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Luke 11:24–26
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Jesus’ exorcisms constituted one of the clearest signs of God’s working through Him to bring in the heavenly kingdom (Luke 4:36; 11:20). Consequently, the response of faith is required when one has seen Jesus destroy the work of the devil and bring in the kingdom. That is the essential point of today’s passage.
Jesus makes this point by describing the post-exorcism activity of an evil spirit. When a spirit is cast out, it looks for a new place to dwell, and if it cannot find one, it tries to return to its former host (Luke 11:24). This is not meant as a comprehensive explanation of the post-exorcism travels of demons. Instead, the text must be read in light of its immediate context. Some critics of Jesus had been accusing Him of being in league with Satan, but He replied that His casting out demons was a sign not of the devil but of the work of God and the coming of His blessed kingdom. Because of this, the Lord said, one must be on His side and gather with Him—that is, engage in His mission—or be counted among those who are against Him (Luke 11:14–23). Seeing Jesus release people from the enemy’s grip demands that one ally himself with Jesus, or one will be set against Him.
If the spirit finds no place to alight, Jesus says, it will come back to its former home, and it may find the place swept clean and ready to house the spirit once again (Luke 11:25). John Calvin comments, “Christ is unquestionably describing those who, being destitute of the Spirit of God, are prepared for receiving the devil; for believers, in whom the Spirit of God efficaciously dwells, are fortified on all sides, so that no opening is left for Satan.” People will be home either to the Spirit of God or to the devil. No one can be an empty residence for long. If one wants freedom from Satan, the Spirit must take his place. An empty home signifies the person who has seen Christ’s kingdom but has not “made a home” for God in his heart.
When the evil spirit sees an empty house, he does not move back in by himself but brings seven more demons with him (Luke 11:26). Jesus means that if a person sees clear proof of Christ’s defeating Satan but does not submit to Him, then it will be worse for him than if he never became aware of Jesus’ work at all (see Luke 10:13–15; 2 Thess. 2:9–12). Calvin writes, “We know that the punishment which is here threatened is addressed to none but those who despise the grace of God, and who, by extinguishing the light of faith, and banishing the desire of godliness, become profane.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Even an exorcism is not enough to save a person if he does not trust in Christ. In the final analysis, each person will be a home either for the Holy Spirit or for Satan, and being a home for the devil does not require that he literally possess us. All that is required is a rejection of Jesus, which is worse for us once we have begun to understand who He is. There are serious, even damning, consequences for not believing the truth.
for further study
- Proverbs 28:14
- Zechariah 7:8–14
- Matthew 12:43–45
- Ephesians 4:17–19
the bible in a year
- 2 Chronicles 26–28
- John 17