In The Footsteps Of The Master: The Life and Times of Jesus Christ A House Divided August 28, 2011 www.FootstepsOfTheMaster.info

Luke 11:14 14And 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.

Observations Also recorded in Matthew 12:22-24 and Mark 3:20-22. Matthew adds that the man was both blind and dumb as result of being possessed by the demon. Mark adds that his own family was seeking to take him away, since they felt he must be crazy! Also, he adds that the critics are Pharisees who came to check Jesus out all the way from Jerusalem. (The scene of this event is in Galilee, over 60 miles away.)

Luke 11:15-16 15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.

Beelzebul Their idea was that he must be in league with Beelzebul. Beelzebul (or Baalzebul) was the highest god of the pagan “baals”. Baalzebub was a Phoenician god of decay, literally the “god of garbage.” Over time, in post biblical Hebrew times, he became the “god of death”. Hence, his association with “demons” of Jesus’ day.

Give Us A Sign! They were testing him, seeking a sign from him. THIS WAS A SIGN! “Give us a sign to show us you have authority to give us a sign!”

Luke 11:17-19 17But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. 18If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges.

Observations Two arguments to show their error 1) A house divided against itself will not stand. Satan casting out Satan?? 2) If I cast him out by Satan’s power, who is giving your sons power to cast him out? Now: what was going on in that day? Some trace this back to Solomon’s incantations. What about demons?

Luke 11:20-22 20But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. 22But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.

Observations What this sign is about: THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS COMING UPON THEM! Whether they did in reality cast out demons, or just claimed to do so, we cannot say for certain. This passage doesn’t answer this for us. The picture is that as Jesus is demonstrating power over Satan and his “angels”, he is in effect pushing Satan out. The reference is to the same thing God did in the Exodus. The “finger of God” is what the Egyptian magicians attributed Moses power to in Exodus 8:19

Observations (cont) The strong man being bound must be Satan, and Jesus is telling these that he is through the power of God overtaking the power of Satan. He poses that question: are you with me or not?

Luke 11:23-26 23He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. 24“When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

Observations The placing of this neat story here in Luke’s account most likely is his effort to create a reality that it will not be satisfactory just to stop opposing Jesus, one must also actively join forces with him. The principle is one I use in counseling—those who only give up a negative practice/habit but who do not put a positive in its place are all but doomed to failure. See also Daniel 4:27

Luke 11:27-28 27While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” 28But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

Observations Another great lesson: A woman apparently is overcome with emotion and praise. She shouts out her praise, but notice Jesus’ answer. What God seems most to desire is simply put: obedience. I Samuel 15:22. What does that say about our desire today to offer praise, unless we are equally determined to be obedient to Him.

Luke 11:29-32 29As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “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. 30For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Observations Jonah was a “sign” to those of Ninevah. What must this have meant? Note Jesus DOES give them a sign—his resurrection. How would seeing Jonah be like seeing Christ?

Luke 11:33-36 33“No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34The eye is the lamp of your body; 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. 35Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”

Observations Eye=heart Sound=healthy What we allow into our heart determines what we see