Daily Devotion

When Jesus' enemies were helpless to oppose him by fair means, they resorted to slander. They declared that His power over demons was due to the fact that He was in league with the prince of demons.   They attributed his power not to God, but to the devil. Jesus gave them a crushing answer.

 

First, He struck them with a shrewd blow. There were many exorcists in Jesus' time in Israel. Josephus traces this back to Solomon. Part of Solomon's wisdom was that he was skillful with herbs, and had invented incantations which drove out demons in such a way that they never came back. Josephus states that he had seen Solomon's methods used with success even in his own day. So, Jesus delivers a home-thrust. "If I," he said, "cast out devils, because I am in league with the prince of devils, what of your own people who do the same thing? If you condemn me, you are only condemning yourself."

 

Second, he used an unanswerable argument. No kingdom in which there is a civil war can survive. If the prince of devils is lending his power to defeat his own emissaries, he is finished. There is only one way for a strong man to be defeated, and that is for a still stronger man to deal with him. "Therefore," said Jesus, "if I cast out devils, so far from that proving that I am in league with the prince of devils, it proves that the devil's citadel is breached, the strong man of evil is mastered, and the kingdom of God is here."

 

Out of this passage comes certain permanent truths. (1^st) it is by no means uncommon for people to slander when honest opposition is helpless. There is nothing so cruel as slander. (2^nd) Once again we must note that Jesus' proof that the kingdom had come was the fact that sufferers were healed, and health walked where disease had been. Jesus' aim was not only soul salvation; it was also whole salvation.(3^rd) Luke finishes this section with the saying of Jesus that he who was not with Him was against Him, and that he who did not help to gather the flock helped to scatter it abroad. There is no place for neutrality in the Christian life.

Life Application:   How close to Jesus are you walking? So close that you can only see the good, and the great?   Follow in His footsteps.

 

Praise/Prayer: Dear Father, I love reading the Bible, especially the stories of Jesus, the healer, the savior, and Jesus who has all the right answers. I am so thankful that He is my savior and Lord. Amen!