In Matthew 12 Jesus’ battle with the Pharisees revolves around “Evil.” Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The Pharisees take the first swing suggesting that Jesus is casting out demons with demonic power. But Jesus doesn’t lay down on this one, he fires back and exposes both the absurdity of their accusation, and also the condition of their hearts. As Jesus turns up the heat, the pharisees attempt to distract, but only because they don’t want to deal with the spiritual reality Jesus has exposed in them. Sometimes we can do the same, we can also demand signs when we’ve already received them, and we struggle to fully embrace Jesus and the changes that will require in us. If Jesus is who He says He is, then anything less that total surrender to Him and His goodness is foolishness on our part.
