ So if Satan is fighting against himself, how will his kingdom survive? You say that I use the power of Satan to force out demons. ¹⁹ But if I use Satan’s power to force out demons, then what power do your people use when they force out demons? So your own people will prove that you are wrong. ²⁰ But I use the power of God to force out demons. This shows that God’s kingdom has now come to you.

²¹ “When a strong man with many weapons guards his own house, the things in his house are safe. ²² But suppose a stronger man comes and defeats him. The stronger man will take away the weapons that the first man trusted to keep his house safe. Then the stronger man will do what he wants with the other man’s things.

²³ “Whoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me.

¹⁰ “Whoever says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.