14 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. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 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. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. (Luke 11:14-20 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
A relation is here given of a famous miracle wrought by our Saviour in casting a devil out of a possessed man. It is called a dumb devil, because of the effect upon the poor possessed person in restraining the use of his tongue.
Learn here, 1. That among the many calamities which sin has rendered human nature liable and obnoxious to, this is one, to be bodily possessed by Satan.
Observe, 2. That one demonstration of Christ’s divine power and convictive evidence of his being truly and really God was his casting out devils by the word of his power.
Observe, 3. What a sad and contrary effect this miracle had upon the wicked Pharisees, through their own blindness, obstinacy, and malice: instead of magnifying his divine power, they maliciously accuse him for holding a correspondence with the devil, and acting by a power derived from him; as If Satan should lend our Saviour a power against himself, and that for the destruction of his own kingdom. Lord, how dangerous is a willful opposition against the truth! It provokes the Almighty to deliver persons up to the most unreasonable infidelity and obstinate obduracy.
Observe, 4. Our Saviour, knowing their thoughts, makes a just apology for himself, by showing how improbable and unlikely, how unreasonable and absurd, it is once to imagine or suppose that Satan should cast out himself, and any ways seek to oppose or destroy his own kingdom. Now, if I have received (says Christ) my power from Satan, for casting out Satan, then is the devil like a family divided within itself, and like a kingdom against itself, which can never stand, but must be brought to destruction.
Observe, lastly, our Saviour tells the Pharisees, that they might with as much reason attribute all other miracles to the power of the devil, as those wrought by himself; for there were certain Jews among them that cast out devils in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now our Saviour asks them by what power these their children cast them out? They acknowledged that what they did was by the power of God, and there was no cause but their malice, why they should not acknowledge that what he did was by the same power; If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? But if I with the finger of God cast them out, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you; that is, the long-expected kingdom of the Messiah is certainly come, and I having wrought these miracles by my own power, is a demonstrative proof that I am the promised Messiah.
BURKITT | Luke 11:1 | Luke 11:2-4 | Luke 11:5-8 | Luke 11:9-10 | Luke 11:11-13 | Luke 11:14-20 | Luke 11:21-26 | Luke 11:27-28 | Luke 11:29-32 | Luke 11:33-36 | Luke 11:37-40 | Luke 11:41 | Luke 11:42 | Luke 11:43 | Luke 11:44 | Luke 11:45-46 | Luke 11:47-54 |