Luke 11:14-26

Luke 11:14-26

14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16 Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17 But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. 18 “If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 “And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. 20 “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. 22 “But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. 23 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.  24 “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 “And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26 “Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

Skepticism is a dangerous thing in the life of man.  The men who were surrounding Jesus when He cast out a demon had a choice to make.  They could either believe in the power of Jesus and worship Him as Messiah; or they had to explain away what they had just seen.  Perhaps their skepticism was born in their preconceived ideas of what they thought Messiah would be like.  They pictured a powerful king that would provide liberation to the nation of Israel.  Instead, Jesus was a humble servant who was preaching about a heavenly kingdom.  We all run the risk of creating our own preconceived ideas of who we think God is and what His is like.  It is much wiser for us to go to Scripture to see how He is revealed.  Even then, it is important for us to humbly recognize our own limitations when it comes to understanding God.    

THE REACTION OF THE CROWD: When Jesus casts out the mute demon, there are three different reactions.  Some of the people were amazed.  This is a positive reaction but not a sufficient reaction.  They had seen an amazing thing, so it is natural for them to be amazed.  The proper reaction would have been to follow that amazement with adoration and a declaration the Jesus was the Messiah.  One reason Jesus performed miracles was to prove His identity.  The second reaction was accusation.  These people rejected Jesus in every way and went so far as to accuse Jesus of manipulating the spirits in the power of Satan.  They could not deny that something supernatural had occurred, but since Jesus did not fit into their mold of what God is like, the rejected Him and attributed His power to Satan.  It is true that Satan strives to imitate God in order to create confusion.  We must exercise discernment as we evaluate the things people do today.  Again, it is important for us to be humble in these assessments.  The third reaction was apprehension.  They asked for additional signs to be able to determine if the miracle was from God or from Satan.  Jesus had given many signs, but there just never seemed to be enough.  Those who are determined not to believe will often respond by making excuses for their unbelief.  God continues to reveal Himself to us today.  We must evaluate carefully how we respond to that revelation. 

THE RESPONSE OF JESUS: Jesus responds to the accusation made against Him by using logic.  He argues that it makes no sense to cast out demons in the power of Satan.  This would mean that Satan would be divided himself and a divided kingdom cannot stand.  Since Satan’s kingdom was clearly still at work, the idea of Him being empowered by Satan was illogical.  Jesus then goes into a hypothetical situation and states that if He is casting out demons in the power of Satan, then it would be just as likely that the leaders and their sons were also working in the power of Satan.  Jesus demonstrates that their accusations can be used against them.  Finally, He warns them to consider the fact that He was truly doing His work in the name of and power of God.  This is the most likely scenario and would imply their attributing the work of God to Satan.  This is a serious warning they must consider.  There are consequences to the beliefs we hold and the words we say.  These people were being very flippant with their words and not considering the potential consequences.  We must be very careful with what we say and think.  God know about every word and every thought and He will judge accordingly.

THE RISKS OF LIBERATION: Jesus warned His audience of the danger of being liberated from the power of a demon without salvation occurring.  He said the demon would only leave temporarily and go out to barren places but, not finding a suitable situation, would call other more powerful demons to return with him to afflict the original person.  The only protection from demonization is salvation in Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  He is more powerful than any demon or group of demons.  No matter how fortified a demon is in the heart of a person; the Lord can break through all defenses and provide liberation.  But, that is only the beginning of what He wants to do.  He wants to save us from sin, fill us with His Spirit and give us communion with the Father.  God has the power for liberation, salvation and transformation through the work of Jesus and the Spirit.  Unfortunately, most people only want liberation from whatever affliction they might be facing and are not interested in the transformative work of Salvation offered in the Gospel.

APPLICATION: Beware of the skepticism that can so easily creep into our hearts.  Make sure that we respond to Jesus and His teachings with faith and obedience and not just amazement or unbelief.  Recognize the working of Jesus in the world to set men free from sin.  Depend on the power of Christ, now only to overcome the forces of evil in the world but to transform the hearts of men through the power of the Gospel and the working of the Spirit.