Luke 11:24-26 Return of the Evil Spirit

Our story today follows Jesus freeing a man from a mute spirit. Jesus is giving him a warning that he needs to heed, so he won’t wind up worse than when he first came to Jesus. But this message went beyond this one man and applied to all who came to Jesus for their deliverance.

Jesus loved touching the people and ending their suffering, but their physical comfort was no why He came. He came to save men’s souls; their eternal spiritual comfort. The healings were how He got the people to listen.

People came to Jesus by the thousands for what they could receive from Him. Some were even brought there by others. And Jesus willingly met their needs. But He didn’t stop there. He taught them afterwards. He shared the truth of the Kingdom of God with those grateful people.

But once they were free there was a choice to be made. The choice was to move forward or go back. There was/is no standing still. Moving forward meant moving deeper into the knowledge of Jesus and all He had to offer; becoming a believer. Going back entailed ignoring His word and turning back to the life they were leading before meeting Him. But going back came with a steep price tag.

Jesus was sharing the truth with those who came to Him. Those who had “ears to hear” and “eyes to see” understood, to some degree, that truth. Once you know the truth you can’t un-know it. You can either choose to accept it and walk in it or turn your back on it. But that doesn’t change the truth or the fact that you know that truth. But it does change your responsibility. Because your eyes are opened you are accountable for your behavior.

This is what the Law did. Men had an inner sense that they were doing wrong but it wasn’t until the Law was given that their behavior was labeled sin. Once they knew the truth they were responsible for not breaking the Law. When they did they were then doubly guilty. Guilty first from within and now guilty through rule of law.

Jesus’ message about the returning spirit works that same way. The person before they were free was aware something was wrong. The only way to be freed from the demonic spirit was through the power of God. Once experiencing that power they were exposed to the truth of God. They could then move into what God and Jesus had for them or return to their old life. But returning meant they were spiritually empty and open to the return of the demon. They were then doubly dammed because they knew the truth and refused it. Jesus said that they were more than doubly dammed but EIGHT times dammed, because their former tormenter would return with seven worse spirits in tow.

When we looked at this passage in Matthew we concluded with how to prevent the return of the demon. I want to leave you with the link back to that blog. The choice is yours once you know the truth. Do you move in, or fall back?

Father God, thank You for caring about our eternal comfort. Thank You Jesus for getting our attention. Please help me move ever forward. For my children that have turned back, help me know how to reach them.