Luke 11b Commentary
Demons are quite something else. One man lived in the tombs naked. They also made him extremely powerful. He couldn’t be chained. We have a record of another man here in this chapter who was made mute by the demons. You wonder how many sicknesses and conditions are down to these bodiless creatures.
Science and technology cannot put a finger on it. But these creatures are real. They are nothing but trouble and evil. They make captives of individuals. Secret operations, no one could have guessed the mute man couldn’t speak because of demons.
Demons make a human body their house. From the inside, they can switch on gadgets like TVs, set off alarms, close and open doors randomly, decide that certain foods cannot be cooked, play loud music, and demand wicked things. The list is endless. What they do is not up to the owner of the house; they decide. Smart ones avoid detection at all costs and want the owner to believe he is still in charge.
When the LORD commands that the demons depart, and when they obey without question, you know the kingdom of God has come. How the LORD interacted with the spiritual world remains an interesting subject. We have enough clues in the gospels to suggest the absolute authority and power of the LORD Jesus over these bodiless and wicked creatures. It is a reference to the disarmament of the forces of evil. They stand defeated.
The sign of Jonah is “big business” in the scripture. It is a direct reference to the resurrection. Let men and women examine the resurrection and see it as an all-powerful sign from Heaven. The dead won’t lie down forever. There is life after the life we know – everlasting life either under the feet of Jesus or in hell suffering with satan and his angels (the demons).
We want to hear more about demons but a woman has interrupted the lecture. Sad. Probably the interruption is in order so that we can know that the real blessing is in hearing the word of the LORD and obeying it. Never mind the complex world of demons and their operations! What the LORD has taught us is enough.
Jesus performed many miracles. Many believed them to be signs of God’s visitation. Doubters wanted more signs. Jesus carefully navigated His way out of miracles and focused on the essence of coming – repentance. The greatest miracle in any church is repentance. It is the sign we get from Jonah.
Something (and not someone) greater than Solomon’s wisdom was in the house. We can presume Jesus is again talking about repentance and the subsequent restoration of life. Let men and women seek this wisdom. It is more than Solomon’s famed wisdom that attracted a special visit from the Queen of Sheba.
For this kind of wisdom, “she presented to King Solomon the gifts she had brought: almost five tons of gold and a very large amount of spices and jewels. The amount of spices she gave him was by far the greatest that he ever received at any time.” 1 Kings 10 verse 10.
Repentance is more valuable!
Interesting situation – the LORD Jesus not washing His hands! But thanks to this strange event, we have a heavy-handed sermon against the Pharisees and the scribes. It is a sermon against our own tendency to put up a good show as the inside rot. Both are important to God, the outside and the inside. Let there be a good show for both.
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