14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. What kind of demon makes people mute? Why would it do this?
2. Was there precedent for their accusation?
3. How did they know who Beelzebub was? Is Beelzebub a real entity?
4. Jesus just gave them a sign from heaven. What more were they looking for?
5. In theory, couldn't Satan act like he was casting out Satan to deceive people?
6. Who else was casting out demons?
7. Jesus said that if He was casting out demons by the finger of God, the kingdom of God has come. Why wasn't that true about the other people who were casting out demons?
8. What did Jesus mean by whoever is not with me is against me?
9. What are those waterless places a unclean spirit passes through and why would it seek rest there?
10. Why would the spirit bring along other spirits?
11. How can one avoid the last state being worse than the first?
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-11-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteLuke 11:14-54 deals primarily with the mounting rejection of Jesus and His message. The synoptic Gospels have parallel passages in 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 feel they are different accounts.
The Bible clearly affirms that we are engaged in combat with an unseen enemy that is intent on destroying the human race: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in 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 appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Luke is showing that Jesus’ miracles establish His legitimate authority as the Messiah, the Son of God, sent to deliver us from the power of Satan. But Jesus’ authority put Him into conflict with the Jewish religious authorities, who did not want to yield to Him. Luke 11:14-54 shows the mounting tension between Jesus and these religious leaders. Rather than approaching Jesus with teachable hearts and open minds, they accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan and they challenged Him by demanding some sign from heaven. As such, they were reissuing the third temptation that Satan had put before Jesus, to use His power for show by casting Himself off the Temple pinnacle. Jesus soundly refuted their demands by giving this extensive teaching on spiritual conflict, the heavenly war.
Guzik has an interesting note - The Jews in Jesus’ day had their own exorcists, who sought to cast demons 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 cast it out.
Yet in spite of His obvious power, these skeptics accused Jesus 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 accused Him of practicing magic. But they never used that line of attack. Since they couldn’t dispute the fact of the miracles, all they could do was to accuse Jesus of doing 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!
Steven Cole - Satan and his demonic forces are committed to the ultimate harm and destruction of the human race. 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 called him “the god of this world [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (2 Cor. 4:4). 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 Satan is 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 Legion or 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 rescued by 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 Gospel and 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).
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-11-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteBeelzebul (KJV = Beelzebub - see Gilbrant's note)(954)(beelzeboul) is transliterated from the Hebrew phrase "Baal Zebub" which means "Lord of the Flies" or the "Fly God" (see 2 Ki 1:2-3, 5, 16). In Jesus' reply to the accusation of the Jews in Mt 12:24 that He cast out demons by Beelzebul, He answers in Mt 12:26 substituting the name Satan which clearly identifies the Jewish references to Beelzebul as another name for Satan.
It is interesting that the name Baalzebul also 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.”
Others, to test Him - The intent of their "test" was really to taunt Him! In Luke 8:44 Jesus described these Jews as sons of Satan, and here we see they are doing exactly what their father attempted in the Wilderness Testings of Jesus.
Because the mighty works He had already done were conclusive proof that He was the Messiah and Son of God (John 10:25), Jesus refused their request. As He said to them in Luke 11:29, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.”
Rod Mattoon - Jesus said in verse seventeen that every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and a house divided against a house faileth or cannot stand.
We face a divided nation today. The division has been created by our selfish political leaders that pit black against white, poor against wealthy, homosexuals against heterosexuals, and now socialism and communism against capitalism.
Therefore to argue that he would empower Jesus to cast out demons on an unprecedented scale and thereby destroy his own kingdom is ridiculous. Yet that is precisely what the Lord’s opponents were doing by claiming that He cast out demons by Beelzebul. Since that option is irrational and untenable, the only alternative is that Jesus cast out demons by God’s power.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-11-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteThe Lord’s question exposed their (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 cast out demons were from God, while rejecting Jesus’ uniformly effective exorcisms as being from Satan, they were in effect making Satan more powerful than God.
Luke 11:20 "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Steven Cole - 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 Satan is 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 of the King. Jesus’ deliverance of people from Satan’s bondage anticipates the coming day when Jesus will reign not only in hearts, but on the throne of David, when Satan will 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.
Then the kingdom (basileia) of God - One must understand that there are (at least) two phases to the Kingdom of God. The first phase is the invisible, internal Kingdom of God and which He later described as "in your midst” (Lk 17:21+), the Kingdom in which the King reigns in the heart of the person who has accepted Jesus as Messiah. To proclaim the Kingdom of God is to preach the Gospel, to proclaim the good news of salvation, explaining how one can enter the Kingdom of God. (Jn 3:3-16+) When the King returns on "the day that the Son of Man is revealed (apokalupto)," (Lk 17:30+) the heart of every person will also be revealed as to whether they sought the kingdom of "self" or the kingdom of the Savior! The future phase of the Kingdom of God is known as the Messianic Age.
The NET Note on has come upon you -
The phrase is also quite important. Does it mean merely "approach" or actually "come upon"? The issue here is like the one in Lk 10:9 (see note there on the phrase "come near"). Is the arrival of the kingdom in process or merely anticipated? Two factors favor arrival. First, the prepositional phrase "on you" suggests arrival (Da 4:24, 28 Theodotion). Second, the following illustration in Lk 11:21-23 looks at the healing as portraying Satan being overrun. So the presence of God's authority has come.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-11-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteWhen a strong man - Literally "the strong one." To whom does Jesus refer? In context strong man refers to Satan the king of the demons.
If you as a believer are fearful of the demonic recall John's assuring words...
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4+)
Deffinbaugh - In this analogy, Satan is the strong man and his “possessions” are those who are demon-possessed and Jesus is the One who has greater power and is taking away those he has possessed. Jesus is saying that He must overpower Satan before He can deliver those whom he had formerly possessed. In order to deliver men and women from demon-possession Jesus had to be greater than Satan. To attribute His power to Satan was foolish. To think He was not greater than Satan was also folly. If the evidence were interpreted according to good logic, the evidence would point to Jesus as the Messiah.
Satan is the strong man armed. He is a powerful spiritual master. His homestead is the heart of unbelievers. All of an unbeliever’s powers and faculties are Satan’s possessions, at his use. Further, these possessions, securely under Satan’s rule, are undisturbed, or “at peace.” The unbeliever, dead in his sins, under the sway of the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:1,2+) is unaware of his own desperate condition.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-11-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteYou cannot be a disinterested bystander! There is no neutrality in this war between Jesus' kingdom of light and Satan's kingdom of darkness. This is the opposite principle from what is stated in Lk 9:50. ("But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.”)
We all naturally love an easy Christianity. We dislike collisions and separation. We like, if possible, to keep in with both sides. We fear extremes. We dread being righteous overmuch. We are anxious not to go too far.—Such thoughts as these are full of peril to the soul. Once allowed to get the upper hand, they may do us immense harm. Nothing is so offensive to Christ as lukewarmness in religion. To be utterly dead and ignorant, is to be an object of pity as well as blame. But to know the truth and yet “halt between two opinions,” is one of the chiefest of sins.
Let it be the settled determination of our minds that we will serve Christ with all our hearts, if we serve Him at all. Let there be no reserve, no compromise, no half-heartedness, no attempt to reconcile God and mammon in our Christianity. Let us resolve, by God’s help, to be “with Christ,” and “gather” by Christ’s side, and allow the world to say and do what it will.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-11-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteComment: The only way to absolutely assure that one won't be seen by a demon as his "possession" is to be "possessed" by Jesus Christ. In short "swept and unoccupied" is the problem with morality because the moral man's heart is empty. Only Jesus can fill his heart and thereby prevent a worse situation.
Put in order (2885) (kosmeo from kosmos = adorning or order, ornament, decoration, adornment -- this root word gives us our English cosmetic something women use to "adorn" their face and make themselves more physically attractive) speaks of that which is to put in order.
Albert Mohler defines moralism as “the belief that the Gospel can be reduced to improvements in behavior”. It is a false gospel and hence under the condemnation of God (Gal. 1:8–9).
It is not enough to turn over a new leaf!
We need to be a new creation! (2 Cor 5:17+)
The last state of that man becomes worse than the first - One obvious lesson from all of this is the hopelessness of reformation apart from regeneration. "There really is no more serious danger than the danger of morality.
Life Application Study Bible - Our desire to reform often does not last long. In Israel's history, almost as soon as a good king would pull down idols, a bad king would set them up again. It is not enough to be emptied of evil; we must then be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God's new purpose in our life.
Deffinbaugh explains "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 resist Satan. The man who is possessed by a demon can, Jesus said, be re-possessed. The only power that can keep the demons out of a man is the power of 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 Messiah and to obey His commandments, that neutrality toward Messiah is hospitality toward the hostile forces of Satan.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-11-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteMany professing Christians, it may be feared, are deceiving themselves. They are not what they once were, and so they flatter themselves, they are what they ought to be. They are no longer sabbath-breaking, daring sinners, and so they dream that they are Christians. They see not that they have only changed one kind of devil for another. They are governed by a decent, Pharisaic devil, instead of an audacious, riotous, unclean devil.—But the tenant within is the devil still. And their last end will be worse than their first.
https://www.gotquestions.org/demon-possession.html says:
ReplyDeleteThe Bible gives some examples of people possessed or influenced by demons. From these examples we can find some symptoms of demonic influence and gain insight as to how a demon possesses someone. Here are some of the biblical passages: Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22; 17:18; Mark 5:1-20; 7:26-30; Luke 4:33-36; Luke 22:3; Acts 16:16-18. In some of these passages, the demon possession causes physical ailments such as inability to speak, epileptic symptoms, blindness, etc. In other cases, it causes the individual to do evil, Judas being the main example. In Acts 16:16-18, the spirit apparently gives a slave girl some ability to know things beyond her own learning. The demon-possessed man of the Gadarenes, who was possessed by a multitude of demons (Legion), had superhuman strength and lived naked among the tombstones. King Saul, after rebelling against the LORD, was troubled by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14-15; 18:10-11; 19:9-10) with the apparent effect of a depressed mood and an increased desire to kill David.
Thus, there is a wide variety of possible symptoms of demon possession, such as a physical impairment that cannot be attributed to an actual physiological problem, a personality change such as depression or aggression, supernatural strength, immodesty, antisocial behavior, and perhaps the ability to share information that one has no natural way of knowing. It is important to note that nearly all, if not all, of these characteristics may have other explanations, so it is important not to label every depressed person or epileptic individual as demon-possessed. On the other hand, Western cultures probably do not take satanic involvement in people’s lives seriously enough.
In addition to these physical or emotional distinctions, one can also look at spiritual attributes showing demonic influence. These may include a refusal to forgive (2 Corinthians 2:10-11) and the belief in and spread of false doctrine, especially concerning Jesus Christ and His atoning work (2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 1 John 4:1-3).
Concerning the involvement of demons in the lives of Christians, the apostle Peter is an illustration of the fact that a believer can be influenced by the devil (Matthew 16:23). Some refer to Christians who are under a strong demonic influence as being “demonized,” but never is there an example in Scripture of a believer in Christ being possessed by a demon. Most theologians believe that a Christian cannot be possessed because he has the Holy Spirit abiding within (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19), and the Spirit of God would not share residence with a demon.
https://www.gotquestions.org/demon-possession.html continued:
ReplyDeleteWe are not told exactly how one opens himself up for possession. If Judas’ case is representative, he opened his heart to evil—in his case by his greed (John 12:6). So it may be possible that if one allows his heart to be ruled by some habitual sin, it becomes an invitation for a demon to enter. From missionaries’ experiences, demon possession also seems to be related to the worship of heathen idols and the possession of occult materials. Scripture repeatedly relates idol worship to the actual worship of demons (Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37; 1 Corinthians 10:20), so it should not be surprising that involvement with idolatry could lead to demon possession.
Based on the above scriptural passages and some of the experiences of missionaries, we can conclude that many people open their lives up to demon involvement through the embracing of some sin or through cultic involvement (either knowingly or unknowingly). Examples may include immorality, drug/alcohol abuse that alters one’s state of consciousness, rebellion, bitterness, and transcendental meditation.
There is an additional consideration. Satan and his evil host can do nothing the Lord does not allow them to do (Job 1-2). This being the case, Satan, thinking he is accomplishing his own purposes, is actually accomplishing God’s good purposes, as in the case of Judas’ betrayal. Some people develop an unhealthy fascination with the occult and demonic activity. This is unwise and unbiblical. If we pursue God, if we are clothing ourselves with His armor and relying upon His strength (Ephesians 6:10-18), we have nothing to fear from the evil ones, for God rules over all!
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. What kind of demon makes people mute? Why would it do this?
There's so much not known about demons. They live in the spiritual world, but seem to be able to have a limited affect on the physical world (mostly through the humans they possess). I speculate that there are certain kinds of demons that, when they possess someone, attack the human body in different ways - whether this is because this is a particular effect they have or they are purposely destructive.
2. Was there precedent for their accusation?
A lot of commentaries said that their accusation was rediculous. I disagree. I think that it's entirely possible that Satan could send a false messiah that apparently drives lesser demons out of people. In fact, the Bible warns us of false teachers that will do all kinds of signs and wonders. I think that where the Pharisees went wrong is that they put themselves into a position where they couldn't acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, even if they thought He really was. They had too much to lose (in their minds) to do so. It's much like this today. Inconvenient truths can really upset our apple carts.
3. How did they know who Beelzebub was? Is Beelzebub a real entity?
Beelzebub was the god of Ekron. Ahaziah, king of Israel, once sent emmisaries to consult with the priests of Beelzebub. Baal Zebub means "Lord of the Flies". Israelites were familiar with this god from their past, and now used it as a target of scorn.
Is/was Beelzebub a real entity? There is a real spiritual world with real spiritual entities, some good, some evil. We don't know if someone stuck the name "Beelzebub" onto a real spiritual entity or a domain that a real spiritual entity was in charge of, or if they made it up.
4. Jesus just gave them a sign from heaven. What more were they looking for?
I think they were desparately looking to validate their own bias - that Jesus was not the Messiah. No sign from heaven would ever break through their own bias. You see the same thing happen today: People believe something, hang on to it, and shut out every other voice that doesn't confirm their own beliefs.
5. In theory, couldn't Satan act like he was casting out Satan to deceive people?
I think he could. The Bible warns us of false teachers that will do signs and wonders. However, Jesus had good fruit. Observing Him clear of biases would convince people that He was the actual Messiah.
Questions and findings continued:
ReplyDelete6. Who else was casting out demons?
There existed Jewish exorcists (who were either pharisees or associated with them) that specialized in exorcizing demons. They went through quite a rigamorole, including attempting to find out the demon's name (because they believed that they could have power over the demon if they knew it's name), using potions, magical procedures, etc. They often failed. Since Jesus just simply commanded the demons to come out, and that it was different from what their exorcists had to go through, they were suspicious.
7. Jesus said that if He was casting out demons by the finger of God, the kingdom of God has come. Why wasn't that true about the other people who were casting out demons?
Because they were mostly unsuccessful. They had no real power over demons. Jesus did, and because He did, they should have taken notice that the kingdom of God had come.
8. What did Jesus mean by whoever is not with me is against me?
There is a cosmic war raging over the territory of our hearts and minds. If we don't belong to Jesus, we belong to Satan. We are powerless to resist them. If we do not belong to Jesus, our hearts and minds will be claimed and will make it impossible to side with Jesus and His law. Satan and his forces will not leave any single person alone.
9. What are those waterless places a unclean spirit passes through and why would it seek rest there?
It's referring to a desert, where no life exists (except in oasises). People are like the oasises in a desert. Demons seek to inhabit these places of life. When a demon is cast out, it's like they are being cast out of that particular oasis into the barren desert. It will immediately seek another oasis (or the same one if it can).
10. Why would the spirit bring along other spirits?
Presumably, the reason the demon got cast out in the first place was because it wasn't strong enough to stay. If the demon brings along a bunch of others, perhaps they will be strong enough together to not get cast out the next time.
11. How can one avoid the last state being worse than the first?
By bringing into our hearts someone who will bring us goodness, instead of horrible things. The Holy Spirit will inhabit us if we invite Him in and bring goodness. If we are empty, we are open to whoever wants to inhabit us. If our last inhabitant was ousted and no one else is living in us, it will come back with a group so that it doesn't get ousted again - and the last state will be worse than the first.