More heads are going to roll today! Jesus' divinity is challenged and he fires back with some scathing criticisms that must have been completely devastating to the Pharisees and religious leaders to hear.
What exactly did Jesus say? Let's read and find out!
Read Luke 11:14-54 (find it here)
Here's a common theme. Jesus does a miracle, most are amazed, but some aren't impressed. It sounds like the same mindlessness that the Pharisees and religious experts have said. This time they insist that Jesus can only cast out demons because he's an instrument of Satan! (verse 15) Others wanted more proof, another miracle. Really? As if casting out a demon wasn't enough?
Their argument is flawed. How can Satan fight against himself?
Jesus is healing by the power of God and therefore proving that the Kingdom of God is flexing its muscle!
I love what Jesus says in verses 21 and 22! He admits that Satan is strong, fully armed and able to protect his possessions UNTIL someone stronger (he's definitely implying himself here) attacks him, takes him out, disarms him and takes his possessions (people he has 'possessed,' for example)! Friggin' awesome!
Jesus tells everyone present what happens to a demon when he is cast out of a person, how weird but cool, right? Does it strike anyone else a little funny that the demon has the ability to go back to the person he was cast out of? Not only that, but that the demon can bring 7 others with him! How can that be?
The clues to this start in verse 34. "[The] eye is the lamp of your body." When the eye is exposed to wholesome content, your body will be filled with "light" (or goodness). The opposite is true also. When the eye is exposed to all sorts of "darkness," (or evil) then your body will be filled with darkness. Darkness is where demons feel like home. Don't get light and darkness confused. If you are filled with light your whole life will show it. Its a way you can check yourself (like seeing if you have good or bad fruit coming from your life).
Jesus reminds the skeptical in verse 29 that he will NOT do a miracle just to appease someone's doubt. What is the sign of Jonah, you ask? Jonah was swallowed by a whale (or big fish, as the original Hebrew puts it) and presumed dead for 3 days. However, on the third day, the whale regurgitated Jonah on the shore; Jonah was alive! Ninevah was the place where Jonah was sent to by God to preach right after that experience. The Ninevites repented in response to Jonah, but Jesus (even though he is greater than Jonah) is not receiving repentance from the religious leaders in response to his miracles and preaching.
If you know about Jesus' death and resurrection, then you will know that Jesus was presumed dead for 3 days but was raised on the third day to prove he was from God, too. See the similarity?
Jesus is criticized for not washing his hands before a meal. (verse 38) Jesus rails on the religious leaders in response!
Jesus basically says these things (I'm paraphrasing):
You pretend to be righteous by the way you act but really you're greedy and wicked! (v. 39)
You're all for show by giving money to the Temple but nothing to the poorest who really need it! (v. 42)
You ignore justice and the things that God cares about. (end of v. 42)
You're all about recognition and people showing you respect. (v. 43)
You're like a dead man walking and people don't even know how dead you are on the inside! (v. 44)
An expert in religious law states the obvious, "you have insulted us." (verse 45)
Really? You don't say? Do you think that stopped Jesus? HA! Here's some more verbal smack downs:
You do nothing but make life harder for people with your religious demands! (v. 46)
You pretend to honor the ancient prophets, but it was your ancestors that killed them! (v. 47)
(and probably the strongest one of them all....)
Its YOUR fault that people don't enter heaven because if you're not going to be there, how can you possibly lead someone to heaven?! You do nothing but help people go to hell! (v. 52)
Let's just say that Jesus' tirade had an effect. From that point on, the Pharisees wanted to trap him even more. Just so you know, they wanted him to commit blasphemy (saying something incorrect or offense about God) so they could have him executed.
As you can see the heat is picking up in the story. Its only a matter time before the Pharisees and religious leaders find a way to get their hands on Jesus and kill him.
Questions
1.) Are people generally stronger than Satan to be able to fight him off? What kind of protection do people need in order to shield themselves from the temptation and influence of Satan, the enemy of Christ? How can you get that protection?
2.) Did the comparison of Jonah and Jesus make sense? Again, why do you think that Jesus refuses to perform miracles for skeptical and mean-spirited people? What happens if those type of people do witness a miracle?
3.) Jesus is brutally honest with the Pharisees and religious, essentially calling them fake, hypocritical and stumbling blocks for people. Read over the accusations that Jesus gives again (listed in italics above). If you were completely honest with yourself, are you guilty of any of those accusations? Good news, if you do fess up to them, you're not on the level with a Pharisee:)
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