He was driving out a demon [that was] mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute person spoke and the crowds were amazed. 15 Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” 16 Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. 17 But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. 18 And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. 19 If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ 25 But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.”
Jesus heals a man who had been mute because of a demon. The crowds react in different ways. Some accuse Him of using demonic power; others demand a “sign from heaven.” Jesus answers both by showing that His works reveal the arrival of God’s reign and the defeat of Satan.
Jesus exposes the contradiction in the accusation. A divided kingdom cannot stand (vv. 17-18). If Satan were casting out Satan, his rule would collapse by his own hand. He then turns the claim back on His critics: if their own Jewish exorcists cast out demons, are they also using evil power (v. 19)? Their charge fails on its own terms.
He states the positive truth: “If it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (v. 20). “Finger of God” recalls the power of God at work in the Exodus and in the giving of the Law (Ex. 8:15; Deut. 9:10). Jesus is saying, in simple words, that God Himself is acting here and now. The healings are not tricks. They are royal deeds that show God’s reign breaking in through His Son.
Jesus then explains what His exorcisms mean. He speaks of a “strong man,” armed and guarding his palace, whose possessions are “safe” until a stronger one attacks, overcomes him, strips his armor, and distributes the spoils (vv. 21-22). The “strong man” is Satan. The “stronger one” is Christ. His victory does not negotiate with evil; it conquers it. The “spoils” are the people Christ frees and restores. With this, Jesus states a stark line: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (v. 23). There is no neutral ground. To “gather” is to come under His rule and be joined to His saving work; to “scatter” is to resist Him and remain vulnerable.
Jesus adds a sober warning about unfinished conversion. When an unclean spirit goes out, it wanders through “arid regions” seeking rest (v. 24). This is a common ancient image for desolate places where demons were thought to roam. If it returns and finds the “house” swept and in order but empty, it brings seven spirits worse than itself, and the person’s last condition is worse than the first (vv. 25-26). The point is clear: it is not enough to remove evil; the life must be filled with God. A “swept house” without the presence of the Lord is spiritually vacant and exposed.
The passage, therefore, has two united claims. First, Jesus’ exorcisms are signs that God’s kingdom has arrived in His person. Second, those who have been helped by His power must remain with Him and be indwelt by His grace, lest the emptiness become an opening for greater harm. In Luke’s Gospel, divine help creates responsibility: those whom Christ frees are called to live under His word and remain within His gathering.
Jesus is the Stronger One whose arrival ends Satan’s rule; His saving work frees us and must fill us, because an empty “swept house” does not remain safe.
Lord Jesus, Stronger One and true King, drive from us every spirit that opposes Your reign. Fill our hearts with Your word and Your life, so that what You cleanse You also keep, and what You free You also make firm. Amen.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- The Navarre Bible: Luke, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Chiu et al. (2018), commentary on Luke 11:14-26.
- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Brown et al. (1990), section on Luke 11.
- McKenzie, John. Dictionary of the Bible (1965), “Beelzebul/Beelzebub.”
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