Jesus was falsely linked with beelzebul

JESUS WAS FALSLY LINKED WITH BEELZEBUL
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
LUKE 11:14-2014 Jesus was driving out a demon that
was mute. When the demon left, the man who had
been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But
some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of
demons, he is drivingout demons.” 16 Others tested
him by asking for a sign from heaven.17 Jesus knew
their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom
dividedagainstitself will be ruined, and a house
dividedagainstitself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided
againsthimself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this
because you claim that I drive out demons by
Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your followers drivethem out? So then,
they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons
by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has
come upon you.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES

One Inevitable Law Of Judgment
Matthew 12:38-45, speciallyver. 42 (see also Luke 11:16-18, 24-26)
P.C. Barker
In introduction, notice the displeasure expressedby Christ in respectof the
scribes and Pharisees asking a sign. This may have been for an accumulation
of reasons. First, because (seeLuke 11:16) perhaps they askeda "signfrom
heaven," marking in their wish a craving of curiosity for the novel and the
more striking, regardless ofthe quantum of instruction that the sign might be
chargedwith, at any rate, for others. Secondly, whether it were a sign from
heaven or not, in asking they askedwithout the higher wish, without any wish,
probably, for the higher objectof a sign, when it is granted. Thirdly, without
asking, they had already had many a sign of the most effective and
incontestable kind, and they were signs "nigh at hand, and not afar off;" and
yet these signs had not been used, not improved - had been seen, but resisted;
and these men are the worstof all, who had "seenand yet believed not. And
once more, fourthly, because if this passagefinds its correctplace immediately
on the narrative that here precedes, as seems certainlyto be the case, theyhad
just seena sign, and had listened to what followedfrom the lips of Christ, and
had been in the position to survey the entire scene, and to take awful warning
from it. Note, further, that, true though it was that these doubters and
unbelievers and disbelievers had had, and were still sure to have, numerous
signs of the kind just given, yet Christ takes their meaning when he adds, No
sign shall be given but the sign of the Prophet Jonas;" and, alluding to this, he
contrasts the practicalconduct, the faith and repentance of Nineveh, on the
preaching of Jonas, and the faith and zeal of the Queenof Sheba, when she
heard the wisdom of Solomon, with the wilful unrepentingness of his hearers,
and the cold deadness of their mind and heart. Note once more, from the
closing portion of these verses, the link which holds them to the beginning of
the passage.Theirtext is the "evil and adulterous generation;" and these last
sentences forecastthe" worse" state, to which they ever sink who, with all
added light, gift, opportunity, shut, not eye and earso much as mind and

heart to them, while these are flung wide open for the evil spirits, who most
ruthlessly victimize them. In the whole passage, selectforspecialdevelopment
the instance of the judgment and condemnationwhich the Queen of Sheba
shall contribute, by the contrastof her example with that of the men to whom
Jesus Christ was preaching, and manifesting forth his glory, his wisdom, and
his mighty works. And learn that this example -
I. REMINDS OF THE CREDIT THAT IT IS TO HUMAN NATURE TO
SEEK. It is one of the certain signs that its life and reality are not yet dried up
and exhausted. We honour and admire the individual who seeks.Our
admiration and honour grow when we see the seeking convertedinto
thorough, earnest, persevering search. This, the onward, upward
determination of our nature, constitutes one of the moral evidences of its
immortality. Yet at the same time we cannotleave out of the question what it
is which is the object of its search. Endeavour, labour, decision, and
enthusiasm directed to a really worthy object - when any one labours for the
thing he knows to his best light to be the highest - raise the whole scale of our
admiration. Still, the man who exhibits these qualities may be wrong in not
knowing a higher. It may be his fault, it may be even his sin, that he does not
know a higher. Of how much of both our darkness and ignorance are we
ourselves not unfrequently the guilty causes!Not, then, does any arrive at the
best till he has made sure that what he and his heart and soul go in quest of is
the truly highestthat human mind may reachafter, and human heart love.
Though the visitor of Solomonwas a queen, she journeyed far; and not for
money nor for presents, though with both did she journey, but in quest of
wisdom; this fired her soul's desire, on this her imagination went to work, this
her ears tingled to hear, this determined her journey. In her deed she was
blessed- blessedfor her time of day. She actedup to an elevatedand generous
impulse, and she was not disappointed. And it is she, says Christ himself, who
will rise up in judgment with those who, so far from being athirst for wisdom,
and for the highest type attainable, refuse that infinitely greaterwisdom, so
near, so graciouslypressedon them, of him who is greaterbeyond all count
than Solomon. Searchlong, toilsome, and honourable for inferior blessings
often reproves our wastefulheedlessness ofthat which is the greater;but
never a millionth time so much as when it is "all the world" on the one hand,

but Christ and his wisdom on the other hand, which are offered so freely,
which plead for our regardso graciously, and which nevertheless are sought
so feebly.
II. REMINDS OF THE SUPREME OBJECTWHICH IS INCONTESTABLY
THE ONE WORTHY TO BE SOUGHT. It is, indeed, in itself a most
interesting thing, as the barest fact of history, the history of the time of the
Queen of Sheba, that she longed to hear the wisdom of Solomon. To be
anxious to see all his wealthand magnificence and state would have been a
usual enough anxiety. Nor can there be any doubt, from what we afterwards
read, that she did think of these, and was satisfiedand rejoicedwith the
satisfactionand rejoicing that these could give. None the less is it to be noticed
that the record is that she cravedto hear his wisdom. Now, this wisdom was
greatin certain relations and comparisons, and it was very unusual; but what
at the furthest was its compass and its range? Greatmemory, great
knowledge, greatgiftof observation, greatforce of discernment - all such
Solomonconfessedlyhad. How many proverbs did he write, and then repeat
from memory! how much poetry did he compose and sing! what a natural
historian he was, though science "inthose days was very precious," and
microscope there was none! "He spake three thousand proverbs: and his
songs were a thousand and five. He spake of trees also, from the cedarthat is
in Lebanon even to the hyssop that springeth out of the wallof Jerusalem. He
spake of beasts also, andof fowls, of creeping things, and of fishes." But all
this - was it not knowledge ofa very restrained sort? It was curious and
entertaining and instructive, and capable certainly of leading from nature to
nature's God; but what was it in comparisonof the antitype! Now for the
reverse of the grand medal.
1. The "Greaterthan Solomon" brings his wisdom, and brings it from
heaven's highest heights. Thence brought, it descends to all of our various,
deepestneed. Thence brought, it spreads over all the wide compass ofthe
various want of our life. Christ knows allthat is.

2. The wisdom of Christ antedates all the present. All the past he knows, who"
was in the beginning with God, and was God." So his wisdom was "from
everlasting."
3. He knows all the future. Where our vision cannot reach, and where (could
we glance)we should tremble to glance, which way soeverour glance turned,
there does his reaching, searching, steadygaze anticipate the direction, and
swift as a morning ray travel to the end. How should men cleave for his
wisdom's sake to him who sees, who only sees, allthat awaits them!
"No eye but his might ever bear
To look all down that vast abyss,
Becausenone ever saw so clear
The shore beyond of endless bliss.
The giddy waves so restless hurled,
The vexed pulse of the feverish world,
He views and counts with steadfastsight,
Used to behold the Infinite." Oh, with what strange, awfulwisdom does all
this invest Christ'!
4. The wisdom of Christ is so kind. It is not confessedlygrand and awful
things which can be depended upon to draw human hearts the most. But
Christ's wisdom is what we of all createdthings should most rejoice to call
wisdom. It is so kind, so deep, so gentle, so quiet, that condescends to search
all our needs, to stoopto view all our trials and sorrows, to come in contact
with all that is most infinitely repulsive to him, our sin, and then to find the

one perfectremedy for it. What justice even to our apprehension in that
sentence ofSt. Paul, "Christ the Wisdom of God"!To "hear" the wisdom of
Solomondid the Queen of Sheba travel from the uttermost parts of the earth,
though there might not be one single word in it all for her self, for her life,
heart, soul. But all the wisdom of Christ, so far as it is as yet revealedto us,
gazes full on us; it has us for the objects of its expenditure. He has come to us.
From the uttermost heavens has he descendedto us.
"How swift and joyful was his flight,
On wings of everlasting love!" He has worn our nature, borne our sins,
carried our sorrows;has made himself known in our world, the very Pattern
and Type of the seeking, watchful, compassionateShepherd. And in the
unfathomed marvels and mystery of the cross he has comprehended all the
length and breadth, the height and depth, of wisdom. Againstthose who
neglectthis, it must indeed be that the Queenof Sheba shall rise in the
judgment. - B.

Biblical Illustrator
Every kingdom divided againstitself is brought to desolation.
Luke 11:17-20
The powerof the King over the arch-enemy
E. W. Moore.
I. THE CONDITION OF THE SINNER. Whata condition it is! It is summed
up in that twenty-first verse, "Whenthe strong man armed keepethhis palace
his goods are in peace."I will ask you to notice the five particulars here
specifiedin that proud usurper's dominion — First, his personality; second,
his power;third, his panoply; fourth, his palace;fifth, his peace.
II. THE POWER OF THE SAVIOUR. Satan is strong, but the Divine Master
is stronger. Upon that citadel the Lord Christ does not hesitate to advance.
Man-soulis summoned. He effects anentrance, and more than that, He
achieves the victory. He shall not only come upon him, but overcome him.
And then a mighty transformation takes place in the soul of the believer. He
divides the spoil. The faculties of the man are not to be destroyed; they are to
be altered. What shall we say to it? Whateverit is, it teaches us that the whole
powers of the restoredman are to be laid at the feet of this Saviour. Mark
what is said concerning Satan:.that he keeps his gates in peace. Blessedbe
God, when the transformation is effected, a greater, strongerone than he is
also able to keepHis gates in peace.
III. I close with one word of WARNING. You know that warning word. He
goes onimmediately to say, "He that is not with Me is againstMe, and he that
gatherethnot with Me scatterethabroad." He is saying to us, Beware of
compromise;beware of half-and-half work in this matter of full surrender of
your being to Him. What does He mean? I will endeavour by a story to
illustrate what He says. Some years ago there was a rich man who possessed
the whole of the town in which he lived, with the exceptionof one poor, small,
and dirty hovel. He was greatly minded to possessthe whole. He askedthe

price. The poor man, miserly and cunning, probably askedan exorbitant sum.
"It is too much," saidthe would-be purchaser; "but I will tell you what I will
do — I will cover this table with sovereigns.""No,"saidthe other; "no, I
must have them on end!" "It is too much," said the purchaser. "No," saidthe
other, "I must have them on end"; and so the bargaining went on, until the
would-be purchaser gave up the business. As he left the room, the miser,
looking at him with a leer on his face, said, "Remember I the town belongs to
thee and me." My dear brethren, Satan, if I may so express it, made a harder
bargain with the Captain of our salvation than did that miser. We are
redeemed, not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the blood of
Christ. Shall it ever be that that cruel enemy shall come up to our Lord, and,
pointing to the citadelof your or my heart, shall say, "Remember, the town
belongs to me and Thee." But is there no lessonin that passage whichfollows?
"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man he walkeththrough dry places,
seeking rest, but findeth none," and if he can find in you and me a foothold he
will use it. It is my house, he says, and he comes back again; he comes seeking
admission, and if he finds a place in our citadelhe occupies it. He may be cast
out as an unclean spirit, but he may return transformed as an angel of light,
but an unclean spirit still. Is there no danger of this? I believe there is. Take
heed that ye be not deceived. What is the remedy? I only know of one. It is to
be God-possessed. It is to let that flag of Calvary float from roofto turret. It is
to let God be in possession. Light expels darkness, health expels disease, God
turns out Satan.
(E. W. Moore.)
The personality and power of the devil
E. W. Moore.
I. SATAN IS A PERSON.See how he is described. He is a man, active,
intelligent, resolute, understanding his position, prepared to hold his own
againstall comers, to maintain his place at all hazards. Could there be

anything more exactly in harmony with the purposes and designs of the arch-
adversary than that he should circulate a report that he does not exist? I
remember years ago the late Rev-CanonConwaysaying that, if a gang of
housebreakerscame into a neighbourhood, could there be any possible report
more suited to their purposes than an announcement, which was generally
believed, that there were no such persons as burglars, that if robberies
occurred, or lives were lost, it was due exclusively to the folly and misguided
characterof the inmates of the houses, but that no blame could be attributed
to housebreakers, forno such persons existed?
II. But we will pass on to notice from his personality, his POWER. He is not
only a man, but he is a strong man. My brethren, no goodsoldierdespises his
enemy. Satan is not a hobgoblin of the nursery, as some one has said — an
easyname that we can utter in jest. Satanis a terrible being. Have you not
experiencedhis power? I doubt not that I speak to hundreds who have. If you
let him alone, it is most probable he will let you alone too. If you be in the
attitude of hostility to him you will soonfind out his power. In the fifth
chapter of Mark's Gospelyou will see the power of the demoniac, and the
powerwhich held that man. His poweris backedby his panoply. You have it
here; he is not only strong, but he is a strong man armed. He is not content
with his own strength, so to speak, forthe defence of his citadel, but he arms
the poor citadelwith defensive armour — the helmet of presumption, and the
breastplate of pride, and the net-work shield of unbelief, and the coatedmail
of secretsin, and the fiery darts of venom and spite, and envy, and lust, and
greed, which he hurls againstall intruders. A palace is a dwelling-place for
kings. Whose is this palace? What is this dwelling? My brethren, have we fully
realized that you and I were intended to be nothing else than residences of
Deity? Have we fully graspedthe greatthought that this is the culmination of
God's dealing with us? Does Godnow till His people's hearts with joy and the
Holy Ghost? Satancan fill the heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Ghost. The
parallel is complete. Do you believe in haunted houses, ghoststories, and
spectres with clanking chains? They may be fables, but there is terrible and
solemn truth behind them. Has it ever occurredto you and me that unless thin
night we are possessedofGod, as we sit in this room we are haunted houses —
h-uses in which the devils live. It is one of the most startling descriptions that

Scripture gives of the condition of the sinner, that Satan is not merely near
him; Satanis in him. What an awful word is that in Luke 22:3, where we read
that Satanentered into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the
twelve. What is this, a human being the house of an evil one? Every man can
do what he will in his own house. An Englishman's house is his castle. What is
this description that is given? Why, that Satanreigns and rules in the human
heart of his slaves;that he goes in and out; that he opens and no man shuts,
and shuts and no man opens. What an awful description! and the most
remarkable thing about it all is the particulars with which it closes.While the
strong man armed keepethhis palace, his goods are in peace. Whatpeace?
Peace,yes there is peace. It is the peace ofdeath! Is that the peace that you
and I desire? Only some half-hour ago, I heard a lady who had been travelling
in the Riviera, the scene ofthe late earthquakes, saythat before the rumble
which brought the terrible disastershe felt that there was a stillness, a solemn
stillness. It seemedas if nature held its breath; it seemedunnatural; it was
unnatural; it was a presage ofthe coming storm. And this deadly slumber in
which souls are left by the prince of darkness — slumber indeed, and peace-
like it is — is a presage ofthe terrible awakening ofthe storm that shall burst
some day upon a guilty world.
(E. W. Moore.)
Jesus refutes the Pharisees
J. Thomson, D. D.
How conciselyand forcibly does He express His argument! It is impossible to
exhibit it in a rare striking manner. But, though it cannotbe improved, it
may, however, be otherwise stated. Thus, it presupposes absolute
impossibilities in the characterofSatan:
1. In the motives which influence him. Forhe is supposed, first, to wish to
extend his power, and then to undermine it.

2. In the means which he employs, which are thereby calculatedfor
accomplishing opposite purposes.
3. In the objects which he has in view, which presuppose a desire to do good
and to do evil at the same time. These contradictions are happily expressedby
our Saviour when He represents Satancasting out Satan, and divided against
himself: in other words, as possessing two opposite characters, orforming two
persons with contrary qualities.
(J. Thomson, D. D.)
"Divided againstitself
Spencer.
If two ships at sea, being of one and the same squadron, shall be scatteredby
storm from eachother, how shall they come to the relief of eachother? If,
again, they clashtogetherand fall foul, how shall the one endangerthe other
and herselftoo? It was, of old, the Dutch device of two earthen pots swimming
upon the water, with this motto, "If we knock together, we sink together."
And most true it is, that if spleenor discontent setus too far one from
another, or choleror angerbring us too near, it cannotbut that intendment or
design, whatsoeverit be, like Jonah's gourd, shall perish in a moment,
especiallyif the viperous and hateful worm of dissensiondo but smite it.
(Spencer.)
COMMENTARIES

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
11:14-26 Christ's thus casting out the devils, was really the destroying of their
power. The heart of every unconverted sinner is the devil's palace, where he
dwells, and where he rules. There is a kind of peace in the heart of an
unconverted soul, while the devil, as a strong man armed, keeps it. The sinner
is secure, has no doubt concerning the goodness ofhis state, nor any dread of
the judgment to come. But observe the wonderful change made in conversion.
The conversionof a soul to God, is Christ's victory over the devil and his
powerin that soul, restoring the soul to its liberty, and recovering his own
interest in it and powerover it. All the endowments of mind of body are now
employed for Christ. Here is the condition of a hypocrite. The house is swept
from common sins, by a forced confession, as Pharaoh's;by a feigned
contrition, as Ahab's; or by a partial reformation, as Herod's. The house is
swept, but it is not washed; the heart is not made holy. Sweeping takes offonly
the loose dirt, while the sin that besets the sinner, the beloved sin, is
untouched. The house is garnishedwith common gifts and graces.It is not
furnished with any true grace;it is all paint and varnish, not real nor lasting.
It was never given up to Christ, nor dwelt in by the Spirit. Let us take heed of
resting in that which a man may have, and yet come short of heaven. The
wickedspirits enter in without any difficulty; they are welcomed, and they
dwell there; there they work, there they rule. From such an awful state let all
earnestlypray to be delivered.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
See this passage explainedin the notes at Matthew 12:22-30.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
Lu 11:14-36. Blind and Dumb Demoniac Healed—ChargeofBeing in League
with Hell, and Reply—Demand of a Sign, and Reply.
(See on [1635]Mt12:22-45.)

14. dumb—blind also (Mt 12:22).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 11:18"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And if I by Beelzebub castout devils,.... Which is what the Pharisees charged
him with; in the Greek copies, andso in the Arabic and Ethiopic versions it is
read, "by Beelzebul", and so in the preceding verses;See Gill on Matthew
10:25.
By whom do your sons castthem out? by whose help? or in whose name? for
the Jews pretendedto castout devils, and to heal those that were possessed
with them; which they did sometimes, by making use of the names of the
patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and sometimes of the name of
Solomon:Josephus (q) speaks ofmany in his time, who had this power of
healing; and he himself saw one Eleazar, in the presence ofVespasian, his
children, officers, and soldiers, cure many that were possessedofdevils: and
his method was, by putting a ring to the nose of the possessed, under the seal
of which, was a root directed to by Solomon, and thereby brought out the
unclean spirit; and as soonas the man was healed, he adjured the devil never
to return more; at which time he made mention of the name of Solomon, and
rehearsedthe enchantments written by him: the said Eleazar, to give a
specimenof the efficacyof his art, seta cup full of waterupon the ground, and
commanded the devil when he went out of the man, to turn it over, as a sign
that he had left the man, and the devil immediately obeyed his order: now if
these sons of theirs castout devils, which they would not say were done by the
help of the devil, or in his name, why should they ascribe the ejectionof devils
by Christ, to a diabolicalassistance?

therefore shall they be your judges;or "judges againstyou", as the Arabic
version; or "shall reprove you", as the Ethiopic; convictand condemn you;
See Gill on Matthew 12:27.
(q) Antiqu. Jud. l. 8. c. 2.
Geneva Study Bible
And if I by Beelzebub castout devils, by whom do your sons castthem out?
therefore shall they be your judges.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
19. by whom do your sons castthem outf] The “pupils of the wise” might be
calledthe ‘sons of the Pharisees’justas the youths in the
Prophetic schools were called‘sons of the Prophets.’The reality of the Jewish
exorcisms is not here necessarilyadmitted (Acts 19:13). It was enoughthat the
admitted pretensions to such powers among the Pharisees justified this
incontrovertible argumentum ad hominem.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 19. - By whom do your sons castthem out? therefore shall they be your
judges. But he goes further in his skillful line of argument. "I am not the only
one," said Jesus, "who claims to castout devils. There are those in the midst
of you, your sons, who make a similar assertion. Have they too enteredinto a
league with this evil angel?" A question has been raisedrespecting these
professedexorcists ofevil spirits whom Jesus here styles "your sons." Who
were they? Some, notably the older patristic expositors, have supposedthat
our Lord here alluded to his own apostles, to whom a measure of this power
over unclean spirits was certainly given. Others, that they are identical with

the "pupils of the wise," disciples ofthe greatrabbinical schools, suchas were
presided over by the famous doctors of the Talmud. This is quite possible;but
we have no proof that professionalexorcists were pupils in any of the known
rabbinical schools.It is more likely that by this generalterm Jesus alluded to
the exorcists. Thesewere, atthis period of Jewishhistory, numerous. They are
alluded to in Acts 19:13; by Josephus ('Ant.,' 8:02, 5); mention of them is also
speciallymade in the Talmud, which even describes something of their mode
of procedure. Our Lord seems to affirm in some cases, to a certain extent, the
efficacyof the powerof these exorcists. "These, Jewslike yourselves,"argued
Jesus, "some ofthem, you know, belonging to your own Pharisee sect, -these
have in certain casesapparently driven out the evil spirit of insanity: you do
not accusethem, do you, of working with an evil angel?" Godet, in the next
sevenverses, has suggesteda new line of interpretation, which, while generally
preserving the traditional exposition of the various details, supplies the
connecting thought betweenver. 23 ("He that is not with me is againstme,"
etc.)and the verses which precede and follow. This, apparently, has never
been done satisfactorilyby any commentator. Indeed, some, e.g. De Wette and
Bleek, are frank enough to confess thatthey abandon the attempt. In these
sevenverses Jesus draws two pictures, in which he contrasts one of those
expulsions of evil spirits which he works with that of a cure workedby an
exorcist.
STUDYLIGHT ON VERSE 15
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
But some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons castethhe out
demons.

This portion of the chapterappears to be descriptive of some of the same
incidents and teachings recordedin Matthew 12; but this may not be affirmed
dogmatically. How natural it was that the Pharisees wouldhave reneweda
charge ascribing Jesus'powerto Satan, and how logicalthat Jesus would have
replied to it with strikingly similar words and illustrations. If the two passages
are indeed accounts of a single occasion, the entire event may be known by
melding the two, and not by an arbitrary preference for either as "the
original." We may be very sure that every word recordedin the Gospels was
truly spokenby Jesus, and that every event related is truly grounded in a
historicaloccurrence. All three synoptics are similar at this point. See Mark
3:20-30.
In Matthew's record, the slander that Jesus'powerwas derived from
Beelzebub followedthe suggestions ofthe multitude that Jesus indeed was the
Messiah;but here it would seemthat the campaignof the Pharisees had
succeededin dimming this perception of the crowds that thronged around
Jesus, and that here the slander was preventive, in their view, and designedto
foreclose anysuch exclamations by the crowd. This teaching is in an entirely
different context in Mark.
Beelzebub ... This name is the same as Baalzebul, being derived through a
mocking Hebrew corruption of the name of the old Canaanite god, Baalzebul,
meaning "lord of the high place";the Hebrew alteration of it, Baalzebub,
meant "lord of flies" or of "the dunghill." Baalwas actuallynot one god, but
many, more accuratelyreferred to as the Baalim. When the Israelites entered
Canaan, they found that "everypiece of land had its own deity; thus there
were many Baals."[21]This was "the name of innumerable localgods
controlling fertility of the soil and domestic animals."[22]The name
Beelzebub, as used by Luke, however, means "Satan." The Hebrews had
developed this insulting name of the old Canaanite godinto a common
synonym for the devil; and their application of this shameful word in

connectionwith the holy Christ was as vulgar and evil as anything the
Pharisees everdid.
[21] The New Bible Dictionary(Grand Rapids, Michigan:Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1962), p. 115.
[22] Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia (New York:Funk and Wagnalls,
Inc., 1972), Vol. 3, p. 71.
Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography
Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on Luke 11:15". "Coffman
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/luke-11.html. Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
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John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
But some of them said,.... The Pharisees, Matthew 9:34 Matthew 12:24 who
could not bear that he should be thought to be the Messiah, and therefore put
an ill constructionon the miracle:

he castethout devils through Beelzebub, the chief of devils; in severalcopies
he is called Beelzebul, and in the Arabic and Ethiopic versions;which last
adds these words, "and he answeredand said, how can Satancastout Satan?"
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Luke 11:15". "The New JohnGill Exposition of
the Entire Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/luke-
11.html. 1999.
Geneva Study Bible
3 But some of them said, He castethout devils through Beelzebubthe chief of
the devils.
(3) An example of horrible blindness, and such as cannot be healed, when the
powerof God is blasphemed by an evil conscienceand pretended malice.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.

Bibliography
Beza, Theodore. "Commentaryon Luke 11:15". "The 1599 Geneva Study
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/gsb/luke-11.html.
1599-1645.
John Lightfoot's Commentary on the Gospels
15. But some of them said, He castethout devils through Beelzebubthe chief
of the devils.
[Through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.] I. As to this name of Beelzebub I
have elsewhere discoursed, and do still assertthe reading of it with the letter l
in the end of it, viz. Beelzebul, againstthe Syriac, Persian, Vulgar, and other
translations, which read it Beelzebub. The Italian, cautiouslyindeed, but not
purely, Beelzebu, that he might not strike upon either the one or the other
reading: but in the mean time I will not answerfor the faithfulness and
candour of the interpreter.
II. Amongst the Jews we may observe three devils called the chief, or prince of
the devils: 1. 'The angelof death'; who is calledPrince of all the Satans. 2. The
devil Asmodeus: of him afterward. 3. Beelzebub, in this place. Now as to
vindicating the writing of it by l in the end of the word, and not b:
III. It is a question whether there were such a thing as Beelzebub in rerum
natura. Why should not the deity of the place take his farewell, whenEkron,
the place of this deity, was wholly obliterated? When there was no more an
idol nor oracle at Ekron, did not the demon ceaseto be Beelzebub any longer,

although it did not ceaseto be a demon? Wherever, therefore, Ekron was
under the secondTemple, or the place where it had been under the first; you
can hardly persuade me there was any idol or oracle ofBeelzebub, and so not
Beelzebub himself. I will not here dispute whether Achor, the Cyrenians'
tutelar godagainstflies, hath any relation or affinity with the name of Ekron.
Let it be granted that Beelzebubmight change his soil upon some occasion,
and remove from Ekronto Cyrene: but then how should he come to be the
prince of the devils, when all his business and power was only among flies?
It may not be improbable, perhaps, that he might be first or chief of those
demons, or Baalim, that Ahab brought among the Israelites;and so Ahaziah
his son, in the midst of his affliction and danger, might fly for refuge to that
idol as what had been the godof his father: but what is it could move the ages
following at so long distance of time from this, that they should esteemthis
demon Beelzebubthe prince of the devils? Here I confess myselfnot well
satisfied:but as to Beelzebul, something may be said.
IV. I have already shewn, in notes upon Matthew 12, that the Jewishdoctors
(and such were these who contended with our Saviour) did give idolatrous
worship the denomination of zebul, or dung, for the ignominy of the thing;
and so was the nation generallytaught by these Rabbins. I gave some
instances for the proof of it, which I shall not here repeat, but add one more:
"It is saidof Joseph" [whenhis mistress would have tempted him to adultery],
"that he came into the house to do his business. R. Judah saith, It was a day of
fooling and of dunging, it was a day of theatres." Where the Gloss upon the
word zebul, stercoration, saiththus: "It is a word of contempt, and so it is
expounded by R. Solomonin the treatise Avodah Zarah, and Tosaphoth;viz.
that fooling signifies to sacrifice [that is, to idols]; and they prove it out of
JerusalemBeracoth, where it is said, 'He that seetha place where they dung
[that is, offer sacrifice]to an idol, let him say, Whoso offerethsacrifice to
strange gods, let him be accursed.'" Whichwords we have also allegedout of
the JerusalemTalmud.

V. Now therefore, when idolatry was denominated zebul amongstthe Jews,
and indeed reckonedamongstthe most grievous of sins they could be guilty of,
that devil whom they supposed to preside over this piece of wickednessthey
named him Beelzebub, and esteemedhim the prince of the devils; or (if you
will pardon the expression)the most devilized of all devils.
VI. They give the like title to the devil Asmodeus. Asmodeus the king of the
devils. The devil, the prince of the spirits. Which elsewhere is expounded, the
devil Asmodeus. For in both places we have this ridiculous tale:"There was a
certain womanbrought forth a sonin the night-time, and said to her son [a
child newly born you must know], 'go and light me a candle, that I may cut
thy navel.' As he was going, the devil Asmodeus meeting him, said to him, 'Go
and tell thy mother that if the cock had not crowedI would have killed thee,'"
&c.
The very name points at 'apostasy,'notso much that the devil was an
apostate, as that this devil provokedand enticed people to apostatize:
Beelzebulamongst the Gentiles, and Asmodeus amongstthe Jews, the first
authors of their apostasy. Whetherboth the name and demon were not found
out by the Jews to affright the Samaritans, see the place above quoted: "When
as Noahwent to plant a vineyard, the demon Asmodeus met him and said, Let
me partake with thee," &c. So that it seems they suppose Asmodeus had a
hand in Noah's drunkenness. "When he [that is, Solomon] sinned, Asmodeus
drove him to it," &c. They callthe angelof death by the name of prince of all
Satans, because he destroys all mankind by death, none excepted.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Lightfoot, John. "Commentary on Luke 11:15". "JohnLightfoot
Commentary on the Gospels".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jlc/luke-11.html. 1675.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
Dumb (κωπον — kōphon). See note on Matthew 9:32.
By Beelzebub (en Beezeboul). Blasphemous accusationhere in Judea as in
Galilee (Mark 3:22; Matthew 12:24, Matthew 12:27). See notes on Matthew
for discussionofthe form of this name and the various items in the sin against
the Holy Spirit involved in the charge. It was useless to deny the factof the
miracles. So they were explained as wrought by Satan himself, a most absurd
explanation.
Copyright Statement
The Robertson's WordPictures of the New Testament. Copyright �
Broadman Press 1932,33,Renewal1960. All rights reserved. Used by
permission of Broadman Press (Southern BaptistSunday SchoolBoard)
Bibliography
Robertson, A.T. "Commentary on Luke 11:15". "Robertson's WordPictures
of the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rwp/luke-11.html. Broadman
Press 1932,33. Renewal1960.

Vincent's Word Studies
Beelzebub
See on Matthew 10:25.
Copyright Statement
The text of this work is public domain.
Bibliography
Vincent, Marvin R. DD. "Commentaryon Luke 11:15". "Vincent's Word
Studies in the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/vnt/luke-11.html. Charles
Schribner's Sons. New York, USA. 1887.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
But some of them said, He castethout devils through Beelzebubthe chief of
the devils.
But some said, He castethout devils by Beelzebub — These he answers, Luke
11:17. Others, to try whether it were so or no, soughta sign from heaven.
These he reproves in Luke 11:29 and following verses. Beelzebubsignifies the
lord of flies, a title which the heathens gave to Jupiter, whom they accounted
the chief of their gods, and yet supposedhim to be employed in driving away
flies from their temple and sacrifices. The Philistines worshipped a deity

under this name, as the god of Ekron: from hence the Jews took the name,
and applied it to the chief of the devils. Mark 3:22.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.
Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on Luke 11:15". "JohnWesley's Explanatory
Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/luke-11.html. 1765.
The Fourfold Gospel
But some of them said1, By Beelzebubthe prince of the demons castethhe out
demons2.
But some of them said. That is, some of the multitude. Who these "some"
were is revealedby Matthew and Mark (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22).
By Beelzebub the prince of the demons castethhe out demons. See Mark 3:22.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website. These files
were made available by Mr. Ernie Stefanik. First published online in 1996 at
The RestorationMovementPages.
Bibliography

J. W. McGarveyand Philip Y. Pendleton. "Commentaryon Luke 11:15".
"The Fourfold Gospel".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tfg/luke-11.html. Standard
Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. 1914.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
15 But some of them said, He castethout devils through Beelzebub the chief of
the devils.
Ver. 15. See Matthew 9:34; Matthew 12:24.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Luke 11:15". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/luke-
11.html. 1865-1868.
Greek TestamentCriticalExegeticalCommentary

15. τινὲς ἐξ αὐτ.] No inference can here be drawn that these persons were not
Pharisees (as Greswellhas done), and consequently that the charge proceeded
from a different quarter.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Alford, Henry. "Commentary on Luke 11:15". Greek TestamentCritical
ExegeticalCommentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hac/luke-11.html. 1863-1878.
Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament
Luke 11:15. τινὲς, some)Their objectionis met in Luke 11:17-18. [Theywere
not able to deny some agencybeing at work superior to nature.—V. g.]
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Bengel, JohannAlbrecht. "Commentary on Luke 11:15". Johann Albrecht
Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jab/luke-11.html. 1897.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
Ver. 15-23. See Poole on"Matthew 9:34". See Pooleon"Matthew 12:24", and
following verses to Matthew 12:30. See Poole on"Mark 3:22", and following
verses to Mark 3:27.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Luke 11:15". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/luke-11.html. 1685.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
15. τινὲς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶνεἶπον. We learn from St Matthew (Matthew 12:24)that
this notable suggestionemanatedfrom “the Pharisees” and, as St Mark
(Mark 3:20) adds, from “the scribes which came from Jerusalem,” i.e. the
spies who had been expresslysent down by the ruling hierarchs to dog the
footsteps ofJesus, and counteractHis influence. The explanation was too

ingeniously wickedand cleverly plausible to come from the more
unsophisticatedPharisees ofGalilee.
βεελζεβούλ. The name and reading are involved in obscurity. In 2 Kings 1:3
we are told that Beelzebubwas god of Ekron; and the LXX[243] and Josephus
(Antt. IX. 2, § 1) understood the name to mean ‘lord of flies.’ He may have
been a god worshipped to avert the plagues of flies on the low sea-coastlike
Zeus Ἀπόμυιος (Averter of flies) and Apollo Ἰπυκτόνος (Slayerof vermin).
But others interpret the name to mean ‘lord of dung,’ and regardit as one of
the insulting nicknames which the Jews from a literal rendering of Exodus
23:13 felt bound to apply to heathen deities. In this place perhaps Beelzebub is
the true reading, and that means ‘lord of the (celestial)habitation,’ i.e. prince
of the air, Ephesians 2:3. Possiblythe οἰκοδεσπότης ofMatthew 10:25 is an
allusion to this meaning. In any case the charge was the same as that in the
Talmud that Jesus wroughtHis miracles (which the Jews did not pretend to
deny) by magic.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
"Commentary on Luke 11:15". "Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools
and Colleges".https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cgt/luke-
11.html. 1896.
PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible

‘But some of them said, “It is by Beelzeboulthe prince of the demons that he
casts out demons.’
His opponents were perplexed, but rather than admit that God was working
though Him they accusedof being in league with ‘Beelzeboul, the prince of the
demons’, in other words Satan.
‘It is by Beelzeboul.’Their decisionwas that He Himself was possessed
(always the easiestwayto discredit someone), and not just by any evil spirit
but by the greatBeelzeboul, prince of demons, himself (compare John 7:20;
John 8:48; John 8:52; John 10:20). The descriptiondemonstrates that
Beelzeboulwas seenas synonymous with Satan. ‘Beel’probably represents
‘baal’ (‘lord’), and zeboul ‘house’, thus the name means ‘Lord of the house’.
Different manuscripts and versions present the full name differently It is
given as ‘Beelzebub’ in the Syriac and Vulgate versions - probably as taken
from the name of the oraculargod in 2 Kings 1:2-3, and as ‘Beelzeboul’in
most manuscripts. It is given as ‘Beezeboul’in only a few manuscripts, but
these include weighty ones. The latter may, however, simply have dropped the
‘l’ because ‘lz’ was difficult to Greek speakers.
The correctname may wellthus be Beelzeboul. ‘Zeboul’ may represent
‘zebel’ (dung) or ‘zebul’ (dwelling). Thus the name may mean ‘lord of the
house (or dwelling)’ (see Matthew 10:25 b which seems to confirm this). Or it
may be ‘lord of dung’ as an insulting name for Satan. The former would
explain the stress on ‘house’ in Jesus’repudiation. The name Zbl is also found
in a Ugaritic text, linked with baal, where it may be a proper name or mean
‘prince’. Matthew 10:25 b suggests thatBeelzeboulis seenas master over a
household of demons (compare ‘Lord of the house’ above). As the narrative

goes onwe learn that this is a synonym for Satan, as we would gatherfrom
him being the prince of the demons.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Pett, Peter. "Commentary on Luke 11:15". "PeterPett's Commentaryon the
Bible ". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/luke-11.html.
2013.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Luke 11:15. Some of them said. ‘The Pharisees.’Luke omits the language of
the people which calledforth this expressionof hostility; Matthew’s more
definite statementon the latter point would require the mention of the hostile
class. See onMatthew 12:24.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD

Luke 11:14 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.
KJV Luke 11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it
came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake;and the people
wondered.
And He was casting out a demon Mt 9:32,33;12:22,23;Mark 7:32-37
Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 11:14-23 The Vilification of Jesus, Part1 - John MacArthur
John Hannah's Outline of Luke 11:14-54
The conflict causing the rejectionof the Son of Man (Lk 11:14-36)
The occasion (Lk 11:14)
The charge of empowermentby Satan (Lk 11:15-16)
The defense againstthe charge (Lk 11:17-23)
The illustration of Israel's plight (Lk 11:24-28)
The sign to the nation (Lk 11:29-32)
The warning to the nation (Lk 11:33-36)
The consequenceofthe rejectionof the Son of Man (Lk 11:37-54)
The occasion (Lk 11:37-38)
Woes pronouncedupon the Pharisees (Lk 11:39-44)
For their externalism (Lk 11:39-41)
For their disregardof true justice (Lk 11:42)

For desire to be regardedby men (Lk 11:43)
For their deceit (Lk 11:44)
Woes pronouncedupon the lawyers (Lk 11:45-52)
For their lack of care (Lk 11:45-46)
For their attitude towardthe prophets (Lk 11:47-51)
For their hindrances (Lk 11:52)
The result (Lk 11:53-54)
JESUS'EXORCISM
AMAZES CROWD
As noted in the Outline above Luke 11:14-54 deals primarily with the
mounting rejection of Jesus and His message. The synoptic Gospels have
parallel passagesin Matthew and Mark (Mt. 12:22-30;Mark 3:20-27). While
some feel Luke is recording the same events as Matthew and Mark other
commentators feelthey are different accounts.
Steven Cole introduces Lk 11:14-28 - In 1938, OrsonWelles terrified millions
of Americans with his radio narration of H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.
(Here is the original 1938 radio broadcastthat frightened so many of the
listeners)The drama was so realistic that many thought that aliens were
actually invading our planet, intent on destroying the human race. It was only
fiction; no one should have believed such a far-fetched tale. But they did. The
Bible clearly affirms that we are engagedin combat with an unseenenemy
that is intent on destroying the human race:“Forour struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but againstthe rulers, againstthe powers, againstthe world
forces of this darkness, againstthe spiritual forces ofwickedness inthe
heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). It is a frightening truth which no one should
doubt or ignore. But many do doubt it and live as if it is not true. The apostle

John affirms that “the Sonof God appearedfor this purpose, that He might
destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Luke is showing that Jesus’
miracles establishHis legitimate authority as the Messiah, the Son of God,
sent to deliver us from the powerof Satan. But Jesus’authority put Him into
conflict with the Jewishreligious authorities, who did not want to yield to
Him. Luke 11:14-54 shows the mounting tension betweenJesus and these
religious leaders. Ratherthan approaching Jesus with teachable hearts and
open minds, they accusedHim of casting out demons by the power of Satan
and they challengedHim by demanding some sign from heaven. As such, they
were reissuing the third temptation that Satanhad put before Jesus, to use
His powerfor show by casting Himself off the Temple pinnacle. Jesus soundly
refuted their demands by giving this extensive teaching on spiritual conflict,
the heavenly war. (Luke 11:14-28 The Heavenly War)
Darrell Bock writes that "To understand the significance ofJesus'miraculous
work, especiallyHis exorcisms, one must understand Luke 11:14-23." (Luke
Commentary).
Guzik has an interesting note - The Jews in Jesus’day had their own
exorcists, who soughtto castdemons out of people. But they believed that they
had to make the demon reveal his name, or they had no authority over the
demon to castit out.
And - Notice that this verse begins with and (kai, as a marker of connections
or a coordinating conjunction in the Greek)which connects it with the
previous passage(Lk 11:13)in which Jesus describedthe gift of the Holy
Spirit. Some commentators (including this writer) think that Jesus was in a
sense demonstrating the powerof the Spirit Who we know from Lk 4:14-note
(cf Acts 10:38) empoweredHim for ministry. The Jews howeveraccusedJesus
of being empoweredby an unclean spirit, Satanhimself!

Matthew records a similar passage
As they were going out, a mute, demon-possessedman was brought to Him. 33
After the demon was castout, the mute man spoke;and the crowds were
amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seenin Israel.”(Mt
9:32,33)
MacArthur comments that "They knew of the many miracles God wrought
while Moses appealedto Pharaohto releasethe Israelites from bondage, and
of the deliverance through the Red Sea and the provision of waterand manna
in the wilderness. Theyknew of God's giving the law on Mt. Sinai on tablets of
stone inscribed with His own finger and of His dramatic crumbling of the
walls of Jericho. They knew of the greatmiracles of Elijah and Elisha. But in
less than a year's time, they themselves had witnessedmiracles of a greater
and absolutelyunique magnitude. Here was a display of divine power
unequaled not only in the history of Israelbut in the history of the world.
(MacArthur New TestamentCommentary – Matthew 8-15)
And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute - Not that the demon was
itself "mute" but that it causedspeechlessness. This actclearly demonstrated
Jesus'powerover the supernatural world, specificallythe kingdom of
darkness headedby Satan. This episode of casting out gets two reactions, one
of amazement but another of accusationas discussedbelow. "This miracle is
different from others in Luke. The miracle is told entirely in one verse and
with minimum detail, while the response covers severalverses. The emphasis
is on explaining what Jesus'work means." (NET)
Casting out (1544)(ekballo fromek = out + bállō = to cast, throw, drive)
means to cast, throw out often with the idea of force (Mt. 8:12; 15:17;25:30;
Acts 16:37, 27:38;Lxx - Lev. 14:40).

Demon (1140)(daimonionfrom daímon = demon) most often describes
demons or evil spirits who have supernatural powers and are neither human
nor divine (Mt 7:22). BDAG says daimonion is a "transcendentincorporeal
being with status betweenhumans and deities."
Luke's uses of daimonion - Luke also uses the word 'unclean spirits" 5 times
(Lk 4:36, 6:18, 8:29, 9:42, 11:24)and "unclean demon" once (Lk 4:33) Lk.
4:33; Lk. 4:35; Lk. 4:41; Lk. 7:33; Lk. 8:2; Lk. 8:27; Lk. 8:29; Lk. 8:30; Lk.
8:33; Lk. 8:35; Lk. 8:38; Lk. 9:1; Lk. 9:42; Lk. 9:49; Lk. 10:17; Lk. 11:14; Lk.
11:15;Lk. 11:18;Lk. 11:19; Lk. 11:20;Lk. 13:32; Acts 17:18;Luke also uses
the word 'unclean spirits" 5 times (Lk 4:36, 6:18, 8:29, 9:42, 11:24)and
"uncleandemon" once (Lk 4:33)
When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke - So the effect of the
demon on this man was to prevent him from speaking. It is interesting that in
Lk 1:22+ Zacharias is unable to speak as a result of his doubting God, but his
mute condition was not demonically bestowedbut divinely bestowed(divine
discipline).
Steven Cole - In that day, there were a number of Jewishexorcists who tried
to castout demons by specialpotions or incantations or magicalprocedures.
Sometimes they seeminglysucceeded, althoughthey often failed. But every
time Jesus castout a demon, He simply spoke the word and the demon
obeyed. Yet in spite of His obvious power, these skeptics accusedJesus of
casting out demons by Satan’s power. We learn from this that belief in Jesus
Christ is not simply a matter of having sufficient evidence. If Jesus had not
done these mighty works of miraculous power, or if He had done them by
some sleight of hand, surely His critics would have pounced on this and
accusedHim of practicing magic. But they never used that line of attack.
Since they couldn’t dispute the factof the miracles, all they could do was to
accuse Jesus ofdoing them by Satan’s power. Even though Jesus here knew
their thoughts, this did not convince them that He was from God! Truly, the

god of this world had blinded them, as he does every unbeliever! (Luke 11:14-
28 The Heavenly War)
The crowds were amazed- Amazed is in the present tense indicating they
continued in this state. This is the secondtime Luke describes the crowd's
("large crowd" Lk 9:37+) marveling as Jesus demonstratedHis power and
authority over the demonic world.
And they were all amazed (ekplesso)atthe greatness ofGod (for contextsee
Lk 9:42). But while everyone was marveling (thaumazo) at all that He was
doing, He said to His disciples, (Luke 9:43+)
Amazed (2296)(thaumazo from thauma [from thaomai = to wonder] =
wonder, admiration) means to wonder, marvel, be struck with admiration or
astonishment. Thaumazo describes the human response whenconfronted by
divine revelation in some form. Luke's uses of thaumazo - Lk. 1:21; Lk. 1:63;
Lk. 2:18; Lk. 2:33; Lk. 4:22; Lk. 7:9; Lk. 8:25; Lk. 9:43; Lk. 11:14;Lk. 11:38;
Lk. 20:26; Lk. 24:12;Lk. 24:41;Acts 2:7; Acts 3:12; Acts 4:13; Acts 7:31
Matthew uses thaumazo in a similar contextin two passages
After the demon was castout (for context see Mt 9:32), the mute man spoke;
and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "Nothing like this has ever
been seenin Israel." (Matthew 9:33+)
So the crowdmarveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored,
and the lame walking, and the blind seeing;and they glorified the Godof
Israel. (Matthew 15:31)

Steven Cole - Satan and his demonic forces are committed to the ultimate
harm and destruction of the human race. To rewrite the Four Spiritual Laws,
“Satanhates you and has a terrible plan for your life!” Since God’s purpose is
to be glorified through the human race, createdin His image, Satan’s purpose
is to defile and degrade people so that their lives do not bring glory to God.
Some of Satan’s demons are more evil than others (11:26), but they all have
the same evil purpose. Since the fall of the human race into sin, every person
is born under Satan’s domain and power (1 John 5:19; Eph. 2:2). Jesus called
him “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31;14:30; 16:11)and Paul calledhim
“the god of this world [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (2 Cor.
4:4). In this case,the demon causedthe man to be dumb, or unable to speak
(Matt. 12:22 reports that the demon also had blinded the man). We have
already encounteredLegion, who showedus the hideous harm that demons
can inflict on people. While we may not encounter such extreme cases very
often, we should not be lulled into thinking that Satanis not alive and well on
planet earth in our day. As J. C. Ryle puts it (Expository Thoughts on the
Gospels [Baker], 3:17, onLuke 11:14-20) Do we suppose, becausebodily
possessionby Satanis not so glaringly manifest as it once was, that the great
enemy is less active in doing mischief than he used to be? If we think so we
have much to learn. Do we suppose that there is no such thing as the influence
of a “dumb” devil in the present day? If we do, we had better think again.
What shall we sayof those who never speak to God, who never use their
tongues in prayer and praise, ...? What shall we say, in a word, of those who
can speak to every one but God? What can we say but that Satanhas
despoiledthem of the truest use of a tongue? Sometimes we look at nice,
decent, law-abiding people and assume that they are not in Satan’s domain, as
if there is some large, neutral zone betweenGod’s kingdom and Satan’s
kingdom. But Satanis a deceiver, and he cunningly leaves many in their not-
toobad condition so that we look at them and think, “This person couldn’t be
in Satan’s domain!” Do not be deceived!Even though a person may not look
like Legionor may not be struck dumb and blind by demons, he or she is still
just as much in Satan’s evil domain, headedfor an eternity in hell, if he is not
rescuedby Jesus Christ. This means that every time we proclaim the Gospel

to a lost soul, a spiritual battle is raging. There are two and only two sides.
Either the person ignores or rejects the Gospeland remains in Satan’s
domain; or, Jesus Christ saves him and he is transferred to the kingdom of
God’s beloved Son (Col. 1:13). (Luke 11:14-28 The Heavenly War)
RelatedResources:
What does the Bible say about demons?
Do demons exist?
Are demons fallen angels?
Can a Christian be demon possessed?Cana Christian be demonized?
How do we distinguish a psychologicaldisorderfrom demon possession?
Is there activity of demonic spirits in the world today?
What does the Bible say about demon possession/ demonic possession?
Can a Christian today perform an exorcism? What does the Bible sayabout
casting out demons?
What does it mean that the name of the demon was Legion?
Who were the sevensons of Sceva?
Can demons attachthemselves to non-living/inanimate objects?
What does the Bible say about demonic oppression?
What are unclean spirits? Are unclean spirits demons?
How are idols connectedto demons (Deuteronomy 32:16-17)?
Luke 11:15 But some of them said, "He casts outdemons by Beelzebul, the
ruler of the demons."

KJV Luke 11:15 But some of them said, He castethout devils through
Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
NLT Paraphrase but some of them said, "No wonder he can castout demons.
He gets his powerfrom Satan, the prince of demons."
He casts out demons Mt 9:34; Mt 12:24-30;Mark 3:22-30;John 7:20;
8:48,52;10:20
by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons Lk 11:18,19
ParallelPassages:
Matthew 12:24+ But when the Phariseesheardthis, they said, “This man casts
out demons only by Beelzebulthe ruler of the demons.”
Mark 3:22+ The scribes who came down from Jerusalemwere saying, “He is
possessedby Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the
demons.”
JESUS'EXORCISM
BRINGS ACCUSATION

Rod Mattoonhas a nice alliterationof this section:
The RejectionofReality - Luke 11:14-15
The Rancorof Resentment - Luke 11:16
The Rending of Relationships - Luke 11:17-22
But some of them said - The identity of the "some" cannotbe determined
definitively from the immediate context, but clearly they are Jewish
protagonists and most likely from the party of the Pharisees because this
party name is mentioned 6 times in the following section - Lk 11:37, 38, 39, 42,
43, 53. The point is that while the majority of Jews ("crowds")were amazed
at Jesus'powerover the demons, a smaller group of Jews soughtto discredit
His miraculous powers and attribute them to Satan.
J Vernon McGee -The convincing nature of Jesus'miracles forcedthe
Pharisees to offer some explanation for them. They could not deny the
existence ofmiracles when they were happening before their eyes. They
resortedto the basestand most blasphemous explanation for the miracles of
Jesus. Theydid not deny that they took place but claimed that they were done
by the powerof the Devil.
MacArthur describes the some of them as "propagandists spreading the lies of
the Jewishleaders in Jerusalem, were quick to offer their slanderous, false
explanation of the Lord’s miraculous power. The same lie that had been
spread in Galilee was now heard in Judea as well. Since it was impossible even
for His enemies to deny that Christ’s miracles occurred (cf. John 11:47), they
sought insteadto attack the source and assignthem to demonic power. (Ibid)
Steven Cole - In that day, there were a number of Jewishexorcists who tried
to castout demons by specialpotions or incantations or magicalprocedures.
Sometimes they seeminglysucceeded, althoughthey often failed. But every

time Jesus castout a demon, He simply spoke the word and the demon
obeyed. Yet in spite of His obvious power, these skeptics accusedJesus of
casting out demons by Satan’s power. We learn from this that belief in Jesus
Christ is not simply a matter of having sufficient evidence. If Jesus had not
done these mighty works of miraculous power, or if He had done them by
some sleight of hand, surely His critics would have pounced on this and
accusedHim of practicing magic. But they never used that line of attack.
Since they couldn’t dispute the factof the miracles, all they could do was to
accuse Jesus ofdoing them by Satan’s power....Truly, the godof this world
had blinded them (2 Cor 4:4), as he does every unbeliever! (Luke 11:14-28
The Heavenly War)
He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons - Notice that even
this group of Jews recognizedthat Jesus was performing a supernatural work.
Howeverwere not willing to ascribe this work to God. In short they were
saying that Jesus'powerover the demons was the result of Satan empowering
Jesus, presumably by indwelling Him! In essence theywere accusing Jesus of
performing diabolicalacts!Mark 3:22+ the Jewishprotagonists clearlystated
that Jesus was "possessedby Beelzebul!" In Matthew 10:25+ the Jews called
Jesus Beelzebul!They were calling Jesus the Devil! In claiming that Jesus cast
out demons by Beelzebul, BDAG says they were accusing Him of witchcraft!
Casts out (present tense)(1544)see ekbállō fromek = out + bállō = to cast,
throw, drive) means to cast, throw out often with the idea of force (Mt. 8:12;
15:17;25:30; Acts 16:37, 27:38;Lxx - Lev. 14:40). Casting out of demons was
a common occurrence in Jesus'ministry and His associates - Luke 4:33–35,
41; 8:27–37;9:37–42;13:32),e twelve apostles (Lk 9:1); seventy evangelists
(Lk 10:17).Luke's uses ofekballo - Lk. 4:29; Lk. 6:22; Lk. 6:42; Lk. 9:40; Lk.
9:49; Lk. 10:2; Lk. 10:35;Lk. 11:14; Lk. 11:15;Lk. 11:18;Lk. 11:19; Lk.
11:20;Lk. 13:28;Lk. 13:32; Lk. 19:45;Lk. 20:12;Lk. 20:15; Acts 7:58; Acts
9:40; Acts 13:50; Acts 16:37; Acts 27:38

Demon (1140)seenote above on daimonion
Beelzebul(KJV = Beelzebub - see Gilbrant's note)(954)(beelzeboul)is
transliterated from the Hebrew phrase "BaalZebub" which means "Lord of
the Flies" orthe "Fly God" (see 2 Ki 1:2-3, 5, 16). In Jesus'reply to the
accusationofthe Jews in Mt 12:24 that He castout demons by Beelzebul, He
answers in Mt 12:26 substituting the name Satanwhich clearlyidentifies the
Jewishreferences to Beelzebulas another name for Satan. It is interesting that
the name Baalzebulalso appears in the Ras Shamra tablets, where it is used of
a Canaanite deity and seems to have the meaning “lord of the high place” or
“lord of the dwelling.” (See Got Questions entry)
Beelzebul - 7x in 7v - Matt. 10:25+ = Jesus accusedofbeing the embodiment
of Satan!!!; Matt. 12:24+;Matt. 12:27+;Mk. 3:22+; Lk. 11:15+; Lk. 11:18+;
Lk. 11:19+. Jesus, rejecting His accuser's false charges, pointedout that the
expulsion of demons was Satan's defeat, heralding the arrival of God's
kingdom (see Luke 11:20-22+).
Gilbrant has an in depth discussionof beelzeboul - Beelzeboulwas a name
Jews gave to “the prince of devils” (Matthew 12:24;Mark 3:22; cf. Luke
11:15), that is, Satan. The term does not appear outside the Synoptic Gospels
exceptin later writings basedon them. To show contempt for Jesus the
Pharisees calledHim this name— along with “gluttonous,” “winebibber”
(Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34), and “Samaritan” (John8:48). According to them
not only did Jesus have a demon (Mark 3:30; John 8:48,49,52;10:20,21;
compare Matthew 11:17; Luke 7:33) that made Him crazy (John 10:20), but
He exorciseddemons by the powerof this prince of demons (Matthew 9:34;
12:24;Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15).
The Gospels recordtwo, if not three, occasions whenthe Jews tried to
discount Jesus’miracles by saying that He was in league with the devil: (1)
Matthew 9:32-34;(2) Matthew 12:22-37 (cf. Mark 3:19-30); (3) Luke 11:14-26

(may parallel number 2). Beelzebouloccurs seventimes in the last three
passages, plus Matthew 10:24-33 recounts a private discussionwith Jesus’
disciples about some previous instance of this same slander. The term also
appears in the actualepisode Matthew 9 refers to and may be what Jesus
meant in Matthew 10. At any rate, the religious leaders used this epithet to
create sentiment againstJesus.
The word itself has severalinteresting features.
Beelzeboulis pronounced almost as a four syllable compound word (the first
half has a vowel glide from long to short “e”):Bē-ĕl+ ze-boul. A number of
spellings appear in English versions depending on how the translators decided
to represent the Greek sounds with English letters, on what manuscripts they
followed, and on whether they chose to represent the name in its Hebrew or
Aramaic form. The first half of the word comes from the Canaanite deity
Baal, spelled“Beel” in Aramaic, the language that largelyreplacedHebrew
among the Jews afterthe Babylonian Captivity; consequently, the full
designationappears both as Beelzebouland Baalzeboul. Baalmeans “lord,”
or “master.”
The lastsyllable is zeboul or zebul depending againon how translators
representthe Greek vowelsound in English letters. A greaterissue lies behind
the difference betweenBeelzebul and Beelzebub. In all seven places the
ancient Syriac translation, the Latin Vulgate, and a few Greek manuscripts
have the latter reading. Mostmodern textual critics have concluded that the
original Greek text, however, carried -bul.
Beelzebub was the name of a pagan god worshipedin Ekron(2 Kings
1:2,3,6,16). WhenAhaziah, king of Israel, severelyinjured himself in a fall, he
tried to consult this deity to see whether he would live (Ed: Before we are too

hard on Ahaziah, how often is our first reactionto go to sources otherthan
God when confronted with adversity, affliction, etc?). Zebub, the Hebrew
word for “fly,” is translatedin the Septuagint which then reads “Baalmuian
(Ed: muia = fly)” in the four verses of 1 Kings 2. “Lord of the fly,” or “Fly-
god,” might refer to the shape of the idol, to the god’s oracles supposedly
given by the flight pattern or buzzing of flies, to the swarming of flies around
sacrifices offeredto him, or to a god that protectedfrom flies and diseases
associatedwith them (for example, the Greek godZeus Apomyios, “Fly-
Averting Zeus”), or to the Romangod Myagros.
If the term for “the prince of demons” has any connectionwith the god
mentioned in 2 Kings, the question is how the shift betweenBeelzebub and
Beelzebulhappened. The leastlikely conjecture is that since the Ras Shamra
literature mentions a Canaanite godBaalzebul, Baalzebub is an intentional
corruption of that name written into the original Old Testamenttext itself. In
that case, zebul may have derived from a Hebrew word rootmeaning
“habitation” (see Psalm49:15); Baalzebul could then mean “Lord of the
Habitation/Temple” or even “Lord of the High Place.” Calling the godof
Ekron “Lord of Flies” insteadin 2 Kings 1 and later labeling Satanwith that
name would have been a derogatoryshift to Baalzebub. Applying Beelzebub
to Jesus would carry a double sting—calling Him the devil and doing so with a
derogatoryterm.
The difficulty here is that the correctreading in the New Testamentis almost
certainly Beelzebul. A New Testamenttextual shift to -bub under the
influence of 2 Kings is understandable, but one wonders what could explain
the opposite shift during the textual history of Greek Gospels.
Especiallyin post-Biblicalrabbinic writings, the Hebrew root meaning
“habitation” had another derived meaning, “manure.” It has been frequently
suggestedthat Baalzebub was in fact the name of the god in Ekron and that

later Jews caricaturedit into a similar sounding name for Satan:“Lord of the
Manure Pile” since manure draws flies; so the shift betweenBeelzebub and
Beelzebul would have takenplace in the opposite direction from the first
scenario. The “double cut” againstJesus, then, would almost have involved a
vulgar name.
One last option has been to dissociate the Gospelaccounts from the
“Beelzebub” of 2 Kings 2 and to simply saythat Beelzebul, “Lord of the
Temple/Habitation,” was a name Jews usedfor Satan, a name not in itself
particularly derogatorybut one that recalledthe paganpractices of ancient
Canaanite religion and identified them with “the prince of demons.” The
application to Jesus, then, would be derogatoryinsofar as He was being called
the devil. Under this explanation commentators have seenspecial
appropriateness in Jesus’comments to His disciples in Matthew 10:25, “If
they have calledthe masterof the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they
call them of his household?”
In all this ambiguity the centralpoint is clear. The religious leaders were
trying to denigrate Jesus’miracles by associating them with the power of
Satan. Accordingly, in Matthew 12:31,32 and Mark 3:28-30 the Lord warned
them that assigning to Satanmiracles by which the Spirit bore witness to
Jesus is blasphemy of the Spirit, a sin which is not forgiven in this age or in
the one to come. (Complete Biblical Library Greek-EnglishDictionary)
Ruler (758)(archon from present participle of archo = to rule) describes one
who has eminence in a ruling capacity, referring to earthly figures (Mt 20:25)
such as rulers (Acts 4:26), Moses( Acts 7:27, 35), of Christ as the ruler of the
kings of the earth (Rev 1:5). In the presentcontext archon refers to the devil
as ruler over the demons in Mt 9:34; Mt 12:24; Mk 3:22; Lk 11:15 and Eph
2:2 "the PRINCE (archon) of the powerof the air." There is a demonic
hierarchy a word which describes a system or organization in which one is
ranked one above others according to status or authority. Paul alludes to this
stratificationof authority in Ephesians 6:12+ "Forour struggle is not against

flesh and blood, but againstthe rulers, againstthe powers, againstthe world
forces of this darkness, againstthe spiritual forces ofwickedness inthe
heavenly places."
Luke 11:16 Others, to testHim, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.
KJV Luke 11:16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
were demanding of Him a sign Mt 12:38,39;16:1-4; Mark 8:11,12;John 6:30;
1 Cor 1:22
Parallelpassages
Matthew 12:38; 39+ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees saidto Him,
“Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answeredand said to
them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign
will be given to it but the sign of Jonahthe prophet;
Mark 8:11; 12+ The Pharisees came outand beganto argue with Him,
seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. 12 Sighing deeply in His
spirit, He *said, “Why does this generationseek fora sign? Truly I say to you,
no sign will be given to this generation.”

Others, to testHim - The intent of their "test" was really to taunt Him! In
Luke 8:44 Jesus describedthese Jews as sons ofSatan, and here we see they
are doing exactly what their father attempted in the Wilderness Testings of
Jesus. EarlierLuke recorded
"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordanand was led around
by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted (peirazo) by the
devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He
became hungry. (Lk 4:1-2-note)
Test(3985)(peirazo)is a morally neutral verb which simply means to test but
whether the testing is for a good(Heb 11:17)or evil (as the present context
indicates)depends on the intent of the one giving the test. As described above
these testing Jews were "like father, like son!" When the context indicates the
testing is an enticement to evil, the word is most frequently translated as
tempt, which of course conveys a negative connotation.
Were demanding of Him a sign from heaven - They were not seeking truth
but were in a sense "spies"gathering information with which they could
condemn Jesus. Luke 11:17 says "He knew their thoughts" and that they were
not honestseekers.
Stein on sign- Only Luke referred to the temptation/test for a sign. Some
opponents did not see the exorcismas sufficient evidence. They wanted a
clearersign, i.e., a sign from heaven. With this statement Luke tied this
pericope to Luke 11:29–32by foreshadowing it. Luke wanted his readers to
understand that to ask for signs, both in Jesus’day and possibly their own (cf.
1 Cor 1:22), was to tempt the Lord (Luke 4:12). There was sufficient proof for
faith in the Scriptures (cf. Lk 16:31). (New American Commentary – Volume
24: Luke)

Mattoon- Not only were these folks rejecting the reality of this situation that
Christ was God, the Messiahof the world, but their anger, bitterness, and
resentment causedthem to be peevish and slanderous when they should have
been praising the Lord for delivering this demon-possessedman.
MacArthur comments that these "blaspheming rejecters....tauntedJesus,
derisively demanding that He falsify their absurd charge that He was in
league with the devil by performing a spectacularmiracle. Becausethe mighty
works He had already done were conclusive proof that He was the Messiah
and Son of God (John 10:25), Jesus refusedtheir request. As He saidto them
in Luke 11:29, “This generationis a wickedgeneration;it seeks fora sign, and
yet no sign will be given to it but the signof Jonah.”
Sign ((4592)(semeionfrom sema = sign) a sign is something that serves as a
pointer to aid perceptionor insight. In the NT a sign speaks ofa tokenwhich
has behind it a particular messageto be conveyed.
Gene Brooks notes that "Isaiah35:6 tells us that the healing of the mute is a
sign of God’s end-time salvation. Here is a sign. They ask for a sign, but they
do not recognize the signs they want to see."
Luke 11:17 But He knew their thoughts and saidto them, "Any kingdom
divided againstitself is laid waste;and a house divided againstitself falls.
NET Luke 11:17 But Jesus, realizing their thoughts, said to them, "Every
kingdom divided againstitself is destroyed, and a divided householdfalls.

GNT Luke 11:17 αὐτὸς δὲ εἰδὼς αὐτῶντὰ διανοήματαεἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Πᾶσα
βασιλεία ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτὴνδιαμερισθεῖσα ἐρημοῦταικαὶ οἶκος ἐπὶ οἶκονπίπτει.
NLT Luke 11:17 He knew their thoughts, so he said, "Any kingdom divided
by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.
KJV Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every
kingdom divided againstitself is brought to desolation;and a house divided
againsta house falleth.
ESV Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every
kingdom divided againstitself is laid waste, anda divided household falls.
NIV Luke 11:17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom
divided againstitself will be ruined, and a house divided againstitself will fall.
ASV Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every
kingdom divided againstitself is brought to desolation;and a house divided
againsta house falleth.
CSB Luke 11:17 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: "Every kingdom
divided againstitself is headedfor destruction, and a house divided against
itself falls.
NKJ Luke 11:17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every
kingdom divided againstitself is brought to desolation, and a house divided
againsta house falls.

NRS Luke 11:17 But he knew what they were thinking and said to them,
"Every kingdom divided againstitself becomes a desert, and house falls on
house.
YLT Luke 11:17 And he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, 'Every
kingdom having been divided againstitself is desolated;and house against
house doth fall;
NAB Luke 11:17 But he knew their thoughts and saidto them, "Every
kingdom divided againstitself will be laid waste and house will fall against
house.
NJB Luke 11:17 but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, 'Any
kingdom which is divided againstitselfis heading for ruin, and house
collapses againsthouse.
GWN Luke 11:17 Since Jesus knew whatthey were thinking, he said to them,
"Every kingdom divided againstitself is ruined. A house divided againstitself
falls.
BBE Luke 11:17 But he, having knowledge oftheir thoughts, said to them,
Every kingdom in which there is division is made waste;and a house in which
there is division comes to destruction.
But He knew their thoughts and said to them Mt 9:4; 12:25;Mark 3:23-26;
John 2:25; Rev 2:23

Any kingdom divided againstitself is laid waste 2 Chr 10:16-19;2 Chr
13:16,17;Isa 9:20,21;19:2,3
SATAN WOULD BE
DIVIDED AGAINST HIMSELF
But (de) term of contrast. They had just said they wanted a sign, however
Jesus knew better!
He knew their thoughts - To whom does their refer? While the immediate
context does not allow dogmatic identification, from comparisonwith similar
passages(cf Mt 12:24+, Mk 3:22+) this is almost surely the scribes most of
whom were also Pharisees. The Jewishcrowds atthis time were not
antagonistic but attractedby His miracles, while the religious leaders were
antagonizedby His miracles. Mt 12:25+ is similar to Luke recording "and
knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them." The factthat Jesus knew their
thoughts offers further proof of His deity, since only God knows the heart (1
Sa 16:7; 1 Ki 8:39; 1 Chr. 28:9; Jer. 17:10;Ezek 11:5)
MacArthur on knew their thoughts - Their whisperings may have been hidden
from the Lord’s ears, but not from His omniscience, since He knew their
thoughts (cf. Lk 5:22; 6:8; 7:39–47;Jn 2:25). Their thought processes,
purposes, and intents were transparent to Jesus, andHe knew that those
thoughts were sinful, blasphemous, and damning. He had every right at this
point to abandon them to their unbelief and its inevitable eternaldoom. Yet
He reachedout to them again in mercy, exposing the irrationality of their
damning false conclusion. (MNTC-Lk)

Knew (1492)(eido)means in generalto know by perception not so much by
experience. Eido is not so much that which is known by experience as an
intuitive insight. Eido/oida is a perception, a being aware of, an
understanding, an intuitive knowledge whichin the case ofbelievers can only
be given by the Holy Spirit. Eido also suggests fullness of knowledge,absolute
knowledge (that which is without a doubt), rather than a progress in
knowledge. The idea is that Jesus knew beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Thoughts (only NT use)(1270)(dianoema from dianoéomai= to agitate in
mind from diá = denoting separation+ noéō = think over) means the content
of what a person is thinking about. It refers to a thought or reflection with an
evil connotationin the presentcontext. Gilbrant adds "This term is akinto
the verb noeo, “to consider,” but emphasizes the result of the activity of
thought. It overlaps into the realm of purpose, intent, and motive. It was a
favorite word of Plato." Six times in the Septuagint - Pr 14:14; Pr 15:24;Isa.
55:9; Ezek. 14:3; Ezek. 14:4; Da. 8:25
Any kingdom (basileia)divided againstitself is laid waste - One is reminded of
the popular saying "United we stand, divided we fall." This is a truth that is
simple and obvious, even to His obtuse protagonists. A divided kingdom
results in civil warand usually the destruction of the kingdom. If Satan was
empowering Jesus to castout demons, Satan's kingdom would be divided
againstitself and would be ruined be ruined.
Divided (3307)(merizo)means to divide, part, share, separate. Merizo - 13x in
NT - Matt. 12:25; Matt. 12:26; Mk. 3:24; Mk. 3:25; Mk. 3:26; Mk. 6:41; Lk.
12:13;Rom. 12:3; 1 Co. 1:13; 1 Co. 7:17; 1 Co. 7:34; 2 Co. 10:13; Heb. 7:2

Laid waste (2049)(eremoofrom eremos = wasteland)means brought to ruin,
be laid waste, become desolate, be devastated(Mt 12:25). Of a prosperous city
meaning to be ruined or depopulated.
A house divided (merizo) againstitself falls - Again this truth of this statement
is obvious. The meaning of house is not clearas it could be strife in a family
(in the house) or strife betweenhouseholds. Most translations (NIV, RSV,
NEB, NASB)imply division and strife within a family. We all have seenthe
devastating effectof divorce on families. "This phrase pictures one house
collapsing on another, what we call today a "house of cards." (NET)The point
is that if Jesus'powerover the demon was derived from Satan, this would be
ridiculous for Satanwas the enemy of Jesus and would hardly empoweran
assaulton his ownkingdom, the kingdom of darkness (cf Col 1:13, Acts
26:18).
Rod Mattoon- We now enter a sectionofScripture that has become very
familiar because ofits use in illustrating truths by famous men. Jesus saidin
verse seventeenthat every kingdom divided againstitselfis brought to
desolationand a house divided againsta house faileth or cannot stand.On
June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln gave a famous speechknownas the House
Divided Speechin Springfield, Illinois that was basedon this principle. On
this occasion, Lincolnacceptedthe Illinois Republican Party's nomination for
United States senator. It became the launching point for his unsuccessful
campaignagainstStephen Douglas. Lincoln used this speechto create a
lasting image of the dangerof disunion because ofslavery. At that time, there
was division in the United States betweenthe slave states and the free states.
Lincoln said, "A house divided againstitself cannot stand. I believe this
government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not
expectthe Union to be dissolved. I do not expectthe house to fall, but I do
expectit will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.
Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it
where the public mind shall restin the belief that it is in the course of ultimate

extinction, or its advocates willpush it forward, till it shall become alike
lawful in all the States, oldas wellas new—Northas well as South."
One thing for sure, Lincoln understood the principle of this passage. He knew
the mess that would be createdin this nation as long as it was a divided
country. We face a divided nation today. The division has been createdby our
selfishpolitical leaders that pit black againstwhite, poor againstwealthy,
homosexuals againstheterosexuals, andnow socialismand communism
againstcapitalism.
Socialists andcommunists believe in big government which should be in
charge of our lives and provide for the nation through heavy taxation,
especiallyon those who are financially successful. They strongly believe in
government-controlledhealth care. History shows this is how socialismgets its
foot in the door and gains governmentalcontrol. I don't know about you, but I
don't want to have to getpermission from someone on some government
health-board telling me that I or my family canor can't getmedical
treatment.
Capitalists on the other hand, believe that people should be responsible to
provide for themselves through hard work and private enterprise. They also
believe in a small government with little taxation. They believe the
government should have to live as we do, and balance their own budget and
not spend money they do not have. Our greatnation is in a moral and
financial mess that continues to deepenevery day. One key reasonis because
we have ignored the Lord and we have107 also ignoredwhat was laid out by
our Founding Fathers in the Constitution of the United States ofAmerica.
We've got a mess for sure and we need God's help to get out of it.

Luke 11:18 "If Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how will his kingdom
stand? Foryou say that I castout demons by Beelzebul.
NET Luke 11:18 So if Satantoo is divided againsthimself, how will his
kingdom stand? I ask you this because you claim that I castout demons by
Beelzebul.
GNT Luke 11:18 εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτὸνδιεμερίσθη, πῶς σταθήσεται
ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ;ὅτι λέγετε ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλἐκβάλλεινμε τὰ δαιμόνια.
NLT Luke 11:18 You say I am empoweredby Satan. But if Satan is divided
and fighting againsthimself, how canhis kingdom survive?
KJV Luke 11:18 If Satan also be divided againsthimself, how shall his
kingdom stand? because ye say that I castout devils through Beelzebub.
ESV Luke 11:18 And if Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how will his
kingdom stand? For you say that I castout demons by Beelzebul.
NIV Luke 11:18 If Satan is divided againsthimself, how canhis kingdom
stand? I saythis because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub.
ASV Luke 11:18 And if Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how shall his
kingdom stand? because ye say that I castout demons by Beelzebub.

CSB Luke 11:18 If Satan also is divided againsthimself, how will his kingdom
stand? Foryou say I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
NKJ Luke 11:18 "If Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how will his
kingdom stand? Becauseyou sayI castout demons by Beelzebub.
NRS Luke 11:18 If Satan also is divided againsthimself, how will his
kingdom stand?-- for you saythat I castout the demons by Beelzebul.
YLT Luke 11:18 and if also the Adversary againsthimself was divided, how
shall his kingdom be made to stand? for ye say, by Beelzeboulis my casting
forth the demons.
NAB Luke 11:18 And if Satan is divided againsthimself, how will his
kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
NJB Luke 11:18 So, too, with Satan: if he is divided againsthimself, how can
his kingdom last? - since you claim that it is through Beelzebulthat I drive
devils out.
GWN Luke 11:18 Now, if Satan is divided againsthimself, how canhis
kingdom last? I say this because yousay Beelzebulhelps me force demons out
of people.
BBE Luke 11:18 If, then, Satanis at war with himself, how will he keephis
kingdom? because yousay that I send evil spirits out of men by the help of
Beelzebul.

If Satanalso is divided againsthimself Mt 12:26
For you say that I castout demons by Beelzebul. Lk 11:15; Mt 12:31-34;
James 3:5-8
THE JEWISHACCUSATION
AGAINST JESUS IS ILLOGICAL
Jesus now applies the two analogies He has just made regarding the divided
kingdom and divided house in Luke 11:17.
If Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how will his kingdom stand - Of
course the answeris that it cannotstand. Jesus'reasons that if He was
possessedor empoweredby SatanagainstSatan's own demons, then Satan's
kingdom could not stand. No divided kingdom canstand. And thus their
accusationsborder on the absurd. Common sense says their accusations
againstJesus are ridiculous.
Darrell Bock - Jesus argues thatit is a strategyof foolishness if Satanhas sent
one of his henchmen to undo his own work of destruction. (IVP Commentary)
NET Note on "if Satan..." - This first class condition, the first of three "if"
clauses in the following verses, presents the example vividly as if it were so. In
fact, all three conditions in these verses are first class. The examples are made

totally parallel. The expectedansweris that Satan's kingdom will not stand, so
the suggestionmakes no sense.
Divided (1266)(diamerizo from dia = through + merizo = to divide) means
literally to divide (as Jesus'garments - Mt 27:35, Mk 15:24, Lk 23:34, Jn
19:24), in a figurative sense ofa kingdom divided (Lk 17:17, 18), of families
divided by being forced to choose foror againstJesus (Lk 12:53). Jesus'
coming demands a choice and neutrality is not one of the choices!Diamerizo
has the sense of share as in the Last Supper, where the disciples "divided"
(shared) the Passovercup paradoxicallyas a sign of their unity and allegiance
to their Lord.
Gilbrant - The believers made a regular practice (note the imperfect tense
here) of selling their material possessionsand dividing the proceeds among
themselves according to individual needs (Bruce, Acts of the Apostles, p.101).
Of Acts 2:3 Marshallsays, “A flame divided itself into severaltongues, so that
each(tongue) restedupon one of the persons present” (Marshall, Tyndale
New TestamentCommentaries, 5:68). (Complete BiblicalLibrary Greek-
English Dictionary)
Among classicalwriters diamerizo was used by Plato of a butcher who cuts
animals into pieces. The Septuagintuses diamerizo to describe dividing the
earth (Ge 10:25), dividing the nations (Deut 32:8), dividing garments
(prophecy of Jesus - Ps 22:18), dividing land (Ps 60:6; 108:7; Isa 34:17; Ezek
47:21), of David distributing (dividing) food throughout Israel (2 Sa 6:19, 1
Chr 16:3), dividing spoil or plunder (Jdg 5:30; Zech 14:1), and food (2 Sa
6:19).
Thayer - 1. “to cleave asunder, cut in pieces“:ζωα διαμερισθενα namely, by
the butcher, Plato, legg. 8, p. 849 d.; according to a use peculiar to Luke in the
passive, “ to be divided into opposing parts, to be at variance, in dissension” :
επι τινα, againstone, Luke 11:17f; επι τινι, Lk 12:52f. 2. “ to distribute”
(Plato, polit., p. 289 c.; in the Septuagint chiefly for ‫לָח‬ַ‫:)ק‬ τι, Mark 15:24 Rec.;
τι τινι, Luke 22:17 (where L T Tr WH εις ἑαυτους for R G ἑαυτοις);Acts
2:45; passive Acts 2:3; middle to distribute among themselves:τι, Matthew

27:35;Mark 15:24 G L T Tr WH; Luke 23:34; with ἑαυτοις added(Matthew
27:35 Rec.);John 19:24 from Ps. 22:18). (Greek-EnglishLexiconof the New
Testament)
Diamerizo - 17xin 17v in the Septuagint - Gen. 10:25; Gen. 49:7; Deut. 32:8;
Jos. 21:42;Jdg. 5:30; 2 Sam. 6:19; 1 Chr. 16:3; Neh. 9:22; Ps. 17:14; Ps.
22:18;Ps. 55:21; Ps. 60:6; Ps. 108:7; Isa. 34:17;Ezek. 47:21;Mic. 2:4; Zech.
14:1;
Diamerizo - 11xin 11v - distributing(1), divided(4), divided...among(1),
divided up...among themselves(2), dividing up...among(1), share(1),
sharing(1).
Matthew 27:35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His
garments among themselves by casting lots.
Mark 15:24 And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among
themselves, casting lots for them to decide what eachman should take.
Luke 11:17 But He knew their thoughts and saidto them, "Any kingdom
Luke 11:18 "If Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how will his kingdom
stand? Foryou say that I castout demons by Beelzebul.
Luke 12:52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided,
three againsttwo and two againstthree.

Luke 12:53 "They will be divided, father againstsonand sonagainstfather,
mother againstdaughter and daughter againstmother, mother-in-law against
daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law againstmother-in-law."
Luke 22:17 And when He had takena cup and given thanks, He said, "Take
this and share it among yourselves;
Luke 23:34 But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not
know what they are doing." And they castlots, dividing up His garments
among themselves.
John 19:24 So they said to one another, "Let us not tearit, but castlots for it,
to decide whose it shall be"; this was to fulfill the Scripture: "THEY
DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY
CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS."
Acts 2:3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing
themselves, and they rested on eachone of them.
Acts 2:45 and they began selling their property and possessionsand were
sharing (imperfect tense = over and over they were dividing their possessions)
them with all, as anyone might have need.
For you say that I castout demons by Beelzebul - Jesus is explaining why it
would be ridiculous for Satanto be divided againsthis own kingdom, which
would in factbe the case if Jesus truly did castour demons by virtue of the
powerof Satan. The conclusionis clearthat they were clearly not correctin

attributing Jesus' powerover the demons to the ruler of the demons. Such a
thing would be absurd!
MacArthur - Inconsistenciesoftenappear in the strategies ofthe kingdom of
darkness, since evil is inherently inconsistent, demons operate independently,
and Satanis not omniscient, omnipresent, or omnipotent. He may also allow
his servants to pretend to castout demons as part of their coveras angels of
light (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14–15). ButSatan’s goalis to destroy God’s kingdom, not
his own, and his kingdom is unified in that evil intent. Therefore to argue that
he would empowerJesus to castout demons on an unprecedented scale and
thereby destroy his own kingdom is ridiculous. Yet that is preciselywhat the
Lord’s opponents were doing by claiming that He castout demons by
Beelzebul. Since that option is irrational and untenable, the only alternative is
that Jesus castoutdemons by God’s power.
Luke 11:19 "And if I by Beelzebulcastout demons, by whom do your sons
castthem out? So they will be your judges.
NET Luke 11:19 Now if I castout demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your
sons castthem out? Therefore they will be your judges.
GNT Luke 11:19 εἰ δὲ ἐγὼ ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια, οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν
ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν;διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὶ ὑμῶνκριταὶ ἔσονται.
NLT Luke 11:19 And if I am empoweredby Satan, what about your own
exorcists? Theycastout demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you
have said.

KJV Luke 11:19 And if I by Beelzebub castout devils, by whom do your sons
castthem out? therefore shall they be your judges.
ESV Luke 11:19 And if I castout demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your
NIV Luke 11:19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your
followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
ASV Luke 11:19 And if I by Beelzebub castout demons, by whom do your
sons castthem out? therefore shall they be your judges.
CSB Luke 11:19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons
drive them out by? For this reasonthey will be your judges.
NKJ Luke 11:19 "And if I castout demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your
NRS Luke 11:19 Now if I castout the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your
exorcists castthem out? Therefore they will be your judges.
YLT Luke 11:19 'But if I by Beelzeboulcastforth the demons -- your sons, by
whom do they castforth? because ofthis your judges they shall be;
NAB Luke 11:19 If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your
own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

NJB Luke 11:19 Now if it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out,
through whom do your own sons drive them out? They shall be your judges,
then.
GWN Luke 11:19 If I force demons out with the help of Beelzebul, who helps
your followers force them out? That's why they will be your judges.
BBE Luke 11:19 And if I, by Beelzebul, send out evil spirits, by whose help do
your sons send them out? so let them be your judges.
And if I by Beelzebul castout demons Luke 9:49; Mt 12:27,28
So they will be your judges Lk 11:31,32;19:22; Job15:6; Mt 12:41,42;Ro
3:19
THE CASE OF THE
JEWISHEXORCISTS
And if I by Beelzebul castout demons - The "IF" here is a secondclass
condition which is consideredas an unreal case. Jesus did not castout demons
by the ruler of the demons! That would be absurd.

By whom do your sons castthem out - Your sons most likely refers to Jews
who practicedexorcism(but see comments below). On one hand Jesus seems
to imply that the so-calledJewishexorcistswere successfulat making others
think that they had truly castout demons. HoweverActs 19:13-15+ describes
unsuccessfulJewishexorcistswho ironically were attempting to use Jesus'
Name to castout demons. Jesus'point is that if He was possessedand/or
empoweredby Satan to castout demons then what about the source of power
for the Jewishexorcists (whetherthey were successfulor not)?
J C Ryle - It is not agreedamong commentators to whom our Lord refers in
this expression. BishopJewelthinks that He refers to His own disciples, John,
James, Peter, Andrew, and the rest, and calls them “sons of the Jews.” Others,
however, think that He refers to certain persons among the Jews who had
powerto castout devils, though they were not disciples of Christ. That there
were such persons seems likely from Acts 19:3.
Darrell Bock - Then Jesus makes a secondargument. By whose powerdo
their own followers castout demons, if Jesus casts outdemons by Satan’s
hand? Now this argument is making one of two points. Jesus may be saying, I
do the same exorcisms as Jewishexorcists do, so to attribute my exorcisms to
Satanis to attribute theirs to Satan as well. Do you wish to demean the
activity of your own exorcists in this way? Another possibility, and the one I
prefer, is that Jesus is arguing that their “sons”—thatis, his disciples—alsodo
this work. So if the people are going to question his work, they must also
question the work of those who follow him. I prefer this argument because I
am not sure Jesus would endorse the activity of Jewishexorcists and, more
important, predict their positive role in the future judgment, since they are
currently outside God’s will in their rejectionof him. More likely Jesus is
arguing that he is not alone in this ministry. Either way, the argument that
Jesus is enabled by Satanfalls like a house of cards. (IVP Commentary)

Kent Hughes - Jewishcontemporaries did indeed perform exorcisms (cf. Acts
19:13, 14;cf. Josephus, Antiquities 8.2, 5), and most people believed they did it
by the powerof God. Were they on Satan’s team too? Were all who castout
demons in league with Satan? Absurd! (PW-Lk)
Trent Butler - Then he turned the charge on them. They claimed to have
people in their company with power overdemons (Mark 9:38; Acts 19:13–14).
Did this mean they were allied with Satan? Oh, no! Their people exorcised
demons in God’s name. Well then, why could Jesus not do the same? Go let
your exorcists be the judge and address the issue:Who has powerto castout
demons? (HNTC-Lk)
Geldenhuys - After exposing the absurdity of the accusationofHis enemies,
the Lord now reveals their wilful falsenessby showing that they measure by
two standards. It was at that time the generalidea among the Jews that when
a rabbi or other Jew delivered anyone from possessionof the devil, it was a
sign that God workedthrough him. But now that they see that Jesus (indeed
in a far more signalmanner) releases unhappy possessedpeople from
demoniacalpowers, they ascribe this in the wickedness oftheir hearts to the
powerful workings of Satan. Thereby they declare, as it were, that their
fellow-Jewsalso who in God’s power freed people from demon-possession, did
so through Satan. So they will be judged by their fellow-countrymen.
(NICNT-Lk)
Cornerstone Bible Commentary - The point here is that in accusing Jesus of
using Satanic power, the Jews were condemning their own people (assuming
sons does not refer to His disciples which most writers do not favor) of doing
the same. This effective use of logic turned the argument of Jesus’opponents
back againstthem....Theirrejectionof Jesus’exorcisms alone was basedupon
sheerprejudice and was untenable.

Nelson's NKJV Study Bible comment on by whom do your sons castthem out
- Jesus'questionand the implied reply to it can be takenin one of two ways:
(1) How did Jewishexorcists expeldemons? If the answeris by God's power,
then why not give Jesus the same credit?
(2) How did Jesus'disciples, who were the “sons” ofIsrael, drive out demons?
The dissenters not only had to explain Jesus'miracles, but those of His
followers. Mostscholarsprefer the former interpretation.
So they will be your judges - If Jesus actedby the powerof Satan, then your
sons depended upon the same power. As discussedabove the difficult question
is who are your sons? Some commentators saythese are Jewishexorcists.
Others saythey are the Lord's disciples (and we know that they likely have
performed actualexorcisms basedon Jesus'delegating His authority to them
as in Mt 10:8). Either way, to condemn Him was to condemn either group.
J C Ryle - Shall they be your judges. The meaning of this expressionis, “They
shall condemn your supposition that I castout devils by Beelzebub, as
unreasonable and absurd. They shall be witnesses thatdevils are not castout
by devils, but by the powerof God.”
Steven Cole favors your sons as referring to Jewishexorcists ratherthan
Jesus'disciples and writes that "the Pharisees had never accusedthem
(JEWISH EXORCISTS)of being empoweredby Satan. If they are going to be
consistent, they must say that the Jewishexorcists also did their work by
Satan’s power. Otherwise, those exorcists servedto judge the Pharisees for
their hypocrisy in singling out Jesus for condemnation, while accepting the
exorcists, who did the same thing."

MacArthur favors your sons as referring to Jewishexorcists ratherthan
Jesus'disciples and writes "Forthe sake of argument, Jesus grantedtheir
point. Assuming that He was, as they claimed, using the powerof Beelzebul
(Satan) to castout demons, the Lord then asked, Bywhom do your sons (i.e.,
rabbis, scribes, Pharisees, andtheir associates)castthem out? The Jews
uncritically assumedthat their useless exorcistswere doing the work of God.
Acts 19 records a typical failed attempt by some would-be Jewishexorcists to
castout a demon at Ephesus. Impressed by the miraculous powerdisplayed
by the apostle Paul (vv. 11–12),they decided to add the name of Jesus to their
repertoire. But the consequenceswere disastrous (see Acts 19:13-16)The
Lord’s question exposedtheir (PHARISEES/SCRIBES)inconsistency,
hypocrisy, and lack of integrity. If casting out demons proved someone was in
league with Satan, then why were they not suspicious of their own exorcists?
How could they not apply the same standards to their failures as they did to
Jesus’successes?By insisting that their own exorcists’ineffective attempts to
castout demons were from God, while rejecting Jesus’uniformly effective
exorcisms as being from Satan, they were in effectmaking Satan more
powerful than God. (MNTC-Lk)
Darrell Bock - The point is that what the opponents say about Jesus, they
must acceptfor anyone else who does the same thing. If Jesus exorcisesby
Satan, then so do other exorcists. Butif others—whetherJewishexorcists or
the disciples—exorciseby God’s power, then so does Jesus. It is one or the
other. Their works go together. If the opponents’ judgment about Jesus is
wrong, they can know that these exorcists will judge them for their refusalto
acceptGod’s work. (BECNT-Lk)
Bruce Barton - Jesus was not the first person to exorcise demons. In the first
century, exorcismwas thriving as a business in both Jewishand pagan
societies(Mark 9:38; Acts 19:13–14). ManyJewishexorcists were Pharisees.
“Now,” says Jesus,“if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your

followers drive them out?” If it took Satan’s powerto drive out demons, then
those Pharisees who drove out demons were also working under Satan’s
power. Those Phariseeswho had performed exorcisms would act as judges
regarding this allegation. Those accusersshould go to those Pharisees andfind
out if they were working for Satan. (LAC)
R C H Lenskifavors your sons as referring to Jewishexorcists rather than
Jesus'disciples and writes - The emphasis is on the subjects:“I—your sons.”
The latter are not physical sons or just pupils of the Phariseesbut, like the
similar expression, “sons ofthe prophets,” GenosseneurerZunft, experts of
your own guild, whom you approve and are proud of because they are able to
expel demons. We know nothing further about these Jewishexorcists,
especiallyas to what means they used, or what success theyhad. We know
only that exorcismwas practiced, that it was not very successful, judging from
the many demoniacs that came to Jesus forhealing, and that the means used
were not objectionable. The factthat Satan did not and, in fact, could not lend
his hand to such expulsions the previous argument has placed beyond
question. Whoeverdrives out demons can do so only by being in the necessary
connectionwith God. What a desperate self-contradiction, therefore, to say:
when Jesus drives them out, the connectionis Satan;but when their own
experts drive them out, the connectionis God! Something is viciously wrong
with men who ascribe the identical effectto absolutelyopposite causes.
“Because ofthis,” i. e., the thing Jesus exposes, “they,” their own associates,
“shallbe your judges” before God’s judgment bar. God will let these
Pharisaic exorcists pronounce the sentence onthese blaspheming Pharisees,
and what that verdict will be need not be stated.(ISLG)
WILLIAM BARCLAY
A MALICIOUS SLANDER (Luke 11:14-23)

11:14-23 Jesus wascasting outa dumb demon. When the demon came out the
dumb man spoke and the crowds were amazed. Some of them said, "He casts
out demons by the help of Beelzebul, who is the prince of demons." Others,
trying to put him to the test, sought a sign from heavenfrom him. He knew
what they were thinking. "Every kingdom," he said, "that is divided against
itself is devastated;and every house that is divided againstitself falls; so if
Satanis divided againsthimself how will his kingdom stand? You must
answerthat question because yousay that I castout demons by the help of
Beelzebul. If I castout demons by the power of Beelzebul, by whose powerdo
your sons castthem out? You have become your ownjudges. But if it is by the
finger of God that I castout the demons, then the kingdom of God has come
upon you. When a strong man in full panoply guards his ownhomestead, his
goods are in peace. But when a strongerman than he comes and conquers
him, he will take awaythe armour in which he trusted, and will divide his
spoil. He who is not with me is againstme; and he who does not gather with
me scatters."
When Jesus'enemies were helpless to oppose him by fair means they resorted
to slander. They declaredthat his power over the demons was due to the fact
that he was in league with the prince of demons. They attributed his power
not to God but to the devil. Jesus gave them a double and a crushing answer.
First, he struck them a shrewdblow. There were many exorcists in Jesus'time
in Palestine. Josephus, traces this power back to Solomon. Part of Solomon's
wisdom was that he was skilful with herbs and had invented incantations
which--drove out demons in such a way that they never came back; and
Josephus states thathe had seenSolomon's methods used with successevenin
his ownday. (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 8:5: 2) So Jesus delivers a
home-thrust. "If I," he said, "castout devils because I am in league with the
prince of devils, what of your own people who do the same thing? If you
condemn me, you are only condemning yourselves."

Second, he used a really unanswerable argument. No kingdom in which there
is a civil war cansurvive. If the prince of devils is lending his power to defeat
his ownemissaries he is finished. There is only one way for a strong man to be
defeatedand that is for a still strongerman to master him. "Therefore," said
Jesus, "ifI castout devils, so far from that proving that I am in league with
the prince of devils, it proves that the devil's citadelis breached, the strong
man of evil is mastered, and the kingdom of God is here."
Out of this passageemerge certainpermanent truths.
(i) It is by no means uncommon for people to resortto slanderwhen honest
opposition is helpless. Gladstone was interestedin the reformation of the
fallen women of the streets of London. His enemies suggestedthat he was
interestedin them for very different and very inferior reasons. There is
nothing so cruel as slander, for it is apt to stick because the human mind
always tends to think the worstand very often the human ear prefers to hear
the derogatoryrather than the complimentary tale. We need not think that we
are free of that particular sin. How often do we tend to think the worstof
other people? How often do we deliberately impute low motives to someone
whom we dislike? How often do we repeatthe slanderous and the malicious
tale and murder reputations over the tea-cups? To think of this will not cause
complacencybut call for self-examination.
(ii) Once againwe must note than Jesus'proof that the kingdom had come
was the fact that sufferers were healed and health walkedwhere disease had
been. Jesus'aim was not only soul salvation;it was also whole salvation.
(iii) Luke finishes this sectionwith the saying of Jesus that he who was not
with him was againsthim and that he who did not help to gather the flock

helped to scatterit abroad. There is no place for neutrality in the Christian
life. The man who stands alooffrom the goodcause automaticallyhelps the
evil one. A man is either on the wayor in the way.
BRIAN BELL
Verses 14-32
Intro:
Did you know that if you have a milk cow it isn’t more considerate to milk her
less!- The only thing that happens is the less that is demanded of her, the less
milk she provides. The more milk you take the more that is produced.
It is also true of the Christian life! – If you only turn to God when in need,
you’ll miss the real joy that flows from a daily infilling of His Spirit.
Intro: The saw/heardJesus pray; they askedhow to do it; they were taught a
model; Jesus endedwith the most important prayer point (H.S. vs.13)
We learnedwe should of course pray for material things, health, & finances;
but this isn’t the highest form of praying.
We must graduate to the highest levelof praying, asking for the blessings of
the Spirit of God that result in Christian Character& conduct that glorify the
Lord.
THE SECRET OF POWER OVER DEMONS!(14-26)
THE MIRACLE! (14)
Miracles do not convict people of sin or give them faith for salvation. (Warren
Wiersbe;Outlines on the N.T.)
Even here some marveled(14), & some accusedJesus ofbeing in league w/the
devil(15).

THE PROBLEM!(15-20)
2 Attacks on Jesus:(15,16)
1stAttack – “You get your powerfrom Satan!”
Van Halen’s song “Running with the devil” comes to mind. Yeah, that’s what
they were accusing Him of!
2nd Attack – “We want a sign from you.”
1stis answeredin vs.17-26.
2nd is answereddown in vs.29-32.
A false statement of the secretof His power.
Beelzebub (Lord of the flies; from 2 Kings 1:1-3)
Beelzebul(Lord of the house)[better translation here]
Lord of the house relates to vs.18-26.
(17-19)Jesus shows how illogicalit would be for Satanto fight against himself.
Satandoes have a kingdom, & Jesus has invaded it & conqueredit.
Eph.2:1,2 “you were dead in your transgressions andsins, in which you used
to live when you followedthe ways of this world and of the ruler of the
kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are
disobedient.” (NIV)
Col.2:15 “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public
spectacle ofthem, triumphing over them in it.”(cuz Cross)
(20) With the finger of God –
Matthew’s accountgives different wording, “by the Spirit of God”.[12:28]
By using this synonymous term, Jesus says he is in league with the Holy Spirit
of God.

Luke 11:14-32: “Jesus Is AccusedOf Casting Out A Demon By The Ruler Of
The Demons / People MustDecide About Jesus”
By
Jim Bomkamp
Back Bible Studies Home Page
1. INTRO:
1.1. In our last study, we lookedverse 38 of chapter 10 through
verse 13 of chapter 11.
1.1.1. Thatsectionofscripture dealt with the importance of seeking the Lord
and praying, and being persistent in our praying. We lookedat:

1.1.1.1. The story of Mary sitting at the feetof Jesus listening to Him while
her sisterMartha was busy preparing a meal for Him.
1.1.1.1.1. Martha was an example to us of someone who always tried to
do her best for Jesus. It is sad but while Martha in her life is seeking to
always give Jesus her very best in her service to Him and demonstrating this
by preparing Him a wonderful meal, most of us who take the name of
Christian are content to give Jesus the leftovers of our life. However, Martha
errored by placing service aheadof worship and seeking the Lord.
1.1.1.1.2. Mary on the other hand knew what was really important in
life. Though we all have many things in our life that we think are so
important to do, Mary realized the one thing that was most important and
that was sitting at Jesus’feetadoring Him and learning from Him.
1.1.1.2. Jesus teaching His disciples a model prayer after they come to Him
asking Him how they are supposedto pray.

1.1.1.3. Jesus using an illustration of a man going in the middle of the night
to a friend in order to borrow loaves of bread in order to demonstrate the
point that His disciples are to be persistentin their praying to the Lord
1.1.1.4. Jesus using the example of evil fathers to give goodthings to their
children in order to demonstrate to His disciples their Heavenly Father’s
desire to give goodthings to them when they pray.
1.2. In our study today, we are going to look at chapter 11 verses
14-32.
1.2.1. Jesus willcasta demon out of a man healing him from being mute,
howeverthere is a variety of responses amongstthe people observing Jesus.
Some want to see a further sign from Jesus and some saythat Jesus must have
done this through the power of the ruler of the demons.

1.2.2. The verses we will considermake the point that seeing and hearing
Jesus cause people to have to make a decisionabout Him.
2. VS 11:14-22 - “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 testHim, were demanding of Him a sign
from heaven. 17 But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom
divided againstitself is laid waste;and a house divided againstitself falls. 18
“If Satan also is divided againsthimself, how will his kingdom stand? Foryou
say that I castout demons by Beelzebul. 19 “And if I by Beelzebul castout
demons, by whom do your sons castthem out? So they will be your judges. 20
“But if I castout demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of Godhas
come upon you. 21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house,
his possessions are undisturbed. 22 “But when someone strongerthan he
attacks him and overpowers him, he takes awayfrom him all his armor on
which he had relied and distributes his plunder.” - Jesus casts a demon out of
a man who had been mute and when the man is healed and begins to speak
some in the crowdsay that Jesus castoutthis demon by Beelzebul, the ruler of
the demons

2.1. The name ‘Beelzebul’ used here is a derivative of the name
“Beelzebub” which means “Lord of the Flies.” This was a term by which
Satan, the Devil, was referred to.
2.2. In Matthew’s accountof this miracle, Matt. 12:22-24,
Matthew tells us that this man was both blind and mute and that when the
demon was castout that the man was now able to both speak and hear. This
man had then been under a severe demonic influence and then Jesus
performed a wonderful and complete healing of him.
2.3. We see here in this story that Luke in his writing is making
another point in demonstrating who Jesus is to his readers by explaining how
that the miraculous works that Jesus performedcould not be denied by those
who witnessedthem. Even those not disposedto Jesus or His teaching were
found in the position of not being able to deny the incredible wonders that He
performed. Now, they must explain them. Thus, Luke is indicating that
people are forced to make a decisionfor or againstJesus becauseofthe great
works that He performs. Even today, everyone who hears the gospelof the
goodnews of Jesus is likewise forcedto make a choice aboutwho Jesus is.
2.4. Darrell Bock has written to the effectthat in this spiritual war
that we as people are in on this earth there is no Switzerland ( known for

being a neutral country in all wars ), but rather everyone must choose sides,
choose to acceptJesus or choose to rejectHim and align themselves with
God’s enemies who are destined for eternal destruction.
2.5. When a man who is both deaf and dumb is made to hear and
speak by the mere word of Jesus, the people on this day have no other
observationthat they canmake but that a tremendous miracle has occurred
in their presence. Theyare now left with the question of what they shall do
with Jesus.
2.6. We see here that there were a variety of responses by the
people who had heard and seenthis incredible and undeniable miracle
performed by Jesus on this day.
2.6.1. Some mayhave come to believe in Jesus and place their faith in Him,
howeverwe aren’t told that this was the case.

2.6.2. Some surelywere undecided about Jesus but curious, and I would call
them “seekers.”
2.6.3. Some refusedto acceptthat Jesus and His ministry might be from
heaven and they were saying that Jesus surelyperformed this miracle by the
powerof the ruler of the demons.
2.6.3.1. This accusationofa demonic source of Jesus’miracles has been
made on at leasttwo other occasionsin the gospelaccounts (see Matt. 9:32-34
and 12:22-37).
2.6.4. Others saw the miracle performed right before their eyes but they want
Jesus to show them some sign in the heavens that they might believe in Him.
2.6.4.1. What further sign could they need than this miracle? These ones
were putting the Lord to the test by demanding a sign in order to believe.

2.7. We see four things being pointed out by Jesus in His defense
of Himself to those who were thinking and saying that He must be casting out
demons by the powerof the ruler of the demons:
2.7.1. Firstof all, in Jesus’defense ofHimself to these people we see that for
those who are seeking a signin the heavens from Him, He instead gives them a
sign of His omniscience and wisdom for it says that He knew their thoughts
and spoke to their thoughts.
2.7.1.1. We tend not to focus too much on this aspectofJesus’revelationof
Himself to mankind in the gospels, but Jesus was constantlyrevealing His
omniscience by knowing the thoughts of the people around Him.
2.7.1.2. Whenever the gospels state that Jesus knew people’s thoughts,
controversyensues.

2.7.2. Secondly, Jesus explains to the people that if He did these exorcisms by
the powerof the ruler of the demons, then so must their sons do these same
things by this power.
2.7.2.1. This is to say that if the people are to condemn His exorcismas
demonic in origin then so must every other exorcism performed by the
people’s sons be viewed. The problem howeverin interpretation here is
explaining who Jesus is referring to as their sons, and the two most common
views for this are:
2.7.2.1.1. Jesus is referring to the Jewishexorcists in His day as their
sons.
2.7.2.1.1.1. This may be the reference the problem with Jesus making
this meaning is then that the people might assume that Jesus is stating the
legitimacy of the Jewishexorcisms, and Jesus wouldn’t want this assumption
to be made.

2.7.2.1.2. Jesus is referring to His disciples as their sons for His disciples
had through His authority also castout demons.
2.7.2.1.2.1. This view is probably correct. Jesus wouldthen be
arguing by placing the Jews in the position of declaring all of the miraculous
works currently being performed by Jesus’ disciples as being demonic in
origin. The Jews perhaps did not want to speak againstall of Jesus’disciples
because ofthe popularity among the masses ofJesus’many followers.
2.7.3. Secondly, in defense of Himself, Jesus tells the people how that it is
illogicalto considerthat Jesus’wonderful miracles which He performed were
accomplishedthrough the power of Satan.
2.7.3.1. First though, let me point out that the people’s assertionimplies
that the Jews realizedthat there is a spiritual warthat is being fought upon
the earth. There is a God and there is a fallen creature in rebellion againstthe
Lord, namely, Satan.

2.7.3.2. Secondly, in the people’s assertionit is also implied that the people
believed that Satanwas a fallen creature who was bent upon the destruction
and misery of mankind and that he also was an agentin bringing about death
and disease onthe earth. It therefore though is illogicalfor them to consider
the wonderful miracles of healing and restorationof life performed by Jesus
to have come about by the powerof Satan.
2.7.3.2.1. By the way, many people who have rejectedthe Lord in the
their life find themselves going through all kinds of difficulties and tragedies,
and they need to realize the sobertruth that if a person refuses to submit their
lives in obedience to Jesus that they will eventually find themselves dealing
with the Devil and the calamity that he seeks to bring in their life. If you are
in Christ you are under God’s protection and Satan has no poweror authority
over your life but those things that the Lord allows him to have.
2.7.3.3. Jesus’argument is that if He is casting out demons by the powerof
the ruler of the demons then Satan’s kingdom is a divided kingdom. This does
not pass the test of logic from the scriptures for if Satan’s kingdom were
divided in this way then the work of Godupon the earth would not be
hindered in the greatway that it always is. Satanmust rule with complete
authority over the demonic realm.

2.7.4. Third, Jesus tells the people that He casts out the demons because He is
the ‘strongman’ and binds the ruler of the demons, Satan. This speaks ofthe
fact that Satanis really a defeatedfoe and that Jesus is always able to
overpowerhim.
3. VS 11:23 - “23 “He who is not with Me is againstMe; and he who does
not gatherwith Me, scatters.” - Jesus tells the people that the person who is
not with Him is againstHim
3.1. As was mentioned, when we hear the gospeland learn about
the things that Jesus saidand did, we have to make a decisionregarding Him,
whether we will believe in Him or not. To not choose to believe in and accept
Jesus is to be againstHim, there is no neutral ground you can take.
3.2. For a personto attribute the incredible works that He
performed to anything but God is to blasphemy the Holy Spirit, and Jesus
taught in Mark 3:27-28 that all manner of sins might be forgiven people with
the exceptionof blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

3.3. Have you made a decisionto place your faith in Jesus as the
only begottenSon of God? Today, you too are forced to make a decision
regarding Jesus, and to not make a decisionto receive Him is to make a
decisionto rejectHim.
4. VS 11:24-26 - “24 “Whenthe unclean spirit goes outof a man, it passes
through waterless placesseeking 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
sweptand put in order. 26 “Then it goes and takes along sevenotherspirits
more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that
man becomes worse thanthe first.”” - Jesus tells the people that when an
unclean spirit goes out of a man that it will return and when it returns it will
bring along sevenother spirits more evil than itself
4.1. This story taught by Jesus brings before our minds a person
out of whom Jesus had castan evil spirit. However, after the spirit had left
the personthe personhad not embracedthe Lord, the One who had castout
the spirit. Instead of gathering with Jesus the person tried to remain neutral
towards Jesus. Then, a while later the spirit returns to the person however
because the Lord does not dwell in this person’s life now the unclean spirit is
able to enter back in. However, this time the spirit brings with him seven
more spirits who are more evil than himself, and the end result for the man is
that he is now in a much worse state ofdemonization than he was before.

4.2. Rejecting Jesus has huge and tragic consequences. The sad
reality is that whenever a person chooses notto make a decisionfor Jesus he
experiences a hardening of his heart towards the Lord. This hardening of the
heart makes the person even harder to reachfor the Lord..
4.3. The number ‘seven’ designating the number of demons may
symbolize completenessofpossession.
5. VS 11:27-28 - “27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women
in the crowdraised her voice and said to Him, “Blessedis the womb that bore
You and the breasts at which You nursed.” 28 But He said, “On the contrary,
blessedare those who hear the word of God and observe it.”” - A woman in
the crowdcries out that Jesus’mother is blessedbut Jesus rebuffs her telling
her that the person who is blessedis the one who hears God’s word and
observes orobeys it
5.1. This is a very unusual occurrence that happens to Jesus on
this day. In Jewishculture, women were not to speak out in this waybut
rather hold their peace. However, we se here that this woman is so moved
emotionally that she cannot contain herself, and thus she speaksout in this

way. With her emotions at a fever pitch this woman cries out that the womb
which bore Jesus and the breasts which nursed Him were blessed.
5.2. To make a point about what constitutes true blessing, Jesus
says to this woman that it is rather the case thatthose who hear God’s word
and observe it are blessed. You see, Jesus says this because He was concerned
more than anything that people would come to have faith in Him.
5.3. These verses bring out on interesting point. Many people
have had an emotional experience with the Lord. However, it is not an
emotional experience with Jesus that in the end makes any real difference in a
person’s life. What does make a difference is when a person makes a
commitment of his life to Jesus and commits himself to love, obey, and serve
the Lord with all of his heart, and, most importantly when he then follows
through with that commitment. Jesus brought this truth out very clearly in
Matt. 7:20-23, “20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not
everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Manywill
say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in
Your name castout demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’23
“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness.’”

5.4. Those in the church who would elevate Mary to a status not
deserving of humankind, such as sinlessness,have a problem with these verses
because whenopportunity presented itself Jesus chose not to speak a blessing
upon His mother on this occasion.
6. VS 11:29-32 - “29 As the crowds were increasing, He beganto say, “This
generationis a wickedgeneration;it seeksfora sign, and yet no sign will be
given to it but the sign of Jonah. 30 “Forjust as Jonah became a signto the
Ninevites, so will the Sonof Man be to this generation. 31 “The Queenof the
South will rise up with the men of this generationat the judgment and
condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the
wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greaterthan Solomonis here. 32
“The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generationat the judgment and
condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;and behold,
something greaterthan Jonah is here.” - Jesus begins to pronounce
condemnation upon the generationofpeople in His day for having rejected
Him
6.1. Jesus was not impressedwith greatcrowds of people who
were thronging around Him (though His disciples were impressed) because
He knew what was in the heart of all men. He knew that the masses ofpeople
loved the darkness more than the light and thus they rejectedHim and
refused to have Him rule over their lives. This is what the apostle John wrote

in his gospel, John3:19-21, about why people in his day rejectedJesus, “19
“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved
the darkness ratherthan the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 “Foreveryone
who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his
deeds will be exposed. 21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light,
so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.””
6.2. The people in Jesus’day saw Him do incredible miraculous
works of the type that had never before been done by any mortal, and yet
many in response askedHim to show them some sortof a signthat they might
believe in Him. They had seenall the proof that they could have needed to
have genuine saving faith in Him and really there was no sign that Jesus could
have performed that would have causedthem to believe.
6.3. Jesus tells the people that it is wickednessand a wickedpeople
that asks fora sign. When people ask a sign from the Lord that they might
believe in Him, having rejectedthe testimony of His works found in the
scriptures, then they are really putting the Lord to the test.
6.4. Intrestingly, Jesus does promise a sign to anyone who is
willing to investigate. He calls this the sign of Jonah. This sign is not
explained her but elsewhere inthe gospels we see that Jesus explains this sing

being that just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days so the Son of
Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days before rising from the
dead.
6.5. Many have said that it takes “blind faith” in order to become
a Christian, howeverthe factis that this is completely untrue. The word of
God is a testimony to the greatthings that the Lord has done and when a
person choosesto become a Christian he/she is placing his/her faith in that
record of God’s incredible works which is containedin the Bible. The Bible
doesn’t tell us everything that God has done in history, nor all of the things
that Jesus did in His life, howeverit contains more than enough evidence to
elicit genuine saving faith in people. After His resurrection, Jesus beganto
appear to His disciples, and on one occasionHe came to them and yet
doubting Thomas was not with them. Then, when Jesus appearedthe next
time Thomas was with them and Jesus allowedThomas to see and feel His
crucifixion wounds. Finally, in John 20:29-33 Jesussaidthe following words
to Thomas followedby John’s commentary that what he (John) had written in
his gospelwas writtenin order that people might by reading his gospelcome
to have faith in Jesus, “29Jesus saidto him, “Because youhave seenMe, have
you believed? Blessedare they who did not see, andyet believed.” 30
Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence ofthe
disciples, which are not written in this book;31 but these have been written so
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Sonof God; and that
believing you may have life in His name.”

6.6. Jesus uses the example of two different Gentile groups here,
the people of Ninevah and the Queenof Sheba, to shame the Jews in His day.
Through the ministry of God’s people both of these Gentile groups had
followedthe Lord and actedin obedience to the Lord. However, in contrast
the people (in particular Jews)of Jesus’ generationhad had a greater
opportunity to know God’s ways because ofhaving seenand heard Jesus, and
yet they had rejectedthe Lord.
6.6.1. Ninevites.
6.6.1.1. Jesus says here that Jonahwas a sign to the Ninevites and it is not
completely clearwhat is meant by this. It could be that Jonahwas a sign
because he had been swallowedby the whale and told his story to the people
as he preachedto them to repent. However, more than likely Jesus is
referring to the preaching of Jonahto the people to repent as the sign for he
told them that God’s judgment was soonto fall upon them if they did not
repent.
6.6.1.2. What is important here is that at the preaching of Jonahthe people
of Ninevah repented. The people of Jesus’day had all kinds of opportunity to
hear and see Him, or leastto hear about Him from others, and yet with such

greatopportunity they chose to rejectHim. Therefore, they shall suffer great
punishment for eternity because theirsin of rejecting Jesus was made with a
greatamount of light.
6.6.1.3. Note that it is implied both with this story of Jonahand the
Ninevites as wellas the Queen of Sheba that the saints will take a part in the
GreatWhite Throne Judgment of the Lord againstnon-believers. The saints
will testify of the culpability of those who are being judged before the throne
of Jesus. All those who appear before this Great White Throne Judgment
Seatof Jesus are unbelievers and they will spend eternity in hell (see Rev.
chapter 20).
6.6.1.4. The thought that Jesus brings out that believing Gentiles will judge
unbelieving Jews in the coming judgment must have been unpalatable to the
Jews listening to Jesus on this day.
6.6.2. QueenofSheba.

6.6.2.1. In 1 Kings chapter 10 we read the story of the Queenof Sheba,
which Jesus refers to here. She was a queen from perhaps Ethopia or Egypt
and after hearing of the wisdom of Solomonshe traveled perhaps 1,600 miles
or more by camelto hear Solomon speak.
6.6.2.2. The people of Jesus’day didn’t have to travel across the earth by
camelto hear or see Jesus, He was living right among them. Some sincerely
sought Jesus outand as a result came to have faith in Him, howevermost did
not care to know whether or not Jesus’ministry was from God or not and
thus did not take advantage of their opportunity to seek Jesus out. Many who
sought Jesus outdid not come with honestand sincere hearts but instead came
with their own preconceptions and preferences. Seeing andhearing Jesus did
not bring about the result the Lord desired in their life, for they did not come
to have faith in Him.
7. CONCLUSIONS:
7.1. As we considerthe events of this story, we remember that
seeing and hearing Jesus, as wellas reading the scripture accounts ofHim,
bring people to have to make a decisionabout Jesus. Willthey place their
faith in Him and choose to obey Him, or will they reject Him. There is no
neutral ground, and a decisionnot to acceptJesus is a decisionto rejectHim.

7.1.1. Have you decided for Jesus? Have you surrendered your life to do His
will? Have you placedyour faith in Him as your Lord and Savior? If not, I
encourage youtoday to surrender your life to Jesus.
7.1.2. If you surrendered your life to the Lord in the past but have wandered
awayfrom Him and from walking in obedience to His will and
commandments for your life, I encourage youtoday to surrender your life
afreshto Jesus in faith.
GENE BROOKS
Luke 11:14-28 - Jesus on Unclean Spirits
Jesus heals a mute man
Have you ever wishedyou could pull back the curtain of reality and see the
goings on in the spiritual world? Like that time a vehicle swervedat you with
a driver’s face filled with terror and did what was impossible, it missed you.
You wonder what really happened and how. Was an angel there protecting
you? Or just your imagination?

If we could see things in the spirit world, we would probably be amazed and
terrified at the same time. Like when you are unable to make certain self-
destructive thoughts stop in your mind and you can’t understand why they
keepcoming at you. Or you try to understand spiritual truth and feel blocked,
like you are pounding on a glass. Orthose shameful images that keepplaying
relentlesslyover and overin your head. Or an unpleasant encounter with a
person that gives you the heebie-jeebies,orthat nagging feeling that you just
got manipulated, or slimed, or defiled to the point that you’d like to take a
shower. These are spiritual battles that rage around us constantly. The
Apostle Paul says that our struggle is not againstflesh and blood, but against
a host of spiritual forces in the spirit realm (Eph 6:12).
Jesus’presence then and now stirs up and upsets our demonic foes. Preaching
straight through every verse of a book of the Bible causesus to deal with
passagesand issue we don’t ordinarily talk about but sometimes wonder
about. In this sermon we see Jesus minister to a man with a demonic spirit
which causedhim to be mute, and from that encounter, Jesus teachesus a
number of strategies to deal with the enemy of our souls.
Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 11:14-28 to teach believers that in regard to
dealing with unclean spirits, we are calledto operate under the authority of
Jesus and in allegiance, faith, and obedience to Jesus.
Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about how
to deal with unclean spirits.
Pray and Read: Luke 11:14-28
Sermon Points:
1. Operate in the Authority of Jesus (Luke 11:14-20)
2. Operate in Allegiance to Jesus (Luke 11:21-23)

3. Operate in Faith in Jesus (Luke 11:24-26)
4. Operate in Obedience to Jesus (Luke 11:27-28)
Contextual Notes:
Let’s set out a few basics ofwhat the Bible teaches aboutthe spirit realm.
First, the ultimate authority is the Living God. Satan, the Devil is not equal
with God, but is only an angelwho fell from his lofty position through
rebellion in which he led a number of other angels to rebel. Those otherfallen
angels are calleddemons. They were castout of heaven. God createdAdam
and Eve as the crown of His Creation, to be made in His image, to have a
relationship with God, and to have authority over the earth. With no
authority on earth, the devil pursued a successfulstrategyof deceiving the
first two humans into disobeying their Creator. He knew that if they would
sin, he could usurp some of their authority for his own, and most importantly,
break their relationship with a holy God, destroy those who are most
important to God, and thereby hurt God in the process.
Demonic strategysince the time of Adam and Eve has been to deceive the
crownof God’s creation, human beings, in order to gain more authority and
to defile and destroy God’s treasured creationby forcing them to worship and
serve him instead of the Creator. Once the devil was defeatedat the Cross, the
devil now has a strategyto drag as many people down with him as he can. He
attacks and destroys lives, sabotagesthe church and undermines its witness
through sin. He blinds the minds of unbelievers to the GoodNews.
But he doesn’t do so wellup againstJesus. Whenthe devil or his demonic
forces encounterJesus, they immediately submit to his overwhelming
authority. The simple presence of Jesus makes demons tremble and flee.
The sectionfrom Luke 11:14-17:11 is calledthe PereanDiscourses,during a
time of ministry in Perea from about September of 28 to April of 29 when he
returned to Jerusalemfor his last week ofministry. Luke is the only recordof

these days and teachings with the exceptionof Matthew 12:22-45 and a few
incidents in John 10:22-42;11:1-45;11:46-54. Luke records parables and
discourses, but not many incidents, possibly because it was winter. The
beginning of Jesus’ministry in Galilee was markedwith parables and
sermons, too. Thus, Jesus resumes and repeats with more fullness some of the
teaching he had given in Galilee.
In chapter ten we saw seventy spokesmen, one Samaritan, and two sisters. In
chapter 11, Jesus instructs his friends on prayer (Luke 11:1-13)and then
indicts his foes (Luke 11:14-54)in a series ofcontroversies climaxing at Luke
11:54.
Exposition: Note well,
1. OPERATE IN THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS (Luke 11:14-20)
a. (|| Mark 3:22-27;Matt 12:22-30). The first controversyis the result of
Jesus’driving out a demon from a mute man. The demon was not mute, but
the effectof on the man was being unable to speak.
b. APPLICATION: Demons are not all-powerful, but they would love for
you to think they are. The truth is that they MUST obey the authority of
Christ (Luke 10:17;1 John 4:4).
c. Luke 11:16: Isaiah35:6 tells us that the healing of the mute is a sign of
God’s end-time salvation. Here is a sign. They ask for a sign, but they do not
recognize the signs they want to see.
d. Jesus has his armchair quarterbacks, the cynics who won’t do anything
themselves, won’t make any commitments themselves, but their ignorant
mouths have plenty to contribute. Jesus’opponents accuse him of casting out
the demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Who is
Beelzebub? The text says he is the prince of demons. Some interpret that as
Satanhimself. [1] Others attribute the name to another powerful demon
serving the Devil himself. The NIV, KJV, and Latin supply “Beel-zebub” from
2 Kings 1:2, 3, 6. The beel comes from the Canaanite godBaal, meaning lord.

Zebub means flies, thus Baal-Zebub means “lord of flies.” The Greek text
actually reads “Beelzeboul,”[2]meaning lord of the temple. The Israelites,
mocking the name, liked the Aramaic meaning of Beelzeboul:“lord of dung”
(Judges 10:6; 2 Kings 1:2, 3, 6, 16). In other words, whoeverit is, this filthy
spirit produces only one thing with the authority it has usurped through sin.
e. The way the Jews did exorcisminvolved hours-long incantations meant to
torture a demon resident in a person. The person’s dignity was marred, and
the demon usually would not leave. The Jewishexorcists hadto result to old-
fashionedwitchcraft to do their work successfully.[3]They had to callon
strongerdemons with more authority than the demon the person had in order
to drive out the lesserdemon. The result was that the person was in worse
shape after the exorcism. Jesus with ultimate authority drove out the demons
with a word, preserving the victim’s human dignity. Jesus’powers were so
overwhelming that the Pharisees decidedthere could be only one explanation:
Jesus must be channeling the prince of all demons himself.
f. Jesus points out two flaws in their argument: (1) It would be foolish for
Satanto castout his own demonic forces, since a house or kingdom divided
againstitself cannotstand (Luke 11:17-18), and (2) He notes that they are
accusing their own followers who claim to drive out demons (Luke 11:19).
g. Jesus’point is that instead, the defeatof demons is the work of God and
not Satan, and it reveals the presence and powerof God’s kingdom (Luke
11:20). Luke is referring back to Exodus 8:19 where Pharaoh’s magicians
recognize the “finger of God” in Moses’miracles. The TenCommandments
were inscribed by the “finger of God” (Exod 31:18;Deut 9:10). Psalm 8:3 says
the heavens are the work of God’s fingers. It is important that Jesus compares
himself to the story of Moses andPharaoh’s magicians, becauseMoses was
demonstrating that his power came from the one true God.
THOMAS CONSTABLE

Verses 14-16
Luke againfirst presented the setting for the confrontation that followed.
Jesus casta demon out of a man whom it had made dumb. This sign of His
messiahshipamazed the multitudes that observedit (cf. Luke 4:36; Luke 9:42-
43; et al.). Some of them attributed Jesus" powerto the head demon, namely,
Satan( Luke 11:18). The spelling Beelzebul (NASB) is most common in the
Greek text. Beelzebub(NIV) has come down to us from the Latin manuscript
tradition. "Beelzebul" probably came from the Hebrew baal zebul meaning
"Prince Baal." Baalwas the chief Canaanite deity, and the Jews regardedhim
as the personificationof all that was evil and Satanic (cf. Matthew 10:25).
Another possible meaning is "lord of the dwelling" (cf. Mark 3:22).
Others demanded from Jesus an even more powerful sign than demon
exorcismto validate His messianic claim. This unwarranted request
constituted a test or provocationof Jesus.
"The narrator previously distinguished betweenthe attitudes of the
scribes/Phariseesandthe crowdor people ( Luke 7:29-30). Now the opposition
to Jesus characteristicofthe former is emerging in the latter." [Note:
Tannehill, 1:150.]
Verses 14-26
1. The Beelzebul controversy11:14-26 (cf. Matthew 12:22-37;Mark 3:19-30)
The placementof these events in Luke"s Gospelagainraises the question of
whether Luke recordedthe same incident as Matthew and Mark or whether
this was a similar but different one. I, along with many other students of the
passages, believe it was probably a different occasionin view of the differences
in the accounts.

The connecting idea with what precedes is the Holy Spirit ( Luke 11:13). Luke
had stressedthe Spirit"s influence in Jesus" life and ministry, but the
religious leaders rejectedthat possibility concluding rather that Satan
controlled Jesus.
"To understand the significance of Jesus" miraculous work, especiallyhis
exorcisms, one must understand Luke 11:14-23." [Note:Bock, Luke , p317.]
STEVEN COLE
The Heavenly War (Luke 11:14-28)
RelatedMedia
In 1938, OrsonWelles terrified millions of Americans with his radio narration
of H. G. Wells’War of the Worlds. The drama was so realistic that many
thought that aliens were actually invading our planet, intent on destroying the
human race. It was only fiction; no one should have believed such a far-
fetched tale. But they did.
The Bible clearly affirms that we are engagedin combat with an unseen
enemy that is intent on destroying the human race:“Forour struggle is not
againstflesh and blood, but againstthe rulers, againstthe powers, againstthe
world forces of this darkness, againstthe spiritual forces of wickednessin the
heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). It is a frightening truth which no one should
doubt or ignore. But many do doubt it and live as if it is not true.

The apostle John affirms that “the Son of God appearedfor this purpose, that
He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Luke is showing that
Jesus’miracles establishHis legitimate authority as the Messiah, the Son of
God, sentto deliver us from the power of Satan. But Jesus’authority put Him
into conflict with the Jewishreligious authorities, who did not want to yield to
Him. Luke 11:14-54 shows the mounting tension betweenJesus and these
religious leaders. Ratherthan approaching Jesus with teachable hearts and
open minds, they accusedHim of casting out demons by the power of Satan
and they challengedHim by demanding some sign from heaven. As such, they
were reissuing the third temptation that Satanhad put before Jesus, to use
His powerfor show by casting Himself off the Temple pinnacle. Jesus soundly
refuted their demands by giving this extensive teaching on spiritual conflict,
the heavenly war. We learn that …
Since Jesus’miracles authenticate His victory over Satan, we must decisively
follow Him.
In other words, this isn’t just a subject to banter about in an interesting
discussion. Lives and eternal destinies are at stake. People cannotignore
Jesus. Theymust decide for Him or they are againstHim. Neutrality is
impossible. We either follow Christ into battle on His side, or we oppose Him
and remain on Satan’s side. These are the crucialissues behind this sectionof
Luke’s Gospel.
1. There is a spiritual battle raging with two and only two sides.
Scripture clearly teaches that Satanis a real spiritual being, not just an
impersonal force for evil. He was an angel who rebelled againstGodand who
commands a host of other evil spirits (called demons) who also rebelled
againstGod. He is here calledBeelzebul, a popular name for the prince of the

demons. The derivation of the name is debated, but it probably went back to
Baalworship and meant, “lord of the temple.” In 2 Kings 1:2, the king of
Israelwas injured and wantedto inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron,
whether he would recover. This was probably a derisive Hebrew pun, which
meant, “lord of the flies.” At any rate, Luke was not concernedabout the
word’s origin or meaning, but only used it as a popular name for Satan.
Satanand his demonic forces are committed to the ultimate harm and
destruction of the human race. To rewrite the Four Spiritual Laws, “Satan
hates you and has a terrible plan for your life!” Since God’s purpose is to be
glorified through the human race, createdin His image, Satan’s purpose is to
defile and degrade people so that their lives do not bring glory to God. Some
of Satan’s demons are more evil than others (11:26), but they all have the
same evil purpose. Since the fall of the human race into sin, every person is
born under Satan’s domain and power(1 John 5:19; Eph. 2:2). Jesus called
him “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31;14:30; 16:11)and Paul calledhim
“the god of this world [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (2 Cor.
4:4).
In this case, the demon causedthe man to be dumb, or unable to speak (Matt.
12:22 reports that the demon also had blinded the man). We have already
encounteredLegion, who showedus the hideous harm that demons can inflict
on people. While we may not encounter such extreme cases veryoften, we
should not be lulled into thinking that Satanis not alive and wellon planet
earth in our day. As J. C. Ryle puts it (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
[Baker], 3:17, on Luke 11:14-20),
Do we suppose, because bodily possessionby Satanis not so glaringly manifest
as it once was, that the greatenemy is less active in doing mischief than he
used to be? If we think so we have much to learn. Do we suppose that there is
no such thing as the influence of a “dumb” devil in the present day? If we do,

we had better think again. What shall we sayof those who never speak to
God, who never use their tongues in prayer and praise, …? What shall we say,
in a word, of those who can speak to every one but God? What canwe saybut
that Satanhas despoiledthem of the truest use of a tongue?
Sometimes we look at nice, decent, law-abiding people and assume that they
are not in Satan’s domain, as if there is some large, neutral zone between
God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom. But Satanis a deceiver, and he
cunningly leaves many in their not-too-bad condition so that we look at them
and think, “This person couldn’t be in Satan’s domain!” Do not be deceived!
Even though a personmay not look like Legionor may not be struck dumb
and blind by demons, he or she is still just as much in Satan’s evil domain,
headed for an eternity in hell, if he is not rescuedby Jesus Christ. This means
that every time we proclaim the gospelto a lost soul, a spiritual battle is
raging. There are two and only two sides. Either the person ignores or rejects
the gospeland remains in Satan’s domain; or, Jesus Christ saves him and he
is transferred to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son(Col. 1:13).
2. Jesus Christhas authority over Satan’s power.
In that day, there were a number of Jewishexorcists who tried to castout
demons by specialpotions or incantations or magicalprocedures. Sometimes
they seeminglysucceeded, althoughthey often failed. But every time Jesus
castout a demon, He simply spoke the word and the demon obeyed. Yet in
spite of His obvious power, these skeptics accusedJesusofcasting out demons
by Satan’s power.
We learn from this that belief in Jesus Christ is not simply a matter of having
sufficient evidence. If Jesus had not done these mighty works ofmiraculous
power, or if He had done them by some sleight of hand, surely His critics
would have pounced on this and accusedHim of practicing magic. But they
never used that line of attack. Since they couldn’t dispute the factof the

miracles, all they could do was to accuse Jesus ofdoing them by Satan’s
power. Even though Jesus here knew their thoughts, this did not convince
them that He was from God! Truly, the god of this world had blinded them, as
he does every unbeliever!
Jesus answeredthem by pointing out that if a kingdom or a house is divided
againstitself, it will fall. Similarly, if Satanwere divided againsthimself, his
kingdom would not stand (11:17-18). Then(11:19) Jesus takesup the case of
the Jewishexorcists.Forthe sake ofargument He assumes that these exorcists
had some success. Butthe Phariseeshad never accusedthem of being
empoweredby Satan. If they are going to be consistent, they must say that the
Jewishexorcists also did their work by Satan’s power. Otherwise, those
exorcists servedto judge the Phariseesfor their hypocrisy in singling out
Jesus for condemnation, while accepting the exorcists, who did the same thing.
“But,” Jesus adds, “if I castout demons by the finger of God, then the
kingdom of God has come upon you” (11:20). The term, “finger of God,” goes
back to Exodus 8:19, where the Egyptian magicians recognize God’s power
through Moses.Jesus is saying that if Satanis not behind His power, then
clearly, God is. By saying that the kingdom of God had come upon them,
Jesus was referring to the initial phase of the kingdom as manifested in the
presence ofthe King. Jesus’deliverance ofpeople from Satan’s bondage
anticipates the coming day when Jesus will reign not only in hearts, but on the
throne of David, when Satanwill be bound from his powerful influence on
earth. Until His enemies are made His footstool, Christ exercises His rule from
the Father’s right hand in the hearts of all who submit their lives to Him.
Jesus further underscores His victory over Satan with the parable of
disarming the strong man (11:21-22). Satanis the strong man armed. He is a
powerful spiritual master. His homesteadis the heart of unbelievers. All of an
unbeliever’s powers and faculties are Satan’s possessions, athis use. Further,

these possessions, securelyunder Satan’s rule, are undisturbed, or “at peace.”
The unbeliever, dead in his sins, under the sway of the prince of the powerof
the air (Eph. 2:2) is unaware of his own desperate condition. As Matthew
Henry describes it (Matthew Henry’s Commentary [Revell], 5:697):
The sinner has a goodopinion of himself, is very secure and merry, has no
doubt concerning the goodnessofhis state nor any dread of the judgment to
come;he flatters himself in his own eyes, and cries peace to himself. Before
Christ appeared, all was quiet, because allwent one way; but the preaching of
the gospeldisturbed the peace of the devil’s palace.
Christ is the strongerman who attacks the devil and overpowers him. As Paul
puts it, at the cross Christ “disarmed the rulers and authorities” and
triumphed over them (Col. 2:15). What no mere man could do, Jesus Christ
did in His death and resurrection. Satanis now a defeatedfoe, although he is
still allowedto reign until his being bound at the secondcoming of Christ.
This means that Jesus Christ is the only one powerful enoughto save a soul
from Satan’s dominion and power. Men cannot do it by their own will power
or moral reformation. Even though men can getfree of problems such as drug
and alcoholabuse, or even so-called“sexualaddiction,” through self-help
programs, this is not the same as salvationfrom sin and Satan. The focus of
those programs is never the glory of God, but rather, the happiness of self.
Satanis not unhappy if a drunk becomes soberand still goes to hell. What
that sinner and every sinner needs is the deliverance that only Jesus Christ
can give. As John Calvin put it, “Let us … learn that, as we are all subjectto
the tyranny of Satan, there is no other wayin which [God] commences his
reign within us, than when he rescues us, by the powerful and victorious arm
of Christ, from that wretched and accursedbondage” (Calvin’s
Commentaries [Baker], “Harmony of the Evangelists,”2:72-73).

We’ve seenthat there is a spiritual battle raging with two and only two sides.
Jesus Christ and only Christ has authority over Satan’s powerto deliver us
from bondage to Satan. Third,
3. We are either on Jesus’side or Satan’s side.
Jesus says, “He who is not with Me is againstMe;and he who does not gather
with Me, scatters” (11:23). In other words, neutrality is not an option. You
can’t straddle the fence by saying, “I’m not a committed followerof Jesus, but
neither am I a followerof Satan!” Nor can you correctlysay, “I don’t follow
Jesus or Satan. I’m my own master.” Jesus makesit plain: Either you follow
Him or you are againstHim and in Satan’s camp. Those are the only options.
Jesus goeson (11:24-26)to illustrate what happens to the man who tries to be
neutral: It doesn’t work. Perhaps the man has experienceda moral
reformation, either through the Jewishexorcists orthrough his own will
powerand determination. The demon that he struggled againstfor years has
left him. As Matthew Henry (p. 697)describes it, Satangives order to his
troops to retreattemporarily in order to draw the deluded soul into an
ambush. At first, it is wonderful! The man sweeps up the dirt from his soul
and feels a sense oforder and peace that he never felt when he was in bondage
to his former sins.
But, meanwhile, the departed demon is restless. Passing through waterless
places is a metaphoricalexpressionthat “denotes that to dwell out of men is to
him a wretchedbanishment, and resembles a barren wilderness” (Calvin, p.
84). The demon is not a happy camper until he moves back in. So, he goes and
finds sevenother demons more evil than himself and they move in. “The last
state of that man becomes worse thanthe first.”

What are we to learn from this illustration? J. C. Ryle says it well: “Let us
observe … how dangerous it is to be contentwith any change in religion short
of thorough conversionto God” (p. 25). Jesus’words “are a solemn warning
to us, never to be satisfiedwith religious reformation without heart
conversion” (p. 26). As Martyn Lloyd-Jones points out, “we must always
remember that there are other powers, beside that of Christ, which can give
‘results.’ … It is possible for men and women to get relief from many of their
ills and troubles apart altogetherfrom the gospel” (EvangelisticSermons
[Banner of Truth], p. 179).
This is especiallyimportant in our day when truth and doctrine are setaside
as of no consequence. We don’t really care about doctrine. We want to know,
does it work? What will the gospeldo for me? Will it help my troubled
marriage? If not, I’ll go to the world if it will getme some results. I had a
church member ask me, “If my wife finds help by counseling with a Hindu
psychiatrist, what’s wrong with that?” I didn’t saythis in reply, but later I
thought that I should have said, “If she got relief by sacrificing a chickento
Satan, would that be okay?”
A number of years ago, some people wantedto bring Twelve Stepgroups in
my church, and at first I was open to it. I reasonedthat the Steps seemedto be
in line with Scripture and the program seemedto help a lot of people. Besides,
a number of well-knownevangelicalchurches were using them. But then I
beganreading the literature and I grew increasinglyalarmed. It was obvious
that the Twelve Steps “worked” no matter who or what you chose as your
“Higher Power.” Ithought, “If it works whetheryour Higher Poweris Jesus
or a Buddha idol, then it’s obvious that the Higher Poweris not the real
power.” It trivializes Jesus to lump Him with all the other possible Higher
Powers, as if it really doesn’t matter which one you pick! At that point, I did a
U-turn and told the church that I could not endorse those programs.

Here’s the point: If we get “help” from any other power than Jesus Christand
His gospel, we have not gottentrue and lasting help. You may geta clean and
well-orderedhouse, but you don’t have transformation of your soul. You may
have a sense ofpeace and freedom from the troubles that plagued you, but
you don’t have eternal life. You have a temporarily empty house, whereas the
sinner who repents and trusts in Christ has the Holy Spirit as the new
permanent occupant(11:13). Even more alarming, you may feel content
enough without Christ that you assume that all is well in your soul. Not having
a desperate sense ofneed, you will not flee to the cross to lay hold of the only
true Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose shed blood is necessaryto deliver
you from Satan’s power. In that sense, your laststate is worse than the first.
Also, as Lloyd-Jones points out, when you adopt a false philosophy or believe
a false doctrine, at first it seems to give so much satisfaction. Butafter a while,
it begins to wearoff or disappoint. It leaves you, not just where you were
before, but in a worse condition, because now you distrust everything, even
that which is true. You become cynicaleven of the gospel. He observes,
“There is no type of mentality which is so difficult to treat as that of a person
who has been disappointed by someone or something in which he once
believed” (p. 183).
So, Luke presses you to answerthe question: Is Jesus Christ who He claimed
to be or not? Is His authority as the Messiahsentfrom God establishedby the
miracles He performed? Is Jesus the Sonof God in human flesh? If so, you
must commit yourself to follow Him whatever the consequencesorresults.
You may suffer trials, persecution, and even death. But if Jesus is truly Lord,
if He alone defeatedSatan’s power, then you must commit yourself to Him
and to Him alone, not to Him and to some human “deliverance” orprogram.
How do you do this?
4. The way to be on Jesus’side is to hear the word of God and do it.

As Jesus was speaking, a womanin the crowdraised her voice and said,
“Blessedis the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed.” It
is interesting that right in the contextof Jesus’teaching aboutdemons, this
woman extols Mary! She may have been well-meaning, but clearly she was
misguided. She was trying to give praise to Jesus by saying, “Your mother is a
woman truly blessedto have a son like you.” Of course, that was true; Mary
was blessedby God to be the mother of Jesus. His response does not deny this,
but He does correctthe direction of this woman’s thoughts. He says in effect,
“Naturalfamily ties to Me are not the point; the point is to hear God’s Word
and do it.” The person who is decidedly with Jesus doesn’tjust mouth pious
platitudes; rather, he hears what Jesus says andacts on it.
This is not to teachsalvationby works becausethe Word of God that we must
obey clearly teaches thatwe are saved by grace through faith alone. But the
Bible is also clearthat saving faith is obedient faith (Rom. 15:18;16:26).
Jesus’clearauthority over demonic forces shows that He is both Savior and
Lord. Therefore, eachpersonis forcedto choose sides in the heavenly war.
Having heard the Word of God, we must now act on it in obedience to Jesus
or else we are opposedto Him and in league with Satan.
Conclusion
During that part of the Naval War College courseknownas Fundamentals of
Command and Decision, the instructor was stressing the importance of being
able to make sound decisions under pressure. A visiting officer from a small
foreign navy spoke up. “Talk about decisions!” he said. “I was 700 miles out
to sea in my destroyerwhen I receiveda dispatch from my base:‘We have
just had a revolution. Which side are you on?’” (Reader’s Digest[5/83].)
Thankfully, our decisionisn’t that difficult! We have some solid evidence to go
on. We have the clearrecord of the gospelaccounts that relate to us what

Jesus saidand did. William Barclayputs it this way (cited by Leon Morris,
The GospelAccording to John [Eerdmans], p. 414):
Either, what Jesus saidabout Himself is false, in which case He is guilty of
such blasphemy as no man ever dared to utter; or, what He said about
Himself is true, in which case He is what He claimed to be and canbe
describedin no other terms than the Son of God. Jesus leaves us with the
definite choice—wemust acceptHim fully or rejectHim absolutely. That is
preciselywhy every man has to decide for or againstJesus Christ.
There is a spiritual battle raging with two and only two sides. Clearly, Jesus
has authority over Satanand his forces. We are on one side or the other. If
you are not decisivelyon Jesus’side, you are againstHim. To join His side,
you must believe in Him and follow Him in obedient faith.
DiscussionQuestions
Why is it important to affirm that there is no neutral ground betweenJesus
and Satan? Is there such a thing as a “carnal” or “nominal” Christian?
How should we witness to skeptics who demand proof of spiritual things?
How can we tell if a personis under demonic influence or if he is just acting in
the flesh? Does it make any difference?
If self-help programs help people with their problems, what’s wrong with
them?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 1999,All Rights Reserved.

BOB DEFFINBAUGH
Evidence that Produced Various Verdicts (Luke 11:14-36)
Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man
who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said,
“By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” Others tested
him by asking for a sign from heaven.
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against
itself will be ruined, and a house divided againstitself will fall. If Satan is
divided againsthimself, how can his kingdom stand? I saythis because you
claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by
Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be
your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom
of God has come to you.
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are
safe. But when someone strongerattacks andoverpowers him, he takes away
the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils. “He who is not
with me is againstme, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.
“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking
rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When
it arrives, it finds the house sweptcleanand put in order. Then it goes and
takes sevenother spirits more wickedthan itself, and they go in and live there.
And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowdcalled out, “Blessedis
the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessedrather
are those who hear the word of Godand obey it.”

As the crowds increased, Jesussaid, “This is a wickedgeneration. It asks for a
miraculous sign, but none will be given it exceptthe signof Jonah. Foras
Jonahwas a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this
generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of
this generationand condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to
listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greaterthan Solomonis here. The
men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generationand
condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater
than Jonahis here.
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a
bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the
light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your
whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of
darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if
your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely
lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”
Introduction
JoshMcDowellhas written a book entitled, Evidence That Demands a
Verdict. A lawyerfriend of mine tells me that the title is inaccurate because
evidence does not demand a verdict. As I have been studying our text for this
week I would saythat one would be quite foolish to think that the same
evidence would produce the same verdict. In this passagefound in the 11th
chapter of Luke’s gospel, the evidence is the same for all to see:Jesus casta
demon from a man, a demon which causedhim to be dumb.197 All who
witnessedthis event concluded that a greatmiracle had been performed, but
from this point on there is a greatdifference of opinion. The crowdwas
amazed at the miracle; some in the crowd(who, according to Matthew, were
Pharisees,(Matthew 12:24);Mark also tells us that they were teachers ofthe

Law from Jerusalem, (Mark 3:22) concluded that Jesus did this through the
powerof Beelzebub. Others were undecided, or at leastuncommitted, and
askedfor “a sign from heaven” (Luke 11:16). And still others, like the woman
who shouted from the crowd, missedthe point of the miracle altogether(Luke
11:27).
On the basis of this passageI would have to agree with those who say that
“you can prove anything you want from the Bible.” This is not to say that the
Bible proves all points of view. Nor is this to say that it is impossible for the
Christian to find answers in the Bible which he or she can hold with great
confidence and conviction. It is to say, though, that many who view the
biblical evidence miss the point. The beauty of this text is that it not only
shows us how far men can stray from the truth, but it reveals to us why they
do so. Here is a text of great importance to all who would seek to know the
truth, to come to the verdict which the biblical evidence leads us. Let us listen
well to the words of this text, for doing so cankeepus from going astray, and
it can help us to understand and to help those who have missed the point of
God’s Word.
The Structure of the Text
I have outlined the structure of our text in this way:
(1) The Setting: Various Responsesto the DemonDeliverance by Jesus—vv.
14-16
(2) Jesus’Response:
To the Beelzebub Charge—vv. 17-23

To those who would try to remain neutral—vv. 24-26
The woman who missed the meaning of this miracle—vv. 27-28
To those who demand more proof by seeking a sign—vv. 29-32
(3) The RealProblem: Notthe Evidence, but the Eye—vv. 33-36
The Evidence and the Verdicts
(11:14-16)
At some point in Jesus’ministry198 He castthe demon from this man, a
demon which causedhim to be speechless. Proofthata miracle had occurred
was virtually immediate because the man beganto speak for the first time
since he was possessedby the demon. The man’s words made an immediate
impact on those who saw the miracle. The crowd, Luke tells us, was amazed,
which seems to inform us that they believed Jesus had done this deed through
the powerof God. Some, however, did not see it this way. These people,
admitted that a miracle had occurred, but attributed the power to Beelzebub,
that is to Satan,199 andnot to God. They acknowledgedthe miracle about as
reluctantly as some recognizedthe powerof God at work in and through the
disciples of Jesus, as recordedby Luke in the book of Acts:
“What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybodyliving in
Jerusalemknows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny
it” (Acts 4:16).
In Mark’s accountthey go so far as to accuseJesus ofbeing demon-possessed
(Mark 3:22), as they had also accusedJohnthe Baptist(Luke 7:33).
Others took a more mediating position. They were not willing to acknowledge
that Jesus was the Messiahof God,200 norwere they willing to deny it, thus

accusing Jesus ofoperating by Satan’s power. They thought of themselves as
open minded and willing to be convinced. But they also believed that they had
not yet seensufficient evidence on which to arrive at a sound conclusion, and
so they requested a “signfrom heaven.”
It is significant that Luke (alone) tells us that a signfrom heavenwas
requested. I take it that this “signfrom heaven” was one that would clearly
link with the prophecy of Joel, demonstrating that the “kingdomof God” was
at hand:
“I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and
billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the greatand dreadful day of the LORD” (Joel2:30-31).
Even John the Baptist did not seemsatisfiedwith the words and the works of
Jesus, and wantedmore positive proof that He was the Messiah(Luke 7:20-
23). Jesus was not willing to give John any greaterproof than that of His
teaching and of His works. There were no signs from heaven for John either.
You will recallthat during the crucifixion of our Lord there was the heavenly
sign of darkness, whichtestified to Christ’s deity and frightened many (Luke
24:44-45;cf. Matthew 27:54). Jesus also taughtthat there would be heavenly
signs which would precede His secondcoming (Luke 21:25-28), and these
heavenly signs are also linked with the coming of the Spirit in Acts 2, when
Petercited a portion of the secondchapterof Joel’s prophecy, which spoke of
heavenly signs. But Jesus wouldnot give such signs here, for this was His first
coming, when He came to save men, not to judge them.
Jesus Challengesthe BeelzebubVerdict
(11:17-20)

In verses 17-32 Jesus challengedthe various verdicts of the crowd which are
briefly summarized in verses 14-16. He first takes onthe charge that He has
delivered this demoniac from Satan’s powerthrough Satan’s power. With a
series ofpowerful thrusts Jesus showedthe logic of His opponents who
accusedHim of being a servant of Satan to be wanting. In two paragraphs (vv.
17-20, and vv. 21-23)He shows the error of their thinking. Eachparagraph
ends with an indictment (vv. 20, 23).
SatanDoesn’tShoot Himself in the Foot(Verses 17-20)
The logic of the opponents of Jesus is apparent. They must admit that a
miracle has been performed by Jesus. A demon was castout. They will not
admit that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. To whom or to what, then, do
they attribute His power? If He delivered a man from Satan’s grasp, perhaps
He did so through Satan’s power. Here was the only “rational” explanation
for Jesus’powerHis enemies could come up with: Jesus was operating in the
powerof Beelzebub, in the powerof Satan.
Jesus’response quicklyshows how foolishsuch a conclusionwas. It was as if
Jesus had said, “Who willingly and knowingly shoots himself in the foot?”
Satanwould not do harm to himself, would he? Why, then would they be so
foolish as to think that Jesus was attacking Satan’s kingdom(by casting out
demons) with Satan’s approval and power? Any kingdom that fights against
itself falls. Satanwould not fight himself. The opponents of Jesus were foolish
to make such a charge againstHim. Not only was it false;it wasn’t even
logical.
Jesus is not yet done with them. There is more. If the power to castout
demons is to be attributed to Satan, then in whose powerare the opponents
own children casting out demons? We see from texts like Matthew 7:22, Luke

9:49-50, and Acts 19:13-16 that a number of Jews were exorcising demons,
some of them (Matthew 7:22) as unbelievers, but all seemingly in the name of
Jesus. If the sons of Jesus’opponents were casting out demons in Jesus’name,
were these men willing to attribute the powerof their sons to Satanas well?
Jesus pressestheir case much further than they wishedto take the matter, but
it was the logicalconclusionof their argument.
Jesus was speaking inHis defense, but in verse 20 He takes the offensive:
“But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has
come to you.”
Jesus has probed their logic (which was faulty), and He has pressedit to a
very uncomfortable conclusion(their sons are operating by Satan’s power,
too, for they also castout demons). Now, He gives them one more logical
thrust: If they are wrong and He is operating in the power of God, then they
must admit that the kingdom of God has come and that Jesus is the King. This
is the very thing they most dreaded, and Jesus has just reminded them of what
goodlogic must conclude: He is the King, whom they refuse to receive.
Only One More PowerfulThan
SatanCan Take Away His Possessions
(11:21-23)
The secondargument of Jesus is just as forcefulas the first. Notonly were
Jesus’opponents wrong in attributing His power to Satanbecause Satan
would not attack himself, they were also wrong because the One who would
attack Satanmust be more powerful. Jesus comparedHis deliverance of the
demon-possessedto the plundering of a powerful foe (cf. Isaiah 49:24-26). No
one cantake awaythe possessionsofa powerful man without first

overpowering the person. The powerful man must first be overpowered, then
disarmed, and finally bound, so that his goods canbe plundered.
In this analogy, Satanis the strong man and his “possessions”are those who
are demon-possessedand Jesus is the One who has greaterpowerand is
taking awaythose he has possessed. Jesus is saying that He must overpower
Satanbefore He can deliver those whom he had formerly possessed. His
enemies refused to acknowledge thatJesus was Godor that His powerwas
God’s power, and yet logic would once again force them to this conclusion. In
order to deliver men and women from demon-possessionJesus hadto be
greaterthan Satan. To attribute His power to Satanwas foolish. To think He
was not greaterthan Satanwas also folly. If the evidence were interpreted
according to goodlogic, the evidence would point to Jesus as the Messiah.
Jesus now counters the logic of His critics with another indictment. Not only is
SatanJesus’enemy, not only are His opponents (who attribute His power to
Satan) His enemies, but all who do not respond rightly to Him. Verse 23 is
saying that those who were negative to Jesus were His enemies, but so were
those who were neutral. Verses 24-32 address those who have not responded
negatively towardJesus, but have not rightly responded to Him as a right
interpretation of the evidence would demand.
Neutrality TowardJesus is
Hospitality TowardDemonic Repossession
(11:24-26)
In football, lining up in the neutral zone is an offense. In life, many seemto
think that neutrality is a virtue. In the Bible, neutrality toward the person of
Christ is offensive to God. In verses 24-26 Luke will inform his readerthat
neutrality towardJesus is also dangerous.

Jesus told yet anotherstory. A man was exorcisedof a demon. That demon
wandered about in very unpleasant circumstances. The demon finally
concluded that his former abode was far superior to the arid places he was
now inhabiting, and so he returned to his former abode, but with additional
demons. The final state was worse than the first, Jesus taught.
If Jesus is more powerful than Satan, which His last argument has shown,
man is not. Man is not able, in and of himself, to resistSatan. The man who is
possessedby a demon can, Jesus said, be re-possessed. The only powerthat
can keepthe demons out of a man is the powerof the One who is able to
deliver that man in the first place. Jesus was warning those who would
attempt to remain neutral, who would not come to receive Him as their
Messiahand to obey His commandments, that neutrality toward Messiahis
hospitality towardthe hostile forces ofSatan. It is no blessing for men to be
exorcised, rid of demon-possessionif men do not have the person of God
dwelling within. Just as man is unable to rid himself of a demonic inhabitant,
neither is he able to keepan exorciseddemon from returning. Jesus must not
only be believed in as Messiah, He must also be receivedinto one’s life, lest
Satanonly return in greaterforce.201
Neutrality about the personof Jesus is no virtue, it is a vice, and indeed it
invites Satanic involvement, and it leads to a latter state that is worse than the
former. Are those who attribute Jesus’powerto Satan His enemies, those who
live dangerously? So, too, are those who think they can remain neutral
concerning Him, for those who are not for Him are againstHim (v. 23).
A Mother’s Praise
(11:27-28)

Would some oppose Jesus while others remained silent? There was a woman
in that crowd who spoke up, whose words, on the surface, were those of
praise, but which fell far short of what was pleasing to the Savior. This
woman seems to have recognizedthe powerand the greatness ofJesus, but
her praise was not for Jesus, but for His mother. She cried out,
“Blessedis the mother who gave you birth and nursed you” (v. 27, emphasis
mine).
When compared to the hostility of some and the neutrality of others, these
words may seemwarm and welcomedto us, but Jesus’response is corrective.
He gently corrects, it should be noted, but He does not allow the woman’s
words to stand unchallenged. The woman’s focus was on the mother of Jesus,
and her blessing in bearing and nursing Him. This was true, for Mary was
indeed blessedin this regard (Luke 1:28, 42, 46-49). The woman’s focus was
wrong, however. Her praise seems to be more focusedon Mary than on
Messiah, seeinga greaterblessing in motherhood (bearing and nursing Jesus)
than in discipleship (obedience to Jesus).
Why do you suppose that this woman saw suchblessing in bearing and in
nursing Jesus? It is my opinion (I want to go on record here that the text does
not saythis, but I think we can infer it) that the woman is viewing Jesus too
much from a woman’s point of view. She views Jesus as a woman, and not as a
disciple. Forher, as for most women in that day, a woman’s role and her
contribution was through bearing children (especiallysons). This woman’s
significance was in bearing and nurturing children, and thus she could only
think of Jesus as a child and blessednessas being the child’s mother. While
this woman has come farther than the opponents of Jesus and those who are,
as yet, uncommitted, she has not come far enough. If Jesus is all that the
evidence declares Him to be, then this woman should be focusing on obeying
Christ’s words, not on the blessings ofbeing Christ’s mother.

Obedience to Jesus is one of the centralthemes of the Gospels, one ofthe
fundamental elements of discipleship. The Father said it at the mount of
transfiguration:
“This is my Son, whom I have chosen;listen to him” (Luke 9:35).
In John’s gospel, the issue of obedience (or of not wanting to obey) is clearly
linked with the accusationthat Jesus was demon-possessed:
At these words the Jews were againdivided. Many of them said, “He is
demon-possessedandraving mad. Why listen to him?” But others said,
“These are not the sayings of a man possessedby a demon. Cana demon open
the eyes of the blind?” (John 10:19-21).
The real problem for those who rejectedJesus and who attributed His power
to Satan was that of obeying Him. In seeing this as the issue, they were
correct. In rejecting Jesus as Messiah, as the Son of God, they were wrong.
The woman was wrong, too. She did not interpret the evidence correctly. She
saw Jesus as greatand His mother as blessed, but she did not see that Jesus
was the One to receive and to follow by obeying His commands. How often we
view Jesus through the grid of our ownneeds and desires and our ownnarrow
view of significance.
The Sin of Sign-Seeking
(11:29-32)

Some of those in the crowd there were those who refused to come to a verdict,
who resistedcoming to any conclusionas to who Jesus was. Theirreasons may
have varied, although I cannot help but think that two factors weighedheavily
in this matter.
First, I suspectthat the strong opposition of Israel’s religious leaders to Jesus
placed considerable pressure onthe rest not to side with Him. It would seem
that the most outspokenand radical oppositionto Jesus was from the religious
leaders of the nation Israel. The parallel accounts ofMatthew and Mark both
inform us that the “Beelzebubcharge” came from the religious leaders. For
anyone to openly recognize Jesusas the Messiahand to follow Him would
have been to incur the wrath of these same leaders (compare John 9:34). It
may well be that those who attempted to maintain some degree of neutrality
were motivated, at leastin part, by a desire not to oppose their leaders.
Second, many may have resistedcoming to any firm conclusions aboutJesus
due to their understanding of the implications of such a decision. To
acknowledge thatJesus was Israel’s Messiahmeant, as Jesus had told the
exuberant mother, that His words should be listened to and obeyed. If Jesus
was the Messiahthen men should follow Him, and that meant “taking up a
cross.”Jesus wasnot the kind of Messiahmostpeople were hoping for, and
thus to acceptHim as Messiahmeantchanging one’s aspirations from
prosperity to persecution. The price was too high, so the decisionwas
postponed.
The beauty of this stance is that it had an air of respectabilityto it. Some
might even think it to be the wisestpositionto take. After all, why should one
come to a hasty conclusion? There seemedto be evidence on both sides. The
religious leaders were opposedto Jesus. On the other hand, some devotedly
followedHim. Why not simply “hang back” and see how things workedout?
Betteryet, why not put Jesus onthe spot, by requiring that He produce a

heavenly sign? If He was the Messiah, letHim make it undisputedly clear.
This is, after all, the “scientific method” isn’t it?202 Shouldn’t one withhold a
decisionuntil all the facts are in?
Jesus has very strong words for those who request a sign from heaven. His
words inform us that this is evidence that this generationof Israelites is
wicked, and so much so that the “belief” of two Old Testamentpeoples puts
them to shame. The people of Nineveh acceptedthe “signof Jonah” and
repented, and the Queen of the South believed the reports about Solomon’s
wisdom. Forthis, they will testify in the day of judgment againstthis
generationfor their unbelief.
Two things strike me about our Lord’s use of the Ninevites and the Queenof
the South. The first is that both are Gentiles, and they, because oftheir belief,
will condemn the unbelief of this generationof Israelites. The secondis that
both parties believed with much less evidence than that which this generation
had seen. The Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah, which as we find
it recordedin the book of Jonah may have been only one short sentence:“Yet
forty days and Nineveh will perish.” That’s not a lot of evidence!And from all
we know of Jonah, he spoke these words in a waythat was not meant to
convince or to convert these people. But the Ninevites believed. The Queen of
the South also was convincedof Solomon’s wisdom when she heard his words.
To put the matter a little differently, THE BELIEF WHICH GOD
COMMENDED WAS BASED UPON INSPIRED WORDS,MORE THAN
UPON WORKS.
The responses ofall of these people within the crowdthat witnessedJesus’
deliverance of the demoniac were varied, but the end result and the problem
was the same in every case:they did not believe in Jesus as their Messiah. And

this unbelief was rootedin their rejectionof Jesus’words, which led them to a
misinterpretation of His works.
The greatproblem of sign-seeking is that it does not find the words of God to
be enough, and thus it demands an on-going stream of miraculous works. The
Israelites of old consistently“put God to the test” by not believing His words,
and by insisting upon more works. The tests which Satanput to our Lord
were all intended to getJesus to do some work, in an actof unbelief in the
Word of God, to which Jesus always respondedwith the Word of God. In
Hebrews chapter 11, as elsewhere, we are told that faith is not grounded in
what is seen(works), but in what is unseen(God’s word). The heroes listed in
this “hall of faith” in Hebrews all lived out their lives in faith, believing in
God’s promises, even though they did not see what was promised.
Those who thought themselves wise by remaining neutral were caughtup
short by our Lord’s strong words here. He taught them that neutrality was
actually hostility, and that it was also dangerous (hospitality towardSatan,
and condemnation in the day of judgment). The Lord’s work of casting out
the demon was meant to be interpreted by Jesus’words, by His teaching. John
the Baptisthad identified Jesus as the promised Messiah. Jesushad thus
identified Himself as well. To fail to see this work as the work of Messiah
could only be the result of the rejectionof His words. It was not that the
evidence was so little (for look at how the Ninevites and the Queen of the
South responded to so little evidence), but that their unbelief was so great.
The relationship betweenJesus’words and His works canbe seenthroughout
the gospels.In the Gospelof John, certain“signs” are selected, but the
significance ofeachis defined by Jesus’words. Jesus’healing of the blind man
is explained in terms of His being the “light of the world” (John 9). Jesus’
raising of Lazarus is explained in terms of His being the “resurrectionand the
life” (John 11).

People persistedin wanting more works from Jesus, while not wanting His
words. When Jesus fedthe 5,000, the people wanted this bread from then on,
and they would have forcibly made Him their king (John 6:15). But when
Jesus spoke ofeating His flesh and drinking His blood, people could not stand
to hear His words, and they left Him (John 6:60). When the disciples were
askedif they, too, would leave, they responded in terms of Jesus’words, and
not just His works:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternallife” (John 6:68).
In Luke chapter16 Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus. When
the rich man petitioned that someone be sent to his family, to warn them of
the judgment to come, “FatherAbraham” respondedthat his relatives had
“Mosesand the Prophets,” the Word of God, as it were, to warn them. He
further said that if they would not receive these words, the return of one from
the dead (a miracle, a sign) would not convince them. In other words, men
insist that God produce works, signs, whenthey refuse to believe His words.
Seeking signs is not an evidence of faith, but an evidence of unbelief.
The RealProblem:
Not the Evidence, but the Eyes
(11:33-36)
In the final paragraph of this section, Jesusnow exposes the real problem
which underlies all of the misinterpretation that precedes:
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a
bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the

light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your
whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of
darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if
your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely
lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you” (Luke 11:33-36).
In verse 33 Jesus says that the purpose of a lamp is to illuminate, and thus a
light is put in a prominent place. I understand Him to be saying that He has
come as the light of the world, that He has come to illuminate men (Luke 1:79;
John 1:4-18, 9:1ff.). Since He came to illuminate men, He did not speak oract
in secret, but openly. His light, as it were, was brightly exposedto men. His
generationwould not perish for lack of light.
In the context of this passagewe might say it this way: Since Jesus had come
to convert men, His evidence was both plentiful and public. The evidence was
clear. Indeed, no one denied the miracles which Jesus performed. In this
passage, no one denied that He had casta demon from the dumb man.
Everyone, however, failed to come to the right conclusionwith this evidence.
They came to the wrong verdict. The evidence did not convince or convert
men. The reasonwhy this is so is seenin the next verses. Theytell us that the
problem was not with the evidence Jesus produced, but with the eyes which
beheld it.
The eye, Jesus said, is the gatewayto the person’s entire being, his whole
body. If the eye is good, if it lets in the light, the whole body is illuminated. If
the eye is defective, if it lets in little light, the whole body is dark. Moving from
the symbolism to the substance of this argument, Jesus is saying that everyone
who failed to interpret the evidence of this miracle as they should has done so
because ofa defect in their ability to “see”the truth, not because ofany
deficiency in the evidence.

As I look through the Scripture, I find the analogyof the eyes frequently
employed for one’s receptivity to the truth, to one’s perception:
And he uttered his oracle:“The oracle of Balaamsonof Beor, the oracle of
one whose eye sees clearly, … Then he uttered his oracle:“The oracle of
Balaamson of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly” (Numbers 24:3,
15).
Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accepta bribe, for a bribe
blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous (Deuteronomy
16:19).
Here I stand. Testify againstme in the presence ofthe Lord and his anointed.
Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkeyhave I taken? Whom have I cheated?
Whom have I oppressed? Fromwhose hand have I accepteda bribe to make
me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right” (1 Samuel
12:3).
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of
the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes (Psalm19:8).
For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detector hate his sin
(Psalm 36:2).
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:18).
Do not be wise in your owneyes; fearthe Lord and shun evil (Proverbs 3:7).

Make the heart of this people callused;make their ears dull and close their
eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hearwith their ears,
understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed” (Isaiah 6:10).
The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep: He has sealedyour eyes(the
prophets); he has coveredyour heads (the seers). Isaiah29:10.
To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from
the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Isaiah42:7).
Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf
(Isaiah 43:8).
They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plasteredover so
they cannot see, andtheir minds closedso they cannotunderstand (Isaiah
44:18).
Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes.
At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the
dead (Isaiah 59:10).
“Sonof man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see
but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious
people (Ezekiel12:2).

Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessedare the eyes that
see what you see (Luke 10:23).
For this reasonthey could not believe, because, as Isaiahsays elsewhere:“He
has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with
their eye, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal
them.” Isaiah saidthis because he saw Jesus’glory and spoke about him
(John 12:39-41).
May their eyes be darkened so they cannotsee, and their backs be bent
forever” (Romans 11:10).
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot
see the light of the gospelof the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2
Corinthians 4:4).
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen
is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you
may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:18).
I counselyou to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich;
and white clothes to wear, so you cancover your shameful nakedness;and
salve to put on your eyes, so you can see (Revelation3:18).

Conclusion
As I look at all the Scriptures it would seemthat a man’s ability to understand
what God is saying and doing is dependent upon his ability to “see” the truth.
Man’s receptivity to the truth is the problem. The Bible is replete with
evidence, but the eyes of man are not able to see it.
Man’s inability to see is attributed to at leastthree sources.First, man himself
is responsible for his unreceptive heart toward God and towardspiritual
truth. That seems to be the thrust of our Lord’s words to the crowdin Luke
11:
“See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness” (Luke 11:35).
Man’s blindness is also attributed to the work of Satan, who blinds men’s
minds from the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4). But blindness is also a work of
judgment on God’s part, for He has blinded the eyes of Israelas a temporary
judgment, due to their persistent unbelief (cf. John 12:39-41).
How, then, does one who is blind come from blindness to sight, from darkness
to light, from death to life? I believe that the answerto this question is clearin
the Bible. Man cannot, in and of himself, heal himself of his blindness, for it is
a blindness of heart. Instead, God, through a gracious andmiraculous act on
His part, opens our eyes to see the truth. I believe that Paul’s physical
blindness and the receptionof his sight (Acts 9:1-19), was symbolic of his
spiritual blindness. Later in Acts, we read of Lydia’s eyes being opened, as it
were:

One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealerin purple cloth
from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her
heart to respond to Paul’s message(Acts 16:14).
The epistles frequently speak of God’s bringing His people out of darkness
into the light:
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in
our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge ofthe glory of God in the face
of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6, cf. Ephesians 5:8; Col. 1:13; 1 Peter2:9).
Man’s conversionbegins when God sovereignlyopens the eyes of those who
sin (along with Satan’s blinding) has kept them from seeing the truth and
responding to it. This does not mean that man has no responsibility to believe,
but only that he cannotbelieve until his eyes are opened. The ministry of the
Holy Spirit is also involved in this “enlightenment” (cf. Ephesians 1:17; 1
Corinthians 2:6-16).
Once a person has come to faith in Christ, it is the Scriptures which expose
the light in our lives, and which reveals our sin. The Scripture “sharpens our
focus” as it were. On the one hand we must ask for God to “open our eyes” as
we come to the Word, so that we may see in it the things God has for us
(Psalm 119:18). On the other hand, the Scriptures serve to open our eyes, to
show us life as it is, ourselves as we are, and God as He is (Hebrews 4:12-13).
Application
This text has clearly shownus that men will normally and naturally reject
incontestable evidence in a broad variety of ways because they will not believe
God’s word, due to the fact that they view the evidence through their own

perceptions, through their own grid, rather than from God’s point of view.
This truth has many applications, but allow me to suggesta few.
First, we see the desperate need for prayer and the Word of God in our lives.
God’s word is the truth, but we need our eyes opened to see and understand it.
Prayer petitions God to open our eyes. Godhas given us both His Word and
His Holy Spirit to enable us to grasp His truth. The Word of Godand prayer
are the vital mainstay of the saint.
Second, the Word of Godand prayer are the mainstay of our ministry. I have
heard this said by Bible believing Christians: Nobody would rejectthe gospel
if it was clearly explained.
This is not only untrue, it is a denial of the truth. No one more perfectly
proclaimed the gospelthan our Lord, and yet most refused to receive it. The
problem is not with the evidence, but with the eye that beholds it. The Word
of God proclaims the truth, and thus the material of our ministry should be
the Word of God. The Spirit of God internally convinces men of the truth of
the Word (John 16:5-15). Prayer petitions God to open the eyes of blinded
men, through the Spirit and the Word. It is no wonderthat prayer and the
ministry of the Word was a priority of the apostles (Acts 6:1-6). It should be
our priority as well.
Evangelismis accomplishedprimarily through the proclamationof the Word
and through prayer. We will never argue a person into the kingdom of God.
We will never produce enoughevidence to apologeticallysave anyone. The
problem is not in the evidence (which we can and should present), but in the
eye of the lost. Let us proclaim the truth and let us pray, for we cannot
convert a single soul. Only God canreplace darkness with light. Only God can
open eyes that are blinded to the truth. Wives who nag their husbands with

the gospelforgetwho and what saves their mates. It is not that they have not
heard the gospeloften enough(more than likely), or that it has not been put in
the right words (though it should be well said), but that lost men can’t
understand it and would not acceptit if they did. Salvationis a miracle which
God performs, and in which we are privileged to take part.
Third, this text reminds us that we should never interpret the Scriptures from
“our own grid” although we must apply them through our grid. One problem
with eachof these people who failed to conclude from the evidence that Jesus
was the Messiahwas that they viewed the evidence through their own grids.
The leaders of Israelviewed Christ through their grid, through their
aspirations, their ambitions, their authority, their biblical understanding, and
thus they rejectedHim. Those who tried to remain neutral also did so in the
light of their own goals and aspirations (such as not offending their leaders).
The woman viewedJesus through the grid of a mother, but not as a disciple.
MostBible studies therefore approach the study of the Bible from the wrong
perspective. People gathertogetherand seek to answerthe question, WHAT
DOES THIS PASSAGE MEAN TO YOU?
This is preciselywhat eachof those who were wrong about Jesus did. They all
viewed the evidence in the light of what it meant to them, not in the light of
what it meant. Jesus’words and His works would only be acceptedit they fit
into the expectations and desires of those who witnessedthem. But we have
seenthat our perspectives are wrong, our hearts are wickedand deceitful. We
must come to the truth in the light of what God is saying to us, not in the light
of what we would like to hear. We are coming to the Scriptures as husbands,
fathers, leaders, employers, employees, mothers, wives, and so on, but not as
disciples. We are to apply the Scriptures through our own grid, but not to
interpret them in this way.

Fourth and finally, if you are still neutral towardChrist you are really hostile
toward Him and hospitable toward Satan. There is no such thing as neutrality
when it comes to the gospel. The evidence from God’s Word is clear. We are
all sinners, deserving of the penalty of death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Godhas
sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place, to bear our penalty, so that we
might have eternal life (John 3:16). All who trust in Him for salvationhave
eternal life (John 1:12). Do not remain neutral any longer, my friend, for this
is a dangerous and damnable sin.
197 From Matthew’s accountin chapter 12, which appears to be a parallel
text, he tells us (v. 22)that this demon also made the man blind.
198 The gospelwriters all place this event differently. It is hard to know
where this event fits chronologically, andthis is not really necessary, since the
writers appearto be handling this matter thematically rather than
chronologically.
199 Casting out demons was apparently one power which the opponents of
our Lord felt they could attribute to Satan’s power. Note, however, that a
number of people could exorcise (Luke 9:49-50;Acts 19:13-16), including
unbelievers (Matthew 7:22), and the “sons”ofthe opponents (Luke 11:19). In
every case I can find in the New Testamentthe demons were always castout
in Jesus’name.
Geldenhuys writes of Beelzebub: “[Beelzebul]is used in the New Testamentas
a name for Satan. In the Mishnaic Hebrew Ba’alZebul would have the
meaning ‘Lord of the house’ (Zebul meaning generally‘residence’and more
specificallythe earthly or heavenly temple). This etymology thus throws light
on the following references to the divided house (verse 17) and to the strong
man armed guarding his ‘court’ (verse 21), and also on the words of Matthew

x. 25, ‘If they have calledthe master of the house Beelzebul… ’ The original
sense ofBa`al Zebul, however, is ‘Lord of the high place’;it is found in this
sense as the name of a Canaanite deity in the Ras Shamra tablets (c. 1400
B.C.);this deity appears in 2 Kings i.2ff., where however, his name is
transformed by an ironical word-play into Ba`al Zebub ‘Lord of flies.’”
Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospelof Luke, The New
International Commentary on the New TestamentSeries (Grand Rapids:
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975 [reprint]), p. 332, fn. 4.
200 According to Matthew 12:23, some of the crowds were at leastconsidering
the possibility that this miracle pointed to Jesus’identity as Messiah, evenif
not coming to this conclusion.
201 There is a parallel thought to be found in Romans chapter 7 as I
understand this text. Paul is here teaching that the Christian does not have the
powerto resistsin in the flesh, and that only through the indwelling Spirit
(“walking in the Spirit”) can sins powerbe resisted, so that man can do that
which is pleasing to God and resistthat which is not.
202 While it may appear that I am taking a shot at the scientific method, I am
not, so long as it is applied to matters of science. Butthe laws of faith (as seen
in Hebrews 11) are very different from the laws of science. Manytoday are
using the scientific method as an excuse for their unbelief.
Attacking the Heart of the Issue - Luke 11:14-28

Rev. Bruce Goettsche
Union Church of La Harpe Illinois
Luke • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented10 years ago
1 Peter5:8Revelation12:10Ephesians6John12:311 John5:191 Thessalonians
3:5Ezekiel28:11–191 Thessalonians2:18Isaiah14:13–14GospelSatanSpiritual
Warfare. discipleship
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Perhaps you have had occasionswhere someone has made some kind of
outrageous and blatantly false charge againstyou. A goodportion of time it is
an attack againstyour motivation or your character. I have had it happen to
me and I suspectI may have most likely been guilty of doing it to others.
When you are the victim of such things you have a few options before you.
You can run away. You can ignore the charges andtrust that truth will
eventually work its way to the surface. You can getangry and make
outrageous chargesofyour own. Or, you can clearly confront the charges.
This morning we will see Jesus as He facedthe outrageous claimthat His
powerwas actually derived from Satanor that He was motivated by the desire

to destroy others. Jesus confrontedthese charges and taught us some
important truths as He did.
Jesus Came to SetPeople Free
Before we get to the attack we see a brief accountof another life changedby
Christ.
14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the
man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.
A while back I was part of an exercise in Macombwhere I was askedto listen
for words that were distorted in various ways. This was designedto help me
understand the nature of hearing loss. Next I was askedto put on various
types of glasseswhichhelped me understand what it was like to see with
various eye maladies. It was a very sobering exercise.
I don’t know how to imagine what it would be like to not be able to speak or
hear . . . perhaps for years. This man’s world had gone silent. Any
communication had to be through hand signs or writing. The man would have
been pretty isolatedand lost.
The condition of the man, we are told, was causedby a demon. Demons are
agents in Satan’s army just as angels are servants of the Lord. When we read
accounts like this we often have a tendency to dismiss them as fantasy or
exaggeration. Some conclude that demon possessionwas justa primitive way
to describe what we today understand to be mental illness. Not all mental

illness is demon possessionbut likewise notall demon possessionis mental
illness.
Jesus recognizedthe true source of the man’s problem and commanded the
demon to come out of him. The demon obeyedand the man was made whole.
He who could not hear the messageofGod’s love, now heard it clearly. The
one who could not sing His praises now did so enthusiastically. Jesus came to
setpeople free.
This accountdoes not focus on the miracle itself but on the response to the
miracle by those who were standing by. From their response we canglean
severalprinciples.
There will always be some who oppose Christ
But some of them said, “By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out
demons.” 16 Others testedhim by asking for a signfrom heaven.
There are two expressions ofdisbelief. The first group slanderedChrist. They
attributed his work to the Devil. Beelzebub was a term that was a common
synonym for Satan. These people attributed the miracles of Jesus to a sinister
power. What these people are doing is a common tactic of attack. The
approachis simple: if you can’t defeat someone onthe merits of the argument
. . . call them names! In logic this is calledan “ad Hominem argument”. In
other words you attack the person rather than the idea.
We see this all the time in political campaigning. If you don’t like someone’s
policies but don’t want to (or can’t) attack the policies on their merits, you

instead try to create a negative caricature of the person and keeprepeating
that caricature until people focus on the caricature rather than the argument.
Politicians canbe labeledas “dumb”, “softon crime”, “too liberal”, “radical”,
a “philanderer”, “a crook”.You getthe idea. This kind of argument is a
diversionary tactic to take our focus off of the real issues.
The secondgroup of people “testedhim by asking for a signfrom Heaven”.
Their opposition was more passive. Theyhad just witnesseda demon
possessedman being healedbut that wasn’tenough. They wanted more. They
wanted something bigger and greaterbefore they would believe. However, if
Jesus had done something biggerthey still would not have believed.
A House Divided CannotStand for Long
Jesus confrontedthe attack with a logicalargument called“Reductio ad
absurdum” which means to take an argument to its logicaland absurd
conclusion.
“Any kingdom divided againstitself will be ruined, and a house divided
againstitself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided againsthimself, how canhis
kingdom stand? I saythis because you claim that I drive out demons by
Beelzebub. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your
followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive
out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
The argument of Jesus is pretty simple: Satanwill never be victorious if he is
defeating his own agents. If you soldiers are shooting at eachother you will
never defeat the enemy!

The phrase “a house divided” is familiar and many people attribute the
phrase to Abraham Lincoln who said these words at the Republican
Convention in 1858. He was arguing that our country could not continue to
be divided over the issue of slavery. What people don’t realize is that Lincoln
was quoting Jesus!
Jesus took the conclusiona step further. Jesus arguedthat if He was casting
out demons by the power of the devil, then it would seemothers who were also
casting out demons (presumably Jewishteachers)might also be agents of
Satan(a charge they would not want to make).
Suppose you made the statement“you can’t trust a politician”. You believe
the statementand repeatit often. However, having made such a statementyou
should not be surprised when people do not believe what your favorite
candidate says or promises. Take it a step further, if it is true that you cannot
trust a politician, it means that I also can’t trust you if you run for political
office. When you take the statement to its logicalconclusionwe see the error.
Once the error is exposedwe now have to ask:What is our REAL objection?
We might have to acknowledgethat we don’t like politicians that don’t agree
with us. That’s not a very persuasive argument. They calledJesus names
because He didn’t do things their way.
Satanhas BeenDefeated
In verses 21-22 Jesus said.
21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his ownhouse, his possessions
are safe. 22 But when someone strongerattacks andoverpowers him, he takes
awaythe armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

Jesus acknowledgedSatan’s strengthand formidabilty. We must not
underestimate our adversary. We are no match for the Devil in our own
strength. However, Jesus has defeatedthe Devil. The Lord is more powerful
than Satanand at the cross Jesus made it impossible for Satanto win the
battle againstthose who belong to Him.
Ezekiel28:11-19 and Isaiah14:13-14 both seemto refer to Satanbecause the
words look beyond the leaderwho is being addressed. These passages teachus
that
Satanwas originally createdgood
He was a leader of the angels
He led a rebellion againstGod (possibly after creation)
He was castfrom Heaven and took up to a third of the angels with him
Satanis called the adversary (1 Thessalonians2:18), the Devil, or slanderer (1
Peter5:8); the Evil one (1 John 5:19), the tempter (1 Thessalonians3:5), the
prince of this world (John 12:31) and the accuserofthe brethren (Revelation
12:10). Satan’s goalis to turn people awayfrom God (and therefore toward
Him). He sometimes will attack in a bold and aggressive manner(as with
Eve) and other times his attacks are subtle and erosive. He patiently works to
move us awayfrom the Lord one little step at a time. And if Satancannot
keepus from the Lord He will try to keepus from enjoying the Lord.

After World War II ended snipers and guerilla warriors continued to kill
people. The battle was over but these men didn’t know or acceptthat fact. In
the same way, Satan has been defeated, but he and his agents refuse to accept
the reality.
Our job is to respectSatanwithout being afraid of Him. We cannot take him
lightly. At the same time we do not have to cowerin fear before the Devil. As
Martin Luther has written in his hymn “A Mighty Fortress”, “the right man
is on our side”. Christ has defeatedSatan through His death and resurrection.
As long as we stand with Christ we cannot be defeated.
In Ephesians 6 we are told about the armor of God. These are things that will
shield us from the Devil. BasicallyPaultells us that if we hold to the truth,
cling to God by faith, hold fast to the promise of salvationin Christ, restin
His peace, live the way God wants us to live, and have a strong graspof the
Word of God we will remain in His protection.
It is Impossible to be Neutral
Jesus boldly said to his listeners, “He who is not with me is againstme, and he
who does not gather with me, scatters.”It’s pretty straightforward:there is
no middle ground.
There are stories from history and literature of a leaderdrawing a line in the
sand or dirt and asking people to decide whether they are with him or against
him. Those who try to straddle the line show that they are not fully devoted to
the leaderat all. Jesus is saying the same thing.

There is no such thing as a “part time Christian”. If you are only a follower
of Christ on Sunday morning then, according to Jesus, youare not really a
followerat all. You cannot straddle the fence! If you are not working to
advance His Kingdom you are working againstHim. They are very sobering
words.
We need to ask ourselves:“Am I hoping to be considereda true believer by
God even though I live like the world?” There is no in between. Maybe you
are sincerelyand truly examining the evidence for Christ’s trustworthiness. If
so, keepsearching. However, understand that until you chooseto embrace
and follow Him, you belong to the followers ofthe Devil.
True Conversionmeans to be inhabited by Christ.
Jesus has one more point to make,
24 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places
seeking restand does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’
25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept cleanand put in order. 26 Then it
goes and takes sevenotherspirits more wickedthan itself, and they go in and
live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”
Jesus notes that the human tendency to try to live a better life as a simple act
of the will usually doesn’t last long. We aren’t as strong as we think we are.
How many people do you know who have quit smoking, drinking alcohol,
drinking caffeine, watching television, swearing and on and on and have quit
dozens of times? I think of all the times I have resolvedto stop eating junk

food! It is a resolve that is strong for a while . . . at leastuntil the next strong
craving.
Following Christ is not simply about eliminating bad things from our lives, it
is to have a new passionthat replaces the old passionfor sin. The true believer
trades in their addiction to sin for a hunger for God.
One commentatorwrites,
Jesus’point is simple. When you are blessedby a cleansing ofevil that allows
you to receive fresh spiritual input, do not leave your inner “house” empty.
The risk is that the void will be refilled with something even worse than what
had been banished. Neutrality is emptiness, a void that eventually is filled by
something—oftensomething like what was there before. When we do not
respond to God, opportunity becomes tragedy, and the chance for permanent
reversalis lost.[1]
Applications
We’ve drawn severalprinciples from our text this morning:
Jesus Came to SetPeople Free
There will always be those who Resistthe Gospel
A House Divided CannotStand

SatanHas been defeated
It is Impossible to be Neutral About Christ
True Conversionmeans being Inhabited by the life of Christ
Let me add some practicalobservations.
Any Church, organization or ministry that is truly leading people to become
committed followers ofChrist is of the Lord and not the Devil. Let me define
my terms carefully. Any church, ministry, or individual that takes the Bible
seriouslyas the sole authority of God’s truth, defines sin as the Bible does, and
recognizes thatwe can only be made right with God by trusting and following
Christ, is of the Lord. We may disagree with (and sometimes need to confront)
some of the skewedbeliefs ormethods of these groups, but we must not
attribute their work to the Devil simply because it is different from the work
we do. Goduses different people in different ways to accomplishthe same
goal. If people are being led to a genuine and transforming relationship with
Christ they are working for the Kingdom and not againstit.
Life is difficult and some of the battles of life are hard, but as children of God
we should never live as if we were defeated. Christ has conqueredthe grave
and He has broken any power Satanhad on us! We canrejoice even in the
time of trial because we know God has defeatedthe enemy. We know the King
is on the throne. We know:God is in Control; He loves us; and He never
makes a mistake.

We are reminded that the Christian life is not simply about getting rid of bad
things in our lives. We must also be filling our lives with the things of God . . .
things that will draw us close, helpus grow, and fill us with His life. We want
to be so captivated by the Holy Spirit that the forces of evil have no room to
influence us. I encourage you to deliberately pursue the things of God. Fill
your life with His Word, His people, His worship. Memorize Scripture, seek
out goodteaching, and fill your minds with songs of praise. Don’t make room
for the Devil in your life.
We must be prepared for spiritual battle. In the course of our lives Satan will
try to trip us up. He will accuse us and try to draw us awayfrom any sense of
intimacy with the Lord. We must fight in the Lord’s powerrather than our
own. The best way to do this is to walk close to Him. The SecretService is
limited in what they can do to protect the President if he veers off course or
dashes into a crowd. If we want to be strong in battle we must stay as close to
Jesus as possible through prayer, studying His Word, and by doing the things
He says. Jesus has come to set us free. He promises to show us the way but we
must follow Him. We must not surrender our freedom in Christ to anyone.
As we conclude the accountI find myself asking, “Whathappened to the man
who had been deaf and unable to speak? Was he forever changed? Did he
walk with Jesus or did he simply walk away? Did he face greater problems
later because he did not replace the demon with something better? We don’t
know.
The real question this morning is about you and me. Will you be swayedby
the slanderous comments of false religions, the secularmedia or popular
opinion? Or will you be one of those who examine the evidence. Rather than
be swayedby the name calling, listen to what Jesus actuallysaid. Look at the
evidence of His resurrection. See the changedlives.

The decisionof whether or not to truly follow Christ is a big decision. Make
sure you make the decisionbased on what is true rather than on the
distortions of the Devil or those who follow Him.
MATTHEW HENRY
Verses 14-26
Christ Accusedof Leaguing with SatanWatchfulness Inculcated.
14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when
the devil was gone out, the dumb spake and the people wondered. 15 But some
of them said, He castethout devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he,
knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided againstitself
is brought to desolationand a house divided againsta house falleth. 18 If
Satanalso be divided againsthimself, how shall his kingdom stand? because
ye say that I castout devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast
out devils, by whom do your sons castthem out? therefore shall they be your
judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God castout devils, no doubt the
kingdom of God is come upon you. 21Whena strong man armed keepethhis
palace, his goods are in peace:22But when a strongerthan he shall come upon
him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he
trusted, and divideth his spoils. 23He that is not with me is againstme: and he
that gatherethnot with me scattereth. 24Whenthe unclean spirit is gone out
of a man, he walkeththrough dry places, seeking restand finding none, he
saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh,
he findeth it sweptand garnished. 26 Then goethhe, and taketh to him seven
other spirits more wickedthan himself and they enter in, and dwell there: and
the laststate of that man is worse than the first.

The substance of these verses we had in Matthew 12:22, &c. Christ is here
giving a generalproof of his divine mission, by a particular proof of his power
over Satan, his conquest of whom was an indication of his greatdesignin
coming into the world, which was, to destroy the works ofthe devil. Here too
he gives an earnestof the successofthat undertaking. He is here casting out a
devil that made the poor possessedman dumb: in Matthew we are told that he
was blind and dumb. When the devil was forcedout by the word of Christ, the
dumb spoke immediately, echoedto Christ's word, and the lips were opened
to show forth his praise. Now,
I. Some were affectedwith this miracle. The people wondered they admired
the powerof God, and especiallythat it should be exerted by the hand of one
who made so small a figure, that one who did the work of the Messiahshould
have so little of that pomp of the Messiahwhich they expected.
II. Others were offended at it, and, to justify their infidelity, suggestedthat it
was by virtue of a league with Beelzebub, the prince of the devils, that he did
this, Luke 11:15. It seems, in the devil's kingdom there are chiefs, which
supposes that there are subalterns. Now they would have it thought, or saidat
least, that there was a correspondence settledbetweenChrist and the devil,
that the devil should have the advantage in the main and be victorious at last,
but that in order hereto, in particular instances, he should yield Christ the
advantage and retire by consent. Some, to corroborate this suggestion, and
confront the evidence of Christ's miraculous power, challengedhim to give
them a sign from heaven (Luke 11:16), to confirm his doctrine by some
appearance in the clouds, such as was upon mount Sinai when the law was
given as if a signfrom heaven, not disprovable by any sagacityof theirs, could
not have been given them as well by a compact and collusion with the prince
of the powerof the air, who works with power and lying wonders, as the
casting out of a devil nay, that would not have been any presentprejudice to
his interest, which this manifestly was. Note, Obstinate infidelity will never be
at a loss for something to say in its ownexcuse, though ever so frivolous and

absurd. Now Christ here returns a full and direct answerto this cavil of theirs
in which he shows,
1. That it can by no means be imagined that such a subtle prince as Satanis
should everagree to measures that had such a direct tendency to his own
overthrow, and the undermining of his own kingdom, Luke 11:17,18.What
they objectedthey kept to themselves, afraid to speak it, lest it should be
answeredand baffled but Jesus knew their thoughts, even when they
industriously thought to concealthem, and he said, "You yourselves cannot
but see the groundlessness, andconsequently the spitefulness, of this charge
for it is an allowedmaxim, confirmed by every day's experience, that no
interest can stand that is divided againstitselfnot the more public interest of a
kingdom, nor the private interest of a house or family if either the one or the
other be divided againstitself, it cannot stand. Satan would herein actagainst
himself not only by the miracle which turned him out of possessionof the
bodies of people, but much more in the doctrine for the explication and
confirmation of which the miracle was wrought, which had a direct tendency
to the ruin of Satan's interest in the minds of men, by mortifying sin, and
turning men to the service ofGod. Now, if Satanshould thus be divided
againsthimself, he would hasten his own overthrow, which you cannot
suppose an enemy to do that acts so subtlely for his own establishment, and is
so solicitous to have his kingdom stand."
2. That was a very partial ill-natured thing for them to impute that in him to a
compactwith Satanwhich yet they applauded and admired in others that
were of their own nation (Luke 11:19): "By whom do your sons castthem
out? Some of your own kindred, as Jews, nay, and some of your own
followers, as Pharisees, have undertaken, in the name of the God of Israel, to
castout devils, and they were never chargedwith such a hellish combination
as I am chargedwith." Note, It is gross hypocrisyto condemn that in those
who reprove us which yet we allow in those that flatter us.

3. That, in opposing the convictionof this miracle, they were enemies to
themselves, stoodin their own light, and put a bar in their own door, for they
thrust from them the kingdom of God (Luke 11:2): "If I with the finger of
God castout devils, as you may assure yourselves I do, no doubt the kingdom
of God is come upon you, the kingdom of the Messiahoffers itselfand all its
advantages to you, and, if you receive it not, it is at your peril." In Matthew it
is by the Spirit of God, here by the finger of God the Spirit is the arm of the
Lord, Isaiah53:1. His greatestand most mighty works were wrought by his
Spirit but, if the Spirit in this work is said to be the finger of the Lord, it
perhaps may intimate how easilyChrist did and could conquer Satan, even
with the finger of God, the exerting of the divine powerin a less and lower
degree than in many other instances. He needednot make bare his everlasting
arm that roaring lion, when he pleases,is crushed, like a moth, with a touch of
a finger. Perhaps here is an allusionto the acknowledgmentofPharaoh's
magicians, whenthey were run aground (Exodus 8:19): This is the finger of
God. "Now if the kingdom of God be herein come to you, and you be found by
those cavils and blasphemies fighting againstit, it will come upon you as a
victorious force which you cannotstand before."
4. That his casting out devils was really the destroying of them and their
power, for it confirmed a doctrine which had a direct tendency to the ruining
of his kingdom, Luke 11:21,22.Perhaps there had been some who had castout
the inferior devils by compactwith Beelzebub their chief, but that was without
any real damage or prejudice to Satan and his kingdom, what he lost one way
he gained another. The devil and such exorcists played booty, as we say, and,
while the forlorn hope of his army gave ground, the main body thereby gained
ground the interest of Satan in the souls of men was not weakenedby it in the
least. But, when Christ castout devils, he needednot do it by any compact
with them, for he was strongerthan they, and could do it by force, and did it
so as to ruin Satan's powerand blast his greatdesign by that doctrine and
that grace whichbreak the power of sin, and so rout Satan's main body, take
from him all his armour, and divide his spoils, which no one devil everdid to
another or ever will. Now this is applicable to Christ's victories over Satan

both in the world and in the hearts of particular persons, by that powerwhich
went along with the preaching of his gospel, and does still.
JOHN MACARTHUR
The Vilification of Jesus, Part1
Sermons Luke 11:14–23 42-159 Apr 18, 2004
A + A - RESET
We come to the Word of God and to a very important portion of Scripture,
this morning, in our ongoing study of the gospelofLuke. I am but a servant,
as you know. My responsibility is to dispense to you the Word of the living
God and I desire to be faithful to that end week in and week out. And the
best way to do that is to go through the Scriptures, leaving nothing out. And
we are so profoundly enriched in every text, but this one is particularly
definitive and important. Luke 11 verses 14 through 23; Luke 11 verses 14
through 23, this incident is carried actually down through verse 28, but I want
to look at 14 through 23.
And as you would assume, a passageofthis length is more than we can cover
in one lesson. And so, Godwilling, we will divide it into two. But let me read
the text for you, Luke 11:14.
"And He was casting out a demon and it was dumb and it came about that
when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke and the multitudes
marveled. But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the
ruler of the demons.’ And others to test Him were demanding of Him a sign
from heaven. But He knew their thoughts and saidto them, ‘Any kingdom

And if Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how shall his kingdom stand?
For you say that I castout demons by Beelzebul and if I by Beelzebul castout
demons, by whom do your sons castthem out? Consequentlythey shall be
your judges. But if I castout demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom
of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own
homestead, his possessionsare undisturbed. But when someone strongerthan
he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes awayfrom him all his armor on
which he has relied and distributes his plunder. He who is not with Me is
againstMe. And he who does not gather with Me scatters.’"
My friend, Larry King, once commented, "The whole world is gray." And I
suppose that's how it appears to most people, complex, diverse, 10,000shades
of gray. In fact, there are so many religions and so many philosophies and so
many world views and so many theories and so many ideas that we have come
to the conclusionthat there really is no such thing as absolute truth anyway
and as we move up the evolutionary chain and we have finally reachedthe
pinnacle where we tolerate anything and everything, we've come to that
elevatedunderstanding that nothing is really true in and of itself. And so we
are applauding this gray world in which we live and affirming everyone's
right to believe whateverhe or she wants to believe. We have abandoned the
once precious controlling and motivating conviction that there actually is such
a thing as truth. And I suppose the mantra of the post-modern world is the
whole world is gray. There's no black and white. Everyone is entitled to his
opinion, or her opinion. Your truth is your truth, my truth is my truth. And
there's something wonderful about everybody having the right to believe
whateverthey want to believe. This is how it should be, tolerance should
prevail. We are more than ever, I think, comfortable with the notion that this
spectrum of concepts is legitimate and beneficial and right, whateverright is.
And so we celebrate this diversity as if it was some virtue.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing could be more wrong than
that perspective. Let me cut through all the fog very rapidly and reduce the
whole race of human beings to a very simple and very precise division.
Whateveryou may believe, whatever you may think, whatever you may
imagine to be your options, everyone in the world falls into one of two
categories, andthere are only two and there are not three or more; only two
options. Jesus saidit in verse 23, "He who is not with Me is againstMe," and
that is it. That template is laid over the human race. You are either with
Christ or againstHim.
He further said, "And he who does not gatherwith Me scatters." Youeither
are with Him and contributing to His kingdom, or you are againstHim and
fighting His kingdom. Everyone in the world lives and dies in one of those two
categories. And your eternaldestiny is determined by which of the two. In
that sense there are only two religions in the world. There are those who are
with Christ and those who are againstHim. There are those who are God's
and those who are Satan's. There are those who are in the kingdom of Light,
and those who are in the kingdom of darkness. There are those who are
unrighteous and those who are righteous. As my grandfather used to say,
there are the saints and the ain’ts and that's all. That's all. This is
unmistakable, this is clear, this is precise, this is definitive, this is
determinative and it leaves outno one, absolutely no one.
It isn't the first time that Jesus hinted at this axiomatic reality. Back in
chapter 9 and verse 50 He saidto His disciples, "He who is not againstyou is
for you," and there was that same principle. There are only two options in the
world. You are either supportive of the Messiahand supportive of His work
and His kingdom or you are againstit, and there is no middle ground. There
is no third option. There is no other category. There is no neutrality. God is
not stuck with trying to figure out what to do with the people who are neither
for Christ or againstHim. God is not sort of in the dilemma of all that middle
group who on the one hand didn't know about Jesus or on the other hand

knew about Him but didn't know what to do and so did nothing. They are not
in some middle group that have to be brought under some kind of Trinitarian
consultationso as to determine their destiny. You are either with Him or you
are againstHim. And if you make no decision, you are againstHim as much
as the most rabid Satanist. You are not different than a Satanworshiper if
you are not with Christ.
There is no possibility of neutrality. There is no third option. In the war
betweenGod and Satan, betweengoodand evil, betweenlight and darkness,
betweentruth and lies there is no middle ground. There is only heaven and
hell which crystallizes into permanency the decisionand the choice made here.
The personwho does not believe in Jesus Christ, does not receive Him, does
not follow Christ with all his heart, does not join in building Christ's kingdom
is in partnership with Satan as much as if he were a Satanworshiper. It is not
necessaryto oppose Jesus Christto be againstHim. It is not necessaryto
attack His deity. It is not necessaryto attack His Word. It is not necessaryto
attack His character. It is not necessaryto attack His gospel. Itis not
necessaryto discredit His church. It is not necessaryto persecute Christians.
It is not necessaryto interfere in His work, to slander His name, or to hate His
kingdom. All you have to do is nothing about Jesus Christ and you're in the
same categorywith Satan worshipers, in fact you are one. You've made your
choice. If you are not involved in the work of gathering souls into the
kingdom of God, you're guilty of participating with those who scatterthem.
No decisionconcerning Jesus Christ is a decision. No participation with
Christ is to be againstHim, againstHis work, againstHis Word and against
His kingdom. Justknow that. Don't comfort yourself that you're sitting in
some neutral spot with warm and fuzzy feelings about Jesus. Thosewill damn
you just as fastas if you boweddown to a Satanic shrine and engagedin
human sacrifice. All people are either Christ's or Satan's. They're either
children of God or children of the devil. They either belong in the kingdom of
light or the kingdom of darkness;are either headedfor heaven or headed for
hell. And there are no exceptions. This is crystallized in the words of Jesus in
verse 23, and this marks a definitive moment in the ministry of our Lord in
Judea. It is only months before the cross.

As we learned in chapter 9, verse 51, the days were approaching for His
ascensionthat He resolutelyset His face to go to Jerusalem. NotHis ascension
to heaven, but His ascensionto Jerusalemfor the Passover, the lastPassover
where He would die and where He would be the final and only sacrifice for
sin. He is headed toward His death, only months awaynow. The Galilean
ministry is in the past. In these final months, He along with His twelve and
the seventyand the restof His disciples are hitting every town and village in
Judea, going everywhere proclaiming His messiahship, affirming the reality of
that and His deity by signs and wonders and miracles, healings, casting outof
demons. All through Judea, from town to town and village to village they go,
day after day after day. And the days are filled with miracles and teaching
and calling for repentance and faith in Him as the Messiah. He puts His
divine power on display and He even delegatedit through the seventy so that
they went out and even had power overdemons which had been delegatedto
them for this period of time. And through His presence and through His
preaching and His healings and His power over demons, He is bringing the
force of the kingdom of God into the little towns and villages throughout
Judea. And they're being confrontedwith the reality of who He is. And
they're therefore being confronted with the decision of all decisions:What are
you going to do with Jesus Christ? And you only have two options, you are
either with Him or you are what? Against Him and there is no middle ground.
Up to this point Luke has been presenting the recordof the revelation of the
Son of God. It starts out early in Luke, as you wellknow, when an angelic
announcement comes to Zacharias and then, of course, Elizabethfinds out
they're going to have a child. The child will be the forerunner of the Messiah.
Then another angelic announcement comes to Mary and she's going to have
the Messiah. And we went through all of that, the virgin birth and we know
that this is the Messiahbecause ofthe forerunner, because of the angelic
involvement, because ofthe virgin birth and then there's a genealogyand we
know the genealogyplaces Him in the Messianic line and everything comes
together. And John the Baptist, who is the forerunner says, "This is the one,"

and we begin to see His ministry unfold and He goes everywhere and
expresses this greatpower over the kingdom of darkness and this great power
over disease andthis greatpower over death. And He preaches the kingdom
of God and He forgives sin and He calls for repentance and He affirms that
He's the Messiah, the Son of God. And this has been going on for several
years now. And everything He eversaid was proven and verified and attested
by these signs and wonders and they were multiplied through the twelve who
went out two-by-two and they were multiplied through the seventywho went
out two-by-two. It is unmistakable evidence.
And so, we reach a point where it's decisiontime. Nothing more can be said.
Nothing more needs to be done. The facts are there. The evidence is there.
What's your conclusion? What's your response? You've seenit all, you've
heard it all; the message, the miracles, the call for repentance, the offer of
forgiveness, the promise of the kingdom. What is left? Only a decision, and
after this, as you move through chapter 11, the Lord gets more
confrontationalthan ever. Verse 29, He says, "This generationis a wicked
generation." In verse 39 He indicts the Pharisees who are cleanon the outside
and full of robbery and wickedness onthe inside. He raises His response to a
more confrontive and condemning level. In fact, in verses 53 and 54 of this
chapter, their response is that the scribes and Phariseesbeganto be very
hostile. They're plotting, trying to catchHim in something He might say. The
crowds getlarger. Verse 29, the crowds are increasing. Chapter12 verse 1,
thousands are making up the multitudes that are gathering around Him. He's
talking to more people than ever. The crowdis getting biggerand bigger.
And yet He is getting more confrontive and more condemning. The warnings
are stronger, more lethal. What's this about?
Well it's time to make a decisionand basicallythe decisionhas been made.
And the decisionin generalis to rejectHim. And that decisionis fixed and it's
settled with only a very brief and hypocritical respite at Palm Sunday in

which they gave Him the accolades as if He were the sonof David and spun
around on their heels a few days later and calledfor His blood.
So the attitude toward Jesus is fixed. And the tragic reality is they concluded
exactly the opposite of the truth. What did they conclude? Verse 15: "He
casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." He is from hell, not
heaven. He represents Satan, not God. He is a liar, not the truth. He's the
source of death, not life. He's from the darkness, notthe light. They
concluded the exactopposite of the truth. Opposition then to Christ had
really reachedthe fixed point. And you know what? It really was the leaders
of Israel, the Phariseesand the scribes, who launched this and propagandized
the nation againstJesus;and the people, because it suited their self-
righteousness, boughtthe lie of the Phariseesand the scribes. And that's why
the nation rejectedHim. They didn't just sortof stumble into this, they were
led into it by their false leaders. And it wasn't just the scribes and the
Pharisees thatwanted Him dead. Eventually the whole crowd screamed,
"Crucify Him," didn't they? They had been sufficiently brainwashed over
months and months and months, even over a couple of years to buy the party
line againstJesus.
Now with that as a background, let's look at verse 14. And what happens here
is Jesus does a miracle of casting out a demon which involves also a healing.
And this allows for us to see this final response surface. Verse 14, "And He
was casting out a demon," something He did all the time, and it was dumb or
mute. The word kōphos probably indicates someone who is deaf and therefore
could not speak. And the demon came out. "It came about when the demon
had gone out the dumb man spoke." There's nothing unusual about this. It
happened all the time. It happened weekly. It may well have happened daily
sometimes, very, very common circumstance in the life of our Lord. If you go
back to chapter 7 verses 20 to 22, remember John the Baptist sent some of his
disciples to ask the question: "Is this really the Messiah?" And Jesus said, "I
am the Messiah, and here's the evidence." You remember that? The people

who can't walk, walk. The people who can't see, see. The people who can't
hear, hear. The dead are raised.
So this was routine but it surfaces the reactionand the response that has
become the generalattitude. Verse 14 says, initially the multitudes marveled.
The multitudes marveled. Sure, of course, because this is a healing. It is like
all the healings of Jesus, mark it, instant, complete, no rehabilitation; very
different than so-calledhealings today by perpetrators of false healings.
Now I do need to make a comment at this point. This particular incident in
the flow of Luke's gospelhappens in Judea, the southern part of Israel. What
follows... Theyaccuse Him of doing by Satan. He responds with the words that
I told you, if Satan is divided againsthimself, he'd be pulling down his own
house, and so forth. The response of the people to this miracle and the
response ofJesus to their response and what He says are very, very similar,
almost identical to an incident that is recorded in the 12th chapter of Matthew
and also the 3rd chapter of Mark. Now I just want to speak to that issue for a
moment because I think it's very important. There are many Bible
commentators who feelthat what Luke is giving us here is just another edition
of the Matthew 12, Mark 3 incident, that Luke is just giving his version, as the
synoptic gospels do very often where you have the same incident in the three
gospels, Matthew, Mark andLuke. After all, it was a healing by the casting
out of a demon. They said He did it by Satan’s power. Jesus respondedthe
same way. And yet there are some differences. The material before and after
is different. There's no discussionof the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit,
which is the main thing in Matthew 12. It's not here. It comes laterin Luke.
Jesus says that at a later time.
So how are we to know if this is the same event or a different event? Jesus
even says in the Matthew 12 account, "Whoeveris not with Me is against

Me." Does this necessarilymake it a parallel? Let me help you to think that
through for a minute.
I'm convincedthat this is a different accountand I'll tell you why. One, it's in
Galilee where the first one took place. And Luke is giving us the chronology
and we know Jesus is in Judea. Why would Luke import something out of His
Galileanexperience to try to show us the developing attitude in Judea? All
He's doing is saying the same thing that happened in Galilee, the same final
rejectionthat brought Jesus'ministry in Galilee to an end is the very same
thing that's happening in Judea. Here is a parallel. And you may say to
yourself, "But, I mean, isn't it kind of odd that they would have the very same
reactionas the people in Galilee? The people in Galilee saidHe did what He
did by the powerof Beelzebul. Now the people in Judea are saying the same
thing. Isn't it somewhatofa strange coincidence that at two different times
months and months apart in two different locations they would come up with
the same thing?"
Not really. Firstof all, this man was only deaf and mute. The man in
Matthew was blind, as well. So that could indicate a different situation. But
more importantly, this is very interesting evidence that the systematic
campaignto discredit Jesus as a demon-possessedagentofSatan had been
effective everywhere. People didn't just blurt out as in verse 15, "He castout
demon by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons," because thatwas the obvious
thing. That was not obvious. That was idiotic. That was absurd. And Jesus
points out the absurdity of it by axiomatic statements, "A house divided
againstitself will fall." It's an absurd statement. No rational personwould
assume that statementto be true. You would have to parrot something that
had been propagandized. What you find out here is the party line coming
down from Jerusalem, the party line of the Pharisees andthe scribes was we
have to discredit Jesus. We have gotto get rid of Jesus, becauseJesus was
dismantling their hypocritical religious system, their self-righteousness. And
they hated Him for it. And what is the worstthing that you could ever say?

What would be the severestwayto ever discredit someone in a religious
community? To say he's a representative of whom? Satan. That was the
party line. This wasn't invented this day in Judea in some coincidental
fashion as it had been statedin Galilee, not at all. In fact, this has been a
growing perspective that the leaders have been doing everything they could to
establisheverywhere they went, dogging the steps of Jesus.
For example, in a completelydifferent setting, John chapter 7, verse 20, the
multitude said, "You have a demon." Well where did they getthat?
John 7:20 and John 8:48, "The Jews answeredand said to Him, 'Do we not
say rightly that You're a Samaritanand you have a demon?'" They're just
furious. And they're parroting this idea that He's demonic.
Chapter 10 of John, verse 20, "Manyof them were saying, 'He has a demon
and He's insane.' And some others were saying, 'These are not the sayings of
a demon-possessedman.'" Where is this idea that He's demon-possessed
coming from? Where are people coming up with this? These are not the
teachings of an insane man. These are not the teachings of a demoniac. These
are not the insanities of a man running out a tomb slicing himself up. Where
is it coming from? There has to be a source for this.
Matthew 12:24 says it came from the Pharisees. And Mark 3...Mark3 gives
the parallelaccountto the Matthew occasion, the Matthew incident. Matthew
chapter 12 verses 20 to 40, Mark chapter3 verses 20 to 30, the same incident.
And in Mark it says, "And the scribes who came down from Jerusalemsaid
He does this by the power of Beelzebul." Firstthey started sowing the idea
that He's demonic. He's demonic. And then they just raised it to the peak and
said He is doing what He's doing not just by any demon but by Beelzebul, the
prince of demons. This was the... This was the party line. This was the CW,

this was the conventionalwisdom that Jerusalemwas sending down and
disseminating through the crowd. And the witless people bought it all and
parroted it back. And here we are in Judea and it doesn't sayanything about
scribes being there. It doesn't sayanything about Pharisees.It just says, verse
15, "Some of them said..." In the middle of their marveling, it's an amazing
thing, in the middle of their astonishmentand their wonder because they had
never seenanything like that, never. In fact, on another occasionwhen Jesus
castout demons they said that, "Neverhas anything like this happened in
Israelever." They had their phony Jewishexorcists. Theyhad their people
who purported to be able to castout demons, who could, of course, not do that
in the powerof God. They knew the difference. They had never seen
anything like it and yet as soonas the crowd begins to marvel, the
propagandists blurt out, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the
demons." And I don't know that Jesus evenheard because it says in verse 17,
"He knew their thoughts." But He knows what people think and He knows
what they say when His ears can't hear it. There they are sowing that same
lie. They sowedit in Galilee and it was successful. And now they're dogging
His steps with it in Judea.
Back in Galilee, when He had healed the man who was blind and deaf and
mute and castthe demon out, the amazed crowdbeganto say, "CanHe be the
son of David? Is this the Messiah?" And they quickly jumped in and said,
"No, this is done by the power of Beelzebul."
You know, what would have been nice would have been if verse 15 said this,
"But the people gatheredaround and rejoicedwith the man who could hear
and talk." Wouldn't that have been nice? Just kind of come around the guy
and rejoice with him? How would you feel if you had just been healed and
they said, "Well, it was by satanic power”? Theydidn't care about Him. It
would have been even more wonderful if they had said, "Thank You, God, for
this display of powerover the kingdom of darkness. Thank You, God, for this
glorious reality that You can conquer Satan." Becausethere can't be a

kingdom of God unless the Messiahcanconquer Satan, right? There can't be.
You have to be able to crush the serpent's head to establishthe kingdom of
God. There are so many right responses,but they just said, "He castout
demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."
And then verse 16 adds this interesting comment. "And others, to test were
demanding of Him a sign from heaven." Ah, I suppose you might say, "Well,
you know... You know these people just need more information." No. That
isn't what they were doing at all. It wasn't about getting information. It was
to test; better, to taunt. "Yeah, Jesus, do some wonders and prove to us
You're not doing it by the powerof Satan." It's the same thing they said at
the footof the cross. "Bring Yourselfdown off the cross,”slanderous,
mocking, taunting. That's why Jesus saidin verse 29, "This is a wicked
generation." This isn't legitimate need to see more evidence. Theywere
wicked. And they demanded a sign. And in verse 29 Jesus said, "This
generationis a wickedgeneration. It seeks fora sign." Thatwas how they
expressedtheir wickedness. Neverenough, is it? Never, ever, ever, ever
enough, as if they hadn't seensigns. He Himself was the sign. And all they
could do was taunt Him, "Do another miracle and prove You're not in
partnership with Satan."
So they aren't really to be distinguished from the people who said in verse 15,
"He casts out demons by Beelzebulthe ruler of the demons, they just chimed
in from a different perspective.
Look at that statement for a moment in verse 15. "He casts out demons by
Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." You know, this is so gripping to me. I
mean, there is a pathos in this. There is a foreboding in this. There is an
ominous reality in this that is absolutelydevastating. You understand how
many years the Jews satin wait for the covenantpromise to be fulfilled in the
arrival of the Messiah? Youunderstand that because we've gone through it in

the gospelofLuke how every mother longed to the Messiah's mother, how
every father longedto have his children know the messianic kingdom. How
they waitedfor the fulfillment of all that had been promised to Abraham and
all that had been promised to David, and all of the New Covenantrealities to
be brought in and how Zacharias had...had given glory to God in his
Benedictus in which he celebratedthe glories of the Abrahamic Covenant and
of the Davidic Covenantand mostly of the New Covenant and how all of
history culminated in the coming of Jesus Christ? And here we come to this
culminating reality that Christ has given a full manifestationof Himself,
nothing more to say, nothing more to do. And the conclusionis He's from
hell. This is absolutely staggering. Is there any wonder that Jerusalemwas
destroyed? Is there any wonderthat Jesus pronounced judgment on them?
There could be no more revelation, there was nothing more to say. All the
prophecies had been fulfilled. All the evidence had been manifest. And this is
where they end up. You cantalk till you're blue in the face about who killed
Jesus, but I'll tell you who hated Him. The Jews did and they screamedfor
His blood. Theydidn't take His life without the complicity of the Romans, but
they hated Him. That was their conclusion.
And to show you the vilification, all you have to do is look, "He casts out
demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." They didn't even use the word
Satan, they used the word Beelzebul. Thatgoes wayback into the Old
Testament. And it's a frightening thought, lord of the flies. Why that?
Becauseit also meant lord of the dung, lord of the manure, a very popular
term for the prince of demons, Satan. In fact, it was so well knownand so
well establishedthat it doesn'tneed to be interpreted, and it isn't; it's just
used. Bothin Galilee it was used, and here againin Judea it was usedby the
crowdand it was the party line that had come down from the top, Jesus is an
agentof the dung-god. You talk about blasphemy, that's some serious
blasphemy. You say, "I'd never say that." Well good, I'm glad you wouldn't
say that, but if you're not with Him, you're what? You're againstHim. You're
with those who said it. You might say, "WellI would never crucify Him."
Yeah, you're with those who did. You only have those two options. The title
became a common term for Satan like Belialand it neededno explanation.

Get this, here was their response. Theycalledthe highest and holiestone the
lowestand most evil. They called the one who was pure good, pure evil. They
calledGod the devil. They called perfectholiness wickedness. Theycalled
incarnate truth a liar. This is the extreme opposite and if you're there, you
can't be redeemed because whenyou've had all the revelation and you've
concluded the opposite of the truth, you're irredeemable and that's Hebrews
6:4 to 6. You can't be renewed againto repentance because you've rejected
the full truth after all of Christ's manifest glory in the world. You might
understand if they said, "Well, we're not really sure yet," but this? And then
this mocking, sneering, slanderous taunting that went all the way to the cross
where they taunted Him as He was hanging there. And they were religious
and their hatred and their hostility shows the reality of their apostasy, the
ugliness of spiritual pride. Is there anything more ugly than spiritual pride?
Is there anything more cruel than religion, the wrong religion, satanic
religion? They had nothing but self-righteousnessand ceremonialvirtue,
outside white, inside full of stinking dead men's bones. The holy Lord of
heaven receives from their lips the vilest possible slander and blasphemy and
they use the worstname they can think of to identify Satan, the lord of the
dung.
You say, "I would never do that. I...I think Jesus is a goodpersonand, you
know, I would never saythat about Him." Well if you're not with Him,
you're what? You're againstHim. You see, you don't have any options.
There's no harmonizing, patronizing middle ground here, folks. Don't come
to Jesus with any of your patronizing nonsense about the factthat He's a good
man, a goodteacher, meant well. You don't have that option. Listen to me,
Jesus is either God or He's the greatestblasphemerwho ever lived. He either
speaks forGod or He speaks forSatan. That's it. He is either the Son of God,
or He's not. And if He's not, then He's the biggestliar that ever lived and the
biggestblasphemer that everlived who pulled off the biggestdeceptionin
history. He is...Theywere right. If He is not God, they knew there was only
one other conclusion. Theyhad it right. If He is not who He says He is He is

an insane, demon-possesseddeceiver. Thoseare your options. And if you do
not embrace Him as Lord, then you stand with those who callHim a satanic
blasphemer and you have no other alternative. And if you do call Him a
satanic blasphemer and stand with those who do and He is God, then you are
guilty of the worstblasphemy and eternal hell will be your punishment.
You know, this is a heart-breaking moment in this gospel, isn't it? Couldn't
we have wished the story had unfolded differently with the loving, gracious,
magnificent Christ revealing Himself day after day after day after day? How
does it get to this? It's not as if He offeredthem some painful experience. He
offered them a kingdom and forgiveness and joy and love and hope and
heaven. And it came to this? This is pretty convincing about human
depravity, isn't it, and the satanic characteroffalse religion, even apostate
Judaism? I'm surprised, in some ways, that Jesus didn't speak them out of
existence on the spot; that He didn't just blow fire on them as the sons of
thunder had earliercalled Him to do on that village that wouldn't accept
them. It would have been a just judgment if verse 17 said, "He knew their
thoughts and He extinguished them." That would have been fair. He could
have killed them, but He didn't. And here you see one of the greatestglimpses
of the mercy of God. Verse 17, "He knew their thoughts," probably means
they weren't necessarilysaying this so He could hear it, though they were
saying it. The crowdmight have been pretty large. They weren'tsaying it so
He could hear it. That didn't matter, He knew their thoughts and He said to
them... And then He goes in to this statementthat goes allthe way down to
verse 26, and you know what this is? This is an invitation. He's saying to
them, "Waita minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Your blasphemy is
irrational. Your blasphemy is inconsistent. Your blasphemy lacks wisdom
and common sense. You've got to rethink this. Don't you getit? Satan can't
castout Satan and survive, that's an absurdity. And you can't say of My
casting out Satan it's by Satanbut your Jewishexorcists do it by God when
it's so obvious the difference betweenwhat they attempt to do and what I've
done. And surely you understand the principle in verses 21 and 22 that the
only one who can attack a strong man and overthrow him and plunder him is
somebody who's stronger." So He's pleading with them, and we'll go into that

in detail and people are still doing those same things. Blaspheming Jesus
Christ, follow this, lacks rationality, it lacks integrity and it lacks wisdom.
And I'll show you next week how and how that goes oneven now. But this is
mercy.
And then He ends with an invitation in verse 23, that first section, "He who is
not with Me is againstMe." I'm warning you, if you are not gathering with
Me, you are scattering, youare opposing Me. This is mercy. This is just
another indication that the doors of grace had not been slammed shut, that
salvationwas still available to those who would turn and repent. He could
have killed them but He reasonedwith them. If you conclude that Jesus is not
God, not Messiah, not Savior, not Lord, you have only one other option; He
represents Satan. He is a liar from hell, deceiving all he can and, boy, has he
been successful. And we're all duped. In fact, he is Satan's most potent agent.
If you're not with Him, that's where you stand. There is no middle ground.
Before you go awaythinking there's no hope, Jesus asksyou to rethink that.
You can't look at His life and reasonablyconclude that Satanwas working
through him. And He calls you one more time, "Be with Me, embrace Me as
your Lord and Savior." Prepare your heart, dear friend. Prepare your heart
to receive salvation. We talk about receiving salvation. It's a gift, it's a gift.
Let me tell you something, you can't receive that gift unless your heart is
prepared. You go to some meeting, some guy gets up and preaches a sermon
and says if you want to receive the gift, reach out. And people come down and
their hearts not ready to receive. Theypray some little prayer and they live
under the illusion that they were saved.
You say, "What do you mean prepare your heart?" You have to prepare
your heart a number of ways. Number one, you have to prepare your heart
through fear. "What do you mean fear?” Fearof eternaljudgment, that's
necessaryheart preparation. What do you need a Saviorfor if there's no hell?

And if there is a hell, then you need a Savior. The cultivation of a prepared
heart cultivates fear, fear of judgment. Secondly, you have to cultivate
humility, brokenness, contrition, a sense ofunworthiness, a sense of
wretchedness. Thirdly, you have to cultivate repentance. Thenbelieve in the
facts of the gospelbecause youhave a heart prepared to receive. Anything
other than that is weedy soil, rockysoil and it's going to spring up a little
while and what? Die. Heart preparation is what is calledfor. And all that
Jesus did and calledfor, telling them of judgment to produce fear, telling
them that they had to humble themselves and reject their self-righteousness,
calling them to repent, prepared the heart to then believe the truth and be
saved.
You can't be saved by praying a little prayer. There's no guarantee God will
have to answeryour prayer. He is sovereign, afterall. But when the truth is
embracedin prepared hearts, salvationtakes place. Jesus here and againand
againuntil He gets to the cross is in this really sad, sad time, recognizing that
the rejectionof the people is fixed and yet extending mercy all the way to the
very end and at the last rescues one thief and mercifully takes him to paradise.
And He is the same Lord today. While rejection is being hardened all around
toward Christ, mercy is still being extended. Join me in prayer.
Father, the world sometimes is so confusing and that's certainly the strategy
of the enemy. But the truth is so simple and straightforward. Either we are
with You or againstYou, and that's it. And, oh Lord, how I pray today that
those of us who are with You would rejoice in such grace, knowing that our
hearts were prepared through the Word and the Spirit to receive the gift. For
those who have not yet embraced Jesus Christas Lord and Savior, oh God,
would You again through the Word and the Spirit prepare the heart with
fear, humility and repentance so that they might receive the gift by faith in the
gospel? Thesethings we ask that the Son may be glorified and we pray in His
name. Amen.

No Switzerlands in this War
Luke: Certainty of the Truth
Luke 11:14-36
PastorMike Andrus
July 30, 2017
I read the story of a seminary student who submitted his sermon to his
homiletics professor. The
professorsaidhis exegesiswas goodand his three points made sense, but he
was concernedabout
the sermontitle. “It’s one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Nobody will want to
come to hear a sermon
entitled: ‘The Pericopes ofJesus in Relationship to the Eschatologyof the
Apostle Paul.’ See if you
can come up with a better sermontitle by tomorrow and I’ll considergiving
you a better grade.
What you want is a title that will reachout and grab people by the heart, one
that will compelthem
to come and hear what you have to say. Imagine the title out on the sign in
front of a church
building. It should have such impact that if a bus stopped in front of the
church and the people on
the bus saw the sign, it would be so powerful they would immediately get off
the bus and run into
the church.”

Well, the seminarian gave it his best shot. He went home and wrestledwith it
all night, sweating
bullets. The next morning he showedup at the professor’s office andhanded
him the new sermon
title: “Your Bus Has a Bomb on It!” Well, the title I have chosentodayis not
quite in that category,
but I have tried to at leastmake you think a little. No doubt you are aware
that Switzerland has
always prided itself on its neutrality. The Swiss have been satisfiedto let
others fight the Nazis, the
Communists and the Jihadists who have threatened them and their neighbors,
and because they are
small and relatively insignificant they seem to getby with it. In our Scripture
text today we are going
to hear about a war, a spiritual battle, in which Jesus says, in effect, there can
be no Switzerlands, no
neutrality.1 You’re either all in or all out.
Will you stand with me, if you are able, as we read Luke 11:14-32:
Luke 11:14-322
14Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone
out, the mute man spoke, and the people
marveled. 15Butsome of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the
prince of demons,”
16while others, to test
him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17But he, knowing their
thoughts, said to them, “Everykingdom

divided againstitself is laid waste, anda divided household falls. 18And if
Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how
will his kingdom stand? For you saythat I castout demons by Beelzebul.
19And if I castout demons by Beelzebul, by
whom do your sons castthem out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20But
if it is by the finger of God that I castout
demons, then the kingdom of Godhas come upon you. 21When a strong man,
fully armed, guards his own palace, his
goods are safe;22but when one strongerthan he attacks him and overcomes
him, he takes awayhis armor in which he
trusted and divides his spoil. 23Whoeveris not with me is againstme, and
whoeverdoes not gatherwith me scatters.
24”Whenthe unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through
waterless placesseeking rest, and finding none it
says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
25And when it comes, it finds the house sweptand put in order.
26Thenit goes and brings sevenother spirits more evil than itself, and they
enter and dwell there. And the last state of
that personis worse than the first.”
1 Bock, DarrellL. Luke Volume 2: 9:51-24:53. Bakerexegeticalcommentary
on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker
Books,1994.
2 Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, EnglishStandard Version®
unless otherwise noted.
2

27As he said these things, a womanin the crowd raisedher voice and saidto
him, “Blessedis the womb that bore you,
and the breasts at which you nursed!”
28Buthe said, “Blessedrather are those who hear the word of God and keep
it!”
29Whenthe crowds were increasing, he beganto say, “This generationis an
evil generation. It seeks fora sign, but no
sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30Foras Jonahbecame a sign
to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son
of Man be to this generation. 31The queenof the South will rise up at the
judgment with the men of this generationand
condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon, and behold, something greater
than Solomonis here. 32The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with
this generationand condemn it, for they
repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greaterthan
Jonahis here.
This is the Word of the Lord.
AN ASTONISHING MIRACLE PRODUCES THREE DIFFERENT
REACTIONS (14-16)
In verse 14 Jesus encounters a demon-possessedman unable to speak.
Matthew adds (12:22) that he
is also blind. Jesus heals the man, casting out the demon which was causing
his disabilities, enabling
him to both see and talk. There is no doubt that a stupendous miracle has
occurred. Jesus’

opponents do not even try to dismiss it as some kind of hoax, for that is not an
option. The only
question is by whose authority and power Jesus did it. The response is mixed.
The crowdis amazed at the miracle. (14)They are astonishedat the power
they have just
witnessed. Matthew tells us that the question on many people’s lips is, “Could
this be the Sonof
David?” So at leastsome are so impressedby what they have seenthat they
are seriouslyconsidering
that Jesus might be the long-awaitedMessiah.
But there is a secondgroup, whom Matthew (12:24) identifies as Pharisees.
The Pharisees ascribe the miracle to Satanic power. (15)They say, “He casts
out demons by
Beelzebul, the prince of demons.” Supernatural powerhas two possible
sources—Godis one and
Satanis the other. The Phariseesopt for the latter, because if they admit that
God’s power is
involved they will have to acknowledge thatJesus is from God, and this they
are unwilling to do.
Instead they claim the healing has been done by the powerof Beelzebul. In the
first century this was
the everyday term used by Jews to refer to Satan.
Now, Satan’s poweris delegatedbut it is also very real. Anyone who denies
the existence ofSatanor
his poweris making a very foolishmistake. He has the powerto bring
spiritual blindness upon

millions of people, causing them to believe a false religious system, and believe
it so fanatically that
they are even willing to commit suicide in its service. Satanalso has the power
to perform miracles,
as evident in Moses’day when the early plagues were imitated by Pharaoh’s
magicians.
But Satan’s miracle-working poweris not unlimited. The same magicians hit
a wall when the plagues
increasedin intensity.Clearly there are some things Satancannot imitate and
some things his power
cannot accomplish. But the Pharisees ignore those limitations with their claim
that Jesus has done
this amazing miracle by the powerof Satan.
There is a third group who decline to choose between God’s powerand
Satan’s.
Others testJesus, asking fora sign from heaven. (16)Now mind you Jesus has
just healeda
man who was demon-possessed, blind, and mute. But they have the nerve to
ask for a sign from
heaven. What is this all about? I wonderif they aren’t saying, “Maybe you
can do miracles here on
3
earth, but we want to see you do a miracle in the heavens—perhaps a strange
alignment of stars, an
eclipse, or maybe turning the moon into blood (as predicted by the OT
prophet Joel(2:31)); then
maybe we’ll acceptyou as Messiah.”

3
At any rate, this group wants further proof before deciding whether Jesus’
poweris Satanic or
divine. He will address their concerns in verse 29, but first . . .
JESUS RESPONDSTO THE PHARISEES’ CHARGE THAT HE DID THIS
MIRACLE BY THE POWER
OF SATAN. (17-28)
As often the case, the Pharisees keeptheir deliberations to themselves, but
Jesus has no problem
reading their thoughts. He speaks directly to them and devastates their claim
by examining the two
alternatives.
What if by Satan? (17-19)Well, Jesus argues, thatwould be logicallyabsurd.
The Pharisees have
already acknowledgedthata demon has been castout of the man. But for
whom do demons work?
Satan! If Satanis driving out his own demons, how can he win the spiritual
battle that way? And why
would he do such a thing? Satanis the most intelligent being in the universe
apart from God. He
certainly would not assignhis own forces to fight against eachother. Civil war
at any level, even
among spiritual beings, is counterproductive and devastating.4
Abraham Lincoln borrowed Jesus’statementthat “A house divided against
itself cannot stand,” in a
brief speechwhen he unsuccessfullyran for the Senate againstStephenA.
Douglas. He used it to

convey his belief that the union could never survive with both free and slave
states;the nation would
have to opt for one or the other. But when Jesus first spoke those words he
was not speaking simply
of a political and moral issue dividing a particular country at a point of
history; rather he was
speaking ofa tremendous spiritual divide that confronts every individual of
all time. And he
contends that one must opt for one side or the other; there is no neutrality
possible in this spiritual
battle.
Furthermore, Jesus argues, “ifI drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do
your followers drive
them out”? Most religions recognize demons as a reality, and most have some
form of exorcism,
whether real or phony—the Pharisees certainlypracticedit. So Jesus turns
the tables on them: “You
approve of your own exorcisms, howeverquestionable they might be. Yet
when I not only castout a
demon but also heal the same man of the maladies causedby that possession,
you accuse me of
being in league with the devil. If my exorcismis Satanic, yours must be all the
more so.” Of course,
there is another option as to the source of Jesus’miracle.
What if by God? (20-22)If Jesus is driving out demons “by the finger of God”
(it doesn’t even

require God to use his arm; just his little finger is enough!), then they’d better
sit up and take notice,
because it means Messiahis here and the kingdom of God has come upon
them. The mention of
the finger of God here is certainly intended to recallthe magicians of
Pharaoh, who recognizedthat
the powerof God was greaterthan the Satanic powerthey possessed.
Eventually they threw up their
hands and said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” (Exodus 8:19)
Jesus then forcefully drives home the point that his power comes from God
and no one else by
means of a little parable in verse 21-22. He speaks ofa strong man, fully
armed, guarding his house.
3 In fact, in a very similar passagein Matthew 16 (1-4), that seems to be the
meaning of “sign.”
4 Bock
4
The “strong man” seems to be a designationfor Satan. His “house” is his
sphere of influence, in this
case a blind, mute man whom Satan’s demons had possessed. The only wayhe
can be rescuedis for
someone strongerto attack and overpowerSatan, seize his weapons and
release the man, which is
exactly what he, Jesus, has done. Their claim, then, that he has done this by
Satan’s powersimply
makes no sense.

But Jesus not only responds by examining the alternatives; he also responds
by offering three
powerful spiritual applications. (23-28)
There are only two sides in the spiritual battle. (23)“Whoeveris not with me
is againstme, and
whoeverwho does not gatherwith me, scatters.”A lot of people today want a
third option. They
claim they are agnostic, theyhaven’t made up their minds, or they need more
evidence. But one
cannot be neutral about Jesus. One must choose sides, andrefusing to choose
is itself a choice—it’s
a choice againsthim.5
Reformationis not the same as regeneration. (24-26)The Phariseeswere all
about reformation,
making bad people goodand goodpeople better. They had a list of religious
rules a mile long—all
designedto curb the excessesofhuman behavior. Even their exorcisms were
designedto help a
person cleanup his actand live a normal life. Jesus has a totally different
purpose. When he
performs an exorcism, the ultimate purpose is to draw the person (and the
people who witness it) to
himself, to regenerate themand to give them new life!
In verses 24-26 we have a strange story about a man who has an evil spirit (a
demon) but the demon
leaves. Now there’s a lot we don’t know here, but I think from the context it’s
safe to surmise that

this man has experiencedsome sortof exorcismrite, probably by one of the
Pharisees.The passage
tells us this about the man: he is “sweptand put in order.” This indicates that
the exorcismhas
succeededin getting rid of a number of symptoms, perhaps bad habits and
addictions, and it has
produced a distinct improvement in the man’s behavior and appearance. But
then the demon
returns and brings with him sevenother demons worse than himself. And the
final condition of the
man is worse than it was originally. What is the point?
I think Jesus is saying that exorcismcannot be a goalin and of itself.
Exorcismis a means to an end.
Its purpose is to drive out evil so that truth and righteousness might take its
place. An empty
tenement just invites squatters. Another analogymight be that when you
delete data from a
computer hard drive, the deleted data is still there, in some form, and it can
be fully erasedonly by
overwriting it with new data. The place in one’s life once controlled by
demonic forces must be
overwritten by Jesus and the gospelor one’s life is not secure from the return
of a fatal virus.
6 Paul
shouts in Romans 7:24-25, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
Then he answers his
own question: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Friends, here is the question we must wrestle with: Is it ultimately any
advantage to enter a Christless
eternity soberrather than drunk, generous rather than greedy, celibate rather
than promiscuous,
clothed and in your right mind rather than nakedand foaming at the mouth?
Is a reformed sinner
any better off in hell than an unreformed one? I don’t mean to saythat there’s
no reasonto be
5 By the way, you may be aware that on another occasionJesus seems to say
the opposite. In Luke 9:50 he tells his disciples, when
they try to shut down a free-lance exorcist, “Do notstop him, for whoeveris
not againstyou is for you.” But even though the words
used are very different, the ultimate point is the same:there are only two sides
in the spiritual battle. We must be careful not to be too
inclusive (thus, “he who is not with me is againstme”) but we must also not be
too exclusive (thus, “whoeveris not againstyou is for
you”).
6 Edwards, James R. The GospelAccording to Luke. The pillar New
Testamentcommentary. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2015.
5
pleasedwhen someone reforms his behavior. They’re surely more pleasantto
be around, they make
better neighbors, they stop hurting the people who love them. That’s all great,
but man’s dreadful
sinful condition can’t be healed by a little moral tidying up. In fact, there is a
very real sense in which

a reformed person without God canactually be worse off than an unreformed
person—becauseat
leastthe latter knows he’s messedup and can’t save himself, while the former
is often proud of the
progress he has made on his own. John MacArthur writes cogently: “Jesus
had little trouble
reaching prostitutes, thieves, extortioners, murderers, and the outcasts of
society. But he had an
almost impossible time reaching religious and moral people who were under
the delusion that
outward propriety made them acceptable to God.”
7
The fact is, there has probably never been a group more committed to a
demanding religious and
moral code than the Pharisees,and there has never been a group so far from
God
RICH CATHERS
Luke 11:14-26
Sunday Morning Bible Study
March 6, 2016
Introduction

Public Service Announcement: Daylight Savings
Jesus’ministry is wellunder way, and the people have been amazed not just
at the things He’s been teaching, but the things He’s been doing.
11:14-26 Demons and God
:14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the
demon had gone out, that the mute spoke;and the multitudes marveled.
:14 casting out a demon, and it was mute
In the New Testament, demon possessionwas manifestedin many different
ways –
One personwas blind and mute (Mat. 12:22)
One man had greatstrength (Mk 5:4)
A child would have seizures and throw himself into fire or water (Mat. 17:15)
One man spoke with a loud voice (Luke 4:33)
Not everyone with a malfunctioning body is possessedby a demon.
It’s not the odd behavior that proves a person is demon possessed, it’s the
discerning of a demon that shows it.
Not all people who are “mute” are demon-possessed.
Some are just mimes.
Video: BestMime Prank
:15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of
the demons.”
:15 He casts out demons by Beelzebub
Some of the people watching attributed Jesus’powerto:
Beelzebub

“Beelzebub” was one of the names of the Philistine god Baal(2 Kings 1:1-3).
“Baal” means simply “lord”, and “zebub” means “flies”
Beelzebub means literally “lord of the flies”.
These people were having a hard time thinking that Jesus couldbe
performing miracles, so they attributed His miracles to Satan.
Lesson
Lord of the house
The actualform of the name used by Luke in the Greek is a variation of
Beelzebub.
Beelzebul – “Lord of the house”.
Pay attention to our passagebecauseJesusis going to refer to “houses”in
severaldifferent ways.
The Jews oftenused beelzebul when referring to Satan(Wiersbe).
The conceptof demon possessionis the idea that there is a demonic spirit
living inside of your body, affecting and controlling your body.
Jesus said,
(Luke 16:13 NKJV) “No servant can serve two masters;for either he will hate
the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the
other.
There’s only room for one Lord in your life.
Your “Lord” is the one who sits on the throne, the one who calls the shots.
Who is it?
Video: OneTimeBlind: The Stool
:16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.

:16 soughtfrom Him a sign
What’s silly about this is that Jesus has alreadydone more than enoughto
prove who He was.
He’s castout demons (Luke 4:35)
He’s healed the sick (Luke 4:39)
He’s cleansedthe leper (Luke 5:13)
He’s healed the paralytic (Luke 5:24)
He’s even raisedthe dead (Luke 7:14)
John wrote that the miracles that Jesus did were enoughto prove who He was.
(John 20:31 NKJV) …these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
There comes a point where you need to open your eyes and realize who Jesus
is.
:17 But He, knowing their thoughts, saidto them: “Every kingdom divided
againstitself is brought to desolation, and a house divided againsta house
falls.
:17 a house divided againsta house falls
Remember that Beelzebulmeans “Lord of the house”
Lesson
Dividing the house
I know that Jesus is talking about Satan’s kingdom, but the principle
translates into areas as well.
We’re seeing the Republican party wrestle with this right now.

The campaignhas gottenso ugly with insults, that if they don’t work to mend
fences soonand coalescebehind a single candidate, there may be too much
bitterness and acrimony to unite for the presidential election.
Illustration
There was a story about two unmarried sisters who lived together. Because of
a slight disagreementover an insignificant issue, they stopped speaking to
eachother. Unable and unwilling to move out of their small house, they
continued to use the same rooms, eat at the same table (separately), and sleep
in the same bedroom. Without one word. A chalk line divided the sleeping
area into two halves, separating a doorwayand fireplace. Eachcould come
and go, cook and eat, sew and read without crossing overinto her sister's
domain. Through the night eachcould hear the breathing of the foe, but
because neither was willing to take the first stepto reconciliationand
forgiveness, theycoexistedfor years in grinding silence.
Their unforgiving hearts left them in a prison of affliction.
Is this a picture of what goes onin your house?
No marriage or family is “perfect”.
Everyone has difficulties.
The question is: Are you going to fight “for” your marriage, or fight each
other?
Are you going to humble yourself and talk to the other person?
Are you going to learn to forgive and let it go?
Solomonwrote,

(Ecclesiastes 4:9–12NKJV) —9 Two are better than one, Because theyhave a
goodreward for their labor. 10 Forif they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keepwarm; But how can one be
warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpoweredby another, two can
withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
:18 If Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how will his kingdom stand?
Becauseyou sayI castout demons by Beelzebub.
:18 If Satanalso is divided againsthimself
Jesus is pointing out that their reasoning is ridiculous. If Jesus were
empoweredby Satan, why would He be tearing apart His own kingdom?
:19 And if I castout demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons castthem
out? Therefore they will be your judges.
:19 by whom do your sons castthem out?
There are records of all sorts of rituals that Jewishexorcists wouldperform in
order to castdemons out of people.
Josephus wrote about one fellow who performed exorcisms in the presence of
the emperor using magic rings and encantations.
Luke tells a story in the book of Acts about sevensons of a Jewishpriest who
were not always successfulat casting out demons (Acts 19:13-16).
:19 Therefore they will be your judges
If Jesus is casting out demons by Beelzebub, then how can you saythe Jewish
exorcists were any different?
On the judgment day, their own exorcists would stand as witnesses against
these people.
:20 But if I castout demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God
has come upon you.
:20 if I castout demons with the finger of God

When Moses was working to have Pharaohrelease the Israelites from their
slavery, there was a sort of “contest” betweenGod’s miracles and the tricks
that the Egyptian magicians were able to perform.
Yet there came a time when God’s miracles proved to be much greaterthan
magicians’tricks.
Even the magicians realizedthis was God at work.
(Exodus 8:19 NKJV) Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger
of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as
the LORD had said.
Jesus didn’t have to perform elaborate rituals, He simply told the demons to
leave.
He’s laying claim to the same powerthat Moses usedin Egypt.
He has been demonstrating the powerof God.
The people Jesus is talking to are making a big mistake in not recognizing that
God has been at work.
:20 surely the kingdom of God has come upon you
Lesson
When is the kingdom?
A kingdom of God is the realm where God is the king.
There are two simple truths that Jesus taught about when the kingdom of God
is coming.
Future
Jesus taught us to pray,
(Luke 11:2b NKJV) …Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it
is in heaven.

It is coming. It’s on its way.
At the last supper, Jesus talkedabout the next time He would drink wine:
(Luke 22:18 NKJV) for I sayto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine
until the kingdom of God comes.”
The full kingdom of God has not yet come. It is establishedwhen Jesus
returns.
Now
Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God here, right now.
(Luke 17:20–21 NKJV)—20 Now when He was askedby the Pharisees when
the kingdom of God would come, He answeredthem and said, “The kingdom
of God does not come with observation;21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or
‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Until the day that Jesus returns at His SecondComing, the kingdom of Godis
making its presence knownthrough us.
It’s in us. It’s with us. It’s on us.

Luke: Jesus:Ruler of the Ruler of Demons
Sermon by J. Ligon Duncan on June 27, 2010
Luke 11:14-28
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The Lord’s Day Morning
June 27, 2010
Luke 11:14-28
“Jesus:
Ruler of the Ruler of Demons”

Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III
Sing to the Lord a new song all the earth.
Tell of His salvationfrom day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations and His marvelous works among all the
peoples for greatis the Lord and greatly to be praised.
He is to be feared above all gods for all the gods of the peoples are
worthless idols, but our God, the Lord, made the heavens and the earth.
Splendor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty in His
sanctuary, so let us give unto the Lord the glory due His name.
Let us worship God!
Our Lord and our God, You are
holy, holy, holy and we are not and because ofthis only You can provide a
way
for us into Your presence to enjoy Your blessings, Your benefits, Your
fellowship. And You have done this
in Your great love and mercy and grace in Your Son, Jesus Christ.
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.
You sent Your Son, Your only Son, whom You love, the Lord Jesus, into

this world so that all those who believe on Him will not perish but have
everlasting life.
So we come to You the Gospelway
this morning. We come to You by the
cross ofJesus Christ, by the shed blood of Jesus Christ for our forgiveness.
He is the one who bore our penalty that we might receive the blessings
that flow from His person and His finished and perfect work, come into Your
presence as blood-bought declaredright sinners, acceptedas Your children,
adopted as sons of God, all by Your doing, all by His accomplishment, all by
Your grace. We have contributed
nothing to this. We simply stretch
our hands out in faith and receive what You have accomplishedand provided.
So we come by the Gospeland by
the cross todayto give to You the glory due Your name.
Make the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts to be
acceptable to Your sight. Speak Your
Word deep into our hearts today and make us to be not only hearers but doers
of
Your Word. Exalt Yourself in our

praises and enable us to worship in spirit and in truth.
We ask all these things in Jesus’name.
Amen.
If you have your Bibles I’d invite you to turn with me to Luke 11 as we
continue
our way through this gospel. We come
to an extraordinary passage inwhich Jesus castsa demon out of a man who
has
been made mute by the activity of that demon and it evokes varying responses
from the multitude that were observing this.
Some marveled but others ascribedJesus’activities to the power of Satan
while still others demanded that that sign of casting out a demon was not
enough. They wantedyet another sign
to certify to them that Jesus was indeedfrom God.
In the course of His response to these various questions that are laid at
His feetby the crowd that has assembledaround Him, Jesus not only manages
to
show the illogic of their position assessing Him, but to tell them much about
the activity of the prince of demons and of what it means to be demonically
possessedand oppressed. But even
deeper still Jesus teaches us about what true Gospelconversioninvolves in
this

passage, where the powercomes from to bring a human being out of darkness
and
into the marvelous light of God’s grace.
And of course in this passageHe identifies Himself as the One who is
able to plunder the strong man and so He shows Himself to be the Ruler of the
ruler of the demons.
Now before we read God’s Word let’s look to Him in prayer and ask for His
help
and blessing to understand it.
Lord, this is Your Word.
Your Word is powerful and effective and sharper than any two-edgedsword.
It can pierce down to the very depths of our being and separate in us
what is wrong from what is right and clarify for us where our hearts are right
with You and where they are not. And
Your Word, O Lord, is profitable for reproof and correctionand training in
righteousness. Itis fully
sufficient to equip the believer in every goodwork.
And so we ask O Lord that You would cause us, by Your Holy Spirit who
inspired this Word, to both hear and understand and believe and do the truth.
This we ask in Jesus’name.

Amen.
This is the Word of God, hear it:
“Now He was casting
out a demon that was mute. When the
demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.
But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of
demons,’ while others, to test Him, kept seeking fromHim a sign from heaven.
But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided
againstitself is laid waste, anda divided household falls.
And if Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that I castout demons by Beelzebul.
And if I castout demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons castthem
out? Therefore they will be your
judges. But if it is by the finger
of God that I castout demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are
safe;but when one strongerthan he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes
away
his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.
Whoeveris not with Me is againstMe, and whoever does not gather with Me
scatters.

When the unclean
spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterlessplaces seeking
rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.
Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and
they enter and dwell there. And the
last state of that personis worse than the first.’
As He said these
things, a woman in the crowdraised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessedis the
womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed!’
But He said, ‘Blessedratherare those who hear the Word of God and keep
it!’”
Amen, and thus ends this reading of God’s holy, inspired, and inerrant Word.
May He write its eternal truth upon all our hearts.
This passagetells us a lot about the hearts of those who are blind to the grace
of God, to hearts which have not been convertedto Him.
We see that first of all in the case ofthis poor man under the powerof
this mute spirit. He was unable even
to speak. But we also see it in the

heart attitude of those, who instead of joining with the people in the crowd
who
marveled at Jesus, insteadaccusedHim of doing this greatmiracle of relief
and
blessing on behalf of Satan, or those in the crowd who demanded still another
sign from Him to see whether He was in fact from God.
How blind do you have to be, how dead does your heart have to be, how
hard does your heart have to be not to see whatis going on in this passage?
Is it really believable that Satanwould be behind the casting out of
Satan? And so we see something of
the hardness of the unconverted heart in this passage.
We also see the powerof the Lord Jesus Christ, don’t we?
We see that powerin the way that He casts out this demon.
There’s no description of how He does it.
There’s no elaborate ritual that He goes through.
There are no words of incantation that are recorded that He speaks.
He simply casts the demon out and the demon is gone, the demon leaves.
It’s a testimony to the powerof the Lord Jesus Christ.
Of course, later in the passage Jesus also testifiesto His powerbecause
He says that a strong man canonly be despoiledfrom his palace by a stronger
man. And Jesus Himself is that One
who is able to castSatanout, and then come take occupationof our hearts,
and

take the spoils that Satanwas ruining in our lives and use them for His glory
and for our good.
And we could meditate on those things for a while but I want to take you
where
Jesus Himself goes in this passage, to a reflectionon conversionitselfbecause
in response to the accusations ofsome in the multitude that He was doing this
greatmiracle by the powerof Satanand in response to the demand that He
show
some other sign that He was really from God, Jesus not only teaches us about
demon possessionand shows the illogic of the charges that have been brought
againstHim, but He also tells us something very important about conversion
and
what conversionreally means and what is required for a human heart to be
transformed from the inside out and to be given new life, eternal life, and to
be changedso that we walk with God.
And so I want you to see two things today.
I. Conversionis more than an exterior renovation.
The first thing I want you to see is that Jesus makes it clearhere that
conversionis more than mere external, moral renovation.

It’s a fascinating thing.
Jesus saves this man from oppressionby a demon.
The immediate response of some in the crowd — look at verse 14 — is that
they marveled. Now that’s so far, so
good. Marveling is a proper
response. One would want more than
that as a response but that’s a goodstart at a proper response to what Jesus
has done. They ought to have
marveled. But some in this crowd,
hardened hearts with the leaven of the Phariseesin them, respond by accusing
Jesus ofdoing this by the power of Satan.
And Jesus shows the illogic of that position by telling them three
things.
First of all look at verse 17. Jesus
says that makes no sense. “Ifa
kingdom is divided againstitself it will not stand.
Surely you don’t think Satanis divided againsthis own kingdom.
Surely you don’t think Satanis trying to undermine the dominion of his
own kingdom. It does not make sense
that Satanwould be casting out Satan or that Satanwould be giving Me the
power
to castout those who were under his rule.”

Then Jesus goes onto say, if you look at verse 19, “And by the way, if
I’m casting out demons by the powerof Satan, who exactly is it who is giving
the powerto the exorcists who are amongst your ownvillage and your own
people
to castout demons?” Now Jesus is
not necessarilycommenting on whether these exorcists are actually doing
what
they claim. He is saying however,
and we know this — it was common among the Jews forthere to be people
whose
business what that of casting out demons and they often did it through
incantations and sort of semi-magicalrites and words that are said in order to
castthat demon out.
We, in fact, encounterthis in severalplaces in the gospels as other people
attempt to duplicate Jesus and His disciples casting out of demons.
But His point is simply this — “Why would you accuse Me ofcasting out
demons by Satan when you don’t accuse yourown of casting out demons by
Satan?
That doesn’t make sense.” And
then He says this, “But if it is of the finger of God” verse 20 “that I castout
demons, then the kingdom
of God has come upon you.”
In other words, He’s now turning to the people who’ve said, “We want

another sign,” and He says, “Now look, here’s your sign.
How is it that I’m casting out demons?
How could I possibly do that unless I’m sovereignoverdemons?
And who’s sovereignover demons but God?
And so the only way that I could do what I’m doing is if God has
empoweredMe to do it and that is the signthat the kingdom of God is among
you
and at work and that ought to evoke in you of all people, people who have
grown
up on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, those of you
who
have grown up on the law and the prophets ought to know that this is an
irrefutable sign that God is afoot, that I am the anointed of God, and that I
ought to be believed and followed.”
And yet they want another sign. This
is not unlike other places where other signs are demanded from Jesus and His
disciples.
And so He responds to the charges thatare made againstHim and He shows
the
illogic of them and He explains to them why they ought to have believed at this
greatdisplay of God’s relieving mercy to this man who had been under the
foul
domination of this mute spirit who kept him from even being able to talk.

But He doesn’t stop there. He goes
on to tell them a little bit about how demons work.
And in the course ofdoing that He explains to us something very, very
important about the human heart and about our own attempt to renovate
ourselves,
as opposedto how He goes aboutliberating a sinner.
Look at what He says beginning in verse 21 — “Whena strong man, fully
armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe.”
Now this is a description of Satan’s dominion over us.
Jesus, by the way, is not saying that everyone who is not a Christian is
demon possessed, but what He is saying is that everyone who is apart from
Christ
is under the dominion of Satanand the principle setdown here in relationto
demon possessionapply to everyone.
Everyone who is apart from Christ is under the dominion of the strong man
and
the strong man is armed and he guards what is his and everything that is in
his
dominion is safe.
What happens then? Verse 21 — “One
strongerthan he attacks him and overcomes him.”
By the way, do you notice how Jesus makes it clearthat His kingdom is

not on the defensive? He’s not
pulling up the bridges, filling up the moats with alligators and hunkering
down
in some castle somewhere hoping to hang on.
His kingdom is advancing.
Sometimes we misunderstand what He says in Matthew when He says, “The
gates of
hell will not prevail againstit.”
Sometimes that sounds, in our ears, because ofthe word “prevail” like it’s hell
attacking and we’re on the defensive.
But notice gates are not usually an offensive weaponin battle.
Gates are designedto keepsomething out, so hell in that illustration of
Jesus is stationary and who’s attacking hell?
The kingdom
of God is coming against
the gates ofhell and He’s saying the gates do not prevail againstthe assault
of the kingdom of heaven. That is,
the gates aren’table to keepout the assaultof the kingdom of heaven.
And here againis that kind of illustration.
One strongerthan he attacks him and overcomes him.
Who is that? It is the Lord
Jesus Christ. And He’s illustrated

that of course in this extraordinary event of the casting out of the demon.
He is more powerful than the demon or the ruler of the demons because
He’s able to casthim out.
Then He says this — “Whoeveris not with Me is againstMe, and whoever
does not
gather with Me scatters.”He makes
it clearthat He is the dividing line.
There are only two types of people in the world — those who are with Him
and those who are againstHim, those who have been liberated by Him and
those
who have not been liberated by Him and are under the dominion of the evil
one.
And then, beginning in verse 24 going down to verse 26, He describes how
demonic
oppressionand possessionworks. “Whenthe unclean spirit has gone out of a
person, it passes through waterless placesseeking rest, and finding none, it
says, ‘I will return’” — notice — “’to my house from which I came.’”
In other words, He’s saying it is possible for a demonic spirit to leave
a person of its own accordand to wander and then to decide, “You know, I’m
going to go back where I came from and retake possessionof my palace, my
house,
my place.” The demon in this passage

is describing that human heart as his abode.
“And when it comes” — look at verse 25 — “it finds the house sweptand
put in order.”
Now this is Jesus’wayof describing a person who has tried to turn over a new
leaf, tried to make a new start in life, tried to clean up his or her act, tried
to engage in a moral self-renovation, tried to be a better person, tried to live
a better life, tried to stop doing really, really heinous sins and getthings
cleanedand sweptup and in order in life and try and live at leastoutwardly a
more righteous way, a less obviously ungodly way.
When he returns to the house he finds it swept and put in order, but
what’s the problem? There’s nothing
in that house. That heart is empty.
That heart has not been changed.
The heart has been sweptup a bit, things have been tidied up a bit, but
the house is empty.
“Then it goes andbrings sevenother spirits” — verse 26 — “more evil than
itself,” and then listen to this horrific judgment — “the laststate of that
person is worse than the first.” Now
what Jesus is talking about here in this immediate instance of course is the
activity of demonic possession. But
it has a broader application because this is exactly how Satanoperates

generally. Listen to what J.C. Ryle
says —
“How dangerous it is to be content with
any change in religion short of thorough conversionto God.
This is a truth which our Lord teaches by a dreadful picture of one from
whom a devil has been castforth but into whose heartthe Holy Spirit has not
entered. He describes the evil
spirit after his expulsion seeking restand finding none and then planning a
return to the heart which he once inhabited and carrying his plan into
execution
and finding that heart empty of any goodand like a house sweptand
garnished
ready for his reception. And He
describes him entering once more with sevenspirits worse than himself and he
winds up all with a solemn saying, ‘The last state of that man was worse than
the first.’”
Now this is what Ryle goes onto say — “We must feel, in reading these fearful
words, that Jesus is speaking of things which we fainting comprehend.
He is lifting a corner of the veil which hangs over the unseen world.
His words no doubt illustrate things which existed in the Jewishnation
during His own time of ministry but the main lessonofHis words concerns us.

It is the danger of our own individual souls. There is a solemn warning
to us here never to be satisfiedwith religion reformation without heart
conversion.”
What does Paul pray for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14-19?
“Thatthe Father would grant you powerby His Spirit so that Christ would
dwell in your hearts by faith.” That
is a picture of the renovationof a life that only comes by the occupationof
our hearts by the Lord Jesus Christ and that is by the work of the Holy Spirit
in regenerationand conversionand it is receivedby faith.
But Christ is to dwell in our hearts by faith.
This is a picture of a person who has tried to sweepup and cleanup his
or her life but Christ is not dwelling in that heart.
And Ryle goes onto say this — “There is no safety exceptin conversion.
In thorough Christianity to lay aside open sin is nothing unless grace
reigns in our hearts. To ceaseto do
evil is a small matter if we do not also learn to do well.
The house must not only be sweptand whitewashed, a new tenant must be
introduced or else the leprosy may againappear on its walls.
The outward life must not only be garnished with the formal trappings of
religion, the power of vital religion must be experiencedin the inner man.
The devil must not only be castout, the Holy Spirit must take his place.

Christ must dwell in our hearts by faith.
We must not only be moralized, but spiritualized.
We must not only be reformed, but born again.
Jesus is teaching us that conversionis more than mere external, moral
renovation. It is a heart which has been changedand transformed and
softened
and given new and eternallife by the work of the Gospelby Jesus Christ.”
II. The evidence of conversion
is a heart change.
Now after Jesus has done this teaching you canalmost feelthe awe of the
crowd.
He has talked about things that human being just don’t understand.
He’s talkedabout the heart.
He’s talkedabout the satanic world.
He’s talkedabout the spirit, the hidden things of the unseenspiritual world.
I remember GordonReed preaching a sermon on one of the demon possession
passagesfrom the gospelof Mark at the Trinity Presbyterian Church here in
town
in the early 1990’s andhe beganthat sermon by saying, “Now I don’t know
much

about demon possession, but I’ve read some books by people who say they
know
something about demon possession, and they don’t know much about demon
possessioneither.”
Well I’m sure that this crowd standing around Jesus must have been in
absolute
awe at His knowledge andHis comprehensionof the unseenhidden world.
And finally one woman blurts out, “Blessedis the womb that bore You, and
blessedare the breasts that fed You as a baby!”
And Jesus does not rebuke that woman.
She is complimenting Him.
She’s saying, “What a privilege it would have been to have been Your mama!
What an amazing Man You are!
What unbelievable wisdom You have just displayed to us!”
But what does Jesus say? He doesn’t
rebuke her. In fact, He affirms the reality of the statementthat she says but
then He takes it up. And He says —
look at His language — “Blessedratherare those who hear the Word of God
and
keepit!” He says, “Ma’am, as a
matter of fact, the reasonthat the Virgin Mary is blessedis that she heard the
Word of God and she kept it.” Do you

remember the testimony of Jesus’mother before He was ever born?
When the angelcame to tell her that she was going to bear the Lord Jesus
Christ, do you remember how she responded to the angel?
“Behold, the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done to me” — how?
“According to Your Word – Lord, I’m going to do, I’m going to accept
whatever
Your Word says. Be it done to me
according to Your Word.” She heard
and she did the Word of the Lord.
Now Jesus is saying that that is the mark, that is the evidence of every heart
that has been converted. The heart
that has been convertedhears the Word of God and shows its loyalty to the
Word
of God and to the Lord Jesus Christ and then does what the Word says.
That’s the evidence of conversionthat we hear and obey God’s Word, that
we trust and obey. That we trust and
obey is not a way that we earn our wayto conversion. It’s not the way that we
earn our wayinto the presence ofGod.
Remember Jesus is saying that conversionis far more than some human
attempt at personal, moral, self-reformation.
No, it takes Jesus coming in and removing the strong man and taking up

residence in our life and giving us a new heart and a new spirit and new life,
eternal life, and then we hear and we obey.
And so this is the evidence of conversionthat Jesus is talking about.
Now there’s a sense in which this sermon today is simply the prologue, it’s an
appetizer, it’s an
hors-d’oeuvre
for the messagethat Derek is going to preach tonight because he’s going to be
preaching on “What is the Gospel?”
It is the Gospelthat bears this converting power in our hearts.
And Derek is going to tell you what that Gospelis that bears the
converting powerthat changes our hearts and lives from the inside out so that
we are not merely people who’ve tidied ourselves up a bit, but we are people
who
have a new occupantin our souls. And we have a new desire and we have new
affections. We want to love the Lord
God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength and our neighbor as
ourselves. We want to live in such a
way that we show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness,
faithfulness, self-control — and why do we do that?
Becauseour hearts have been changedby the One who is strongerthan the
strong man, by the One who is the Ruler of the ruler of the demons.

Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank You for
this Your Word. We ask that You
would work its truth deep into our hearts and that we would trust and obey.
This we ask in Jesus’name.
Amen.
Would you take your hymnals in hand and turn with me to 672 and we’ll sing
the
first stanza of “Trustand Obey.”
Now receive God’s blessing. Grace,
mercy, and peace to you from God our Fatherand the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
DON FORTNER
The Kingdom of God Is Here
Text: Luke 11:14-20

Subject: Christ’s Confrontation with the Pharisees
Date: Sunday Evening – March3, 2002
Tape # W-89a
Readings: Buddy Daugherty – Larry Brown
Introduction:
The claims of Christ are the claims of the sovereignKing: No King—No
Savior! We are all his subjects, some willingly, others unwillingly, some loyal,
some rebel, but we are all his subjects. And, sooneror later, we will all bow to
him. Bow to him now, and life eternal is yours. If you refuse to bow to him
now, you will bow in the day of judgment, but eternal death will be your
portion. May God give you grace now to bow. O “kiss the Son, lest he be
angry when his wrath is kindled!”
The title of my message tonightis THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS HERE. The
kingdom of God is not something yet to come. It is here. It is present. The

Kingdom of God is not carnal, but spiritual. It is among you. The Kingdom of
God is not a temporary kingdom, but an eternal, everlasting kingdom.I pray
that before this hour is ended, it will be establishedin you, by his almighty
grace.
Our text tonight is Luke 11:14-20. Let’s read it together.
(Luke 11:14-20) "And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it
came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake;and the people
wondered. (15) But some of them said, He castethout devils through
Beelzebub the chief of the devils. (16) And others, tempting him, soughtof him
a sign from heaven. (17) But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them,
Every kingdom divided againstitself is brought to desolation;and a house
divided againsta house falleth. (18) If Satanalso be divided againsthimself,
how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I castout devils through
Beelzebub. (19) And if I by Beelzebub castout devils, by whom do your sons
castthem out? therefore shall they be your judges. (20)But if I with the finger
of God castout devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."
CONTEXT

Let me repeat what I tell you so often.—In interpreting Holy Scripture, it is of
utmost importance that we interpret every passage inits context. In this case,
the contextis strikingly instructive. Our Lord Jesus has just told us how
sinners obtain God’s salvationin him. He said, “Ask, and it shall be given
you.” That is the promise of God held before sinners throughout the Book.
(Romans 10:13) "Forwhosoevershallcall upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved."
(Mark 16:16) "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned."
(Acts 16:31) "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved, and thy house."

(Isaiah 45:22) "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I
am God, and there is none else."
The fact is, all who are lost, all who are without Christ, all who perish under
the wrath of God do so because they stubbornly refuse to seek mercythrough
the merits of Christ, the sinner’s Substitute. “There is none that seekethafter
God!”
How many of you are yet in your sins, yet without Christ, yet under the wrath
of God! You are lost for no reasonbut this—You refuse to trust Christ!
HOPE
Yet, I have hope for you. I have hope for you because Iknow that though our
Savior waits to be gracious, his grace does notwait on you. You are like the
man in our text, possessedofthe devil and dumb, so dumb that you cannot
and will not call upon the name of the Lord, except the Lord himself come,

castout the devil, setup his kingdom in you, loosenyour tongue and cause you
to call upon him by his sweet, omnipotent, irresistible grace.
(Psalms 65:4) "Blessedis the man whom thou choosest, andcausestto
approachunto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfiedwith
the goodnessofthy house, even of thy holy temple."
Proposition:The greatmiracle recordedin Luke 11:14-20 is intended to show
us how lost sinners are compelled by almighty grace to call upon Christ in
faith.—He who promises that if we ask it shall be given unto us is he who
destroys the powerof Satan in us and causes us to call upon him for mercy.
Yes, as old Cowperput it, it is still true…
“He breaks the powerof cancelledsin,
He sits the captive free,
He makes the lame to walk again,

And causes the blind to see.
Hear Him, ye deaf! His praise, ye dumb!
Your loosenedtongues employ!
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame for joy!”
May God the Holy Spirit be our Teacher, as we look atthis greatmiracle of
grace together. I want to call your attention to five things clearlyset before us
in this passage.
I. SATAN’S DEVICES—Satan’s devices by which he seeksto destroy our
souls are legion.

We read here of a man possessedofa devil that was dumb. In other places, we
see Satan’s imps described as unclean spirits. Sometimes they are violent. In
other places they come as blind spirits, in other places as deafspirits.
Whateverthe appearance, Satan’s devices are many; and they are always
designedfor destruction.
Do not imagine that because demonic possessionis not so glaringly obvious
and common today as it once was that the fiend of hell is less active or his
designs less destructive. That is not the case. Menand womenare still taken
captive by Satanat his will. Some of you here tonight are possessedof a dumb
spirit, just like this poor soul! Does that offend? I am sorry if it does. But I am
not here to entertain you. I am here because I care for your soul. Honesty
compels me to tell you the truth. You are, just like this man, possessedofa
dumb spirit.
· You speak much, but never speak to God.
· You call upon many for many things; but you do not call upon the name
of the Lord.
· You do not call upon him because you have neither the will nor the
ability to do so. You are spiritually dead and spiritually dumb.

Thanks, eternalthanks, be unto God, the Lord Jesus Christ still makes the
dumb to speak. He who castthis demon out is still in the business of casting
Satanout of the hearts of men! O Son of God, come here tonight! Come in
omnipotent mercy! WhereverSatanrules in the hearts of lost, dead sinners,
bind the strong man, casthim out, spoil his house, take all his armor, and
establishthe dominion of grace in the hearts of chosensinners, for the glory of
God!
· Only Christ can raise the dead!
· Only Christ can give you eyes to see the glory of God shining in his face!
· Only Christ can open your ears to hear the glorious sound of his grace!
· Only Christ can give you the tongue of supplication.
· But, blessedbe his name, HE CAN!

(John 12:32) "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
me."
(Hebrews 7:25) "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercessionfor them."
II. WILLFUL UNBELIEF—Next, I want you to see that unbelief is a willful,
deliberate act.
Unbelief is not something about which you are passive, forwhich you have no
responsibility. Oh, no. Your unbelief is the deliberate, willful defiance of your
rebel heart. You are just exactly like the people describedin our text.
It could not be denied that the Lord Jesus had castout a devil, that he had
loosenedto tongue of a man who could not speak before. Those who were
present could not dispute the miracle. The work of grace was as glaring and
obvious as the noon day sun. Still, they would not believe.

A. Some wondered and marveled; but they would not believe!—How many
there are like them today!
· You marvel at electing love.
· You stand in awe at predestination.
· You wonder at the display of God’s saving grace.
· You are astonishedby substitutionary redemption.
· Yet, you believe not!
B. Others sought to discredit the Lord Jesus, saying he castout the devil by
the devil!

They could not deny the work. So they tried to discredit the Son of God.
C. Still others, said, show us a sign from heaven!—Is that not amazing? Yet,
it is ever the betrayal of rank unbelief in the hearts of men that demands a
sign.—It is ever the cry of hell, “If one were to rise from the dead!”
· The Jews require a sign.
· The Greeks seekafterwisdom.
· We preach Christ the Powerof God and the Wisdom of God!
D. The fact is, all unbelief is inexcusable!
It is not your adultery that will take you to hell, but your unbelief!—It is not
your theft that will take you to hell, but your unbelief!—It is not your
drunkenness that will take you to hell, but your unbelief!

Your unbelief is blamable. It is willful. It is deliberate. You believe not
because you choose to believe not. If you continue to believe not, you will
forever die!
(John 3:14-19) "And as Moseslifted up the serpent in the wilderness, evenso
must the Sonof man be lifted up: (15) That whosoeverbelieveth in him should
not perish, but have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoeverbelievethin him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. (17) For Godsent not his Son into the world to condemn
the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begottenSon of
God. (19)And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because theirdeeds were evil."
(John 3:36) "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

(1 John 5:1) "Whosoeverbelieveththat Jesus is the Christ is born of God:
and every one that loveth him that begatloveth him also that is begottenof
him."
(1 John 5:6-10) "This is he that came by waterand blood, even Jesus Christ;
not by wateronly, but by waterand blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is truth. (7) Forthere are three that bear record in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
(8) And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water,
and the blood: and these three agree in one. (9) If we receive the witness of
men, the witness of God is greater:for this is the witness of God which he hath
testified of his Son. (10) He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness
in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he
believeth not the record that God gave of his Son."
III. CHRIST’S DIVINITY—There are severalincidental, but divinely
inspired, displays of our Savior’s eternaldivinity in this passage.
We trust him who is both God and man in one glorious person. That man who
died for us at Calvary is himself God the eternal Son. Because he is God…

· His Obedience is of infinite worth!
· His death is of infinite merit!
· His grace is of infinite efficacy!
Here are three greatmanifestations of our Savior’s eternaldivinity.
· His Dominion Over Hell!—Devils obey Him!
· His Omniscience!—He knew their thoughts!
· His Marvelous Grace!—He made the dumb speak!
IV.FAMILY STRIFE—OurLord Jesus here declares in a parable a word of
warning that needs frequent repetition, it is a warning againstneedless strife.

(Luke 11:17-19) "But he, knowing their thoughts, saidunto them, Every
kingdom divided againstitself[1] is brought to desolation;and a house
divided[2] againsta house falleth. (18) If Satanalso be divided againsthimself,
how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I castout devils through
Beelzebub. (19) And if I by Beelzebub castout devils, by whom do your sons
castthem out? therefore shall they be your judges."
Without question, our Masteris here telling these rank, ridiculous rebels that
their blasphemous assertionswere as absurd as they were blasphemous. If
Satancasts out Satan, his kingdom would soonfall. But there is a much
needed lessonhere for us. It is a lessonwe are mournfully and sinfully slow to
learn. Strife betweenbrethren is both shameful and destructive. – To the
Nation! – To the Family! – To Churches! Understand what I mean.
A. We cannotand must not compromise the gospelofthe grace and glory of
God in Christ. – With regard to the gospel, allGod’s people and all God’s
servants see eye to eye.

(1 Corinthians 16:22) "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be
Anathema Maranatha."
(Galatians 1:6-9) "I marvel that ye are so soonremoved from him that called
you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:(7) Which is not another; but
there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospelof Christ. (8)
But though we, or an angelfrom heaven, preach any other gospelunto you
than that which we have preachedunto you, let him be accursed. (9)As we
said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospelunto you
than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
(Galatians 5:12) "I would they were even cut off which trouble you."
(Philippians 3:18-19) "(Formany walk, of whom I have told you often, and
now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
(19) Whose end is destruction, whose Godis their belly, and whose gloryis in
their shame, who mind earthly things.)"

(2 John 1:9-11) "Whosoevertransgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of
Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both
the Fatherand the Son. (10) If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:(11) For
he that biddeth him God speedis partakerof his evil deeds."
B. When it comes to matters that do not involve the gospelof Christ and the
glory of God in Christ, in all matters of indifference, we must ceasefrom
strife.
There is no place in the house of God for petty quarrels and proud strife. The
best remedy for this horrid evil is grace!O, may God teach us to be gracious!
· Slow to anger!
· Quick to forgive!
· Anxious to serve!

· Readyto make concessions!
· Hard to offend!
V. A CONFRONTATION—Ourtext ends and I will conclude my message
with a confrontation.
(Luke 11:20) "But if I with the finger of God castout devils, no doubt the
kingdom of God is come upon you."
A. The Lord Jesus Christ has, by the finger of God, castout devils.
· At Calvary
· In Grace

B. The kingdom of God has now come upon you.
C. Will you bow; or will you go on still in your obstinate rebellion and
unbelief?
(Proverbs 1:23-33) "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit
unto you, I will make known my words unto you. (24) BecauseI have called,
and ye refused; I have stretchedout my hand, and no man regarded; (25) But
ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: (26) I
also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fearcometh; (27)
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a
whirlwind; when distress and anguish comethupon you. (28) Then shall they
call upon me, but I will not answer;they shall seek me early, but they shall not
find me: (29)For that they hated knowledge, anddid not choosethe fearof
the LORD:(30) They would none of my counsel:they despisedall my reproof.
(31) Therefore shallthey eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with
their own devices. (32)For the turning awayof the simple shall slay them, and
the prosperity of fools shall destroythem. (33) But whoso hearkenethunto me
shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fearof evil."

JOHN GILL
Verse 15
But some of them said,.... The Pharisees, Matthew 9:34 Matthew 12:24 who
could not bear that he should be thought to be the Messiah, and therefore put
an ill constructionon the miracle:
he castethout devils through Beelzebub, the chief of devils; in severalcopies
he is called Beelzebul, and in the Arabic and Ethiopic versions;which last
adds these words, "and he answeredand said, how can Satancastout Satan?"
Verse 16
And others tempting him,.... Others of the Scribes and Pharisees, or
Sadducees:
sought of him a signfrom heaven;See Gill on Matthew 12:38, Matthew 16:1.
Verse 17
But he knowing their thoughts,.... Being God omniscient,
said unto them; the following parables, as they are calledin Mark 3:23 or
proverbial expressions, verypertinent to the purpose, and sufficient to set
aside the base calumnies of the Pharisees:

every kingdom divided againstitself, is brought to desolation;in process of
time, division will end in destruction; and as it does in the kingdoms of the
world, of which there have been fatal instances, so it would in the kingdom of
Satan, was there in it a division, which the calumny of the Phariseessupposes:
and an house divided againstan house, falleth. The Persic version renders it,
"an house divided from the foundation, falls"; the sense is, a family, in which
one part is opposedto the other, issues in the ruin of both; See Gill on
Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:24, Mark 3:25.
Verse 18
And if Satanalso be divided againsthimself, how shall his kingdom stand?....
This is the accommodationofthe above parables, or proverbial sentences;
suggesting, thatSatan must be againsthimself, if what the Pharisees saidwas
true; and consequently, his kingdom and government, could not long subsist:
because ye say that I castout devils through Beelzebub; which is all one as to
say, that Satanis divided againsthimself, which is not reasonable to suppose;
See Gill on Matthew 12:26 and See Gill on Mark 3:26.
Verse 19
And if I by Beelzebub castout devils,.... Which is what the Pharisees charged
him with; in the Greek copies, andso in the Arabic and Ethiopic versions it is
read, "by Beelzebul", and so in the preceding verses;See Gill on Matthew
10:25.

By whom do your sons castthem out? by whose help? or in whose name? for
the Jews pretendedto castout devils, and to heal those that were possessed
with them; which they did sometimes, by making use of the names of the
patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and sometimes of the name of
Solomon:JosephusF17speaksofmany in his time, who had this powerof
healing; and he himself saw one Eleazar, in the presence ofVespasian, his
children, officers, and soldiers, cure many that were possessedofdevils: and
his method was, by putting a ring to the nose of the possessed, under the seal
of which, was a root directed to by Solomon, and thereby brought out the
unclean spirit; and as soonas the man was healed, he adjured the devil never
to return more; at which time he made mention of the name of Solomon, and
rehearsedthe enchantments written by him: the said Eleazar, to give a
specimenof the efficacyof his art, seta cup full of waterupon the ground, and
commanded the devil when he went out of the man, to turn it over, as a sign
that he had left the man, and the devil immediately obeyed his order: now if
these sons of theirs castout devils, which they would not say were done by the
help of the devil, or in his name, why should they ascribe the ejection of devils
by Christ, to a diabolicalassistance?
therefore shall they be your judges;or "judges againstyou", as the Arabic
version; or "shall reprove you", as the Ethiopic; convictand condemn you;
Verse 20
But if I with the, finger of God,.... The powerof God, referring to Exodus 8:19
and so the Cabalistic JewsF18 explainit,
"the finger is one of the five in the hand, and is that finger which works by the
powerof Elohim;'

it is the same with the Spirit of God; See Gill on Matthew 12:28 which is often
calledthe hand of the Lord, Ezekiel1:3.
PETER PETT
Verses 14-23
Jesus Has Come As The StrongerThan He And Has DefeatedSatan(11:14-
23).
In the chiasmus of the whole sectionthis passageis in parallel with Jesus’
description of Satanlike lightning falling from Heaven, and of the deliverance
of His people from the power of the Enemy (Luke 10:17-20). Here the idea is
amplified and dealt with in more detail. It is no accidentthat it follows
immediately on the idea of the giving of the Holy Spirit. It is the giving of the
Holy Spirit that confirms man’s deliverance from darkness to light, and from
the powerof Satan to God.
In this passagewe discoverthat far from being ‘brought into temptation’ the
powerof the Tempter is brokenby ‘the finger of God’. He has indeed fallen
from Heaven. Our accuserhas been banished. He no longerholds swayamong
believers. He has been rendered powerless againstthem. Restrictionhas been
put on him that prevents his exercising his full power(Revelation20:2). He
may roar on his chain and seek to spring at us, but he is restrainedby his
handler (2 Thessalonians2:6-7). And this has been accomplishedby the
Strongerthan he Who has come. The One who is restoring bruised and
battered Israel, who had been spoiledby robbers, has also dealt with the Chief
Bandit.

The passagemay be analysedas follows:
a He was casting out a demon that was dumb. And it came about that, when
the demon was gone out, the dumb man spoke, and the crowds marvelled. But
some of them said, “It is by Beelzebub the prince of the demons that He casts
out demons, and others, trying Him, sought of Him a sign from heaven (Luke
11:15-16).
b But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingship divided
againstitself is brought to desolation, and a house divided againsta house
falls. And if Satanalso is divided againsthimself, how shall his kingship
stand? Becauseyousay that I castout demons by Beelzebub” (Luke 11:17-18).
c “And if I by Beelzebubcastout demons, by whom do your sons castthem
out? Therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the finger of God castout
demons, then is the Kingly Rule of God come upon you” (Luke 11:19-20).
b “When the strong man fully armed guards his owncourt, his goods are in
peace, but when a strongerthan he shall come on him, and overcome him, He
takes from him his whole armour in which he trusted, and divides his spoils”
(Luke 11:21-22).
a “He who is not with me is againstme, and he who does not gatherwith me,
scatters” (Luke 11:23).
Note that in ‘a’ He has revealedHis power and the crowds marvel while His
opponents accuse Him and bait Him, and in the parallel He makes it clearthat
all have an opportunity to be ‘with Him’ but that those who oppose Him are

againstHim and scattering the flock (the very opposite of which they are
claiming to do). In ‘b’ he points out that civil warin Satan’s camp is not
feasible, for he would know that it would only destroy his kingship, while in
the parallelhe points out what has actually happened, he has been defeatedby
the Strongerthan he. And ‘c’ is central and demonstrates that what has
happened proves that the Kingly Rule of God has come upon them.
Verse 15
‘But some of them said, “It is by Beelzeboulthe prince of the demons that he
casts out demons.’
His opponents were perplexed, but rather than admit that God was working
though Him they accusedof being in league with ‘Beelzeboul, the prince of the
demons’, in other words Satan.
‘It is by Beelzeboul.’Their decisionwas that He Himself was possessed
(always the easiestwayto discredit someone), and not just by any evil spirit
but by the greatBeelzeboul, prince of demons, himself (compare John 7:20;
John 8:48; John 8:52; John 10:20). The descriptiondemonstrates that
Beelzeboulwas seenas synonymous with Satan. ‘Beel’probably represents
‘baal’ (‘lord’), and zeboul ‘house’, thus the name means ‘Lord of the house’.
Different manuscripts and versions present the full name differently It is
given as ‘Beelzebub’ in the Syriac and Vulgate versions - probably as taken
from the name of the oraculargod in 2 Kings 1:2-3, and as ‘Beelzeboul’in
most manuscripts. It is given as ‘Beezeboul’in only a few manuscripts, but
these include weighty ones. The latter may, however, simply have dropped the
‘l’ because ‘lz’ was difficult to Greek speakers.

The correctname may wellthus be Beelzeboul. ‘Zeboul’ may represent
‘zebel’ (dung) or ‘zebul’ (dwelling). Thus the name may mean ‘lord of the
house (or dwelling)’ (see Matthew 10:25 b which seems to confirm this). Or it
may be ‘lord of dung’ as an insulting name for Satan. The former would
explain the stress on ‘house’ in Jesus’repudiation. The name Zbl is also found
in a Ugaritic text, linked with baal, where it may be a proper name or mean
‘prince’. Matthew 10:25 b suggests thatBeelzeboulis seenas master over a
household of demons (compare ‘Lord of the house’ above). As the narrative
goes onwe learn that this is a synonym for Satan, as we would gatherfrom
him being the prince of the demons.
Verse 16
‘And others, trying him, sought of him a sign from heaven.’
Others challengedHim to prove His authenticity by performing some great
sign. While one party were accusing Him of consorting with the Evil One, the
others were doing the work of the Evil One by being used to renew his
tempting of Jesus and by calling on Him to produce a greatsign for the people
(Luke 4:1-13). Even while they were criticising Jesus they were demonstrating
who was their master(compare John 8:44). The Jews were famed as being
always on the look out for signs (see Luke 11:29-36;Matthew 16:1; Mark
8:12; John 2:18; John 4:48; John 6:30; 1 Corinthians 1:22). This request for a
sign connects with Luke 11:29-36 and supports the unity of the narrative.
So on the one hand were those who simply tried to dismiss Him as being in
league with Satan, on the other were those who were more ready to believe if
He did some greatsign and were tempting Him to do something spectacular.
Neither had regardfor the miracles that He had done (which they admitted)
or His casting out of evil spirits. But had He performed a sign it would not
have resulted in any good. It would have been a seven day wonder, and then

they would have wanted more. They really wanted continuous spectacular
signs.
Verse 17
‘But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingship divided
againstitself is brought to desolation, and a house divided againsta house falls
(literally ‘house falls on house’).” ’
But Jesus knew whatthe majority of them were thinking and pointed out that
if what they said was true it would mean that in that evil world which caused
such harm there was division within the kingship, and civil warbetweenthe
factions. They would be destroying eachother, house againsthouse. For they
were claiming that He had authority over demons and was fighting against
them with the connivance of the prince of demons. Such a situation would
mean that the combatants could not survive. For division in a kingship always
brought desolation, and a divided house always falls.
Verse 18
“And if Satan also is divided againsthimself, how shall his kingship stand?
Becauseyou saythat I castout demons by Beelzeboul.”
It would indeed mean that Satan was divided againsthimself, faction warring
with faction. How then could his kingship hope to survive? And this was
because they said that He castout demons by Beelzeboul, and was thus
demonstrating that he was on Beelzeboul’s side againstother demons.
Verse 19

“And if I by Beelzebubcastout demons, by whom do your sons castthem out?
Therefore shall they be your judges.”
And there was a further question. There were also Jewishexorciserswho cast
out demons (‘your sons’may signify disciples or younger Rabbis). If He did it
by Beelzeboul, what about them? Were they also in league with Satan? Thus
they would be judged as false by these whom they saw as respectedand holy
men.
WHOM DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT JESUS?
SERIES:JESUS, SAVIOR OF THE LOST
By Ron Ritchie
On April 15 of this year the SanFrancisco Chronicle had a banner headline in
its "Nation" sectionthat read,
"Jewishsectis expecting its Messiahby Sept. 9". According to some leaders
within the Hasidic sect, the
"miraculous" Allied defeatof the Iraqi army is more than just a military
victory. It is the sure sign that the
long awaitedJewishMessiahwill reveal himself before the JewishNew Year,
September 9, sending the
Jewishpeople back to Jerusalem"on clouds of glory." The article went on to
say, "Although Christians
believe that Jesus of Nazarethwas the Messiahforetoldin the Old Testament,
Orthodox Jews are still

waiting for the righteous king of Israel to revealhimself." They also see
September 9 as the first coming of
the Messiah, in which Jews will gatherback in Israel, the temple will be
rebuilt, and he will inspire the
nations of the world to make peace and to recognize him and his teachings. It
continues to be apparent that
when the Jewishpeople look at Jesus they rejectHim as their Messiahand
look for another.
Turn to Luke 11:14-36, where we will discover that the root of this rejection
goes back some 2000years.
For as the shadow of the cross fell more and more over the life of Jesus, we
find that the forces of evil
expressedthrough the religious community were closing in with a vengeance.
We will find our Lord
depending on his loving heavenly Father for strength to castout a demon,
wisdom to confront the
Pharisees,grace to correcta confusedwoman, and courage to challenge a
wickedgenerationall because
they had eyes but could not see that Jesus was their long awaitedMessiah,
"the Christ of God" (Luke
9:20.) As we study togetherthe blindness of the people who watchedour Lord
fulfill his ministry among
them as the Savior of the lost, we should be challengedin our own generation
to ask ourselves the
question, Whom do you see whenyou look at Jesus?
I. Some See a Servant of Satan
Luke 11:14-26

And He was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; and it came about that
when the
demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke;and the multitudes marveled. But
some of
them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." And
others, to
test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. But He knew their
thoughts, and
said to them, "Any kingdom divided againstitself is laid waste;and a house
divided
againstitself falls. And if Satan also is divided againsthimself, how shall his
kingdom
stand? Foryou say that I castout demons by Beelzebul. And if I by Beelzebul
castout
demons, by whom do your sons castthem out? Consequentlythey shall be
your judges.
But if I castout demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has
come upon
you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his
possessionsare
undisturbed; but when someone strongerthan he attacks him and overpowers
him, he
takes awayfrom him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his
plunder. He
who is not with Me is againstMe; and he who does not gather with Me,
scatters. Whenthe
unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passesthrough waterless placesseeking
rest, and not

finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'And when
it comes, it
finds it swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along sevenother
spirits more evil
than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man
becomes worse than
the first."
The lasttime the Lord had healeda man who had been possessedby demon,
the demon had causedhis
victim to become blind and dumb (Matthew 12:22-32). According to Dr. Luke,
this man had only the
problem of dumbness. (See DiscoveryPaper4144,WhenGod speaks, are you
willing to listen?, which
deals with the question, Are all dumb persons demon-possessed?)The crowd
was very much aware that
this man was demon-possessedand that he had been dumb or speechlessever
since the demon had taken
control of his life. This man was a symbol of the spiritual condition of the
nation of Israel. Now, the nation
of Israel had been establishedas a witness to the surrounding nations that
there was a loving heavenly
Father who bestowedrich blessings onhis beloved children and was willing to
bestow the gift of
redemption on all those who placedtheir faith in him as the one and only God.
As a result, all who had
establisheda relationship with God the Father would find themselves in
continuous conversationwith Him

in prayer and in singing praise to Him because ofhis faithful love and care for
them as his children. God
chose them when they were nothing, and gave them life, a message,and the
opportunity to minister. But
for the moment the nation was possessedby the demonic spirit of dumbness
and could not praise their
Creatorand loving Father.
The healing causeda strong reaction. When the Lord castout the demon of
speechlessnessand the man was
setfree to speak for the first time in years, the crowd marveled at his poweras
they always did, but none
believed in Him as the Christ of God, the one who could setthem free from
the bondage of Satanand spirit
of dumbness. They were amazed, but there was never a change in their hearts.
The prophet Isaiahdescribed the spiritual leaders of his day as Israel's
watchmen, who were blind, who all
lackedknowledge;they were all mute dogs, they could not bark; they lay
around and dreamed, they loved
to sleep. (Isaiah 56:10.)Little did Isaiahrealize that this spiritual tragedy
would continue even in the
presence oftheir Messiah. Fora group of the religious community calledthe
Pharisees andscribes, the
separatists and legalists,had been watching Jesus since the beginning of his
ministry, and they were
seeking to find some cause to have him condemned to death. Up to this point
they were seeking to build a

capital-offense caseagainsthim on the charges oflawbreaking and
blaspheming God. Now we are about to
enter into our Lord's seconddebate with the scribes and Pharisees (see
Matthew 12:22; the first debate was
over the man made dumb and blind by a demon), and at this time they will
level their third charge of
blaspheming againsthim (see Matthew 9:27-34;12:24). But they neededto
prove their case in court. So at
this time they cried out within hearing of the crowd, "He casts out demons by
Beelzebul[the lord of the
flies or the dung heap], the ruler of the demons."
Another group of people sought to test the Lord at this time, so they began to
demand a "signfrom
heaven." The Lord dealt with the Pharisees'charge first, then he took on
those who wanted a sign.
Knowing their thoughts, he challengedthe Pharisees withfour statements:
First, he reminded them of the
principle that civil war destroys a kingdom (11:17). Everyone knew the
principle that any kingdom divided
againstitself is laid to waste;and a house divided againstitself falls. Jesus was
saying, "Now, some of you
are calling me Satanand you are saying that as SatanI am casting out my
own demons. Let me ask you two
questions: (1) If Satan as well is divided againsthimself, how shall his
kingdom stand? Why would Satan,
the murderer, liar, deceiver, and god of this world spend any time casting out
his owndemons? Wouldn't

that actionbring his own kingdom down around his ears? (2)By whom do
your sons castthem out?" There
were Jews in Israel who practicedexorcismof demons, and this ability was
recognizedas a powergiven by
God. If their exorcists operatedby God's power, why did they say that his
powerwas of Satan?
"Consequentlythey shall be your judges."
Secondly, Jesus issueda spiritual challenge (11:20). "But if I castout demons
by the finger of God, then
the kingdom of God has come upon you." He was saying, "You have accused
me of casting out demons by
the powerof Satan, and I have said that if that were true my kingdom would
not lastvery long because
everyone knows that 'any kingdom divided againstitselfis laid waste.'Now, I
want you to consider the
other side of the coin, the only other possibility. What if I have receivedmy
powerby the "finger of God?"
(This phrase "the finger of God" was first mentioned in Exodus 8:19 when the
Pharaoh's magicians and all
their secretarts could not get rid of the plague of gnats, and so they went and
told their ruler that the
invasion of gnats was causedby "the finger of God." We are also told in
Exodus 31:18:"And when He had
finished speaking with [Moses]upon Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tables
of the testimony, tablets of
stone, written by the finger of God.")Then they would be facedwith the
awesome realitythat "the

kingdom of God has come upon you," because the demon was castout of the
formerly dumb man, and one
strongerthan Satanstood before them.
The kingdom of God is not land or power over the nations at this time.
Rather, it is a spiritual relationship
with the loving and merciful heavenly Father, immediately possible when one
places one's faith in Jesus as
Messiah, Lord, and Savior. ForJesus had said in John 3:3, "Truly, truly, I say
to you, unless one is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Once the King is invited to set up
his throne in your heart, you
have the privilege to ask the King for all the powernecessaryto deal with all
the realities in the spiritual as
well as the physical world. He is a loving, merciful Messiahwho wants to come
and setup his throne in
our hearts and reign in our lives. Later some Pharisees wouldask the Lord
when he thought the kingdom
would come on earth, along with the MessiahWarriorand his army, who
would overthrow the Roman
armies. Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be
observed;nor will they say,
'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your
midst." (Luke 17:20-21.)He
was saying, "So if I was able by the invisible but powerful finger of God to
castout this demon, then I tell
you that the kingdom that you have been looking for since the days of
Abraham and David has come upon

you, and in reality the door into that powerful but invisible spiritual kingdom
is right in front of you. The
invitation to be setfree to speak to God againis offered to you. Walk through
the door by faith and enter
into the kingdom of God. And your heart will be filled with praise. All you'll
want to do is speak it and
sing it."
Third, Jesus usedan illustration (11:21-23). "Whena strong man [Satan],
fully armed, guards his own
homestead[fallen humanity in any generation], his possessions are
undisturbed; but when someone
strongerthan he [Christ] attacks him and overpowers him [through the
Incarnation], he [Christ] takes away
from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder."
And as it says in Colossians
2:13-15, "And when you were dead in your transgressions...He made you alive
togetherwith Him, having
forgiven us all our transgressions...having nailed it to the cross. WhenHe had
disarmed the rulers and
authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them
through Him." Jesus was
saying, "Therefore, since I have attackedSatan's kingdomand defeatedhim,
now I am free to set his
captives free. He who is not with me is againstme; and he who does not gather
with me scatters." Leon
Morris in his book Luke, writes: "There canbe no neutrality about this.
When a man sees whatthe

kingdom means he must be either for it or againstit. Anyone who does not
side with Christ in the battle
againstevil is againsthim. If anyone does not gather with Christ he scatters
[the imagery is from gathering
a flock together]."
Finally, Jesus issueda warning (11:24-26). At this moment our Lord pulled
back the curtain of time and
allowedus to look into eternity so that we could see the final actof a play
calledThe Life and Times of a
LocalDemon. "Whenthe unclean spirit goes out of a man [who is without
Christ as King], it passes
through waterless places[the lifeless deserts ofthe world] seeking rest, and
not finding any, it says, 'I will
return to my house from which I came [the healed man].' And when it comes,
it finds it swept and put in
order. [The soul of the man is cleanedup from the destruction of the demon,
and no one else is in there.]
Then it goes and takes sevenother spirits more evil than itself, and they go in
and live there; and the last
state of that man becomes worse thanthe first." In this story our Lord was
using the former demoniac as an
illustration of the nation of Israel.
For John the Baptist had come and calledthe nation to repentance, and many
of the Jews repentedand were
living their new life in the powerof the Holy Spirit. But many did not. They
got an emotionalhigh being

with John the Baptist, but after they heard the truth and saidthey had
prepared their hearts, they went home
and on their own tried to keepthe law, to live a righteous life. They tried to
get better and improve
themselves, only to find out that the power of the flesh quickly faded and left
them worse off than before
they repented. Their souls were cleanbut empty of a realbelief in the Sonof
God and thus open to a greater
invasion of demons. Reformationwithout regenerationand the powerand
presence ofthe Holy Spirit
leaves a man cleanbut empty of powerto resistthe next invasion of demons.
(In observing this story we
can also learn some characteristicsofthe activity of demons on a personal
level: (1) Morally unclean spirits
can possess unbelievers. (2) They cancause dumbness and blindness as wellas
many other problems. (3)
They can be castout of a believer who uses the power of Christ. (4) They
wander looking for a place of
rest among the souls of men. (5) They can find rest only by being invited into
the souls of unbelievers. (6)
There are different levels of evil among demons. (7) The less evil demon can
recruit the more evil demons
to return to the reformed soul. (8) They can make a former victim's life seven
times as miserable.)
Picking up the spiritual principle, reform without regenerationand the
presence and powerof the indwelling
Holy Spirit leaves a man or woman emotionally and spiritually inadequate to
understand and deal with life,

whether there are demons involved or not. A recent case in point is the life of
Werner Erhard as reported by
Elizabeth Fernandez in the San Francisco Examineron April 21, 1991. "He
was once a used-carsalesman
who parlayed a keensense of human nature into a hip and prosperous New
Age enterprise, who shrewdly
turned the middle class onto pop psychology. Overthe years an estimated
750,000 people...participatedin
the self-improvement philosophy marketed by Werner Erhard... a program
calledest. Erhard established
himself as the king of communications and relationships, the man who helped
the world become the best it
could be. Now the guru has vanished from the public eye. Today he is
veneratedlike a demigod, derided as
a con man and defended as a misunderstood prophet and idolized as much as
he is despised." She went on
in a lengthy article to saythat the IRS wants him for tax evasionand that he is
being sued by his former
employees as well as former students. Most tragically, one of his daughters is
accusing him of molesting
her and raping another daughter, which is yet to be proven in court. At this
point you can hear the words of
our Lord Jesus:"...andthe last state of that man becomes worsethan the
first."
Whom do you see whenyou look at Jesus? Some see a servantof Satan, and...
II. Some See a Beautiful Son
Luke 11:27-28

And it came about while He said these things, one of the womenin the crowd
raisedher
voice, and saidto Him, "Blessedis the womb that bore You, and the breasts at
which You
nursed." But He said, "On the contrary, blessedare those who hear the word
of God, and
observe it."
As this woman stoodin the crowdand watchedour Lord first castout the
dumb spirit and then face the
accusing Phariseeswho had called him a blasphemer in the presence of the
former demoniac, her heart must
have been filled with confusion and joy. In spite of her mixed emotions this
woman and possible mother
cried out, not knowing she was fulfilling the words spokenby a woman named
Mary, heavy with child
while visiting her cousinElizabeth: "My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit
has rejoicedin God my Savior.
For He has had regardfor the humble state of His bondslave; for behold,
from this time on all generations
will count me blessed." (Luke 1:46-48.)The woman in the crowdin essence
said, "You have brought great
honor and blessing to your mother, for if she could see you at this moment she
would be so proud!" Jesus
responded with a gentle rebuke: "On the contrary, blessedare those who hear
the word of God and observe
it. And my mother is blessed, but it is because she is willing to follow God and
obey Him. And all who

hear the word of God and observe it will be equally blessed." This was also
true in the case ofMary the
sisterof Martha, who not only sat at the feetof Jesus but then obeyed the
word of God, and in the case of
Jesus himself, who not only sat at the feet of his Fatherbut also walkedin
obedience all the way to the
cross ofCalvary.
Whom do you see whenyou look at Jesus? Some see a servantof Satan, some
see a beautiful son, and...
III. Some See a Miracle Worker
Luke 11:29-32
And as the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generationis a
wicked
generation;it seeks fora sign, and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign
of Jonah.
For just as Jonahbecame a sign to the Ninevites, so shall the Sonof Man be to
this
generation. The Queen of the South shall rise up with the men of this
generationat the
judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to
hear the
wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greaterthan Solomonis here. The
men of
Nineveh shall stand up with this generationat the judgment and condemn it,
because they
repented at the preaching of Jonah;and behold, something greaterthan
Jonahis here."

Now the Lord addressedthe sign seekers.Back in11:16 we found some folks
in the crowdwho had
watchedthe captive demoniac setfree, and they sought to test him,
"demanding of Him a sign from
heaven." The meaning of "sign" was that some of the Jews wantedanother
miracle from heaven, not
realizing that Jesus was the signfrom heaven and they couldn't read it. So the
Lord issued one statement
and two warnings.
"This generationis a wickedgeneration;it seeksfor a sign, and yet no sign
shall be given to it but the sign
of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so shall the Son of
Man be to this generation."
The Lord had evaluatedthe wickedcity of Nineveh (in what is now Iraq) and
declaredthat if they did not
repent in 40 days the city and all its people would be destroyed by his mighty
hand. Jonah(800 BC) was a
sign or miracle to these people because ofhis experience ofspending three
days and nights in the belly of a
sea monster. It gave authority to his message ofmercy and judgment, with the
result that in 40 days the
king and his people were convictedby the word of the prophet and realized
without benefit of the Law of
Moses thatthey deservedthe judgment of a righteous God, and repented of
their sins. Thus the Lord in his
mercy spared them.

Jesus'signor miracle to the Jews, with all the Law of Moses as wellas the
witnesses to all his miracles,
would be only as he stated in Matthew:"Forjust as Jonahwas three days and
three nights in the belly of the
sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth." (Matthew
12:40.)The risen Lord and MessiahJesus Christwould be the last sign to
Israel, and if that sign of mercy
was rejected, then would come the final judgment. He was telling them, "You
are rejecting me on this side
of the cross, but if you rejectme after the resurrection then you will
experience God's final judgment."
Jesus pointed to two witnesses againstthis generation. First, the Queenof
Sheba (Saudi Arabia): "The
Queen of the South shall rise up with the men of this generationat the
judgment and condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth to hearthe wisdom of Solomon;
and behold, something greater
than Solomonis here." She hungered for wisdom, and when she was told that
a Jewishking named
Solomonmight have a clue, she traveled a long distance to find out anything
she could from him. And after
listening to him, she concluded, "Blessedbe the LORD your God who
delighted in you, setting you on His
throne as king for the LORD your God; because your God loved Israel
establishing them forever, therefore
He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."(2 Chronicles
9:8.) And yet here a thousand

years later, standing before this crowd was "...ChristHimself, in whom are
hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge"(Colossians 2:2-3.)Paul would later encourage the
Corinthians believers that he
preached"...to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christthe
powerof God and the wisdom
of God." (1 Corinthians 1:24.)On Judgment Day the Queenof Sheba will be
brought into the hall of justice
as a witness againstthis presentwickedgenerationwho had rejectedthe
"Wisdomof God." Then she will
say to them, "I traveled thousands of miles to find wisdom, and he was right
in front of you! Were you so
blind, so deaf to miss him? And here you are, with God's wisdomliving
among you, and now it is right in
front of you."
The secondwitness was the Men of Nineveh. The Lord drew the minds of the
crowdback to Nineveh,
since he had already mentioned Jonah, and warned this present wicked
generationthat "the men of Nineveh
shall stand up with this generationat the judgment and condemn it, because
they repented at the preaching
of Jonah; and behold, something greaterthan Jonah is here." When Jonah
spoke to the wickedpeople of
Nineveh who did not know their right hand from their left hand, they
recognizedthe authentic voice of God
and repented. And if this generationwould not repent of their rejectionof
Jesus as their Messiahafterthe

resurrection, God would bring the men of Nineveh who had acceptedthe
messageofGod through Jonah as
witnesses againstthis wickedgeneration. Forthese people had not only seen
the personand powerof Jesus
and heard his preaching, but then having witnessedall that evidence they still
rejectedhim as their Lord.
Whom do you see whenyou look at Jesus? Some see a servantof Satan, some
see a beautiful son, some
see a miracle worker, and...
IV. Some See the Light of the World
Luke 11:33-36
"No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it awayin a cellar, nor under a peck-
measure, but on
the lampstand, in order that those who enter may see the light. The lamp of
your body is
your eye; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but
when it is bad,
your body also is full of darkness. Thenwatchout that the light in you may
not be
darkness. If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it,
it shall be
wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays."
Jesus was standing before a nation that not only had been possessedby a
demon of dumbness, but many
were also losing their eyesight. For he had said earlier, "I am the light of the
world; he who follows me

shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12.) But
now some heard him say, "No
one, after lighting a lamp, puts it...under a peck-measure..."Forthe Lord God
had given the Jewishpeople
directly by the hand of Moses the law or truth of God's characterand moral
standards to live a life that
would please him and bring joy to their lives. But they were to put that light
"...onthe lampstand, in order
that those who enter may see the light [the truth of God].. Forhe had also
calledhis people to become the
light of salvationto the surrounding nations. So they had been calledto be
"the light of the world"
(Matthew 5:14.) Light defines the reality of God's characterand the reality of
our character.
Then the Lord againissued a callto repentance. "Whenyour eye is clear,
your whole body also is full of
light [truth and reality]; but when it is bad, your whole body also is full of
darkness." In essence this
nation's lamp had gone out, and their hearts were filled with darkness caused
by evil desires, pride and
prejudice. Jesus'warning was, "Youhave a choice;watchout that the light in
you may not be darkness."
The apostle Paulwould write to the Corinthians some 20 years later and
speak of his Jewishbrothers'
blindness whenever they read the Law: "And even if our gospelis veiled, it is
veiled to those who are
perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the
unbelieving, that they might not

see the light of the gospelof the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2
Corinthians 4:3-4.) Then
Jesus contrastedthe eyesightof those who were blinded by unbelief and that
of those who could see that
Jesus was the image of God. "If therefore your whole body is full of light, with
no dark part in it, it shall
be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays." Some saw
him as the Light of the
world. Some saw him as darkness. He was saying, "It's your choice."
The Christians at Stanford arrangeda sunrise service at FrostAmphitheater
this lastEaster. After some
wonderful music and the testimonies of two adults who had given their lives to
the Jesus as Lord and
Savior, I was privileged to speak a few words from the word of God. I saw
severalfolks that I knew who
were not Christians sitting on the lawn listening to the word of God. Up to
that point they had rejectedthe
light. Yet there they were-it was curious. Then as I invited the audience to
invite the risen Jesus Christ into
their hearts by confessing their need of him as their Lord and Savior, I was
really thinking about these
particular people. But at this invitation they remained unmoved by the
conviction of the Holy Spirit. I left
with a sense ofdisappointment, grieving that once againthey had rejected
God's gracious invitation to
salvation. Later I went to our Easterservice atShoreline and was sitting,
rather drained, in the top row with

my wife, when a friend walkedup and introduced me to a young woman of
about 20. He told me she
wanted to share something with me. When I askedher what she wanted to
share, she could not speak, but
giant tears spilled down her cheeks.I then askedher if she had invited Jesus
into her heart at the Stanford
service, and she nodded her head and finally said, "Yes." My heart was
overwhelmed with the joy of that
moment. The light of the life of Jesus Christ had invaded her heart, and now
her whole body is filled with
light!
When those with bad eyes look at Jesus, they see a servantof Satan, a
beautiful son or a miracle worker.
But those with the cleareyes of faith are able to see Jesus as the Light of the
world. My challenge to you
this morning is, Whom do you see when you look at Jesus? Your answeris the
difference betweenlife and
death, heaven and hell, even now. I would challenge you to ask God to give
you eyes to see that Jesus is
the Sonof God, the Saviorof the world, the MessiahofJews and Gentiles
alike, who is not coming on
September 9, 1991, but has already come. He was rejectedby his people,
placed on a cross for our sins,
and buried; and God then raised him from the dead and declares him Lord of
lords and King of kings. And
there is no other.

I invite you to accepthim as your Lord and Savior. Your eyes will be opened,
and the dumbness will leave
you and you'll end up praising God the restof your life and on into eternity!
But if you rejecthim as your
Lord and Savior, you'll be left in your dumbness and your blindness forever.
Don't do it! Don't spend
another day looking for Messiahto come when he's here as the risen Lord and
Savior. If you rejectthe
appeal to invite him into your heart as your Lord, Savior, and Messiah, then
comes the judgment. Now we
hear the voice of mercy; one day it will be the voice of judgment.
Catalog No. 4150
Luke 11:14-36
35th Message
Ron Ritchie
April 28, 1991
Copyright (C) 1995 DiscoveryPublishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible
Church.
J. C. RYLE
Section70. Jesus and Beelzebub, Luke 11:14-20

And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when
the devil was gone out, the dumb spoke;and the people wondered. But some
of them said, He casts out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
And others, tempting him, soughtof him a sign from Heaven. But he, knowing
their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided againstitself is
brought to desolation;and a house divided againsta house falls. If Satanalso
be divided againsthimself, how shall his kingdom stand? because yousay that
I castout devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub castout devils, by
whom do your sons castthem out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I
with the finger of God castout devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come
upon you.
The connectionbetweenthese verses and those which immediately precede
them, is striking and instructive. In the preceding verses, our Lord Jesus
Christ had been showing the powerand importance of prayer. In the verses
before us, he delivers a man from a 'mute' devil. The miracle is evidently
intended to throw fresh light on the lesson. The same Saviorwho encourages
us to pray — is the Saviorwho destroys Satan's powerover our members, and
restores our tongues to their proper use.
Let us notice, firstly, in these verses — the variety of ways in which Satan
exhibits his desire to injure man. We read of a 'mute' devil. Sometimes in the
Gospelwe are told of an "unclean" devil. Sometimes we are told of a raging
and violent devil. Here we are told of one under whose influence the unhappy
person possessedby him became mute. Many are the devices of Satan. It is
foolish to suppose that he always works in the same manner. One thing alone
is the common mark of all his operations — he delights to inflict injury and do
harm!
There is something very instructive in the case before us. Do we suppose,
because bodily possessionby Satan is not so glaringly manifest as it once was

— that the greatenemy is less active in doing mischief than he used to be? If
we think so — then we have much to learn.
Do we suppose that there is no such thing as the influence of a mute devil in
the presentday? If we do, we had better think again. What shall we sayof
those who never speak to God, who never use their tongues in prayer and
praise, who never employ that organwhich is a man's "glory," in the service
of Him who made it? What shall we say, in a word, of those who can speak to
everyone but God? What can we say, but that Satan has stripped them of the
truest use of a tongue? What ought we to say, but that they are possessedwith
a mute devil? The prayerless man is dead while he lives. His members are
rebels againstthe God who made them. The mute devil is not yet extinct!
Let us watchand pray, that we may never be given over to the influence of a
mute spirit. Thanks be to God, that same Jesus still lives, who can make the
deaf to hear and the mute to speak!To Him, let us flee for help. In Him, let us
abide. It is not enough to avoid open profligacy, and to keepclear of glaring
sins. It is not enough to be moral, and proper, and respectable in our lives. All
this is negative goodness,and nothing more.
Is there anything positive about our religion? Do we yield our members as
instruments of righteousness to God? (Romans 6:13.)Having eyes — do we
see God's kingdom? Having ears — do we hear Christ's voice? Having a
tongue — do we use it for God's praise? These are very serious inquiries. The
number of people who are deaf and mute before God, is far greaterthan
many suppose!
Let us notice, secondly, in these verses — the amazing powerof prejudice over
the hearts of unconverted men. We read, that when our Lord castout the
mute spirit, there were some who said, "He casts outdevils through

Beelzebub, the chief of the devils!" They could not deny the miracle. They
then refused to allow that it was wrought by divine power. The work before
their eyes was plain and indisputable. They then attempted to discredit the
characterof Him who did the miracle, and to blackenHis reputation by
saying that he was in league with the devil.
The state of mind here described is a most formidable sin — and sadly, it is
very common. There are never lacking people who are determined to see no
goodin the servants of Christ, and to believe all kind of evil reports about
them. Such people appear to throw aside their common sense. Theyrefuse to
listen to evidence, or to attend to plain arguments. They seemresolvedto
believe that whatever a Christian does must be wrong — and whatever he
says must be false! If he does right at any time — then it must be from corrupt
motives! If he speaks truth — then it must be with sinister views!If he does
goodworks — then it is from selfish reasons!If he casts out devils — then it is
through the powerof Beelzebub!
Such prejudiced people are to be found in many a congregation. Theyare the
severesttrials of the ministers of Christ. It is no wonder that Paul said, "Pray
that we may be delivered from unreasonable as well as wickedmen." (2
Thessalonians 3:2.)
Let us strive to be of a fair, and honest, and candid spirit in our judgment of
men and things in religion. Let us be ready to give up old and cherished
opinions, the moment that anyone can show us a "more excellentway." The
honest and goodheart is a greattreasure. (Luke 8:15.)
A prejudiced spirit is the very jaundice of the soul. It affects a man's mental
eyesight, and makes him see everything in an unnatural color. From such a
spirit, may we pray to be delivered!

Let us notice, lastly, in these verses — the greatevil of religious divisions. This
is a truth which our Lord impresses onus in the answerHe gives to His
prejudiced enemies. He shows the folly of their charge, that He castout devils
by Beelzebub. He quotes the proverbial saying that "a house divided against
itself falls." He infers the absurdity of the idea that Satan would castout
Satan— or the devil castout his ownagents. And in so doing, He teaches
Christians a lessonwhich they have been mournfully slow to learn in every
age of the church. That lessonis the sin and folly of needless divisions.
Religious divisions of some kind, there must always be — as long as false
doctrine prevails, and men will cleave to it. What communion can there be
betweenlight and darkness? How cantwo walk together, unless they are
agreed? Whatunity can there be — where there is not the unity of the Spirit?
Division and separationfrom those who adhere to false and unscriptural
doctrine — is a duty, and not a sin.
But there are divisions of a very different kind, which are deeply to be
deplored. Such, for example, are divisions betweenmen who agree onmain
points — divisions about matters not needful to salvation — divisions about
forms and ceremonies, andecclesiasticalarrangements upon which Scripture
is silent. Divisions of this kind, are to be avoided and discouragedby all
faithful Christians. The existence ofthem is a melancholy proof of the fallen
state of man, and the corruption of his understanding as well as his will. They
bring scandalon religion, and weakness onthe church. "Everykingdom
divided againstitself is brought to desolation."
What are the best remedies againstneedless divisions? A humble spirit, a
readiness to make concessions, andan enlightened acquaintance with holy
Scripture. We must learn to distinguish betweenthings in religion which are
essential — and things which are not essential;things which are needful to

salvation— and things which are not needful; things which are of first rate
importance — and things which are of secondrate importance.
On essentialthings, we must be stiff and unbending as the oak tree, "If any
man preaches any other Gospelthan that which we have preached — let him
be accursed." (Galatians 1:8.). On non-essentials, we may be as yielding and
compliant as the willow, "I have become all things to all men — that I might
by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:22.)
To draw such cleardistinctions requires greatpracticalwisdom. But such
wisdom is to be had for the asking. "If any man lacks wisdom — let him ask
of God." (James 1:5.) When Christians keepup needless divisions — they
show themselves more foolish than Satanhimself!
11:14-23 Jesus andBeelzebub
Previous Next
Luke 11:14-23 “Jesuswas driving out a demon that was mute. When the
demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowdwas amazed.
But some of them said, ‘By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out
demons.’ Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew
their thoughts and said to them: ‘Any kingdom divided againstitselfwill be
ruined, and a house divided againstitself will fall. If Satanis divided against
himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because youclaim that I drive
out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom
do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I
drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to

you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions
are safe. But when someone strongerattacksand overpowers him, he takes
awaythe armour in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils. He who
is not with me is againstme, and he who does not gatherwith me, scatters.’”
There are some events that make your blood run cold, actions of unspeakable
horror and pain lacking any rational explanation whatsoeverso that you feel
that you’ve got a glimpse of the pit. Forexample, a middle-aged man was a
taxi-driver in a country town in the north of England, a man with little history
of personalviolence. His mother is alive and he was a devoted son; he had a
twin brother and he was a caring father. His sons spoke up for him at his
funeral yesterday, what a loving Dad he had been to them. But one day earlier
this month he went off on a shooting spree murdering a dozen people
including his own twin and others whom he knew, but many of the people he
didn’t know, just driving up to them as they workedon their farms or passing
them by on the road and shooting them dead. He tried to shootthem in the
face. The cruelty and senselessnessofthese murders chills you and makes you
aware of a powerof evil in our groaning world. There are other acts like that.
A whole nation can be affectedby a spirit of wickednessso that millions of
Jewishmen and women, boys and girls are loaded onto cattle trucks and
takento camps and gassed to death and their bodies incinerated. Tens of
thousands of people were involved in organizing that infamy without
complaining. One also thinks of the spectre of a suicide bomber who kills
himself and as many strangers as he can, and though there are religious and
cultural reasons forthat wickednessone also believes that other evil powers
are involved.
Then one can think of another very different form of evil manifest in the
financial crisis that banks and governments have passedthough in the last
couple of years almost all over the world. Am I crazy in seeing something of
the activity of the god of this world in creating such a spirit which at the very
highest levels in the most powerful nations of the world was a spirit of theft,

unbridled greedand covetousnesswhichitself is a kind of idolatry? The spirit
of unbridled mammon comes from the pit.
When you turn to the Bible the third chapter of the Old Testamentintroduces
us to Satanin the form of a serpent who is tempting our first parents. The
fourth chapterof the New Testamentintroduces us to the devil who is
tempting the Lord Jesus in the wilderness. Have you been tempted to do
something bad? Then you have been influenced by Satanwhether you believe
in him or not. I am saying that you cannot go far into Old or New Testaments,
but especiallyin the life of Christ, without coming acrossthe influence of the
devil. Modernists have attackedthis feature of the Bible claiming that it shows
Christ was a child of his time, that the people of Galilee believed in the devil
and so he went along with them, but that surely, they claim, in Jesus’heart of
hearts he couldn’t have believed in demons. They’ve felt supremely confident
in dismissing any thought of Satangetting involved in the lives of people
today, particularly their own lives.
However, we notice that the Lord Jesus was always resisting the errors of
thought of his fellow countrymen, correcting their wrong ideas, standing
againstthe tide, even laying down his life for his ownconvictions which were
often contrary to the system’s. So it is strange that Christ should constantly
and relentlesslyaffirm the beliefs of ordinary people that men, womenand
children may be temporarily but pervasively influenced by an evil spirit and
later may be delivered from it. In factthere are many examples in the first
three gospels in which our Lord saves people from satanic powers. If in fact
they were quite deluded about this, if the truth was that they were having a
nervous breakdown, for example, or if they were under psychiatric pressures,
or if they were mentally or physically handicapped in some way then why
didn’t Jesus deal with them in truth and tell them, “It is not because of the
devil you are like this, silly!” and deliver them from compounding their
troubles by believing a lie about Satan? Is Jesus the greatphysician or not?

Greatphysicians warn their patients about false self-diagnoses.If he loved
them Jesus wouldn’t allow them to go on believing lies.
I have often told you that I have never met anyone whom I believe to have
been demon-possessedandthat most ministers I know stand with me in this
regard. The case before us in our text is extremely rare in Wales today, maybe
not existing at all, but it was not rare in Israelwhen Jesus walkedthis earth.
Why did this sudden infestation of demonic activity occurduring the three
years of Jesus’ministry? As I have thought about this I have come to these
four conclusions, that. . .
i] We can’t read the inner state of men and women today, but our Lord knew
the hearts of men and he could see whatwe cannotknow. While we only see a
man who couldn’t speak, Jesuscouldgo in and into the mute person and
discoverthe true reasonfor his silence. He could make judgment about the
inner life of people that we cannotmake.
ii] Again, God permitted such an outburst of demonic activity that we might
know with certainty that our own lives are to be lived in this context of being
aware of the god of this world and his activities, so that we might be deeply
sure of man’s need of a divine Deliverer.
iii] Again, Satanand his hosts were busy in Galilee as a diversionary tactic,
doing all in their powerto draw people’s attention awayfrom the ministry of
the Lord Jesus. Cynicalpeople would be encouragedto shrug their shoulders
at the mighty acts of Jesus and say, “There are lots of strange powers at work
these days, not just Jesus.”

iv] Again, it would seemto me to be very strange for Satannot to do all in his
powerto counter the work that Jesus was doing in Galilee, including taking
over one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, and turning him againstChrist so
that he betrayed him. It is when the goodand holy is most powerfully present
that evil will most powerfully counter it. Todayit is apathy and complacency
that are everywhere and that suits the devil to keepthings just like that. He
won’t rock the boat. If there were a greatwork of God being done then more
obvious indications of Satan’s devices would be seentoday.
So I believe that today there is a widespreadinvolvement of the god of this
world with us all, just as much as in Bible times and maybe even more, but the
devil’s cause is better served by not drawing attention to his activities. He is
camouflaged. Thatangelof light you thought so wonderful – that might be
him. That sheepyou thought so attractive and harmless – that might be a wolf
in sheep’s clothing. We all are aware that the reasons forpeople’s actions
often lie under the surface. Suddenly a teacherwill notice that a pupil, sayin
year five, has changed. His work suffers;he’s not paying attention; he
distracts other children and is a disruptive influence in class;he cannot
concentrate, andhis notebooks thatused to be neat are now full of shoddy
work. Then the parents came to schoolone PTA evening and you discover
that there’s been a death in the family, or sudden unemployment and there is
little money in the home, or there is a long dying of a parent, or a divorce, or
something equally traumatic and then the teacherbegins to understand how
this boy’s work and behaviour has nose-dived. What you see on the surface in
the classroomisn’t the whole picture. What is going on out of sight at home
has impacted this chap. That is how it is with the work of Satan. A man picks
up his gun and goes offon a shooting spree but we may not see in our lifetimes
what lies behind this wickedness. It is impenetrable to us, but it was not
impenetrable to Christ. Banks and governments go mad borrowing what they
cannot repay, and lending money that they don’t have, making promises they
cannot keepof high interest rates for investors, and so the world is plunged
into debt and many lives are ruined. Behind it all there is the godof this
world, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience, but that fact

is hidden from the secularmedia and only suspectedby a Christian like me.
The devil does not announce his activities.
When JoelBeeke was withMalcolm and Ruth Firth in Riga in 2002 he was
going back to his hotel one evening when men burst in on him crying “Mafia,
mafia” pushed him to the floor and tied him up and ran a knife up and down
his back all the while shouting “Mafia,” andfor about 45 minutes they
ransackedhis room taking everything that was valuable. Then suddenly they
left without physically hurting him. The mafia is not always as aggressive and
self-disclosing as that. They work and threaten in the dark. So it is with the
devil and his cohorts. They certainly do not draw attention to themselves,
announcing them selves as, “Satan, Satan,”but the devil is everywhere
seeking whomhe may lead astray and cantake to the pit with him. He is busy
here this morning even as I speak;Alfred Place is not a demon-free zone. How
are Christians generally troubled by Satan? Here is a typical response that I
have adapted from a pastor today; sevenways:
Satancan put blasphemous thoughts into your mind, and then whispers that
you cannotbe a child of God if you have such thoughts.
Satancan get you to question the truth of God’s word, his wonderful promises
and the mercy of that Lord who has never treatedyou ill.
Satancan seek to persuade you that you have gotno part in the matter of
salvation, for you have only begun with the Lord but he has not begun with
you. That is what Satansays.
Satancan suggestto you that no child of God could be like you: so weak in
faith, so corrupt, so hard and prayerless, so foolishand vain.

Satancan come as your accuser, leading you to despair, or as an angelof light,
leading you to presumption.
Satancan present the world outside this church in the fairestcolours, the fun
place to be, that what’s out there is real, while this world of Jesus Christis
fantasy (the very opposite of what are the facts)and Satantries to move you
back into its ways from what he suggestsis the tedium of Sunday worship.
Satancan press you to abandon yourself to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life (JoelBeeke,Striving Against Satan, pp. 34&35
Bryntirion Press). I am saying that Satanis active everywhere in our land
today even though he has no need to possess and indwell people to the same
extent as he did when Jesus walkedthis earth. So what lessons wouldGod
have us learn from this passage before us?
DEMONS MIGHT CAUSE SOME PHYSICAL CONDITIONS.
Here is an example of a man becoming mute because of evil powers. There is
the case ofblindness in Matthew 12, self-destructionin Mark 9, preternatural
strength in Mark 5, all connectedto the work of the devil. There are other
casesin this gospel, for example, back in the ninth chapterof Luke we meet a
child having convulsions and throwing himself to the ground through an evil
influence coming upon him. Or if you go on to chapter 13 we read of how the
Lord Jesus met “a woman who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen
years. She was bent over and could not straightenup at all” (Lk. 13:11). Then
Jesus says, “Shouldnot this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satanhas
kept bound for eighteenlong years be setfree” (Lk.11:16). Certainly those
words of Jesus do not sound like someone who didn’t believe in his heart that
this woman’s biomedical disorder was causedby Satan. Jesus declaresthe

influence of the devil to have been the root cause ofher physical condition.
You remember that Luke, the writer of this gospel, was himself a physician.
He would have widespread exposure to all kinds of illnesses and diseasesboth
psychiatric and physical. Yet he mentions four times in verses 14 and 15 in
our text the word ‘demon’ (or ‘demons’).
So this man had become mute. The splendid pastor today in a church in
BlaenauFfestiniog 60 miles north of us (where in fact we were married 46
years ago)had a major operation in Liverpool ten days ago, and one strange
effectof the pain-killers he’s been given since that operationis that he has
become mute in communicating in English. He canstill speak Welsh, but that
is not so useful in a Liverpool hospital, and they have had to ask his wife to
come and stay in the hospital to interpret his speech. Theyare there this
moment even as I speak to you. Of course his strange condition would not
have anything to do with the activity of the devil.
I find this all to be quite fascinating, not because I believe that illnesses today
are causedby Satan. I’d think that that was extremely rare and I’ve never
come across suchcases, but what is salutary is that it delivers us from
stereotyping demon possessionin the first century. I mean that we are not to
think that wheneverpeople of those times saw bizarre behaviour, or mental
illness, or people with learning difficulty that they diagnosedimmediately,
“Ah, demons!” That is a very dangerous attitude. Today in most of the world
people who are different, for example, albinos in Africa, can be stigmatized
and tormented by people making such wickedand ill informed judgments
about them, “Ah they are possessedwith demons.” Don’t be a simpleton. Here
is a man who is mute, here is a boy who has occasionalconvulsions, here is a
crippled woman and a blind man and all those individuals we are told in
Scripture were bound by Satan. But what the Bible also tells us is that all men
are spiritually blinded by the god of this world. Your problem is not with an
unusual person out there, but the blinkered personthat you are today in your
heart to truth and to the glory of Christ. Our Lord is telling us that the god of

this world, the enemy of Jesus’life – the one who’d tempted him in the
wilderness – could also perforate the life of a poor man or womanand trouble
them by taking awaytheir speechor sight or hearing or create some kind of
orthopaedic condition crippling them and Jesus restoredthem to goodhealth
by driving out the demon. We may never meet such a condition in our own
lifetimes, but it is here in the New Testamentfor the reasons I have
mentioned, and we are to make a place in our theologicaluniverse for its
possibility howeverremote that might be from where we’re at right now.
So here is a case of muteness. Rememberthe context; Jesus has been teaching
his followers to pray aloud like him, to say the Lord’s Prayer. This man could
not sayit. He could not praise God; he could not cry out to Jehovahin wonder
or intercession;he could not express his love for his neighbour. He was
trapped inside his own body; he did not possess poweroverhis own body’s
functions, and that was so restricting. We have been made to give glory to
God and enjoy him for ever, to address him as a son addresseshis own father,
but the enemy of men’s souls had clamped down on this man and made him
mute. He has lockedup this man’s spirit within himself. That would be what
Satanwould do for everyone of us if he could, to make us a mute
congregation, to turn Aberystwyth into a place like Mecca in Saudi Arabia
where the praises of our Godand king are never allowedto be sung aloud.
How we would resistthat. We cry, “O for a thousand tongues to sing our great
Redeemer’s praise.” We sayto those who do not join with us in praise, “Let
those refuse to sing who never knew our God.” You have readinterviews with
famous singers who at one time developed nodules on their vocalcords and
they needed an operationto remove them. After the op. they were not allowed
to make a single sound for two weeks until their vocalcords were healed. “Ah,
what a relief,” they said to the personinterviewing them, “when we could
speak again, and sing againafter those weeks ofsilence!” So it was with this
man enabled by Christ to tell forth the wonderful deeds of God. So demons
may cause some physicalsymptoms.

CHRIST DELIVERED THE DEMON POSSESSED.
The greattheme of the gospels is the powerof Jesus Christ, powerover
creation, over disease,evenover death itself and in cases like the one before
us, powerover the devil. So we are to cry, “Whatmanner of man is this that
even the demons obey him?” You will notice how on every single occasionthe
deliverance is immediate. There is no tug of war. Who is in charge? Who is in
the driving seathere? “Jesus was driving out a demon” (v.14). There was no
resistance;you cannot resistomnipotence. Out it went. It is always like that in
the New Testament, evenin the case ofthe Gadarene demoniac in whom there
was a horrible demon infestation, one word from Jesus and they all took off.
Devils fear and fly, and the man was left clothed and in his right mind. The
New Testamentis telling us that we need the power of God in order to make
us really sensible and lucid with a right attitude to life, God’s own attitude.
Otherwise we might treat life as if it were all a laugh.
What is the greatlessonfor us? It is this, that it is through Christ that our
assurance ofvictory comes. Our deliverance is grounded in him, in his past
achievements and present reign, in his presence in us and alongside us, in his
powerand in his love. The power of the devil is his relentless hostility and
cunning. His opportunity is our weakness, ill health, pride, memories,
disappointments and a bad conscience. Throughthese he gets at us and moves
us to turn againstGod. From all those we may be delivered and be victorious.
That is why Jesus Christ came into the world, to deliver us from the devil, and
that is why he brought you to read this message, to bring to nought Satan’s
attempts to drive you to despair.
Satanused Saul of Tarsus to do terrible things againstthe early church, to
encourage his buddies to stone to death the young Stephen. He guarded their
coats from thieves so that they could have more effectiveness in hurling sharp
rocks into Stephen’s body and dropping boulders onto his head and breaking

his skull. But God met with Saul of Tarsus quite dramatically and suddenly –
not all conversions are as instantaneous as that – and even in Saul it was
followedby years of learning and maturing. God savedSaul from being
domineered by spirit of darkness and evil, but he did far more than that. He
more than conquered Saul, he made Saul his servant. He made him his
powerful apostle, through whom he blew great breaches in the walls of the
kingdom of darkness so that millions have escapedfrom that kingdom for
over 2,000 years by the words and example of Saul of Tarsus. He broke
Satan’s dam and we flooded out. I met a man yesterdayat his 60th birthday
who told me that he owed his conversionto read the first verse of Romans
chapter five, “Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ.” God more than conquered Satanin Saul, he used him to
conquer Satanbondage of millions of others. It is through Christ we can
overcome Satan. Luther said,
Did we in our own strength confide
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The man of God’s own choosing.
Dostask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, itis He;
Lord SabaothHis Name,
For age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.
You put your entire trust in what Jesus Christ has done, in his power over
everything in creation, his power over sickness, his powerover death and his
powerover the devil. You have entrusted yourself to this one who says, “Come

to me.” You have come just as you are and have entrusted yourself into his
safe keeping. He will hold you in the hollow of his hand and no devil will ever
pluck you from there. He has delivered you from the kingdom of darkness. He
has delivered you from Satan’s tyranny, he has given you strength to resist the
devil’s temptation. He everlives to pray for you and so he can save you to the
uttermost. Remember how Jesus told Peterthat Satanwanted to destroy him
but that he was praying for Peter. What then was Peterto do? Watch and
pray. What then are we to do? Watchand pray. Keep watch. What moments
or situations are you vulnerable? Are you with a member of the opposite sex
and there is no one else around? Watch your heart, watch yourself. What
times are you depressedand heart-brokenand disappointed? Be on your
guard, and pray. Ask the Saviour to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep
you. He is willing to aid you; he will carry you through. Go to the one who has
delivered every single personwho was under the control of the devil. “Help
me now Lord! Be with me now Lord! Directand guide me now Lord.” Pray
and watch. Watchand pray.
CHRIST’S ENEMIES HATED HIS POWERFULWORKS OF MERCY.
The crowdwas amazed to hear this mute man speaking naturally again,
praising God for his deliverance. You would think that they would all be in
tears, or fearful at what had happened, or rejoicing along with this man. That
was not the case. There were some who simply wanted Jesus to perform
another sign. “Again!” they cried, “. . . do one again.” We are told that they
“testedhim by asking for a sign from heaven” (v.16). Jesus told another group
of people that it was a sinful and adulterous generationwho were always
asking for signs. They had seenmiracle after miracle, the dead raised, the
multitudes fed, every sick person brought to him restored, but they still
wanted to see more. King Herod sent for Jesus wanting him to do a miracle. It
is no signof saving faith that people want to see miracles. It is a sign of lack of
faith in the personof Jesus Christ.

There were others who hated what Jesus had done. It was a sign to them of
the mighty power of Jesus. It was saying to them, “Bow to him. Submit to him
as your Lord. Follow him. Serve him as your God. Worship him. Become his
disciple.” That was the message thatthis mighty miracle was speaking to
them, and that was the lastthing they wanted to do. They liked their own
lifestyles better; they’d defend them to the bitter end and any encouragement
to change would meet strong resistance.The best method of defence is attack
and so they attackedJesus.Whatfools they thought the people were in being
swayedby the transformation of this man. Sure for months, if not years, the
man had gaspedand mouthed words and wept his frustration at not being
able to speak, but now his wife and children could hear his dear voice again.
See them clinging to one another in their joy. Yes that was true. This was no
set-up; they knew the man; they could not deny the change in him, but how
had Jesus workedthis miracle? That was the $64,000 question. Where had
this carpenter’s boy from Nazareth gothis power? From the devil, of course,
“By Beelzebub, the prince of deomons, he is driving out demons” (v.16).
There are three alternatives in explaining the miracles of Jesus (if you exclude
the explanation that it was all a hoax, a conjuring trick, sleightof the hand,
the work of magicians, and the enemies of Christ did not suggestthat this had
happened here. The sick man had indeed been physically transformed, and his
speechhad been restored). The first explanation is that this is a sign that the
incarnate God is present, that Jesus is the word made flesh and performs
these miracles showing that he is the Son of God. The secondis simply that
some psychologicaltriggerthat has setoff the body’s own healing work, and
that, I recognize, is a possibility in healing. There are casesofthat, and this
deliverance of this man from being mute would fit into that kind of category,
but others would not fit into it so well, such as the instantaneous cleansing of
the skinof a leper, the recoveryof sight of a man born blind, the raising of the
dead. The third explanation would be that there was anotherpower at work
that was not from God, like the power of the magicians of Egypt, to turn a rod
into a snake, demonic powerwas the explanation..

So here is Jesus on trial, having to defend himself againstan allegationthat he
performs miracles by the power of the devil. How does he answerthem?
i] Would Satandestroy the work of Satan? Then he would be ruined. If the
demons are at warwith one another then the days are numbered for the
kingdom of darkness. Would Satanundo the work he was doing? Would one
demon make this man mute while another demon give this man his speech?
Common sense rejects that explanation.
ii] There were other followers ofGod in those days, men like Simeon and
Nicodemus and Josephof Arimathea, who were God-fearing men who were
waiting for the Messiahto come, and some amongstthat remnant in Israel
had divine power to exorcise demons. They really did this; Jesus did not deny
that, and the people were glad of their work. His enemies dare not sayabout
them that they were casting our demons by the devil’s power. They were
afraid of the people. So Jesus appealedto that fact; “Now if I drive out
demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then,
they will be your judges” (v.19). The people would be shockedif Jesus’
enemies said that the goodpeople they esteemedwere pawns in the devil’s
hands. So their spiritual success supportedJesus’deliverance of this man
through the powerof Jehovahthe God of Israel.
iii] Jesus goes onthe attack, “IfI drive out demons by the finger of God, then
the kingdom of God has come to you” (v.20). He is asking them what does
what they have seenand heard tell men about Jesus ofNazareth? That the
hand of God and the powerof God rests upon Christ. This is God’s beloved
Son in whom he is well pleased. God’s reign over death and the devil is seen
here in this world through Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God has come to
you..

iv] Jesus strengthens his attack claiming he has more powerthan the devil.
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are
safe. But when someone strongerattacks andoverpowers him, he takes away
the armour in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils” (vv.21&22).
See how powerful Satanis. He is the god of this world, he has principalities
and powers and is the ruler of the darkness ofthis age, his is spiritual
wickednessin high places. Yes, Satandoesn’t know everything and he can be
only in one place at one time, but he has many demonic helpers and he is well
organized. But the Lord Jesus is more powerful than all of the satanic
hegemony; Jesus is omnipotent, and he is omnipresent, and he knows what
Satanis up to. He can overpowerthe devil at will, take awayhis armour, and
deliver those held captive by him. Don’t you want such a Saviour to be your
Saviour? I can’t understand how everyone of you doesn’t ask the Lord to be
with you and keepyou and take you safelythrough this dark world through
all the attacks ofthe devil and bring you safely home
v] Jesus tells them that they must decide. There are men saying that he is a
servant of evil, but he claims to be a servant of God. Who is right? You have
to choose. Everyone of you has to choose. Remember, Jesus says,“He who is
not with me is againstme, and he who does not gatherwith me, scatters”
(v.23). You cannot be neutral; you cannot say, “The jury is out.” You have the
Sermon on the Mount; you have the discourses ofJohn’s gospel;you have the
claims of Christ; you have the godlike loving life of Christ and you have the
miracles of our Lord, one after another. It is always the mark of the rebel that
he shakes his head and clamours for more, more evidence, more miracles,
more parables and then he might condescendto vote for Jesus. Have you read
through the gospelofMark? You sayyou have not, and so if you want more
then I will give you more, I will give you Mark’s gospelto read. If you are not
gathering with us, and gathering around the throne of God, and gathering
around the cross of Christ and making that your plea, if you are not standing
in unity and affectionwith the people of God whose only hope in life and
death is their faithful Saviour Jesus Christ then you are scattering and
dividing and opposing that unity. You want more? Go eachSunday with an
open hungry believing heart to church and hear the word of God, and cry that

God will make himself knownto you. If you are not doing that then it is little
reasonthat you are againstChrist still, and that is a fearful place to stand.
Come and take your stand with him, the mighty conqueror of Satan.
20th June 2010 GEOFFTHOMAS
Third Millennium Study Bible
Notes on Luke 11:14-26
The Kingdom and Demons - Luke 11:14-26
This event is coveredin detail in the GospelofMatthew and Mark (below).
Jesus castout demons. The enemies of Jesus did not necessarilydeny that he
expelled demons. Howeverthey claimed that his powertoastthem out came
from Beelzebub. Beelzebub was the name of a heathen god, that during the
age of Christ, was used as a designationfor Satan(2 Kings 1:2; Matt. 10:25).
In Luke 11:17-18 we observe that unity is strength and division is weakness.If
Jesus had been in league with Satanbut had simultaneously workedagainst
Satan, he would have been weakening his own Kingdom. Stein says, "That
Satan's kingdom would be divided againstitselfbecause Jesus, as a servantof
the prince of demons, was undermining Satan's work by liberating the demon
possessedmakes no sense. It is illogical." The followers of those who accused
Jesus also castoutdemons (Luke 11:19). If demons could only be castout by
the powerof Satan, the followers ofJesus'accusers were guilty too. That the
accusersdid not condemn their own followers proved that their accusations
were false.

Jesus'powerwas from God, as he is God. "The finger of God" (Luke 11:20) is
the work of God himself (Exod. 8:19; 31:18;Deut. 9:10). Matthew 12:28 reads
"the Spirit of God." Both phrases bring out the truth that Jesus did not drive
out demons by Beelzebub. The powerof God was at work in him. This points
to the further truth that in the coming of Jesus, the Kingdom of God has
come. The miracles he performed were evidence for those with eyes to see that
God was at work. Jesus has been sentfrom Godand that the destruction of
Satan's authority as ruler of this world (cf. John 12:31; 14:30;16:11;Eph.
2:2) means that God's Kingdom has now come (Luke 11:20).
In Luke 11:21-22 we see thatSatan is like a strong man in complete controlof
his house (the people under his power). But Jesus is stronger(cf. Luke 3:16)
than Satanand overthrows him. This is a vivid way of saying that the
Kingdom of God is not simply a matter of helpful teaching; it involves the
powerto overcome Satan.
There can be no neutrality, and there is no middle course (Luke 11:23). The
messageofthe Kingdom entails the possibility for the individual believer to
overcome evil, and anyone who rejects this message implicitly accepts the
ways of evil. Jesus made it clearthat he was not referring to a moral
reformation whereby a sinner puts awaysome evil thing but replaces it with
nothing else (Luke 11:24).
The demon had left him and gone to arid places (demons were commonly
thought to live in deserts). Dissatisfied, the demon returned to the place he
had left, and since no one had takenhis place, his reentry was easy. Note, the
demon still referred to the place he had vacatedas his own ("my" house). The
man had cleanedup his life but had done nothing more. His heart was empty
and open to any evil influence. The result was that sevendemons more wicked
than the first took up residence there (Luke 11:25).

Stien sums up this sectionsaying:
This text contains important Christologicaland eschatologicalprinciples. The
first involves Jesus'greatness. He is the "more powerful one" of whom John
the Baptistspoke (Luke 3:16), for he is strongerthan Satanhimself (Luke
11:22;cf. also Luke 4:1-13). He is truly the Lord, the One for whom Israelhad
waited and longed. The master of nature (Luke 8:22-25), disease, anddeath
(Luke 8:40-56), he is also masterof demons (Luke 8:26-39), evenof the prince
of demons. He is therefore truly able to do immeasurably more than all
Theophilus and Luke's other readers could ask or imagine (Eph 3:20).
Through this accountTheophilus had also beenmade aware that God's
kingdom had already come and that the ruler of this age had been
vanquished. Luke clearlyteaches a truly realized eschatologyin this passage.
Although God's kingdom still has a future dimension that is to be prayed for
(Luke 11:2), it is in part alreadyrealized. In this passageSatan's defeatis the
aspectof the kingdom already realized. In other passagesthe fulfillment of the
Scriptures or the coming of the Spirit may be emphasized. God's kingdom has
come in all of these.

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