Successful exorcism
do not prove you follow Jesus
As was mentioned, Matthew drops the reference to the
unknown exorcist (Mark 9:38-40; Luke 9:49-50), which at least in Mark’s version
would have contradicted Matt 12:30, but adds the following quote that shows
just because someone is successful in casting our demons in Jesus’ name, that
person is not necessarily recognized by Jesus as one of his own:
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On
that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” Then
I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”
(Matt 7:21-23 NRSV)
The first sentence in this quote has a parallel in Luke 6:46,
the rest is unique to Matthew. Matthew’s point is that discipleship entails
more than being able to carry our exorcisms. In fact, as in Mark (but unlike
Luke), the allegiances of the person carrying out the exorcism do not determine
its success. Mark and Matthew suggest that the Holy Spirit works miracles in
the power of Jesus’ name, even if the one uttering the name is not a true
follower of Jesus. In direct contrast with Luke, Matthew teaches that
exorcistic success does not necessarily mean that one is in good standing with
God.
Even though he apparently does not value exorcism as
highly as Luke, Matthew agrees that one of the things followers of Jesus are
called to do is to cast out demons. When Matthew tells about Jesus
commissioning the twelve disciples, he relates that Jesus gives his disciples
authority over demons (Matt 10:1) as was also the cast in Mar (6:7) and Luke
(9:1). Matthew adds material to his account, so that it can be taken to refer
not only to the commissioning of the original twelve, but also those who would
follow Jesus after the resurrection (see Matt 10:17-25). Matthew incorporates into
his account of the commissioning of the seventy-two (Luke 10:1-16), but he does
not include the disciples’ rejoicing over their authority over demons (Luke
10:17). This is consistent with Matthew’s downplaying the importance of
exorcism. (Torsten Löfstedt, The Devil, Demons, Judas, and “the Jews”:
Opponents of Christ in the Gospels [Eugene, Oreg.: Pickwick Publications,
2021], 222-23)
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