Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons."
They were so opposed to Jesus and his message that they were able to imagine that a great work of liberation was not actually good but rather the result of demonic powers. There was nothing about the action itself that would make them suppose this. After all, even their own people could sometimes drive out demons. It was only their hostility to Jesus that made them willing to intentional misinterpret his every word and deed. It was wrong to be so uncharitable even to one's enemies as to fail to acknowledge when they did something genuinely good. How much more so in the case of Jesus himself?
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven
It was obvious why those who asked did not deserve and would not benefit from a sign. They had just witnessed one and responded only with willful blindness. They had no expectation that he could convince them. No matter how many signs were given they would never be satisfied. They were among those who "turned their backs, not their faces, to me". Yet setting the oppressed free was precisely one of the things that the scriptures foretold the Messiah would do.
Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
Satan could sometimes manifest a pleasing appearance, and make a persuasive argument. But he was not about to set free those oppressed by his demons. It made no sense that someone in his service would go about working against his own accomplishments by setting free the ones whom he himself held captive. There were many things he promised in order to trick people into lowering their guard to his influence. But his promises were always empty, never nearly so obviously good at the exorcism of this mute man.
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
Satan was not divided. His purpose was unswervingly set on the ruin of God's good creation. Jesus was not divided. His heart was always on his Father's will, our salvation, and the renewal of the world. But those who opposed Jesus were divided. They approved of some good things, but not the origin of all goodness, Jesus himself. It behooved Satan not to undermine himself by acts of goodness. If the hostile crowd really did desire God and his goodness they would be inevitably undermined by rejecting his incarnate Word. For this reason it was impossible to be on the side of goodness and of God while at the same time rejecting Jesus since, "whoever does not gather with me scatters".
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Jesus was not merely a nice optional extra for those who vibed with him. He was not one path among many. He was the only one strong enough to set free all those who were captive to Satan. Without Jesus bringing into our world "the finger of God" those captives would not and could not be set free. However, an important addendum to that statement on exclusivity was that anyone actually seeking the good, anyone who would accept Jesus given the chance, was working with him and worthy of support insofar as that was true.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts
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