Luke 11:14-36

Contemporary English Version

Jesus and the Ruler of Demons

(Matthew 12.22-30; Mark 3.20-27)

¹⁴ Jesus forced a demon out of a man who could not talk. And after the demon had gone out, the man started speaking, and the crowds were amazed. ^15 (A) But some people said, “He forces out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!”

^16 (B) Others wanted to put Jesus to the test. So they asked him to show them a sign from God. ¹⁷ Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said:

A kingdom where people fight each other will end up in ruin. And a family that fights will break up. ¹⁸ If Satan fights against himself, how can his kingdom last? Yet you say that I force out demons by the power of Beelzebul. ¹⁹ If I use his power to force out demons, whose power do your own followers use to force them out? They are the ones who will judge you. ²⁰ But if I use God's power to force out demons, it proves that God's kingdom has already come to you.

²¹ When a strong man arms himself and guards his home, everything he owns is safe. ²² But if a stronger man comes and defeats him, he will carry off the weapons in which the strong man trusted. Then he will divide with others what he has taken. ^23 (C) If you are not on my side, you are against me. If you don't gather in the crop with me, you scatter it.

Return of an Evil Spirit

(Matthew 12.43-45)

²⁴ When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when it doesn't find a place, it says, “I will go back to the home I left.” ²⁵ When it gets there and finds the place clean and fixed up, ²⁶ it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and that person ends up in worse shape than before.

Being Really Blessed

²⁷ While Jesus was still talking, a woman in the crowd spoke up, “The woman who gave birth to you and nursed you is blessed!”

²⁸ Jesus replied, “That's true, but the people who are really blessed are the ones who hear and obey God's message!”^[a]

A Sign from God

(Matthew 12.38-42; Mark 8.12)

^29 (D) As crowds were gathering around Jesus, he said:

You people of today are evil! You keep looking for a sign from God. But what happened to Jonah^[b] is the only sign you will be given. ^30 (E) Just as Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, the Son of Man will be a sign to the people of today. ^31 (F) When the judgment comes, the Queen of the South^[c] will stand there with you and condemn you. She traveled a long way to hear Solomon's wisdom, and yet here is something far greater than Solomon. ^32 (G) The people of Nineveh will also stand there with you and condemn you. They turned to God when Jonah preached, and yet here is something far greater than Jonah.

Light

(Matthew 5.15; 6.22,23)

^33 (H) No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a clay pot. A lamp is put on a lampstand, so everyone who comes into the house can see the light. ³⁴ Your eyes are the lamp for your body. When your eyes are good, you have all the light you need. But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. ³⁵ So be sure your light isn't darkness. ³⁶ If you have light, and nothing is dark, then light will be everywhere, as when a lamp shines brightly on you.