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Continuing our short studies in Luke, this week we are considering Luke 11:14-26. Please read these verses every day this week and, if possible use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 11:24-26 (NIV)
“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”’
These two verses may seem to be a completely new subject but are probably just a part of a much bigger context that starts earlier (verse 14 perhaps) and extends at least until verse 36.
In the whole context we read of ‘a demon’, ‘demons’ and now ‘an evil spirit’. Matthew chapter 12 is an almost exact parallel account and the phrase ‘evil generation’ occurs several times there and here in Luke chapter 29.
With that in mind, I think that the force behind these verses is that some people – Pharisees, Scribes and their followers have accused Jesus of being associated with or even allied with Satan. Some even said He was demon-possessed. It’s possible that Jesus is saying that those people are themselves ‘repossessed’ and not just by one demon but by eight.
In Israel, as far as religious matters are concerned, things had been a lot better. John the Baptist had gained many followers and in fact Jesus’ teaching had also been received in a positive manner and with great enthusiasm. John 3:26 says ‘So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”’ (NLT)
It may seem for a while that a demon had been driven out of Israel. However, under the intense influence of the religious leaders including the scribes and the Pharisees, these men full of envy for what Jesus was doing, were beginning to change the landscape quite quickly. They were plotting Jesus’ destruction and finally the people publicly would cry out ‘Crucify Him’. It’s clear that these cries were instigated by the religious leaders. John 9:6 says ‘As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”’ The last position of Israel is far worse than the start.
Given all that background, the illustration that Jesus is using here becomes very clear and in fact, the connection can be regarded as being very close.
However, that doesn’t mean that the only connection is in relation to Israel. There is much for us to take note of on a personal level. Many people responded to the message of John the Baptist. His words were very harsh and may have swept clean the hearts of the hearers. They could have been afraid of what was to come and change their attitudes and lifestyles as a result. However, living a harmless life is not the same as following a HOLY one. An empty house doesn’t make a home.
Jesus is asking for complete and absolute devotion. He wants to DWELL in our hearts and not observe an empty heart from the outside. The stark warning to us today is that if we experience God’s grace, His love and forgiveness, we should ensure that we invite Jesus to reside in our lives. When He’s there, nothing can harm us or come against us. We are completely safe and do not need to fear anything.
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