14 He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. It happened, when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 12:22-30.
Casting out a devil - See on Matthew 12:22 (note).
And he was casting out a devil,.... At a certain time, either the same that is recorded in Matthew 9:32 or in Matthew 12:22 for both of them were attended with the same effect upon the people, and with the same calumny of the Pharisees, mentioned here:
and it was dumb. The Ethiopic version reads, "deaf and dumb"; that is, the devil, which possessed the man, made him both deaf and dumb; if the same as in Matthew 12:22 he was blind, as well as dumb:
and it came to pass, when the devil was gone out; of the man possessed by him, by the command of Christ:
the dumb spake; as other men did, and as he had done before; the cause being removed, the effect ceased:
and the people wondered; at the power of Christ, and concluded that he must be the Messiah, the son of David.
Christ's thus casting out the devils, was really the destroying of their power. The heart of every unconverted sinner is the devil's palace, where he dwells, and where he rules. There is a kind of peace in the heart of an unconverted soul, while the devil, as a strong man armed, keeps it. The sinner is secure, has no doubt concerning the goodness of his state, nor any dread of the judgment to come. But observe the wonderful change made in conversion. The conversion of a soul to God, is Christ's victory over the devil and his power in that soul, restoring the soul to its liberty, and recovering his own interest in it and power over it. All the endowments of mind of body are now employed for Christ. Here is the condition of a hypocrite. The house is swept from common sins, by a forced confession, as Pharaoh's; by a feigned contrition, as Ahab's; or by a partial reformation, as Herod's. The house is swept, but it is not washed; the heart is not made holy. Sweeping takes off only the loose dirt, while the sin that besets the sinner, the beloved sin, is untouched. The house is garnished with common gifts and graces. It is not furnished with any true grace; it is all paint and varnish, not real nor lasting. It was never given up to Christ, nor dwelt in by the Spirit. Let us take heed of resting in that which a man may have, and yet come short of heaven. The wicked spirits enter in without any difficulty; they are welcomed, and they dwell there; there they work, there they rule. From such an awful state let all earnestly pray to be delivered.
BLIND AND DUMB DEMONIAC HEALED--CHARGE OF BEING IN LEAGUE WITH HELL, AND REPLY--DEMAND OF A SIGN, AND REPLY. (Luke 11:14-36)
dumb--blind also (Matthew 12:22).
He casteth out devils through Beelzebub. See notes on Matthew 12:22-29; Matthew 12:43-45. This discourse was given in Galilee (Matthew).
It was dumb - That is, it made the man so. Matthew 12:22.
*More commentary available at chapter level.