Luke 11:14 He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.” 16 Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if I by God’s finger cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come to you.
21 “When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder.
It seems that some people are just naturally oppositional. Christ is God’s finger, Luke 11:20, (See also, Deuteronomy 9:10, Jeremiah 17:13), going throughout the land casting out demons and liberating people from torment. But rather than rejoicing that their Creator came and revealed himself to them and rejoicing that marvelous deeds are being done, the priests accuse Jesus of being the head demon whom all the other demons must obey. Jesus says, “Wait a minute. Think this through.”
First, demons going around casting out demons would be counter productive to Satan’s goals of world domination because a house divided against itself falls.
Second, when your children, who are the priests of Israel, cast out demons, does that mean that the priests are demons? That makes no sense. You are being illogical. When demons are on the run the only explanation is that God’s Kingdom has come to you.
Third, Jesus says, “Think about it this way: the only way someone can break into your house and steal your stuff is if he is strong enough to overcome your guards and smart enough to overcome your security system.”
Christ, the Creator is stronger and smarter than Satan, the creature. Christ has now broken into Satan’s stronghold and is setting those captive to Satan’s lies free. The history of the world since the coming of Christ is the history of the clash of kingdoms. We are witnessing the irrepressible growth of Christ’s kingdom, like the growth of a tiny mustard seed into a great tree, Luke 13:18-19 despite the vicious opposition of Satan and his followers directed toward Christians.
Luke 11:23 “He that is not with me is against me. He who doesn’t gather with me scatters. 24 The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none, he says, ‘I will turn back to my house from which I came out.’ 25 When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes, and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”
People like the Pharisees and lawyers who oppose Christ and his Kingdom of liberation are actually allies with Satan. Rather than gathering lost souls into the Kingdom they are scattering the flock.
Christ then makes one of the most chilling statements of his ministry. He is traveling across Israel cleansing the land of demons and setting the possessed free from torment. The multitudes marveled at Christ’s power. However, if, like in the parable of the sower in Luke 8, the people do not remain faithful to Jesus, the demons will come back and bring their friends with them. In this case the last state of the man becomes worse than the first. In other words, the judgment on those who reject Christ is greater than the judgment of those who never heard or saw the glorious signs of the Kingdom. And as we will see, that is exactly what happened to Israel.
Luke’s 11:27 It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!”
28 But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”
29 When the multitudes were gathering together to him, he began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah, the prophet. 30 For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will also be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, one greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.
Upon hearing Christ speak, a woman in the crowd spoke up to bless Christ’s mother, Mary. However, because Christ was not yet finished pressing his point he immediately contradicted the woman and turned her word back to the subject at hand. On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. The Pharisees and lawyers thought that their pedigree as descendants of Abraham would save them. But it’s not pedigree but rather hearing God’s Word and coming humbly in repentance.
As he travels toward his death in Jerusalem, Christ is becoming more and more open about his identity and his mission. He knows that in Jerusalem this evil generation will turn on him screaming, “Crucify him, crucify him… let his blood be on us and on our children.” Matthew 27:22-25 Their rejection of Christ will unleash the hordes of Satan on the land that had been swept clean, culminating in the total destruction of Israel and the Temple in 70 A.D. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Though Christ had cast the demons out of Israel, because the nation rejected Christ, the demons came rushing back in, seven times worse than before, resulting in the destruction of the nation.
Remember, some of the people had just accused Christ of being the prince of the demons. They wanted proof, a sign that he was from God. This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. Jesus says, “Okay, you want a sign, I’ll give you a sign: the sign of Jonah.” Notice that Jesus is saying that not only was Jonah an historical person but that his true story also serves as a sign.
How could Jonah be a sign that Jesus was the promised Messiah?
Everyone knew the story of Jonah and how he was in the belly of the whale for three days. Matthew 12:40 After Christ’s resurrection from three days in the grave, those with ears to hear and eyes to see will understand that by referring to the sign of Jonah Christ was predicting his death and resurrection. To buttress his point he again refers to himself as the Son of Man, a reference from the prophet Daniel, which shows the risen and victorious Christ ascending into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father from where he rules over both heaven and earth with all authority. Matthew 28:18
And in further condemnation of his generation for rejecting him, Christ states that ancient Nineveh repented upon hearing Jonah’s message and the ancient Queen of Ethiopia came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And because one greater than Solomon is here, and one greater than Jonah is here, the Queen of the South and Ninevites, will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it.
Jesus concludes with a warning.
Luke 11:33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness. 36 If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light.”
Christ is the light of the world shining on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace. Luke 1:79 However, if you reject the light of Christ’s life- giving truth, you will be full of darkness. Instead, you should listen to the advice of the Ninevites and the Queen of the South, take heed of the sign of Jonah, and understand who the Son of Man is, so that you will be full of light. And being full of the light of Christ as a disciple, you are to let the light shine for all to see.