What does it mean that the kingdom of God has come upon people if Jesus drives out demons by the Spirit?
Matthew mostly uses the phrase kingdom of heaven,
but Matthew 12:28 speaks of the kingdom of God
—one of just five times he does this in his Gospel (see Matthew 6:33, Matthew 12:28, Matthew 19:24, Matthew 21:31 and Matthew 21:43). Both phrases refer to the same thing, since heaven
is a description of God, like the Father,
Wisdom,
Power,
and the Name.
The Greek word ephthasen, translated by the ESV as has come,
is here in the gnomic aorist form, referring to the presence of God’s kingdom in the present (see the coming of John and Jesus, Matthew 11:18–19), shown in the miracles of both Jesus and his disciples. The kingdom’s presence shows that Jesus is the Messiah, for if his exorcisms are a revelation of God’s reign, they show that such a reign is present in Jesus, so it follows that he must be submitted to as King.
Jesus here speaks positively: But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
If the Spirit of God is at work in Jesus, then the Messiah stands before them, confirming the people’s suspicion that he might indeed be the Son of David.
Matthew mostly employs the expression kingdom of heaven,
yet here in Matthew 12:28 speaks of the kingdom of God.
This is but one of five times he does this throughout his Gospel (in Matthew 6:33,Matthew 12:28, Matthew 19:24,Matthew 21:31 and Matthew 21:43). Both these expressions refer to the same thing, since heaven
is merely a description of God, just like the Father,
Wisdom,
Power,
and the Name.
1
The Greek word ephthasen, translated by the ESV as has come,
is here given in the gnomic aorist form. As such it does not expressly refer to something that has either come in the past or something that will come in the future. It only speaks of the presence of the kingdom of God in the present (see the coming of John and Jesus, Matthew 11:18–19). The miracles of Jesus as well as those of his disciples proves the presence of the kingdom of God.2
The coming of the kingdom proves that Jesus is the Messiah. If his exorcisms are a special revelation of God’s reign, then they prove that such a reign is present in Jesus, then it follows that he must be acknowledged as its bearer.3
It is noteworthy that Jesus here speaks positively: But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you
—not the kingdom of Beelzebul or of Satan. If the Spirit of God is at work in Jesus, then the Anointed One, the Messiah, truly stands before them. In this way, Jesus confirms the people’s suspicion that he might indeed be the Son of David.4
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.