Luke 11:14-23

14 Jesus delivered a man from a demon that had kept him speechless. The demon
gone, the man started talking normally, taking the crowd by complete surprise.
15 But some people said, He drives out demons [because He is in liaison with
and] by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. 16 Others were sceptical, waiting
around for him to prove himself with a spectacular miracle.

17 Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, "Any country in civil war cannot
stand for very long. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces. 18 If Satan
fights Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the
Devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons, 19 but if you're slinging devil
mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn't the same mud stick
to your own exorcists? 20 But if it's God's finger I'm pointing that sends the
demons on their way, then God's kingdom is here for sure.

21" When a strong man, armed to the teeth, stands guard in his front yard, his
property is safe and sound. 22 But what if a stronger man comes along with
superior weapons? Then he's beaten at his own game, the arsenal that gave him
such confidence hauled off, and his precious possessions plundered.

23 "This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side,
you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse.

Food for thought!

Have you ever been misrepresented? Has anyone ever taken your words and motives
and twisted them around and used them against you? Have you ever done something
good, which was misinterpreted as bad? Have you ever been attacked, slandered
and envied for doing good? This is what is happening to Jesus. He has done
something good, he has healed a man, and his enemies are not happy; they decide
to character assassinate him.

The earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus was surrounded by constant controversy.
Nearly everyone He met misunderstood Him and what He came to this world to do.
Nearly everyone was guilty of misrepresenting his words and his works. The
things He did and said in love were used to attack Him in hate, especially by
the religious leaders. They hated him and they hated everything he said and did.
They despised Him so much that they actually plotted to have him killed, (Mark
3:6).

These men will do anything to kill Jesus. They begin by killing his name, his
character, his fame. They begin by saying, He is demon possessed. "He drives out
demons because He is in league with and by Beelzebub, the prince of demons."
They are saying that Jesus is in partnership with Satan!!!!

These men consider the words and works of the Lord and attribute them to the
power of the devil; they accuse Jesus of acting under the influence of
“Beelzebub”. Beelzebub was a loathsome, wicked demon associated with all things
dirty and filthy. It was a cruel, heartless attack. Why would they say something
so foolish and so cruel against someone so innocent and so holy as Jesus?

If they acknowledge that Jesus is working His miracles in the power of God, then
they will be obligated to follow Him too. If they acknowledge that Jesus is
working His miracles in the power of God, they will have to admit that their old
system of belief is dead and is being replaced. If they acknowledge Jesus and
what He is doing, they are out of business and they know it! They will have to
change and that is not about to happen. So, they attack Jesus and accuse Him of
being in league with the devil. If this charge sticks, they can undermine His
ministry with the people and draw away His crowds.

It is easy to attack people you don’t agree with. You don’t need facts; just
make a few wild accusations and people who are not attentive will take the bait.
When that takes place a life, a reputation, a family, or a ministry is
destroyed. Beware that you are not in the business of attacking others. When you
do, you are truly doing the work of the devil! He is a destroyer (1 Pet. 5:8),
and he loves to enlist others in the business of destroying people!

There is nothing so cruel as slander, for it is apt to stick because the human
mind always tends to think the worst and very often the human ear prefers to
hear the derogatory rather than the complimentary tale. We need not think that
we are free of that particular sin. How often do we tend to think the worst of
other people? How often do we deliberately impute low motives to someone whom we
dislike? How often do we repeat the slanderous and the malicious tale and murder
reputations over the tea-cups?

Jesus responded to his attackers and totally destroyed their arguments. He uses
illustrations from life that prove Satan cannot be in the business of casting
out Satan.

A kingdom, a country, a family, a life divided cannot stand. For a kingdom, a
country, a family, a life to be strong it must be united. For Satan to cast out
his own demons would be counterproductive.

Children who grow up in a home where mom and dad fight like cats and dogs do not
stand a chance. A marriage that faces a constant barrage of fighting is a
marriage that cannot stand. A relationship that lives on strife cannot survive.
A home is not a home unless it is filled with love, unity and peace.

Last but not least: "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares
for those who trust in him." (Nahum 1:7).