Luke 11:14-16 14Now he was casting out a demon, and it was causing inability to speak. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the crowd marveled. 15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16while others by testing were seeking from him a sign from heaven.
Luke recounts in simple terms another miracle of Jesus. The transition from the topic of prayer is quick and dramatic, which indicates that Luke was not so interested in a clean, sequential story of Jesus but more on the key events and activities Jesus did on his way to Jerusalem. The organization and context are more topical than cleanly chronological. The story of this miracle begins to develop the theme of opposition to Jesus and misunderstanding about his ministry and message. One man had been possessed by a demon that kept him from talking. Of course, Jesus easily cast out such a demon, but that does not seem to be Luke’s purpose in recounting this story. Rather, the issue was how people interpreted this miracle.
The some (tines) people of the crowd are not identified. Mark 3:22 identified the people who asked this type of question were the scribes from Jerusalem. The Beelzebul (also spelled Beelzebub) has as its root the Philistine god Baal. The name can mean “lord of heaven.” By the time of the New Testament, the Jews had associated this name with Satan and demons. Baal was one of the pagan deities that had caused Israel much spiritual pain in the past. Anything associated with such idolatry was to be totally rejected and condemned. Others in the crowd were not impressed by Jesus casting out a demon. They wanted a bigger sign from heaven, something that would really shake up the status quo. They were more interested in magic and the true miracle of a man finding spiritual freedom.
The empty and depraved thinking of these people is evident in these verses. The proof of Jesus’ true identity was right before them, but they refused to believe because of their hardened hearts. People today still miss Jesus because they are unwilling to see the clear evidence right before them. Paul the apostle later wrote about people like this who “having been darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness their heart, who, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the pursuit of every impurity with greediness” (Ephesians 4:18-19).
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