Luke 11:14-36

One time Jesus was sending out a demon who could not talk. When the demon came out, the man who had been unable to speak, then spoke. The people were amazed. But some of them said, “Jesus uses the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, to force demons out of people.” Other people, wanting to test Jesus, asked him to give them a sign from heaven. But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom that is divided against itself will be destroyed. And a family that is divided against itself will not continue. So if Satan is divided against himself, his kingdom will not continue. You say that I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons. But if I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons, what power do your people use to force demons out? So they will be your judges. But if I use the power of God to force out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. “When a strong person with many weapons guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger comes and defeats him, the stronger one will take away the weapons the first man trusted and will give away the possessions. “Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not work with me is working against me. “When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest. But when it finds no place, it says, ‘I will go back to the house I left.’ And when it comes back, it finds that house swept clean and made neat. Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than it is, and they go in and live there. So the person has even more trouble than before.” As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out to Jesus, “Blessed is the mother who gave birth to you and nursed you.” But Jesus said, “No, blessed are those who hear the teaching of God and obey it.” As the crowd grew larger, Jesus said, “The people who live today are evil. They want to see a miracle for a sign, but no sign will be given them, except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah was a sign for those people who lived in Nineveh, the Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this time. On the Judgment Day the Queen of the South will stand up with the people who live now. She will show they are guilty, because she came from far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is here. On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up with the people who live now, and they will show that you are guilty. When Jonah preached to them, they were sorry and changed their lives. And I tell you that someone greater than Jonah is here. “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a secret place or under a bowl, but on a lampstand so the people who come in can see. Your eye is a light for the body. When your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But when your eyes are evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. So be careful not to let the light in you become darkness. If your whole body is full of light, and none of it is dark, then you will shine bright, as when a lamp shines on you.”