Matthew 12:22-37

Jesus and Beelzebul
²²Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. ²³All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

²⁵Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.²⁶If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

²⁹“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

³⁰“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ³¹And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.³²Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

³³“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 12:22-37

Watch your words.

Do you ever say things and think, where did that come from? I have a unique job in that I get to listen to myself speak regularly. I try to listen to my sermons and review how I did and in what ways I could improve my gift. Every now and then, I hear something that I said and think, ‘where did that come from?’ I so regularly wish that I could grab words and put them back into my mouth. They reveal too many of my flaws and once they are out, they can not be easily undone.

You can try to learn filters but it is impossible to guard our words completely for long. Our words are connected to our hearts and we can not keep what is inside us hidden away. It may seep out or it may burst out but it will come out and when it does, it will reveal what is happening inside of us. What do your words tell you about what is going on in your heart?

Jesus warns us that our words are powerful. In Numbers it says that ‘death and life are found in the tongue.’ God created the world with words and we continue to create the world around us with our words. Joel Osteen says that you will eat the fruit of the words that you speak. I think that he is right, not because you can name and claim things that you want to manifest in your life but because our lives are built from our deepest places. Jesus says that you can recognise a tree by its fruit and that people with clean hearts will live righteous lives. People who are secure will speak generous words of blessing. As they externalise their security, it will strengthen within them. People who continually speak out of fear, will see their worries become more tangible as well. Our lives will move in the direction of our words.

Reflect

What is the weather forecast of your soul today? If someone knocked you, what would spill out?
Think back over the last week, what do your words, tone, and topics reveal about what is in your heart?
When you hear yourself saying something that comes from a place of fear, pain or insecurity, how can you respond?