The Stronger One
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!
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
We don’t always see the spiritual realties around us. We see an amazing example of this in the Old Testament during the life of the prophet Elisha. The Syrians were one of Israel’s enemies at this time. The King of Syria sought to destroy Israel, but every time he would come up with a plan to attack Israel, the Israelites would somehow find out. The King suspected that he had a traitor in his midst who was informing Israel and accused his council. But his council explained to the King that there was no traitor, but rather the prophet Elisha heard every word he spoke, which he in turn, would share with the King of Israel to warn him of Syria’s plan. When the King of Syria found out where the prophet was staying, he mustered his horses and chariots and a great army, to surround the city at night, and get rid of this pesky prophet.
When Elisha’s servant saw the great army surrounding the city he was horrified, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (II Kings 6:15). Elisha replied, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And then Elisha prayed that the Lord would open his servant’s eyes to see what Elisha could see. And he did. Now the servant saw that the mountain was “full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” The Lord of Armies was with Elisha!
Imagine the scene! When the servant saw the spiritual forces that fought for him, he was no longer worried about the Syrian army. We learn of other instances like this in Scripture where people were completely blind and unaware of the spiritual realities around them. While we might not always be able to see, touch, or hear these spiritual realities around us, it does not make them any less real.
Christians are in a spiritual battle with the devil. He attacks us with spiritual forces that we cannot see. We don’t see him physically, as when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, but it doesn’t make him any less real or dangerous. The Bible opens our eyes to this spiritual battle. Paul says, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12), but against the devil and his demons. The devil hates God and so he hates Christians. He wants to rip us away from God.
In our lesson, we see a glimpse of this spiritual battle. A demon caused a man to be mute, he could not talk. The devil tries to corrupt every good thing God has given us. What better way from stopping a man from praising, confessing, and asking questions about God, than making him mute? But Jesus cast the demon out. The man who was demon oppressed and mute now spoke. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, revealed his power over the devil and the people marveled.
But some did not. They said the only reason he could cast out demons was because he works with the devil. The people were so blind, they even accuse Jesus. They did not see the real spiritual battle between Christ and the devil over our souls. Of course, we see what’s happening here because we have Scripture. God reveals the real spiritual battle going on in the lesson. We see it.
But are you aware of your own spiritual battles? You can’t see the devil. You can’t see his demons working and tempting you They are real. But do you see them that way? When you gossip about someone, who do you think is influencing you—God or the devil? When you don’t have any time in your day to say a prayer, read a devotion, or a portion of God’s Word, who do you think is working to consume your day—God or the devil? When you look at someone with lust who is not your lawfully wedded spouse, who do you think is influencing you? When you lie, are puffed up with pride, or jealous, who are you imitating?
Do you see the real spiritual battle in your life? When we don’t see these temptations for what they truly are, the devil is succeeding in making us blind. When we fail to confess the sins we have committed, the devil is succeeding in making us mute.
Every Christian, every baptized baby, God has taken out from the devil’s grip and transferred them to his kingdom of light. At the same time, the devil is seeking to take us back. He wants us in hell. This is why Jesus warns about the seven other demons even more wicked than the first. People get baptized and believe in Jesus. They hear the word of God for a while. But then they begin to grow tired of what God has to say. They think they have their life in order but get distracted by the pleasures of this world. They begin to care more about the things world and what they want. When they least expect it, the evil spirit comes back with even more wicked spirits. Now, they don’t necessarily convulse and jump into the fire. Instead, they become mute. They don’t confess their sins and stop confessing the truth of their Savior. They ignore God’s Word.
Jesus knows how easy it is for us to become complacent and apathetic to his Word, which is why he warns us. It’s one of the dangers we face in the spiritual battle we are in. But it is not a hopeless battle. Far from it! Jesus became man to set us free from Satan’s grip. As John writes, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8). Jesus is the stronger one who attacked the devil and overcame him. When God promised to send the Seed of the woman who would crush Satan’s head, he was declaring war against the devil. Jesus’ miracles of casting demons, healing the sick, raising the dead, were his first onslaughts against the devil’s kingdom. But his final blow against the devil was done with no ordinary sword, but the sword of the cross. Remember, the cross flipped makes the shape of the sword. By taking the sins of the world on his back, he took away the devil’s weapons—his accusations against. On the cross, Jesus won our salvation—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.”
By his innocent life and holy death on the cross, Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world. Jesus is the stronger man who has defeated the devil and won the victory. And now Jesus seeks to bring that victory—the spoils of war to you. What are these spoils? The forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Scripture says, “[Jesus] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).
We all face and fall for the devil’s temptations every day. We are often weak. And this is why Jesus exhorts us to rely on him—the Stronger One. He alone can give the victory! By our baptism into Jesus, we have put on the armor of Christ—robed in his perfect righteousness and holiness. The Holy Spirit gives us new birth and new life in Christ. The Lord guards and keeps us 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. The Word keeps the devil at bay and reminds you of your Savior, who is your rock and fortress, your deliverer, in whom we take refuge.
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 guarded by the Stronger One. By his Word the Lord casts out evil spirits. If Satan knocks on the door of our house, swept and clean, without Christ—we are defenseless. But when Jesus answers the door, the demons go pale and run away shrieking!
While the exchange between Jesus and a woman in the crowd may seem like an out of the blue statement, it really serves as 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!”
True blessedness comes from God’s Word because the Word brings Jesus to us. The Word is the Gospel, the good news, that Jesus has defeated the devil and destroyed his weapons. We are free from sin. We are children of God. The devil cannot harm us when we hold on to Jesus, who is our righteousness. This is why the devil hates the gospel. He hates us too.
It should be no surprise that the devil often tries to blind us to the power of God’s Word and Sacraments. He would prefer us to be like Elisha’s servant who could not see the heavenly armies fighting for them. Surely, we can’t see the power behind water, bread and wine, and simple words. We can’t see the power, but it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
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. Imagine the rejoicing in heaven when a whole congregation 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!” May God grant us eyes of faith to see these blessed realities given to us by the Stronger One, until we see him face to face in heaven. Amen.