The Hand of God

Day 95: Luke 11:14-36

"But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." - Luke 11:20 ESV

Throughout these four biographies of Jesus' life and ministry, He has plenty of encounters with demonic activity. It is wild to think that something that Jesus dealt with repeatedly is a subject we rarely talk about today. It could be that our very naturalistic culture has intimidated us from being open about the fact that there is so much that we can't see.

There is still, today, a war waging for our souls. Jesus has actually tipped us off as to what the Devil's method is in John 10:10, and it is to steal, kill, and destroy. We don't have to look very far into our families, our nation, or our closest relationships to see that our enemy is very successful at what he does.

Yet, we can be encouraged because of the One that we follow. Jesus can tie up that strong man and throttle his counterfeit kingdom. His power is unlimited.

One of Jesus' biographers would later write the following: "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." - 1 John 4:4 ESV

Know who your enemy is. Know who you are. Know how dominant your Savior is. Get a better perspective on what is really going on all around you.

The following quote from Leon Morris is a bit long but too good not to share:

"It is by the finger of God (cf. Exod. 8:19) that Jesus performs his exorcisms and he invites his enemies to contemplate the consequence. Incidentally, it is rather curious that Luke reads ‘finger of God’ where Matthew has ‘the Spirit of God,’ for Luke generally emphasizes the Spirit. Both ways of putting it emphasize that Jesus’ power over the demons comes from God and no-one else. And if this is so, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. The presence of the kingdom is to be seen, not in good advice or pious practices, but in the power that expels the forces of evil. Now!" - Morris, L. (1988). Luke: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 3, p. 216)