Luke 11:14-26: Unmasking the Strong Man and the Power of God’s Finger

Human speech is a dynamic God-given capacity of exquisite beauty. Voices allow us to express love, unveil our innermost thoughts, share amazing stories, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and bless one another. Loss of the ability to speak is tragic. Luke recalls Jesus “casting out a demon that was mute,” meaning the malevolent spirit rendered a man incapable of speech, but “when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled” (Lk. 11:14).^[1]

An evil spirit rendered a man voiceless, but Christ expelled the demon and gave the man back his voice. Incredible! But do such things really occur? Here modern readers are to exercise discernment. C.S. Lewis rightly notes, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”^[2]

Jesus’ exorcisms reveal His identity as the Son of God and Messiah (Lk. 4:41; 9:35).^[3] The Son of God entered this sinful and fallen world that had become riddled with demons and His arrival marked the beginning of their end.

Now certain witnesses to the expulsion of the demon of muteness remained skeptical about Jesus’ identity as the divine messiah. Luke indicates that “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” (Lk. 11:15-16). This sets the occasion for Christ’s teaching on the finger of God, the binding of the strong man, and the perilous return of a wandering expelled unclean spirit.

Let us now look more closely at the meaning and significance of this teaching from the Lord. By understanding the victory of Christ over the powers of darkness, we can equip ourselves to overcome spiritual struggles and experience true freedom.

The Finger of God: Those who witnessed the exorcism but disbelieved expressed their skepticism differently. Some were antagonistic, and they flat out rejected the Christ under the notion that the demons were being exorcised through the power of Beelzebub (i.e., the prince of demons or Satan). Their minds so twisted by sin they perceived the Christ to be an agent of evil. This is comparable to the New Atheists who denounce God as morally reprehensible. Others passively sat upon the couch of doubt. Despite what had been made evident to them through the miraculous exorcism, they remained unmoved, only voicing skepticism, and asking for more proofs. These witnesses to the exorcism experienced the finger of God but they were unwilling come alongside the Christ.

Jesus thus admonishes the skeptics, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls” (Lk. 11:17). This warning illustrates the folly of the accusation of Jesus casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Hence, the rhetorical question: “If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” (Lk. 11:18). A socially fragmented nation is internally weak and easily toppled. Such would be true for the kingdom of darkness. Put another way: “If Jesus expels demons with satanic power, then Satan is contributing to his own demise.”^[4]

“If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?” (Lk. 11:19). Other exorcists besides Jesus treated the possessed too. These other exorcists were “sons” in the sense of being from the first century Jewish community. Moreover, from the same community were Jesus’ disciples and they were likewise were casting out demons.^[5] If they were all in cahoots using the power of Satan to cast out demons, then the kingdom of darkness would certainly crumble from within. What if there is a genuine article buried underneath the bogus miracles?

Jesus then explains the significance of the exorcism: “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Lk. 11:20).

“Finger of God” hearkens back to Moses and Aaron sending the third plague of gnats upon Egypt, which initiates the series of miraculous sign and wonders the magicians of Pharaoh were unable to duplicate (Exod. 8:17-19), and “By referring to the finger of God, Jesus is likely indicating that he, alongside Moses and Aaron, is empowered to perform miracles that liberate Israel from her captivity.”^[6] “Finger of God” alludes also to the divine power that enables Him to perform miracles and cast out demons. “Finger of God” is synonymous with “Spirit of God” (cf. Matt. 12:28). God is the source behind Christ’s power to exorcise demons.

The same finger of God that fashioned the heavens, and inscribed the Ten Commandments upon the tablets of stone (Exod. 31:18) is very finger of God overthrowing the dominion of evil. Jesus gives us the tangible manifestation of divine power through overcoming the powers of darkness.

We live, breath, and move in a God filled universe. He is not so far off that we cannot find Him. But He is here and He is not silent. Blaise Pascal righty says, “[God] has willed to make Himself quite recognisable by those; and thus, willing to appear openly to those who seek Him with all their heart, and to be hidden from those who flee from Him with all their heart, He so regulates the knowledge of Himself that He has given signs of Himself, visible to those who seek Him, and not to those who seek Him not. There is enough light for those who only desire to see, and enough obscurity for those who have a contrary disposition” (Pensees 430).^[7] It is then through faith that we can look around and witness the glorious things made by the finger of God.

Defeating the Strong Man: Jesus additionally tells the story about the defeated strongman: “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” (Lk. 21-22). This strong man represents Satan or evil forces that seek to hold humanity captive in sin and spiritual bondage. However, the arrival of Jesus signifies the coming of a mightier power that can bind the strong man. Pinned down, the strongman cannot stop the Son of God from plundering the palace. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus triumphed over the powers of darkness, breaking the chains of sin, and offering everlasting life to all who believe in Him.

Jesus then sets forth this call to action: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Lk. 11:23). He implores all to come around to His side with undivided hearts. Both those who strongly criticized the works of the Son as being done through the power of the Devil and those who remained uncommitted in the couch of skepticism fell short of experiencing the good life in God’s kingdom.

The Return of an Unclean Spirit: Jesus additionally warns about the peril of an unclean spirit coming back to its former abode. The demon is sent far away into the wilderness, the place where demons roam, but unable to find a place to stay, it decides to return to the previous dwelling, and finds it “swept and put in order.” All the orderliness will not do, so the demon “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” (Lk. 11:26). The point is that “when anyone gets rid of an evil spirit but puts nothing in its place, he is in grave moral danger. No-one can live for long in a moral vacuum.”^[8]

There is a God shaped vacuum that only Christ can fill. But those who are severed from God experience this unfillable void. Chasing after inner carnal appetites, material possessions, and social recognition never really fill the void. Demons are without any qualms about coming around to dupe us into thinking they can fill the void. Only Christ alone can fill the void. Why? Because Christ gives us the life that animates our entire being. Like a branch cut from a tree, the limb is without the life-giving nutrients from the tree, and it withers and dies. If it is grafted back into the tree, and reconnected to the source of the life-giving nutrients, then the branch will live and bear fruit (Jn. 15:1-11).

It is essential to fill our lives with the presence of God and actively pursue righteousness. This teaching emphasizes the need for a genuine and lasting transformation through union with the Triune God of the universe. We must have fellowship with the Father through the way of the Son by the power of the Spirit. We are to put off the vices of the old life and put on the virtues of the new life in Christ (Eph. 4:17-5:9; Col. 3:1-4:6). The Christian submits to God, resists the Devil, and the Devil flees (Jas.4:7).^[9]

Luke 11:14-26 teaches us that the binding of the strong man, the finger of God, and the return of an unclean spirit are not merely historical events but profound spiritual principles that continue to shape our lives today. Through the authority of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the means to conquer the forces of darkness and experience true freedom. By aligning ourselves with God’s kingdom and allowing His finger to work in and through us, we can live victorious lives, ever watchful and prepared to face any spiritual challenge that may come our way. Let us, therefore, walk in the authority of Christ, relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as we navigate through life’s journey and overcome the darkness that seeks to ensnare us.

— WGN

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Notes:

[1] All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), unless noted.

[2] C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour and Company, Inc., 1990), 9.

[3] G. H. Twelftree, “Demon, Devil, Satan,” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, ed. Joel B. Green and Scot McKnight (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 170.

[4] Thomas Schreiner, The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, ed. Gary M. Burge and Andrew E. Hill (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 1084.

[5] Darrell Bock, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Luke, ed. Grant R. Osborne(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994),209.

[6] Daniel Fanous, Taught by God: Making Sense of the Difficult Sayings of Jesus (Yonkers, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2020), 97.

[7] Cited from Blaise Pascal, Pensees. Translated by W.F. Trotter (Overland Park, KS: Digireads.com, 2009), 53

[8] Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Luke, revised edition, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), 218.

[9] Christianity is characterized by the renouncement of the Devil. The Christian belongs to Christ and Christ plunders the possessions of the Devil. A Christian cannot be possessed by the Devil. However, there is an invisible spiritual war and the believer must put on the armor of God to stand against the powers of darkness (Eph. 6:10-20; 1 Cor. 10:3-5).