Luke 11:14-26:Someone stronger.           (please click here for todays passage)

There is nothing new about people labelling a work of God as something else entirely (15). I understand that a great evangelical preacher – a much-admired and respected man – referred to the Pentecostal movement as ‘the last vomit of Hell.’ It was a terrible thing to say, and he was mistaken. There is no doubt that we all have to be on our guard against false teaching, but some people in their zeal for truth are in danger of slandering Jesus Himself. How carefully we need to tread. I confess that the task of discerning scares me at times. I know I must do it, but I don’t want to get it wrong. It horrifies me that some Christians are so quick to go into print and denounce fellow believers who see things slightly differently. Whilst there are doctrines of demons abroad in the world, I tend to think that not everything is that gets tarred with that brush. Jesus knows our thoughts (17) and He cares that we think rightly about Him and about truth, but also about our fellow-believers. Let’s try to not shoot our own troops!

Jesus’ argument was magnificently brilliant (17,18). As He was working to overthrow Satan’s Kingdom (14) how could it be said that He was acting by Satan’s power? That was a logically absurd position to take. It would mean civil war in the devil’s domain, and that didn’t make sense. The casting out of evil spirits was one major sign that ‘the Kingdom of God’ had come (20). It pointed to the triumphant power of the Messiah and His victory to be achieved on the cross. The ‘one stronger’ has come and tied up the ‘strong man’. Therefore He is able to plunder His goods. This binding work was achieved at Calvary, and so we see the Kingdom of God advance in this world, and significant battles are won against evil, foreshadowing the end of the war altogether and the final victory.

Then Jesus turned the question round and asked them how their ‘sons’ cast out demons (20), which was a master stroke. It was a question which penetrated to the depths of their motives. Were they with Him or not? (23). Clearly other exorcists were around at the time of Christ, and I wonder whether (24-26) point to the ineffectiveness of any ‘deliverance ministry’ that is not truly in Jesus’Name.

Whatever these verses actually mean, and whatever scurrilous activities demons get up to, let’s never forget that ‘one stronger’ has come, and in the Name of Jesus we have the victory. We’re in a fierce fight, but it’s a fight from victory and not for it.

‘Jesus is stronger than Satan and sin,
Saran to Jesus must bow.’

Prayer: I am so grateful,Lord Jesus, to know that whatever I face that is too strong for me, you are stronger. Hallelujah!