An apology and a question
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ephraimanesti
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MY DEAR GRUMPY SISTER,
The context for Luke 11:23 is that God the Father has sent His beloved Son to earth to gather the Children of God into a single Body with the Son--Jesus the Christ--as the Head of the Body. Thus, those working in darkness in opposition to Jesus by wilfully scattering what He is attempting to gather into one unified Body--i.e., the Church--are obviously working against the Father's wishes and the Son's mission on earth, and they will pay some heavy dues for their sin.
AN EX-PRODIGAL SON hopefully,
ephraim
The context for Luke 11:23 is that God the Father has sent His beloved Son to earth to gather the Children of God into a single Body with the Son--Jesus the Christ--as the Head of the Body. Thus, those working in darkness in opposition to Jesus by wilfully scattering what He is attempting to gather into one unified Body--i.e., the Church--are obviously working against the Father's wishes and the Son's mission on earth, and they will pay some heavy dues for their sin.
AN EX-PRODIGAL SON hopefully,
ephraim
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The context of Luke 11:23 is a conflict with people who didn't believe that Jesus was sent by God. In this story, Jesus had cast out demons. He was accused of being in league with Satan to do that. He defends himself, and ends with the saying in question. Whatever the original context of that saying (it may well have been separate) in this context it means that anyone who doesn't accept that he was acting for God is his opponent.
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A chapter of dichotomy and discernment, the verse illustrates the same: God/man, good/evil, sight/blindness, fortune/misfortune.
It is as if we are in Eden looking at the tree, desiring its fruit that we may be as gods, know wisdom, and judge correctly, but deny we have already ate. Christ here confronts those who would call themselves children of God as if they knew Him and yet say "yes" where God has said "no". In confronting them, He is slandered (v.15) and flattered (v. 27), neither in truth but both blind in judgment that presume powers reserved only for God.
Who, then, is the Christian? Who, then, is the true child of God but she who, like the Ninevites, cries to God as one who is needy! Who is of the seed of Abraham but she who, despite being an Egyptian, knows that neither she nor Egypt has Wisdom and will climb out and up to know Him by the sound of His Voice!
Who, then, is Satan? Who, then, are the children of darkness but they who prevent those little ones whom God has invited to dine with Him! Who are those of perdition but they who destroy with a kiss!
A love given or a love taken, which is more unjust?
It is as if we are in Eden looking at the tree, desiring its fruit that we may be as gods, know wisdom, and judge correctly, but deny we have already ate. Christ here confronts those who would call themselves children of God as if they knew Him and yet say "yes" where God has said "no". In confronting them, He is slandered (v.15) and flattered (v. 27), neither in truth but both blind in judgment that presume powers reserved only for God.
Who, then, is the Christian? Who, then, is the true child of God but she who, like the Ninevites, cries to God as one who is needy! Who is of the seed of Abraham but she who, despite being an Egyptian, knows that neither she nor Egypt has Wisdom and will climb out and up to know Him by the sound of His Voice!
Who, then, is Satan? Who, then, are the children of darkness but they who prevent those little ones whom God has invited to dine with Him! Who are those of perdition but they who destroy with a kiss!
A love given or a love taken, which is more unjust?
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aiki
Regular Member
Luke 11:23 (NKJV)
23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
The context is, in its immediate sense, those verses which precede and relate to what is said in verse 23 and those following verses which clearly pertain to verse 23.
So:
Luke 11:14-22 (NKJV)
14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
15 But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."
16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.
17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.
18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.
19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.
22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.
Just before Jesus makes his remarks in verse 23 he is rebuking those who were thinking his exorcism of the demonic was accomplished by the power of the demonic. Jesus points out the foolishness of such thinking: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation." He goes on to point out that it is by a power stronger than that of Beelzebub by which he had cast out the demon from the mute man: "But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all..." This is the backdrop to Jesus' words in verse 23. How do they relate to his explanation about how he cast out the demon? Verse 34 and 35 offer some insight:
Luke 11:34-35 (NKJV)
34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.
35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
Jesus was clearly stating to his detractors in verse 23 that they stood in direct opposition to himself, which was to stand in opposition to the God the Pharisees thought they served. The "darkness of their eye" toward Jesus (the Source of all Light), however, revealed that they were, in fact, full of darkness and not the champions of the light of God that they thought themselves to be.
On a broader level, Jesus words in verse 23 are for us all. Anyone who is not for him, is against him. There is no fence, no neutral ground, upon which one can stand when it comes to Jesus.
Selah.
23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
The context is, in its immediate sense, those verses which precede and relate to what is said in verse 23 and those following verses which clearly pertain to verse 23.
So:
Luke 11:14-22 (NKJV)
14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
15 But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."
16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.
17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.
18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.
19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.
22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.
Just before Jesus makes his remarks in verse 23 he is rebuking those who were thinking his exorcism of the demonic was accomplished by the power of the demonic. Jesus points out the foolishness of such thinking: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation." He goes on to point out that it is by a power stronger than that of Beelzebub by which he had cast out the demon from the mute man: "But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all..." This is the backdrop to Jesus' words in verse 23. How do they relate to his explanation about how he cast out the demon? Verse 34 and 35 offer some insight:
Luke 11:34-35 (NKJV)
34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.
35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
Jesus was clearly stating to his detractors in verse 23 that they stood in direct opposition to himself, which was to stand in opposition to the God the Pharisees thought they served. The "darkness of their eye" toward Jesus (the Source of all Light), however, revealed that they were, in fact, full of darkness and not the champions of the light of God that they thought themselves to be.
On a broader level, Jesus words in verse 23 are for us all. Anyone who is not for him, is against him. There is no fence, no neutral ground, upon which one can stand when it comes to Jesus.
Selah.
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Above, others explained how the statement was made in the middle of talk about demons.
"If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?"
Jesus was often challenged by the religious leaders, because He was teaching along some of the same subjects, and drew a lot of attention in the community.
The religious leaders were skeptical, jealous, and could use religious laws against Jesus, to stop Him from healing and delivering.
Jesus wanted people set free from oppression by demons, so He did what He could to free them -- even when it didn't seem proper or follow religious guidelines. Being right was less important than reducing suffering.
The leaders thought maybe Jesus was demon-focused because He was connected to the devil.
Jesus usually got to the heart of Judaism by caring about people. He stood against injustices, healed people who'd suffered too long, and reminded religious leaders what the point of their work was.
The leaders had grown too legalistic -- something that seems to be an issue again these days -- and Jesus was trying to get people to focus on the love and compassion that would set people free, instead of bind.
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