JESUS AND BEELZEBUB IN LUKE 11.14-23 (Part 3)

What is the meaning and the leitmotif behind exorcism (casting out the demons) performed by Jesus? First, it shows the active and powerful presence of the Kingdom of God (Luke 11.20) inaugurated in the person of Jesus Christ. This young man Jesus is not an ordinary man: he is divine. Jesus is the Son of God, and he himself is God! The exorcism tells the audiences that the power of God dwells fully in the person of Jesus. And this power is mightier than the kingdom of B.....b as proclaimed and promised years ago in Genesis 3.15. 

Second, exorcism shows that the Kingdom of God is absolutely more powerful than the kingdom of B.....b (Luke 11.21-22). The kingdom of B.....b is pictured as the owner of a palace, fully armed to guard his property. The Kingdom of God however is pictured as someone stronger who conquers the owner of the palace. The only way to victorious life has been established in the person of Jesus and his works. The first coming of Jesus sends a message that a new more powerful Kingdom of God has defeated and conquered the kingdom of B.....b.

Third, victorious Christian life is accomplished and guaranteed through our unity with Christ (Luke 11.23). Believers are to live in a battlefield; we are not neutral, and have to choose the right ally in order to win the fight. This decision of walking with a right party should not be  understood as simply a decision to follow Christ once in a life time. This is a decision believers have to take in their day to day life. Once one decides to follow Christ, the spiritual battlefield indeed becomes more real, and the neutrality becomes absolutely impossible.