A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW 

JESUS CONTINUES TO SHOW HIS VICTORY OVER SATAN

Matthew 12:28 (Read Matthew 12:21-29) “. . . if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”   

Remember reading in Matthew 4:1ff when the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. During the forty days in the wilderness, Jesus and Satan were locked in a war. It was Jesus verses Satan; good versus evil. Jesus defeated Satan. However, Satan did not give up. In today’s devotional verses once again you see Satan, this time working through the Pharisees, attempting to defeat Jesus.   

The Pharisees, hearing of Jesus’ miracle driving a demon out of a man who was deaf and dumb, tried to use their evil logic to discredit Him. Their charge against Jesus of using the power of Satan to drive out the demon was absurd. As Jesus depended upon the power of God’s word to defeat Satan in the wilderness temptations, Jesus is said here in verse 28 to use the Holy Spirit to expel the devil from the deaf and dumb man.   

Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into the world. The evidence for this was His defeat of Satan (Matthew 4:1ff) and His overcoming the power of demons such as here in today’s devotional verses. Jesus was not in liaison with demons. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome them.   

Luther explains the work of Jesus in his explanation to the 2nd article of the Apostle’s creed, “. . .who (Jesus) has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” (Small Catechism) Colossians 2:15 says Jesus “ . . . disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” 

Your victory over Satan, sin and the world is through Jesus. He has defeated all these who would bring evil into your life and separate you from your heavenly Father. “ . . . in all these things (you) are more than conquerors through Him (Jesus) who loved (you). For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)  

Prayer: Thank You Jesus for Your victory over Satan. Amen. 

Refrain:  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 

The strife is o’er the battle done;
Now is the victor’s triumph won;  
Now be the song of praise begun. Alleluia! 

The pow’rs of death have done their worst,  
But Christ their legions hath dispersed.  
Let shouts of holy joy outburst. Alleluia! 

The three sad days have quickly sped,  
He rises glorious from the dead.  
All glory to our risen Head! Alleluia! 

He broke the age-bound chains of hell;  
The bars from heav’n’s high portals fell.  
Let hymns of praise His triumph tell. Alleluia! 

Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,  
From death’s dread sting Thy servants free  
That we may live and sing to Thee. Alleluia!

The Strife is O'er, the Battle Done // LSB 464