Sunday School lesson - 11/14/05 - continued
Luke 11:14-23 The Beelzebul Controversy
Luke now moves into a series of Passages that show the unfavorable responses of certain sects of the population to Jesus. The first situation presented occurs at the healing of a man who was unable to speak. After the exorcism, the witnesses divide into three categories. The first set is the common people who respond by marveling at the act.
The second set of people immediately say that Jesus was able to perform this act because He was in league with beelzebul, a Greek form of the name satan. When evil men can not deny a good man's deeds, they will often attempt to negate his influence by attributing his motivation to sinister intent. Jesus counters these accusations by pointing out that if He were performing such healings by the power of satan, then hell would be in a state of civil war. Such a notion would be absurd, as it would result in self-defeat.
Secondly, others within the rabbinical circles also performed exorcisms and had claimed that they did so by the power of God. If these critics were so quick to point to Jesus' authority being demonic, how could they not say that those whom they supported were not?
However, the third possibility presented by Christ told the marveling crowd what was occurring. That an authority was being wielded over the demonic forces of hell clearly demonstrated that the Kingdom of God had come to earth. In the analogy that Christ presents in 21-22, satan is the strong man, Jesus is the stronger man and the earth is the house. The division of the spoils refers to kings dividing the loot of conquest amongst their troops. We, as soldiers of Christ, share in the bounty of His dominion over hell. By rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, His critics were denying the coming of the Kingdom. The victory over satan and his minions was being displayed before their eyes.
The third group of witnesses is addressed in verses 29-32.
Luke 11:24-26 The Unclean Spirit
Though exorcism was an important sign of Messianic triumph, Jesus warns that the mere expulsion of demons was not sufficient. To the contrary, if the cured person remains empty, or clean, the demon will return to the same dwelling with seven more demons even more powerful, perhaps to insure total control.
The cured demoniac was a passive beneficiary of God's dominion over the demons. However, just as those who witnessed the event must recognize it as a proclamation of the Kingdom of God, so too must the man who is cured. Only a saving faith would make him safe against repossession.
Luke 11:27-28 Reply to a Woman's Praise
A woman who pronounces a blessing on His mother interrupts Jesus at this point. This Passage does much to clarify Mary's role in salvation history. Though she figures prominently in Luke's Gospel and is named as one of the believers in Acts 1:14, at this point she is likely not one who had yet accepted the unimaginable part her Son was playing in history. The student should recognize that these verses follow Jesus' warning about the necessity of discipleship on the part of the cured demoniac and the crowd who witnessed the cure. So, too, was it necessary that Mary accept the Kingdom of God present in Jesus. It was those who had already done this that were called truly blessed.
