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. 21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 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. 23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. (Luke 11:14-23 KJV)
Jesus and Beelzebub
The substance of these verses is also found in Matthew 12:22. Christ gives a general proof of his divine mission through a specific demonstration of his power over Satan. His conquest of Satan indicated his great purpose in coming into the world—to destroy the works of the devil. In this event, he provides evidence of the success of that mission by casting out a demon that had made a man mute. In Matthew’s account, the man was both blind and mute. When Jesus cast out the demon, the man immediately spoke, echoing Christ’s word, and his lips were opened to praise God.
Some were moved by this miracle. The people were amazed and marveled at the power of God, especially that such power was displayed through someone so humble, one who lacked the pomp they expected of the Messiah. Others, however, were offended and accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Luke 11:15). This implies that there were rankings within the demonic realm. They insinuated that Jesus had an alliance with Satan, allowing him to drive out demons in isolated instances while Satan would ultimately prevail.
To support their claim and challenge Jesus further, they demanded a sign from heaven (Luke 11:16), perhaps like the phenomena seen at Mount Sinai during the giving of the Law. Yet such a sign could also be attributed to the devil, the prince of the power of the air, who works lying wonders. Their reasoning was weak and self-serving. Persistent unbelief will always find some excuse, no matter how illogical.
Christ directly answers their accusation by showing how unreasonable it is to believe Satan would act in a way that undermines his own kingdom (Luke 11:17-18). Though the accusers kept their thoughts to themselves, Jesus knew what they were thinking and addressed it. He reminded them that any kingdom or household divided against itself will fall. Satan would not cast out demons in a way that would bring ruin to his own influence. The miracles of Christ did not merely remove Satan from bodies but attacked his hold on minds and hearts by calling people away from sin and back to God. If Satan were divided in this way, his downfall would be imminent—something Satan would never willingly permit.
Jesus also exposes their hypocrisy. He asks why they do not accuse their own people, who also claimed to cast out demons, of working with Satan (Luke 11:19). This shows their judgment was partial and driven by malice. If their own people did not face such accusations, why should he?
He then warns that by rejecting the evidence of this miracle, they were resisting the kingdom of God itself (Luke 11:20). If he cast out demons by the finger of God, as they should recognize, then the kingdom of God had come to them. Matthew’s account says “by the Spirit of God,” while Luke says “the finger of God.” This suggests how easily God, through Christ, could defeat Satan—just a touch of divine power was enough. The image recalls the magicians in Egypt admitting to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19).
If the kingdom of God had come and they were resisting it, they were setting themselves against a power that would prevail over them. Christ’s casting out of demons wasn’t superficial or strategic but a real defeat of Satan’s power (Luke 11:21-22). Unlike others who may have driven out lesser demons through secret deals, Christ cast them out by divine force. He overpowered Satan, broke his grip, and claimed the spoils—the souls and faculties of people—for God.
The unconverted sinner is described as having a heart that serves as Satan’s palace. The devil keeps his possessions—people’s minds and wills—under his control. He defends his stronghold with arguments and deceptions that harden hearts against God. There is a false peace in such a soul: the sinner thinks all is well, unaware of the danger. But when the gospel is preached, it disrupts this false peace.
In conversion, Christ comes as the stronger one and overcomes Satan. He disarms the enemy, removes the lies, opens the eyes, and changes the heart. Christ takes what once served sin and Satan and turns it to his own service. This victory benefits not only the converted soul but all believers, as Christ shares the spoils of his conquest with them. Therefore, rejecting Christ’s teaching and miracles amounts to siding with Satan. “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Luke 11:23).