17. He did this so as to make what God had said through the prophet Isaiah come true:
18. “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,the one I love, and with whom I am pleased.I will send my Spirit upon him,and he will announce my judgement to the nations.
19. He will not argue or shout,or make loud speeches in the streets.
20. He will not break off a bent reed,or put out a flickering lamp.He will persist until he causes justice to triumph,
21. and in him all peoples will put their hope.”
22. Then some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon. Jesus healed the man, so that he was able to talk and see.
23. The crowds were all amazed at what Jesus had done. “Could he be the Son of David?” they asked.
24. When the Pharisees heard this, they replied, “He drives out demons only because their ruler Beelzebul gives him power to do so.”
25. Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them, “Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long. And any town or family that divides itself into groups which fight each other will fall apart.
26. So if one group is fighting another in Satan's kingdom, this means that it is already divided into groups and will soon fall apart!
27. You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. Well, then, who gives your followers the power to drive them out? What your own followers do proves that you are wrong!
28. No, it is not Beelzebul, but God's Spirit, who gives me the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you.
29. “No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house.
30. “Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering.
31. And so I tell you that people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
32. Anyone who says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven — now or ever.
33. “To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree; if you have a poor tree, you will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears.
34. You snakes — how can you say good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.