St. Luke 11:14–28
Now [Jesus] was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test Him, kept seeking from Him a sign from heaven.
But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
As He said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed!” But He said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (ESV)
Prayer: Lord God, heavenly Father, You have sent Your Son, the Stronger One, who took upon Himself our flesh, that He might overcome the devil, and defend us poor sinners. We ask for Your merciful help, to be with us in Your grace in all temptations, to preserve us from carnal security, and by Your Holy Spirit keep us in your Word, that we may obtain eternal salvation, through Your beloved Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen!
Guarding Your House
Dear Friends in Christ,
Most homeowners realize the importance of having a house lived in. If you have ever owned a home or been tasked to take care of one which has not been lived in for a time, you know the issues that can come with a vacant home. Unless the house is regularly checked on, there can be a lot of issues that go unnoticed, causing major damage—like a pipe bursting, electrical fire, damage by rodents, and more. Yet another issue for homeowners during a vacancy, though maybe not as common, can be squatters.
Maybe you have seen this on the news or read articles on this, but there are many stories of landlords or families who have inherited a home who came to show a new renter or buyer the home or apartment, only to find someone living in the property. To make matters worse, some of these squatters have found legal means for remaining in someone else’s residence—leaving landlords and families in a terrible position—unable to sell the home or rent it out and stuck with the bills. A frustrating problem!
So, what’s the solution? You need someone in your house. A vacant house is a property in danger. However, when there is someone living in a home, they can’t come in. If they try to take up residence where someone is living, they would be trespassing. A home lived-in and occupied is a well-guarded place, which would prevent any unwanted guests.
In our lesson, we learn how some marveled when Jesus cast out demons. Others, however, doubted Jesus and wanted to test him. They questioned in their mind where Jesus received such power to cast out demons, even accusing him that he did it by the power of Satan. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, shows them how ludicrous it would be for the devil to hurt his own kingdom. Jesus shows that he cast out demons by the finger of God, the Holy Spirit. Jesus uses an illustration. When an armed man guards his home, his goods are safe. But when a stronger man comes, he takes his armor and divides his spoil. He takes his goods.
The strong man is the devil and we were his goods. Because of our sins the devil had us locked and barred, headed towards eternal misery in hell. He guarded us with his lies and held us in bondage because of our sins. But God wanted the devil’s goods; God wanted you and me. And so, he sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Stronger Man, to take away the devil’s power. He did this by making full satisfaction for our sins on the cross and rising from the dead on the third day. As Paul writes, “[Christ] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13, 14).
When God makes us his children through faith, he casts the devil away from us and abides in us. Through faith, God dwells in us. But Jesus gives a warning. “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Here, Jesus uses a house as a picture of the soul. Normally, we think of a clean house as a good thing—but this is referring to a house that is no longer occupied by Jesus—a sad reality when people slowly, and maybe not purposefully, push Christ out of their life. Yet, when our home, our soul, is empty, it opens the door to unwanted occupants. A vacant home leaves someone in a dangerous position. Why?
The devil and his demons are like squatters. They are house destroyers. They want to damage our soul and lead us away from God. But they can’t harm someone who is guarded by Christ, and so they tempt us to push Christ out of our life so that we are defenseless.
People can take precautions to prevent squatters in their home. In a similar way, the Lord gives us directions for safeguarding our souls from any spiritual harm. In our Epistle lesson, Paul urges us to walk as children of light and to avoid darkness. Of course, until we get to heaven, you and I will make mistakes, we will sin. We do what we don’t want to do and don’t do what we should, as Paul expresses in Romans 7. But when we sin, we repent. We seek God’s help. We know it’s wrong and don’t want to do it. What Paul is warning about here is someone who is living in an unrepentant state with a particular sin. I John 3:6, “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”
There are many sins that Paul warns about, but consider the ones he highlights: sexual immorality, all impurity, covetousness, filthy and foolish talk, and crude joking. Have you treated your lust or viewing of inappropriate images or videos, as something that is okay? Have you coveted or wrongly desired something that does not belong to you? Do you carelessly use speech that is filthy, foolish, and crude? Do you consider these things as not that big of a deal? That’s not the fruit of light and the mind of Christ.
What’s shocking to us is that Paul puts sexual immorality on the same level as foolish talk. Why? Because sin is sin. We often put sin on a scale. Really bad to not that bad. Yet, as soon as we consider our sins not to be damning sins which need to be repented of—then we are in grave danger. A Pastor once said, “Small sins become great when they are regarded as small” (Law & Gospel: 371).
These sins are dangerous because the devil uses them to wreak havoc on our souls. He numbs our conscience so that we no longer see our need to repent. When a person no longer thinks they are sinning or are sinful, their souls are in grave danger, because they are denying their need for Christ and his forgiveness. Jesus says, “And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” Jesus says you are either for me or against me. You can’t be both. By letting sin rule your life you push Christ out of your life and open the door of your soul to spiritual harm.
God warns us so because he loves us. “Walk as children of light.” If there is a sin in your life that you have chosen to ignore. Don’t. Instead, repent of it. Acknowledge it for what it is—a sin. All sin deserves death, even if we don’t think it’s that bad. To repent literally means to turn away from sin and go in the other direction. It’s to turn from sin and turn toward Christ—to trust in him. We can’t fix or make up for our sins. But Christ can. He will. And so, we go to Jesus as our helper and friend, our Savior and Lord.
No matter how damaged a house might be, there is no home Jesus can’t fix. No matter how guilty and ashamed we might feel, there are no sins Jesus can’t forgive. There are no number of wounds from sin we have received or caused, that Jesus can’t heal. Isaiah declares, “And by His stripes we are healed, All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). On the cross, Jesus paid for every sin. He wiped them away. On the cross, Jesus crushed the head of Satan. He can no longer accuse us. Jesus did this so that he, the Stronger Man, could claim us as his own. God wants you to live with him in his kingdom, in righteousness and purity forever. The tomb is empty. Jesus has won our freedom. As David proclaimed: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior.”
God has redeemed your body and soul with his holy precious blood. He has a place prepared for you in heaven. He wants to see you safely through your journey on earth until you reach the promised land of heaven. And this is why God has given us his Word and Sacraments—the means of grace—because through these means, he forgives our sins and strengthens our faith, so that we may remain in him and he in us.
You and I face the devil’s temptations every day. On our own, we are weak and fall for them. This is why Jesus exhorts us to rely on him—the Stronger One. Because only Jesus can give us the victory. By your Baptism, you are connected to Jesus’ death and resurrection, made a child of God, and receive the armor of Christ. In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus forgives you your sins and strengthens your faith in him. Martin Luther wrote in his Large Catechism, “If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows are every moment aimed at you, you would be glad to come to the Sacrament as often as possible.” The Lord guards and keeps you safe through his Word. Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). By his Word, God dwells in you. If the devil and his demons knock on our door, and Jesus opens it, they go pale and run-away shrieking.
At the end of our lesson there is an interesting exchange between a woman and Jesus, and it really is a fitting summary of our lesson. The woman witnessed Jesus’ miracle and heard him speak, and expressed her admiration by saying, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed!” Surely, Mary was the most blessed among women. But Jesus says, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Jesus wants us to hear and keep his word. He says we will be blessed. Why? For Christians who remain in their baptism, daily repenting of their sins and clinging to Christ, regularly hearing God’s Word, and receiving the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood, they are protected by the King of kings and Lord of lords. The devil cannot harm us when we are guarded by Jesus. This is why the devil hates the gospel.
It should be no surprise that the devil often tries to blind us to the power of God’s Word and Sacraments. To see people coming to church confessing their sins and receiving forgiveness through a Pastor, doesn’t outwardly look like much. Yet, Scripture tells us that the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents. Water poured on a baby’s head, bread and wine, don’t look outwardly impressive. But by the power of his Word, God grants us forgiveness through these humble means, and where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and eternal salvation. To sit at the feet of Jesus, hear and believe his Word, doesn’t look like an impressive or important thing. But Jesus says, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” This is how the Jesus, the Stronger One, guards and keeps us safe. Amen.