Casting Out A Devil
On this day in Jesus’s ministry he was casting out a devil. What he said to the people after the devil was cast out is what we are studying today.
This was a dumb devil. The devil manifested itself in the man. When it was gone out of the man the dumb spake. The people wondered. See Matt 9:32-34. They marveled because “it was never so seen in Israel”.
The accusation. Some said “He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils”. Beelzebub means, “Lord of the flies”. It’s interesting that they knew that there were devils (plural) and that they had a chief (prince) over them. But they couldn’t do anything about him; in Israel, they had never seen someone casting out a devil.
They didn’t believe that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh. Yet, they figured that this had to be a supernatural force. So, they figured Jesus must be using the power of the devil. The Pharisees in Jn 8:48 accused him of being a Samaritan and having a devil. It was the other way around, Jn 8:44. They took Jesus for the devil and when the devil shows up they will take him for Christ, 2 Thes 2:3-4, 9.
Others tempting him sought a sign from heaven. They weren’t genuinely interested in believing him. They didn’t believe he was the Messiah and they were looking for some bigger sign to see if he was really from God. They didn’t need to see another sign. They had enough proof from scripture, Jn 5:39, and from seeing him casting out a devil, Jn 5:36. They were like the crowd that told Jesus to come down from the cross and then we’ll believe him, Matt 27:39-43. They wouldn’t have. He said, “if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead”, Lk 16:31.
Jesus knew their thoughts. And so he responded to their accusation with reasonable objections.
The first objection. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. This is a true statement. Israel and Judah were divided. They fought each other and supported their enemies as allies against each other. These Jews would have known this statement to be true of their own country.
A house divided against a house falleth. Internal strife destroys the unity and fractures the family. True statement. Just think of all the homes divided through divorce.
Therefore, if Satan be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? In other words, this power I have wouldn’t be coming from Satan. Satan wouldn’t be casting out a devil. He would be divided against himself.
As a side note, did you see that Satan has a kingdom? In his realm are principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, Eph 6:12. In Dan 10:13, 30 you see God’s host being opposed by the prince of the kingdom of Persia and the prince of Grecia.
The second objection. If I cast devils out by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? He had given power to his disciples to cast out devils, Matt 10:8, Lk 10:17-19. Therefore shall they be your judges. That is, they will say to Jesus’s opponents, “you are wrong”.
The third objection. If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God its come unto you. He cast them out by the Spirit of God, Matt 12:28. The kingdom of God is what the disciples were preaching, Lk 10:9. They rejected this kingdom.
An explanation by illustration. A strong man armed keepeth his place and his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he shall come he does three things: he overcomes him, he takes his armor, and he divides his spoil. This is what Jesus did to the devil at Calvary, Col 2:15. Jesus is stronger than the devil. All of kingdoms of the world are going to become Jesus’s when he returns, Rev 11:15. And the devil, who is the god of this world, will be bound in the bottomless pit.
Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth”. The Pharisses are responsible for Israel being scattered, Jn 10:10-12. And they were indeed scattered, even unto this day.
The warning and application. Compare Lk 11:24-26 with Matt 12:43-45. When an unclean spirit goes out of man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest. When he finds none, he returns unto “my” house. The body of unsaved men is like a temple for unclean spirits.
When he returns he finds it empty (Matt 12:44, no Holy Spirit), swept (cleaned up like the Pharisees), and garnished (like it’s adorned with religious traditions). He goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than himself (there are degrees of spiritual wickedness among the unclean spirits). They enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man is worse than the first. See 2 Pet 2:20-22.
In Matt 12:45 Jesus added, “Even so shall it be unto this wicked generation”. And so was the case with Israel after they rejected Jesus. Their last state after their rejection was worse than the first.
To study the previous lesson, click on Teach Us To Pray. To study the next lesson, click on Hear and Keep the Word.