Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 12:27-28

"And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you." — Matthew 12:27-28 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: After the first answer, He gives a second that is plainer than the first, saying, And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

St. Jerome: As is His custom, He alludes to the "children of the Jews," referring either to the exorcists of that people or to the Apostles, who were from that nation by birth. If He means the exorcists who cast out demons by the invocation of God, He cleverly compels the Pharisees to confess that their own work was from the Holy Spirit. He is asking, "If the casting out of demons by your children is attributed to God and not to demons, why should the same work performed by Me not have the same cause? Therefore they will be your judges"—not by authority, but by comparison. They attribute the casting out of demons to God, while you attribute it to the Prince of demons.

But if this is said in reference to the Apostles (which is the better interpretation), then they will be their judges, for they will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: And they are rightly appointed as judges over them, for it was to them that Christ gave the very power over demons that his accusers denied He possessed.

Rabanus Maurus: Or, it is because the Apostles knew well in their own conscience that they had learned no evil art from Him.

St. John Chrysostom: Yet He did not say, "My disciples," or "My apostles," but "your children." He did this so that if they chose to return to their own privileges, they might take the opportunity from this remark. But if they remained ungrateful, they would not even have a shameless excuse.

The Apostles cast out demons by virtue of the power they had from Him, and yet the Pharisees made no such charge against them. For it was not the actions themselves they opposed, but the person of Christ.

Then, desiring to show that the accusations against Him were merely jealous suspicions, He leads His hearers to a knowledge of Himself, showing how they stood in the way of their own good and resisted their own salvation. They should have been joyful that He had come to bestow great blessings on them, for He says, If I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. This also shows that casting out demons is a matter of great power, not an ordinary grace.

And so He reasons, Therefore the kingdom of God has come upon you, as if to say, "If this is true, then the Son of God has come to you." But He hints at this subtly, so that it might not seem harsh to them.

Also, to draw their attention, He did not merely say, the kingdom has come, but specifically added, upon you.

This was to say, "These good things are for you; why do you oppose your own salvation?" For this is the very sign given by the prophets of the Son of God's presence: that such works would be performed by divine power.

St. Jerome: For "the kingdom of God" denotes Christ Himself, of whom it is written elsewhere, The kingdom of God is among you (Luke 17:21), and, There standeth one in the midst of you whom ye know not (John 1:26).

Or surely, it is that kingdom which both John and the Lord Himself had preached before: Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2; 4:17).

There is also a third kingdom mentioned in Holy Scripture, which will be taken from the Jews and given to a nation that brings forth its fruit.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: If, then, the disciples work by Christ, and Christ by the Spirit of God, the kingdom of God is already transferred to the Apostles through the office of the Mediator.

Glossa Ordinaria: For the weakening of the devil's kingdom is the strengthening of God's kingdom.¹

St. Augustine of Hippo: From this, the meaning could be as follows: If, as you claim, I by Beelzebub cast out demons, then even by your own logic, the kingdom of God has come upon you, for the devil's kingdom, being so divided against itself, cannot stand.

He thus calls it "the kingdom of God" in the sense that it is a kingdom in which the wicked are condemned and separated from the faithful, who are now doing penance for their sins.²

1. ap. Anselm
2. Quaest. Ev., i. 5