Verses 14-16 This portion of the demon-possessed mute man is recorded in Matthew 9:32-34. As Jesus performed miracles confirming his identity, some of his opponents accused him of acting under the authority of Beelzebul, aka Satan, the devil, the ruler of the demons. Others in the crowd wanted to test Jesus’ miracles and demanded that he show them a sign from heaven to prove his authority.

Verses 17-19 Though these bystanders are drawing their own conclusions about who Jesus might be, they aren’t saying much of it out loud. Verse 17 tells us that Jesus knows their thoughts though, and he shows just how ridiculous this accusation is by asking why Satan would be driving out his own demons that he sends to terrorize people? And look at the people witnessing these miracles. They turn from the devil and follow Jesus. If this were Satan’s doing, he would be counteracting his own purposes. The devil isn’t in the work of defeating himself.

This verse applies to our Church and our households. If they are divided in beliefs, in direction and instruction, in words and actions, they work against themselves and they will fall.

With our children, if one parent tells a child one thing and the other parent tells them the opposite, this child is confused by the conflicting responses. This also exposes a weakness in our parenting. There is no unity. The child will not know what to do. But also, the crack in differing responses reveals a weakness and opportunity for the devil to apply pressure and create more of a canyon by pitting one parent against the other.

Jesus goes on to say if he were driving out spirits by the hand of Satan, then by whose power were the followers of religious leaders driving them out? They couldn’t condemn Jesus without condemning themselves.

Verses 20-23 On the other hand, if Jesus casts out demons in the power of God, then he must be the Messiah bringing his kingdom. “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons”, the ESV reads. Jesus can overthrow the devil with just a finger. That’s how powerful Jesus is and how little power the devil has against us if we have Jesus.

Jesus affirms that he is the one with power over Satan, the “strong man.” Though this strong man – Satan – had bound people with his demons, Jesus demonstrated that he was stronger by overwhelming these evil forces, setting captives free, and dividing up Satan’s belongings. There is no middle ground with Jesus. He is either the Messiah or he is Satan. He is either a mere teacher or a miracle worker.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

Verses 24-26 Here’s what happens when an unclean spirit leaves a possessed person on its own accord. It returns many times stronger. Think of anyone who has ever fallen into addiction, sobered up on their own, and then relapsed. Or anyone who has devoted their time to work, success, or love/relationships, decided to leave it on their own accord and then fall back into the deep of it later.

When the unclean spirit finds its former home all put in order and cleaned up, heathy again, it returns with a lot more demons. Now that person’s condition is worse than before. Satan knows the temptations that work on our hearts. Though we may conquer the temptation, Satan sees our weaknesses and takes note. When we are unassuming or not thinking of it, the devil will use the same temptation later with added pressure or a twist of added temptation or demons.

Here’s the key. It’s not enough to get rid of the demonic activity in our lives in our own “strength”. The empty space must be filled up with something or it sits vacant for the devil to consume again. Anytime we walk away from an idol, an addiction, a bad relationship, a temptation, we leave an emptiness there in our lives. Our hearts have a longing to be full.

If we want to conquer this devil and cast the evil spirit out for good, this can only be done in Jesus’ power. The only way to get Jesus’ power in us is through the Holy Spirit. So we must take that newly emptied space and fill it with the Holy Spirit, that is, more of Jesus, more of his Word, so that when the evil spirit returns (and it will), it will find the space filled up with the power and strength of Jesus.

When we have Jesus taking up residency in this newly cleaned-out area of our lives, we may find it helpful to surround ourselves with people who hold us accountable or activities and surroundings that keep us on the straight and narrow path. This makes the devil’s attempt to return more uncomfortable and difficult because the space is occupied.

Sadly, the devil will keep some under an illusion that the demons have left on their own and won’t be back again. But this is foolish to believe if we hold any potential for doing anything incredible in this world, with our children, or by our example. The devil will not stand for families to be healed. He wants to tear them apart. He will set up an ambush in the future. We must have Jesus in our lives.

This is also where we are hypocrites falling victim. If our hearts are not changed and the secret sin still holds our interest or haunts our minds, Satan returns with increasing temptation and demise/destruction. We can try to hide it but the devil knows how to find us and destroy our lives. The sin we succumb to will be worse and the punishment will be worse. So the point here is to fill up on Jesus and don’t ever let pride tell us we can fight demons in our own strength. Hold tight to Jesus, our integrity, and the Truth.

Verses 27-28 A woman in the crowd who probably saw Jesus rebuke the Pharisees and heard his teaching now blesses Jesus and his mother. Jesus respectfully shifts the conversation to say that admiring him is no good if there is no obedience. The really blessed ones are those who are faithful and obedient. Attending church, Bible study, praising him is all worthless if there is no obedience. Jesus is always concerned about the heart.

Prayer: Jesus, you are the King of Kings, our Miracle-Worker, and Healer. You are the only one with power enough to drive Satan out once and for good. Our own strength is not enough to drive out demons. By your finger alone you can drive out disease, cancer, depression, worry, anxiety, hopelessness, Jesus. You are stronger than the most overwhelming of forces. You set us free and divide up what the devil took from us. More are with us than against us when we have you, Jesus. We speak against any evil spirit trying to make a home in our lives, in our loved ones, and in our Church. Jesus, we pray for more of you in these vacated areas. Fill up the empty space, Holy Spirit. Have Your way in our lives. Help us to let go of temptations that used to hold us captive. Help us to renew our minds, Holy Spirit, and surrender to you alone, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.