In Luke 11:14–23, Jesus casts out a demon, and while the miracle itself is brief, the real focus is on his teaching that follows. When accused of working by Satan’s power, Jesus shows the absurdity of that claim—why would the devil fight against himself? Instead, he points to the truth: if this is the finger of God at work, then God’s kingdom has come near. The Pharisees couldn’t see it because they didn’t like or expect the way God was moving through Jesus. That’s the challenge for us too—are we willing to recognize God at work in unexpected people and places? If the fruit of the Spirit is there, then God’s hand is moving, and our job is to join Him rather than resist.

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Well, good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Monday. I hope you had a great weekend and that all is well as we step into this new week. I’m looking forward to it—lots of good things happening. I keep hoping for some nice fall weather, even though it’s not quite here yet. One day, maybe, we’ll get a break from these Mississippi temperatures. Right now it feels like it’s about 1,000 degrees, but hey, I can dream.

So today we’re going to talk about the devil. And, well, that’s not exactly light reading, but it does lead us into an important passage. Let’s look at Luke 11:14–23.

Luke tells us Jesus cast out a demon that had made a man mute. Once the demon left, the man spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of demons. Others demanded a sign from heaven. Jesus responded, “Every kingdom divided against itself falls. If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.”

Now, what’s interesting is that the miracle itself only takes up one verse—just verse 14. The rest of the section isn’t about the miracle at all but about Jesus’ explanation of what just happened. That’s unusual for Luke, who normally gives lots of context and detail in his miracle stories. Here, the focus isn’t the healing itself—it’s the teaching that follows.

That’s actually something we’ll also see later in Acts, which Luke also wrote. In Acts, miracles aren’t the main event—they’re the setup. A miracle happens, it draws a crowd, and then the apostles preach the gospel. The miracle is important, of course, especially to the person healed, but the bigger picture is always about pointing people toward God’s kingdom.

Here, the religious leaders accuse Jesus of using Satan’s power to cast out demons. And Jesus basically says, “That makes no sense. Why would Satan work against himself? That’s a terrible strategy.” But then he pushes them to wrestle with the real question: What if it’s not the devil at work? What if it’s God? What if the finger of God is moving right here? If that’s true, then the kingdom of God has come near—and the leaders are opposing God himself. That’s a scary place to be.

It reminds me of that old Bible study, Experiencing God. Some of you probably remember it—it’s been around since the ’90s. I even taught the youth version back in the day. We’d meet at the Waffle House in Pearl by the airport and work through it together. The central idea of that study is simple: God is already at work in the world, and our job is to find where he’s moving and join him. That’s really what Jesus is saying here.

The Pharisees couldn’t imagine God working through Jesus. They couldn’t wrap their minds around him being the Messiah. They didn’t like how he talked, who he hung out with, or even his disciples. But truth is, they didn’t like John the Baptist either—and he was totally different from Jesus. So honestly, I don’t know who they did like!

But here’s the question for us: what do we do when God works through people we don’t expect? What if it’s someone with a different background, denomination, theology, or worship style? What if it’s someone we wouldn’t normally agree with? If it’s really the finger of God at work, what then?

For me, one way I try to discern God’s work is by looking for the fruit of the Spirit. If I see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in someone’s life, I know God is at work—even if we don’t see eye to eye on everything else.

The Pharisees missed it. The finger of God was right in front of them, and they rejected it. Let’s not make the same mistake. Let’s look for where God is moving—maybe in unexpected places, maybe through unexpected people—and when the kingdom of God comes near, let’s join in.

Thanks for being with me today. We’ll pick back up tomorrow with verse 24. Have a great day!