“And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out?”
The full verse · Luke 11:19 · KJV
cast , cast them ? shall .
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, answering the charge that He cast out devils through Beelzebub (Luke 11:15, 17)
Asked to
Crowd: "some of them" among the people who wondered at the healing, who said Jesus cast out devils through Beelzebub (Luke 11:14-15)
The Scene
Jesus is answering those who said He cast out devils through Beelzebub, having just asked how a divided kingdom could stand (Luke 11:15-18).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus asked this to show that His accusers were using a rule they would never apply to their own people. Others among them also claimed to cast out devils. If casting out devils proved a man was in league with Satan, the same charge would fall on them. Barnes, commenting on Matthew's parallel "your children," explains them as "Your disciples, or followers," and says that such men "are conclusive witnesses against the force of your reasoning." Matthew Henry puts it this way: "Some of your own kindred, as Jews, nay, and some of your own followers, as Pharisees, have undertaken, in the name of the God of Israel, to cast out devils." The question exposes an unfair judgment, not just a weak argument.
The Response
What Scripture recordsJesus answered His own question: "therefore shall they be your judges" (Luke 11:19). Their own exorcists would condemn the unfair charge. Then He stated what the miracle really meant: "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you" (Luke 11:20). Luke records no answer from the accusers. As Jesus kept speaking, a woman in the crowd blessed His mother, and He replied, "Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it" (Luke 11:27-28).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsSome Jews of that time claimed to cast out evil spirits. Acts later mentions "certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists," including the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-14). Gill says the Jews "pretended to cast out devils" by "making use of the names of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and sometimes of the name of Solomon."
Where Luke says "sons," Matthew's parallel says "children" (Matthew 12:27). Barnes takes Matthew's "children" as the accusers' disciples or followers.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyJesus did not leave the matter at exposing a double standard. He named the real source of His power: "the finger of God" (Luke 11:20). Barnes notes that where Matthew says "the Spirit of God" (Matthew 12:28), Luke says "the finger of God," and both mean God's power. Gill links the phrase to Exodus 8:19. There, when Pharaoh's magicians could not copy the plague of lice, they said, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:18-19).
That means the question is really about who Jesus is. If His power is God's power, then "the kingdom of God is come upon you" (Luke 11:20). God's rule had arrived in person, and the people standing there had to decide whether they were with Him or against Him (Luke 11:23).
Look Closer
Why did Jesus bring up "your sons"?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, where am I quick to judge in others what I excuse in people I favor, and how would You have me see Your work more fairly?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Jesus showed that His accusers used one rule for Him and another for their own. Where might you be tempted to hold others to a standard you don't apply to your own side?
- Tell about a time someone you did not expect turned out to be doing God's work.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
It is easy to judge people outside our circle more harshly than people inside it. Jesus' question calls for one honest standard. Before you criticize how God seems to be working through someone, ask whether you would say the same thing if it were someone you admire.
Jesus' question also points past fairness to faith. The real issue was not whose exorcists were better but whether God's kingdom had come in Jesus (Luke 11:20). The most important question is not how others are judged but whether you are gathering with Him (Luke 11:23).
This does not mean all spiritual claims are equal. Jesus' point was that His accusers were inconsistent, not that every exorcist was doing God's work.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
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