Luke 11:24-26 24“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’ 25And when it comes, it finds the house having been swept and put in order. 26Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Jesus continues his response to his critics but offers an illustration that shows the seriousness of demon possession and the importance of freeing people from the control of evil forces. Some of the description he uses is difficult for us to understand, but the main point is fairly clear. The unclean spirit refers to a demon, which is a spiritual being that causes and entices a person to do evil, leading to sin and destruction. Jesus answers the question, are demons destroyed when they are cast out? As spiritual beings, they are not destroyed by the destruction of their physical hosts. Jesus had the power to judge and condemn them (see 8:31), and someday will cast away evil at the great judgment (Revelation 20:10).
Verse 24 poses the mystery of these beings when Jesus describes what happens to them when they are cast out of a person. Waterless places could refer to the spiritual realm since physical life is dependent upon water. Another interpretation is to view these places as the desert (8:29). The demon could find no new home and so made a plan to return to its original host. The image is a wanderer who left home but could not find any place to live, and so went back home. The image also echoes the story of the prodigal son but in an opposite way. When the demon came back, it found a clean house because of what Jesus did there. The person was made whole spiritually and given spiritual freedom. The demon invites more demons, and they have a party and setup household in this person’s life.
The implied point of this saying is that something must be done to guard against the return of the demon and evil into a person’s life. This story is another call to discipleship and commitment. Unless the Holy Spirit fills a person, evil will seek to take over again. It is not enough to be forgiven. One must also grow in grace and relationship with God through obedience and communion with the Holy Spirit. It may be intentional that Luke has included this story in a chapter that also mentions seeking the gift of the Holy Spirit in verse 13. Being freed from evil and sin does not make one exempt from temptation or further spiritual warfare. The only solution is to abide in Jesus.
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