Burunche’s Blog

Luke 11:14-28 Jesus and Beelzebul

“Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, 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 person is worse than the first.”

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Make no mistake; every miracle Jesus performs, every demon he drives out of a sufferer, every move Jesus makes and every word he utters are intended to help the needy and to train the disciples. Jesus has Calvary in view and he wants to ensure that the disciples will have received every bit of instruction they require. Jesus’ time on earth is short and the needs are great.

Here Jesus not only delivers a poor man from being unable to speak but he also gives a profound teaching on spiritual warfare. Now religious sceptics in the crowd are raising accusations.

1. Jesus must be using demonic power to drive out demons. What a ridiculous argument! Demons never want to leave the subject they are inhabiting. Jesus answers, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Notice that there are already itinerant deliverance practitioners. Where have these men gotten their power? Only God can give power over Satan, so these men must be serving God; otherwise, the demoniacs would have torn them to pieces. In the same way, Jesus gets his power over demons from God.
2. Praying over someone for deliverance is just like plundering someone’s house. “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.” Only the power of God can conquer Satan.
3.  Those criticizing Jesus must realize that they are opposing a man sent from God. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” These men fail to realize that they are opposing God when they oppose Jesus.
4. Deliverance from demons is worthless, unless God’s Holy Spirit comes to live in a person. Otherwise, that individual may end up in even worse shape. “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, 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 person is worse than the first.”
5. Pious sentiments are worthless! “As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Is Jesus trying to deny the value of his mother by his reply to this woman? No. The woman has uttered a common blessing, and now Jesus is turning that statement on its head so that his audience will never forget his answer: obedience to the Word of God is of paramount importance.

In an age that caters to individual preferences in every sphere, the quality of obedience has lost much of its value. But the Bible teaches us differently. 1 Samuel 15 tells the story of how King Saul lost his kingdom by failing to carry out God’s instructions to completely wipe out the Amalekites. Saul obeyed partially; however, he saved the Amalekite king, the plunder, and the best animals. Hear Samuel’s words to King Saul: “But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

Jesus’ point to his audience is simple. Jesus must remain obedient to his Heavenly Father to be able to cast out demons and to work other miracles. Those who claim to follow Jesus and support him must also hear the Word of God and obey it. Disobedience is tantamount to witchcraft, and God hates witchcraft. All witchcraft is aimed at taking control of something-events, the weather, other people-rather than trusting God to handle things. Such acts are acts of rebellion against the One True Living God. This is why disobedience and control are the two sides of the witchcraft coin. Those of us who claim to follow Jesus must constantly watch, lest we stray into disobedience and rebellion.

May God help us, so that we will be obedient and watchful, rather than disobedient and rebellious.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives, studying Your Word, implanting it in our hearts, and obeying You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

This entry was posted on April 8, 2025 at 12:01 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.