You know when Jesus talks about evil spirits coming back to an empty house?
Matthew 12:43–45, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
I've heard so many different ideas about what this passage means but when you really study it in context with what Jesus was teaching, it's more amazing then any of the other theories you hear. Instead of telling it in my own words though I'd rather share how it's explained by various commentaries as they do a really good job of it:
Finally, Jesus warned these leaders that rejecting Him would be followed by further crimes against Him, for that was the purport of the illustration of the cleansed house. This illustration portrays Israel’s national history. The original unclean spirit is the spirit of idolatry which plagued Israel from the Exodus to the Exile, for only when they were in exile (in the dry places) did the nation eventually exclude idolatry from their national life. They cleaned house, but did not fill the space vacated by idolatry with true religion—as was evident when they rejected God’s Son. Jesus warned them that this empty space would be filled by a system seven times worse than idolatry—and that this would definitely happen. The indication, too, in this illustration is that their hate for and opposition to Jesus will become seven times more vehement.
The evil of any false religious system is that it causes men to lose their souls. Idolatry does this, as does Judaism by rejecting Christ (Acts 4:10–12). The emptiness of idolatry is evident, but Judaism is so close to the true religion by which man is saved that it easily lulls its followers into a false sense of security; so ‘the last state of that man is worse than the first.’ The full horror of Jesus’ declamation that day in Galilee is that Judaism was to become a seven-fold more effective system than idolatry in keeping souls out of the Kingdom.
Please consider this carefully. Fault my reasoning if you can; otherwise, prayerfully consider how you can win Christ’s brethren in the flesh to Him.
The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record
Matthew 12:43–45 Jesus gives a striking parable of the precarious spiritual condition of the nation. The parable is that of a house well swept but unoccupied. The demon having been driven out, but finding no place to rest, returns with seven other spirits, resulting in an even greater degeneration. In using this illustration Jesus clearly indicated that though the Jews had been cleansed from their idolatry by the severity of the Babylonian exile, their unbelief and hardness of heart was in danger of producing an even worse moral condition than when they were idolaters. The moral reformation that had taken place after the captivity should have prepared Israel for the ministries of John and Jesus. Unfortunately, in most cases it fell short in that Israel’s spiritual house was empty. Only by inviting Christ to occupy the position of Honored Guest and Head of the Home could Israel know the full blessing of God. KJV Bible commentary.
The parable in Matthew 12:43–45 might be termed “reformation without inward regeneration.” The Jews came back from captivity purged from their sin of idolatry. The “house” had been swept clean, but it was still empty. They had religion and outward morality, but their hearts were empty and their religion was vain. Consequently, Satan was able to reenter the house with other sins, and the latter end of the nation was worse than the first! In the OT, the Jews worshiped idols, but in the Gospels they killed their own Messiah!
This same thing happens to individuals. How easy it is to “reform,” join a church, and live respectably, without Jesus Christ dwelling in the heart. This “false righteousness” will last only for a time; then Satan will get hold of that empty life and ruin it. Religion means cleaning up the outside; salvation means new life and holiness on the inside. See 2 Peter 2:20–22. Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament
This generation of sign-seekers stood condemned in the final judgment. To show what their condition on earth would be if they persisted in unbelief, Jesus compared them to a man who had found deliverance from a demon (an evil spirit), perhaps through a Jewish exorcist (cf. Matt. 12:27). After the man was delivered, he tried by every natural means to clean up his life and set things in order. But mere “religion” is never effective so the man lacked a supernatural conversion. Consequently he was subject to possession again with more serious ramifications. Instead of one demon possessing him, he became possessed by seven other spirits. His latter condition was worse than his former. The Pharisees and other religious leaders were in danger of that happening to them for their attempts at reformation, without the power of God, were sterile. They clearly did not understand God’s power, for they had just confused the power of the Spirit with the power of Satan (Matthew 12:24–28). Thus they were wide-open targets for Satan. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Mt 12:43–45).
Maybe it's just me lol, but to me this was just fascinating! Lately I've been reading the Gospels in a "different way" I guess you'd say. I've been reading them with an eye toward how/when Jesus presented Himself as Messiah to Israel and how/when they rejected Him "officially" (which they did in the portion just prior to this). I've been doing this because it all relates to the end times and how God will be judging Israel because of this during the Tribulation and then saving the remnant to enter the Millennium to keep His promise. Anyway, reading them this way really gives you a different perspective of everything. But I figure that sometimes like now, I should post the commentaries rather then explain it myself so that you guys know it's not just my imagination lol
Matthew 12:43–45, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
I've heard so many different ideas about what this passage means but when you really study it in context with what Jesus was teaching, it's more amazing then any of the other theories you hear. Instead of telling it in my own words though I'd rather share how it's explained by various commentaries as they do a really good job of it:
Finally, Jesus warned these leaders that rejecting Him would be followed by further crimes against Him, for that was the purport of the illustration of the cleansed house. This illustration portrays Israel’s national history. The original unclean spirit is the spirit of idolatry which plagued Israel from the Exodus to the Exile, for only when they were in exile (in the dry places) did the nation eventually exclude idolatry from their national life. They cleaned house, but did not fill the space vacated by idolatry with true religion—as was evident when they rejected God’s Son. Jesus warned them that this empty space would be filled by a system seven times worse than idolatry—and that this would definitely happen. The indication, too, in this illustration is that their hate for and opposition to Jesus will become seven times more vehement.
The evil of any false religious system is that it causes men to lose their souls. Idolatry does this, as does Judaism by rejecting Christ (Acts 4:10–12). The emptiness of idolatry is evident, but Judaism is so close to the true religion by which man is saved that it easily lulls its followers into a false sense of security; so ‘the last state of that man is worse than the first.’ The full horror of Jesus’ declamation that day in Galilee is that Judaism was to become a seven-fold more effective system than idolatry in keeping souls out of the Kingdom.
Please consider this carefully. Fault my reasoning if you can; otherwise, prayerfully consider how you can win Christ’s brethren in the flesh to Him.
The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record
Matthew 12:43–45 Jesus gives a striking parable of the precarious spiritual condition of the nation. The parable is that of a house well swept but unoccupied. The demon having been driven out, but finding no place to rest, returns with seven other spirits, resulting in an even greater degeneration. In using this illustration Jesus clearly indicated that though the Jews had been cleansed from their idolatry by the severity of the Babylonian exile, their unbelief and hardness of heart was in danger of producing an even worse moral condition than when they were idolaters. The moral reformation that had taken place after the captivity should have prepared Israel for the ministries of John and Jesus. Unfortunately, in most cases it fell short in that Israel’s spiritual house was empty. Only by inviting Christ to occupy the position of Honored Guest and Head of the Home could Israel know the full blessing of God. KJV Bible commentary.
The parable in Matthew 12:43–45 might be termed “reformation without inward regeneration.” The Jews came back from captivity purged from their sin of idolatry. The “house” had been swept clean, but it was still empty. They had religion and outward morality, but their hearts were empty and their religion was vain. Consequently, Satan was able to reenter the house with other sins, and the latter end of the nation was worse than the first! In the OT, the Jews worshiped idols, but in the Gospels they killed their own Messiah!
This same thing happens to individuals. How easy it is to “reform,” join a church, and live respectably, without Jesus Christ dwelling in the heart. This “false righteousness” will last only for a time; then Satan will get hold of that empty life and ruin it. Religion means cleaning up the outside; salvation means new life and holiness on the inside. See 2 Peter 2:20–22. Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament
This generation of sign-seekers stood condemned in the final judgment. To show what their condition on earth would be if they persisted in unbelief, Jesus compared them to a man who had found deliverance from a demon (an evil spirit), perhaps through a Jewish exorcist (cf. Matt. 12:27). After the man was delivered, he tried by every natural means to clean up his life and set things in order. But mere “religion” is never effective so the man lacked a supernatural conversion. Consequently he was subject to possession again with more serious ramifications. Instead of one demon possessing him, he became possessed by seven other spirits. His latter condition was worse than his former. The Pharisees and other religious leaders were in danger of that happening to them for their attempts at reformation, without the power of God, were sterile. They clearly did not understand God’s power, for they had just confused the power of the Spirit with the power of Satan (Matthew 12:24–28). Thus they were wide-open targets for Satan. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Mt 12:43–45).
Maybe it's just me lol, but to me this was just fascinating! Lately I've been reading the Gospels in a "different way" I guess you'd say. I've been reading them with an eye toward how/when Jesus presented Himself as Messiah to Israel and how/when they rejected Him "officially" (which they did in the portion just prior to this). I've been doing this because it all relates to the end times and how God will be judging Israel because of this during the Tribulation and then saving the remnant to enter the Millennium to keep His promise. Anyway, reading them this way really gives you a different perspective of everything. But I figure that sometimes like now, I should post the commentaries rather then explain it myself so that you guys know it's not just my imagination lol
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please comment so we can grow in faith together and edify each other.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.