The Finger of God

Scripture:

Luke 11:14   Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” ¹⁶ Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house. ¹⁸ If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? —for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. ²¹ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. ²² But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his plunder. ²³ Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Observation:

Still, with his face toward Jerusalem, Jesus stopped to engage those along the way who had great need. It’s amazing how Jesus touched the whole person, not just the physical, and not just the spiritual, but saw each person as one who needed to have wholeness in life. 

We don’t know exactly who was against Jesus in this scene, but one might imagine it was the more religiously literate. By identifying his work with Beelzebul, “the ruler of demons,” they were using every excuse possible to not affirm his true identity as God’s son. Instead they treated him as some kind of street magician, demanding another sign. Interestingly, Jesus knew their thoughts and therefore he was able to respond to their thinking. 

Why in the world would Jesus be from Satan, and at the same time work to free people from the grip of Satan? Jesus expressed the utter ridiculousness of the thought that he was casting out demons in the name of Satan. Even rational people understood that a kingdom divided would fall. Luke uses the phrase here, “finger of God,” while Matthew uses “Spirit of God,” but they both mean God’s power. With Luke’s use of the word “finger” he is alluding to the Old Testament passages where Pharoah’s magicians realize this wasn’t a magic act, but it was the “finger of God” at work in Moses’ miracles. Later we are told that God’s finger inscribed the Ten Commandments. The Psalmist would go on to declare:

When I consider your heavens,

    the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

    which you have set in place,

what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

    human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:3-4, NIV)

Those refusing to see that this was the finger of God at work were not just taking up a neutral position in regard to Jesus, but were actually becoming a part of the opposition. By not supporting Jesus, they were scattering those whom Jesus had gathered, and in essence, warring against his power and authority. To declare that Jesus was from Satan, was to utterly reject him for who he was, and be blind to the finger of God at work. 

Application:

The finger of God continues to be at work today. Unfortunately, we may not be willing to see what the Lord is doing, because it may not fit our paradigm in regard to God’s activity in this world. That was certainly the case in the first century. Those who rejected him had to come up with an explanation for that rejection that placed them in a good light. If they could say that Jesus was from Satan, then they could still look like the religious ones. 

The danger for all followers of Christ is to fall into a routine in which we expect God to act and respond in certain ways. God doesn’t need us to function as his defense attorney. I think this is the humor that Jesus saw in this situation. The finger of God was on display for the people to see, and yet, they didn’t want to see it because Jesus wasn’t the kind of leader that they wanted. 

There is much hurt and pain in our world. The man possessed by the demon would have been at the margins of society, and yet, this is the one to whom Jesus ministered. Would we be concerned to see Jesus with the marginalized of our society? Would we call him out and suggest that he is evil for being in the middle of a particular crowd? 

Those who refuse to acknowledge the finger of God at work become guilty of scattering those whom Jesus has gathered. We need God’s help to see the finger of God at work, uniting with Jesus, and bringing unity to the flock. 

Prayer:

Lord, open my eyes to see your finger at work. Please, help me not to stand on the sidelines, critical of your activity, but to be a gatherer of your flock. Amen.