“And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb.” With those few words, Luke opens a window into the unseen war for the human heart, and into the absolute authority of Christ over every dark power. Luke 11:14–23 is not just a story about an exorcism; it is a searching parable about kingdoms in conflict, divided hearts, and the impossibility of remaining neutral about Jesus Christ.
The scene: a silenced life set free
Luke begins with a man whose life has been silenced by demonic power.
“And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.” (Luke 11:14, KJV)
The devil’s work here is simple but devastating: he has cut this man off from fellowship, worship, and witness by attacking his ability to speak. The first sign of deliverance is that the man speaks. When Jesus drives out the devil, the man’s tongue is loosed, and the crowd marvels.
This is a picture of salvation. Sin and Satan silence us before God: they rob us of prayer, praise, and honest confession. When Christ sets us free, he restores our voice. Think of how many believers can say, “I could never speak about God before—but when He saved me, He gave me a testimony.”
The accusation: calling light darkness
Deliverance should have led to faith, but instead it exposes the heart.
“But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.” (Luke 11:15–16, KJV)
Two responses emerge:
- Some slander Jesus: they attribute His work to Beelzebub, the “chief of the devils.”
- Others demand more proof: a “sign from heaven,” as if casting out a devil were not enough.
The first group calls the work of God the work of Satan. The second group hides unbelief behind spiritual-sounding demands for more evidence. Both show that the problem is not a lack of light, but a refusal to see.
This still happens: a hardened heart can stand in front of obvious grace—a changed life, a forgiven sinner, a restored family—and say, “It’s fake, it’s manipulation, it’s psychological.” The issue is not the strength of the sign but the state of the soul.
The parable of kingdoms: no house divided
Jesus answers their accusation with clear, piercing logic:
“But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.” (Luke 11:17–18, KJV)
If Jesus casts out devils by Satan’s power, then Satan is attacking his own kingdom. A kingdom split against itself collapses; a house at war with itself cannot stand. In other words: your accusation is not only slanderous; it is irrational.
Then Jesus turns the question back on them:
“And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.” (Luke 11:19, KJV)
If exorcism is automatically satanic, then what about those among Israel who claim to drive out demons? Their own “sons” show the inconsistency of their charge.
“The finger of God”: the kingdom has come
Jesus then reveals the true meaning of what they have just witnessed:
“But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.” (Luke 11:20, KJV)
“The finger of God” recalls Exodus, when Pharaoh’s magicians finally confessed that the plagues were beyond human or occult power:
“Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God.” (Exodus 8:19, KJV)
In Luke, Jesus is quietly claiming that same divine authority. The exorcism is not a sideshow; it is a signpost. Where devils are driven out, the reign of God is breaking in. The miracle you are watching, He says, means “the kingdom of God is come upon you.”
Notice that phrase: “come upon you.” The kingdom is not an abstract idea or distant future; it is pressing in—present, confronting, calling for a response. Every act of Christ’s mercy is a knock on the door of the heart.
The strong man and the stronger man
Now Jesus tells the heart of this parable:
“When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.” (Luke 11:21–22, KJV)
Here is the spiritual picture behind the exorcism:
- The strong man is Satan.
- He is armed.
- He keeps his “palace.”
- His “goods” (people under bondage) are “in peace”—a false peace of captivity.
- The stronger man is Christ.
- He attacks and overcomes the strong man.
- He strips away his armour—the lies, accusations, sins, and fears in which the enemy trusts.
- He divides the spoils—He sets captives free and claims them as His own.
The mute man in verse 14 is one of those “goods” being plundered from Satan’s house. Jesus is not working with the devil; He is robbing him. Calvary will be the decisive victory where Christ spoils “principalities and powers” and makes a “shew of them openly” (Colossians 2:15, KJV).
This parable comforts and warns us:
- Comfort: Satan is strong, but Christ is stronger. No bondage is beyond His power.
- Warning: there is no neutral ground between these two kingdoms.
No neutrality: with Christ or against Him
The parable ends with one of the most searching sentences in the Gospels:
“He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.” (Luke 11:23, KJV)
The crowd wanted to stand at a distance and “evaluate” Jesus—some slandering Him, others holding back, asking for more proof. Jesus cuts through their posturing. In a war between two kingdoms, refusal to choose is itself a choice.
There are only two directions a life can move:
- With Christ: trusting, following, gathering with Him.
- Against Christ: resisting, neglecting, scattering what He gathers.
To “gather” with Christ is to join His work: embracing His Word, walking in obedience, helping others come to Him. To “scatter” is to live for self, to pull people away from Him by our influence, or simply to dilute and distract from His call. Even a passive, drifting life can be a scattering life.
This makes the passage deeply personal. The question is not only, “What do I think about Jesus?” but “Am I with Him or against Him in how I live, speak, and influence others?”
Application: letting the Stronger Man rule
Luke 11:14–23 presses several searching applications on the modern reader.
- Invite Christ into the deepest bondages.
We may not all face visible demonic oppression, but sin, addiction, bitterness, and shame can bind us just as surely. Bring those “strong man” strongholds before Christ in honest prayer. Ask Him to be the stronger One in that area of your life, to strip away whatever armour the enemy has used to keep you enslaved. - Guard against hardening your heart to obvious grace.
The crowd saw a miracle and responded with slander or delay. How often do we see answered prayer, transformed lives, and clear providences, yet explain them away or demand more “proof”? “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15, KJV). - Recognize there is no safe neutrality.
Spiritual apathy feels harmless, but Jesus names it: “He that is not with me is against me.” Examine your commitments, habits, and relationships. Are you gathering with Christ—helping others know Him, seeking His kingdom—or scattering by distraction, compromise, or silence? - Let your tongue testify.
The first evidence of deliverance in this passage is that “the dumb spake.” Use your freed voice:- Speak to God in prayer.
- Speak of God in witness.
- Speak for God in love and truth.
A life once silenced by sin becomes a living parable of the Stronger Man’s victory.
A closing reflection
Picture again that mute man standing in the crowd. A moment earlier, he was unable to say a word. Now his lips move, his voice rings out, and the people wonder. In that one changed life, we see the whole story of Luke 11:14–23 in miniature: a strong enemy, a stronger Savior, and a watching world forced to decide what it will do with Jesus.
In the end, this passage calls every reader to a single, searching question: If the kingdom of God has come upon me in Christ, will I stand with Him—or stand against Him?
Continue the study of Jesus’ Parables:
For further study check my books:
Discovering the Path of Salvation series by Stephen Luckett
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