– PARABLES OF JESUS –
The Parable of the Returning Unclean Spirit
It is interesting to notice the references to demon possession in the Bible. Search the Old Testament, and there doesn’t seem to be any reference to such happening. In the gospels, demons appear to be a common occurrence, but as we continue in the New Testament, demon activity wanes in the book of Acts, and is non-existent in the epistles.
I don’t know how many demons the Lord cast out in the days of His earthly ministry. There were many. He met some along the road as He walked from town to town. Some brought their possessed love ones to Jesus. He even cast out some in the short time He spent on the east side of the sea of Galilee in Decapolis.
Jesus used the cleansing of a demon from a man as a parable. Notice:
When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds non. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came,’ and when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation. (Matthew 12:43-45)
In the greater context, we see the Pharisees spoke against Jesus’ work of casting out demons. They claimed He did so by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of demons. Jesus demonstrated the foolishness of such a charge (Matthew 12:25-27), and then proclaimed,:
...if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:28)
Were these accusations levied against the Lord because He had just case out a demon in their presence, or were they upset with Him doing so on a previous occasion? We cannot know for certain. What we do know is Jesus cast out many demons, and He did so by God’s power, not the devil.
When Jesus gave the parable, is it possible that there were some present from whom He had cast out demons? Was it perhaps a warning to them, lest they allow an unclean spirit back into their lives? Of course, the application of the warning extends beyond demon possession, but to life in general.
Remember in John 5, a multitude of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people waited at the Sheep Gate for the waters to stir. The Lord came to a lame man and asked, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ He then told the man to rise up, take up his bed and walk. Jesus saw the same man later that day at the temple, and said:
See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. (John 5:14)
When one has been healed or cleansed of a demon and thus given new life and a fresh start, it is imperative that there is a focus on good things and a purging of evil things. We don’t know what caused the man’s infirmity—Jesus did. And the Lord warned him to abstain from sin, lest something worse come his way. Neither do we know the circumstances that resulted in unclean spirits coming into the lives of the people whom Jesus cleansed, but the Lord knew. His words to them were much like His warning to the healed man of John 5—do something positive with your life. Don’t leave an open door for wickedness to return.
This is true, not just of those healed or cleansed of an evil spirit, but for all who come to the Lord. By the precious blood of Christ, all Christians receive the forgiveness of sins. We must thereafter fill our lives with good things. The Lord has purged the evil from our lives; how dare we invite it back in. But it is not enough to abstain from our former wickedness; we need to fill ourselves with goodness. We need to become diligent students and avid doers of the will of God. If we have not filled our heart with good things, then we’ve left an invitation and open door for wickedness to again take charge in our lives.
Jesus said that the unclean spirit came back to the empty heart, and brought with him seven other spirits, more evil than he was. Though the man was cleansed, the end result was worse than the beginning. Hear the words of the apostle Peter regarding those who have come to Christ, but afterward turn back to the world:
...if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. (2 Peter 2:20-21)
Let’s receive the cleansing of our souls, and then fill our lives each day with the will of God. If we’re filled with the good, there will be no room for the evil to enter again.
Links: YouVersion | GROW magazine
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