The Pharisees assumed a kingdom of demons ruled by Beelzebul. When Jesus performed such mighty works, the Pharisees, in their unbelief, saw Jesus as being like Jewish exorcists, who attempted to drive out evil spirits by various means, particularly through incantations that invoked a spirit of higher rank as an ally against a spirit of lower rank. Matthew says that what truly provoked their false accusation was not the miracle itself, but rather the crowd’s response to it, as the people began to wonder whether Jesus might be God’s Messiah (Matthew 12:23). The Pharisees, implying that Jesus was not opening the kingdom of heaven but rather unleashing the kingdom of hell, sought to dismiss his miraculous works by giving a different explanation for this most striking case of demon exorcism. Unlike other exorcists, who invoked Yahweh’s name, Jesus cast out demons on his own authority, which was especially remarkable, because no human exorcist could drive out a demon entirely impervious to the name of Yahweh.
The Pharisees assumed a hierarchically organized kingdom of demons—that is, they believed in ranks within the demonic world, with rulers and servants, and that the ruler of this kingdom was called Beelzebul. When Jesus performed such mighty works, the Pharisees, who refused to believe in him, could think of only one explanation: that he had entered into an alliance with the ruler of the demons. This idea was shaped by the practice of Jewish exorcists, who attempted to drive out evil spirits by various means, particularly through incantations that invoked a spirit of higher rank as an ally against a spirit of lower rank.1
The sharp reaction of the Pharisees must be understood in light of the fact that more and more people were beginning to believe in Jesus, and that, as spiritual leaders, they felt compelled to shield Israel from what they regarded as heresy. At that moment they offered a decisive explanation for Jesus’ unusual ability to overpower demons. Matthew clarifies that what truly provoked their false accusation was not the miracle itself, but rather the crowd’s response to it. As the people began to wonder whether Jesus might be God’s Messiah (Matthew 12:23), the Pharisees countered by suggesting the exact opposite in Matthew 12:24: that Jesus was able to cast out demons only because he worked in alliance with Beelzebul, the prince of demons.
In this way, the Pharisees implied that Jesus was not opening the kingdom of heaven but rather unleashing the kingdom of hell. They sought to nullify the impact of his miraculous works by presenting an alternative explanation for this most striking case of demon exorcism. Unlike other exorcists, who invoked the name of Yahweh, Jesus cast out demons on his own authority. This new kind of exorcism was especially remarkable, because no human exorcist could succeed against a demon entirely impervious to the name of Yahweh. The Pharisees therefore proposed that Jesus managed it because he was in league with the ruler of demons. To the unthinking, this may not have seemed such an implausible explanation for an otherwise inexplicable act2
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”