This message was adapted from the CPH Lenten Series The Hand of the Lord for delivery to the people of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Adell, WI.

The Hand of the Lord Who Casts Out Demons

Text: Luke 9:37-43; 11:14-23

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be

acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.

          Over the past two weeks we’ve heard about the Hand of the Lord who freely gives forgiveness to those who turn to Him. And The Hand of the Lord who creates and saves all who believe in Him. In our readings for this evening, we hear of the mighty hand of the Lord. This mighty hand has come to defeat Satan and free people from his grasp. By the might of their own hands, no one else has this kind of power.

But in the first part of Luke’s Gospel account, a desperate father comes to Jesus, pleading on behalf of his demon-possessed son. This demon had taken ahold of the son, had convulsed him, and would not leave. Jesus’ own disciples did not have the power to do anything. The demon threw the boy to the ground just at the presence of Jesus. But all Jesus needed was His word of rebuke to make that demon leave the boy. He healed him, lifted him up, and handed him back to his father. The disciples, by their own hands, were no match for this demon. As Jesus told them in Matthew’s account of this healing, their hands were best suited for taking the form of prayer.

Later, Jesus would send out the seventy-two with the authority to do many things, including to cast out demons. And when they returned, they marveled at what had been done through them. Jesus still wanted to remind them not to lose sight of what’s most important. Their names are written in the Book of Life. Taking their eyes off God’s work always opens the door for pride. And as we hear from Proverbs, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” The devil’s power is not to be trifled with. Their casting out of demons only comes by the hand of God.

So, when Jesus comes, doing what no mere man could do, you would think that it would have been welcomed by all the people. But the opposite was the case. They accuse Him of casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. But it’s ridiculous to say that Satan would cast out his own demonic forces. As a principle, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Jesus Himself says that. Rather, the religious leaders were threatened by Jesus’ power and authority. They were so deceived by Satan’s power that they couldn’t see freedom from his captivity when it was happening right before their eyes.

Sadly, the reality of Satan’s power is in his great deception to hold people captive ever since the garden with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve listened to the crafty voice of the serpent instead of God Himself. And as a result, we’ve suffered the consequences of wanting to be our own gods to this day. To have it our own way—to take everything in our own hands—is not power, as much as we delude ourselves, but in reality, it’s the greatest kind of captivity. It’s to put ourselves under the tempter’s power and thereby receive the tempter’s fate, which is eternal condemnation. God did not create hell for human beings but for Satan and the fallen angels. If God truly and only let us have it our way and let us take everything into our own hands, we would find ourselves in the greatest captivity. We cannot break free from this captivity to sin, death, and the devil. Not by any might of ours. Not by our hands. We’re trapped.

Jesus likens Satan to a strong man. No one around can match his strength, and by his might, he keeps hold of all his possessions. We cannot escape by our might. No mere human being is strong enough to defeat this strong man. The devil’s house and kingdom are terrifyingly too strong for us.

That is, until they come up against the finger of God. The finger of God in the Old Testament is used as a way to describe God’s work of creation. I’m sure you’ve seen the beautiful work of Michaelangelo in the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel where God’s hand is reaching down with finger extended to Adam who has just been created. It’s also used to describe how He inscribed His commandments in the tablets of stone. In other words, the finger of God is His Word! By His Word, He created everything. By His Word, He gave His Law to Moses. Jesus Himself is the Word of God! And at Jesus’ Word, the demons shudder and flee. Jesus is the finger of God! It takes only the finger of God, not even His whole hand, for Satan’s kingdom of tyranny to come crashing down like a house of cards.

Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus did not succumb to the devil’s temptation in the wilderness. He has overpowered the strong man in order to plunder his house. Jesus has gained the upper hand on the devil in order to rescue us out from under his tyranny. That is just what God did in Christ when He came casting out demons. The devil is no match for the Son of God. He has done it all by the finger of God.

By going to the cross, Christ defeated sin, death, and the devil for you. In Christ Jesus, you are forgiven and given eternal life. The devil’s power and hold on you has been defeated. His accusations hold no weight. Christ has fulfilled that promise that we heard in Genesis 3:15: He has crushed the serpent’s head underfoot. Jesus has taken you from Satan’s grip of despair and placed you under the mighty hand of God. You have the one who is stronger than the strong man. You can cast all your anxieties upon Christ and He will protect you. And no one can snatch you out of His hand. “Indeed, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” And getting too close is extremely dangerous. But he is bound. His time is short. He’s been defeated. You are under the mighty hand of God. The devil cannot harm you because the Lord holds you.

“Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill; they shall not overpow’r us. This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; one little word can fell him” You know those words from Luther’s famous hymn. Believe them.

Just the finger of God will knock the devil down! And that gives us confidence today and every day to cast all our anxieties upon Him. By the finger of God, Jesus has defeated the strong man and plundered his goods in order to rescue us and place us under the mighty and protective hand of God. And that’s the most comforting place that we can be. Whether it’s the wind and the rain howling outside. The possible snow coming later on. The surgeon’s scalpel you might be facing. The skepticism and taunts of the world around you. Or anything else that might cause you to doubt God’s love and full control over your life. Remember that His hand is upon you. His hands surround you. And His hands will lift you up and protect you from everything this world and the devil may throw at you. In The Hand of the Lord is the safest and most comforting place you can be. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.