14 And He was casting out a demon , and it was mute ; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke ; and the crowds were amazed . 15 But some of them said , "He casts out demons by Beelzebul , the ruler of the demons ." 16 Others , to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven . 17 But He knew their thoughts and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste ; and a house divided against itself falls . 18 "If Satan also is divided against himself , how will his kingdom stand ? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul . 19 "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons , by whom do your sons cast them out? So e they will be your judges . 20 "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God , then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 "When a strong man, fully armed , guards his own house , his possessions are undisturbed e . 22 "But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder . 23 " He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters .
24 " When the unclean spirit goes out of a man , it passes through waterless places seeking rest , and not finding any, it says , 'I will return to my house from which I came .' 25 "And when it comes , it finds it swept and put in order . 26 "Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself , and they go in and live there ; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 11:14-26
Commentary on Luke 11:14-26
(Read Luke 11:14-26)
Christ's thus casting out the devils, was really the destroying of their power. The heart of every unconverted sinner is the devil's palace, where he dwells, and where he rules. There is a kind of peace in the heart of an unconverted soul, while the devil, as a strong man armed, keeps it. The sinner is secure, has no doubt concerning the goodness of his state, nor any dread of the judgment to come. But observe the wonderful change made in conversion. The conversion of a soul to God, is Christ's victory over the devil and his power in that soul, restoring the soul to its liberty, and recovering his own interest in it and power over it. All the endowments of mind of body are now employed for Christ. Here is the condition of a hypocrite. The house is swept from common sins, by a forced confession, as Pharaoh's; by a feigned contrition, as Ahab's; or by a partial reformation, as Herod's. The house is swept, but it is not washed; the heart is not made holy. Sweeping takes off only the loose dirt, while the sin that besets the sinner, the beloved sin, is untouched. The house is garnished with common gifts and graces. It is not furnished with any true grace; it is all paint and varnish, not real nor lasting. It was never given up to Christ, nor dwelt in by the Spirit. Let us take heed of resting in that which a man may have, and yet come short of heaven. The wicked spirits enter in without any difficulty; they are welcomed, and they dwell there; there they work, there they rule. From such an awful state let all earnestly pray to be delivered.