Matthew 9:34

The reaction of the Pharisees contrasts with that of the crowd in the sharpest possible terms. They attributed Jesus’ power to Satan, not God. They concluded that He came from Satan rather than from God. Instead of being the Messiah He must be a satanic counterfeit. Notice that the Pharisees did not deny the authenticity of Jesus’ miracles. They could not do that. They accepted them as supernatural acts. However they ascribed them to demonic rather than divine power.

This testimony to Jesus’ authority comes at the end of a collection of stories about demonstrations of Jesus’ power (Matthew 8:1 to Matthew 9:34). Matthew probably intended the reader to understand that this was the common reaction to all these miracles. [Note: France, The Gospel . . ., p. 369.] This reaction continued and culminated in the Pharisees’ accusation in Matthew 12:24, "This man cast out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."

This testimony contrasts, too, with the opinion of the Gentile centurion (Matthew 8:5-13), who saw that Jesus’ operated under God’s authority. This is one evidence of a chiastic structure in chapters 8 and 9, which I shall comment on further below.

The incident illustrates Jesus’ ability to enable people to speak who could not formerly do so. This was important in people confessing Jesus as the Son of God and the disciples bearing witness to Jesus. It also illustrates Jesus’ compassion for needy people.

One of the main themes in this section (Matthew 8:1 to Matthew 9:34) is the spreading of Jesus’ fame. This resulted in an increasing number to people concluding that Jesus was the Messiah. It also resulted in increasing opposition from Jesus’ enemies, Israel’s religious leaders, and even some of John the Baptist’s disciples. However some religious leaders believed in Jesus, Jairus being one. Opposition to Jesus was mounting among those who suffered economically because of His ministry as well as those who suffered religiously. Matthew’s primary purpose, however, was to present Jesus as the promised Messiah who could establish God’s kingdom on earth.

All of this material also prepares the reader for the next events: Jesus’ self-disclosure to His disciples in His second major discourse (ch. 10).

Chapters 8-9 seem to be a chiasm focusing the reader’s attention on Jesus’ power to overcome Satan (Matthew 8:28-34).

A Jesus’ power to heal (Matthew 8:1-17; three incidents and a summary [Matthew 8:16-17])

B Jesus’ authority over His disciples’ persons (Matthew 8:18-22; two lessons)

C Jesus’ supernatural power (Matthew 8:23 to Matthew 9:8; three incidents with victory over Satan in the middle)

B’ Jesus’ authority over His disciples’ work (Matthew 9:9-17; two lessons)

A’ Jesus’ power to restore (Matthew 9:18-38; three incidents and a summary [Matthew 9:35-38])