ルカによる福音書11:24-26　Luke 11:24-26,

「汚れた霊は、人から出て行くと、砂漠をうろつき、休む場所を探すが、見つからない。それで、『出て来たわが家に戻ろう』と言う。そして、戻ってみると、家は掃除をして、整えられていた。そこで、出かけて行き、自分よりも悪いほかの七つの霊を連れて来て、中に入り込んで、住み着く。そうなると、その人の後の状態は前よりも悪くなる。」　　　　（ルカ11:24-26）

このたとえ話は、聖書の話と同じように文字どおり悪霊に取りつかれている人には当然当てはまります。しかし、私たち自身や私たちの周囲の人々のことを考えますと、文字どおり悪霊に取りつかれているのではないけれども、悪魔の誘惑によって善くない生き方をしている人々がいます。そのような人々にも当てはまるのではないでしょうか？たとえば、偶像を礼拝したり、人を憎んだり、淫らな行いをしたり、不正な取引をしたりするような生き方です。そのような生き方をしていた人が、自分のしていることが悪いことだと気づいたとしましょう。そして、神様に自分の罪を告白して罪の赦しをいただいたとしましょう。しかし、罪の赦しをいただくだけでは十分ではないのです。神様の聖霊の導きをいただいて、清められて善い生き方を目指していくことが大切なのです。

パウロは、エフェソの信徒への手紙の3章16節と17節で「どうか、御父が、その豊かな栄光に従い、その霊により、力をもってあなたがたの内なる人を強めて、信仰によってあなたがたの心の内にキリストを住まわせ、あなたがたを愛に根ざし、愛にしっかりと立つ者としてくださるように」という祈りを記しています。私たちの救いは、キリストが十字架の上で死んで私たちの罪を償い、永遠の命の体に復活して私たちに永遠の命を保証してくださったことによって成し遂げられました。そして、その成し遂げられた救いが現実に私たちのものとなるのは、聖霊のお働きによります。つまり、父なる神様が私たちに聖霊を与えてくださって、「信仰によってあなたがたの心の内にキリストを住まわせ、あなたがたを愛に根ざし、愛にしっかりと立つ者としてくださる」ことによって、私たちの救いが現実のものになるのです。「あなたがたの心の内にキリストを住まわせ」とは、父なる神様の霊でありキリストの霊でもある聖霊が、実際に私たちの心の内に住んでくださるということです。本日の聖書の箇所のたとえで言えば、悪霊が出て行った家が空き家にならず、そこに聖霊が住んでくださっているということです。私たちは、キリストの霊が自分の心の内に住んでくださることを願って毎日の生活をしているでしょうか？（7月6日の説教より）

In the 19th century, Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky saw the work of demons in the atheistic socialist ideas that were permeating people’s hearts during his lifetime, and wrote the novel “The Possessed.” The words from the Bible that Dostoevsky quoted at the beginning of “The Possessed” were taken from the story of Christ casting out demons, recorded in Luke 8:26-39. Today’s Bible passage is not the exact passage that Dostoevsky quoted, but it is a passage that can be read with the question in mind of what kind of ideas or beliefs are entering the hearts of people today. Many people living in Japan believe themselves to be “non-religious.” However, by being “non-religious,” might their hearts become like empty houses, allowing various evil things to enter unnoticed? Today’s Bible passage can be read as a question posing such a possibility.

Before reading today’s Bible passage, it is important to understand that this passage is the conclusion of the so-called “Beelzebul controversy” that begins in Luke 11:14. The editor of the Japanese Bible which we use today separated this passage from the preceding section titled “Beelzebul Controversy” (verses 14-23) and placed it in a separate paragraph with the title “The Return of the Unclean Spirit.” However, considering the content of the text, it is clear that today’s passage is deeply connected to the preceding section. Therefore, to properly understand the meaning of today’s passage, it must be read as part of the coherent paragraph of the “Beelzebul Controversy” of verses 14-26.

Verses 14-26 can be divided into two parts: verses 14-16, which contain the Jews’ challenge to Christ, and verses 17-26, which contain Christ’s response to their challenge. Furthermore, Christ’s response in verses 17-26 can be understood as consisting of six smaller parts. First, verses 17 and 18 assert that it is impossible for the devil to cast out his own demons. Second, verse 19 asserts that if Christ is casting out demons by the power of the devil, then the Jews are also doing the same thing. Third, verse 20 asserts that Christ casts out demons by the power of God, which is a sign that the kingdom of God has already come. Fourth, verses 21 and 22 assert that the liberation of those who were under the dominion of demons signifies Christ’s victory over the devil. Fifth, verse 23 asserts that those who are not on Christ’s side are on the devil’s side. Sixth, as the conclusion to Christ’s response to the Jews, verses 24-26 of today’s passage warn that even if demons are cast out, leaving the heart empty will lead to worse consequences. This not only serves as the conclusion to Christ’s response but also as the conclusion to the so-called “Beelzebul Controversy” from verses 14 to 26.

By examining this carefully, we can see that the series of stories known as the “Beelzebul Controversy” corresponds in content to the teaching in the preceding section, verses 5-13 of chapter 11, which teaches, “Pray persistently for the Holy Spirit.” In other words, even if you are delivered from demons, if your heart is empty, you will end up in a worse state than before, so you must pray for your heart to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In other words, one must not leave the heart empty but must trust in Christ’s promise in 11:13, i.e., “the heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him,” and must seek the Holy Spirit.

Now, as we examine today’s Bible passage in greater detail, we notice three points. First, the demon that have been cast out do not immediately return to the house it previously inhabited—that is, the person it was possessing—but instead wanders in the desert, seeking rest. From the perspective of the person who was possessed by the demon, this means that after the demon left, the person had sufficient time to accept a different master into his/her heart. However, since the demon could not find a place to rest, it had no choice but to return to the house it had previously inhabited.

Secondly, when the demon returns to the house it once inhabited, the house is empty and has been “swept and put in order.” The Greek verb “kosmeō” (κοσμέω), translated as “put in order,” has both the meanings of “to put in order” and “to decorate.” It is also the root of the word “cosmetic.” In other words, the house where it had previously lived was well-maintained and beautifully arranged, as if it were waiting for its owner to return and start living there again. Although it is not explicitly stated in the Bible, it is naturally assumed that the house was unlocked and accessible at any time. That is, the house was empty yet beautifully maintained, and its doors were unlocked, leaving it in an extremely vulnerable state. Applying this to the person possessed by the demon, it means that even though the demon had been driven out, the person had not accepted the Holy Spirit, leaving them in a vulnerable state that made it easy for the demon to return.

Thirdly, not only does the previous demon return and re-enter, but it also “brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there.” This person, who had previously been inhabited by a single demon, now finds himself overrun by many demons, turning the house into a den of demons. As a result, not only did having the demon driven out not benefit this person, but rather, because the demon was driven out, this person ended up in a worse state than before. When we read this story, we think, “How tragic!” but at the same time, we cannot help but wonder, “Could such a thing really happen?” Let us consider what this parable means for each of us and for our society.

This parable applies literally to those who are possessed by a demon. However, when we consider ourselves and those around us, there are people who are not literally possessed by a demon but are living wicked lives due to the temptations of the devil. Does this parable not also apply to such people? For example, people who worship idols, hate others, engage in immoral acts, or engage in dishonest transactions. Suppose such a person realises that what they are doing is wrong. And suppose they confess their sins to God and receive forgiveness. However, receiving forgiveness alone is not enough. It is important to receive the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, be purified, and strive to live a good life.

In Ephesians 3:16–17, Paul prays as follows.

I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love (NRSV).

Our salvation was accomplished by Christ dying on the cross to atone for our sins and rising from the dead in a body of eternal life to guarantee us eternal life. And it is through the work of the Holy Spirit that this accomplished salvation becomes a reality. In other words, our salvation becomes a reality when God the Father gives us the Holy Spirit and we become the state that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.” That Christ dwells in our hearts means that the Holy Spirit, who is both the Spirit of God the Father and the Spirit of Christ, actually dwells in our hearts. In the context of the parable of today’s Bible passage, it is like a house from which the demon have departed but does not become empty; instead, the Holy Spirit dwells there. Are we living our daily lives with the desire for the Spirit of Christ to dwell within our hearts?

Even if we receive forgiveness of sins from God, if we leave our hearts empty, our way of life will become even worse than before. In 2 Peter 2:20, it is written as fallows.

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

This passage suggests that even in the New Testament era, there were people within the church who had experienced Christ’s salvation but refused to be cleansed by the Holy Spirit and clung to their old way of life. We too, though we receive forgiveness of sins by believing in Christ, will become the same if we do not desire to be purified by the work of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, even if we accept Christ in times of distress and seek salvation, if we do not continue to live a life of repentance, our way of life may become worse than before we accepted Christ.

Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” Let us not forget this. In this letter, Paul refers to the place where the Holy Spirit dwells in the “body” rather than the “heart.” This is likely to reject the mistaken notion that “even if the body commits sin, the heart is pure, so it is okay.” In fact, it seems that there were believers in the Corinthian church who continued to visit prostitutes even after becoming Christians. Such believers may have held the mistaken belief that since the “heart” and the “body” are separate, engaging in sexual relations with a prostitute through the “body” does not make the “heart” impure. The “heart” and the “body” are connected. If one commits sin with the “body,” the “heart” also commits sin. However, if the Holy Spirit dwells in one’s “heart,” the Holy Spirit also dwells in one’s “body.” Similarly, if the Holy Spirit dwells in one’s “body,” He also dwells in one’s “heart.”

True Christians have surrendered their hearts to God and accepted the Holy Spirit, so they do not become empty houses where demons can enter, as in today’s passage. In Galatians 2:20, Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” This means that the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ, is living within Paul. Of course, we are not as thoroughly filled with the Holy Spirit as Paul was. However, if we trust in the teaching of Luke 11:13 that “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” and pray that the Holy Spirit may dwell in our hearts, the Holy Spirit will indeed dwell in our hearts. Therefore, when we worship in church or read the Bible and pray at home, let us not only pray for the forgiveness of our sins and the comfort of our hearts, but also pray that the Holy Spirit will dwell in our hearts and that we will be purified and transformed. Then, our hearts will not become empty houses where the devil’s minions can return.

Furthermore, we can consider how this parable applies to society, which is composed of individual human beings with hearts. Dostoevsky likened the atheistic socialist ideology that was permeating people’s hearts to the work of demons. When a society is dominated by evil ideas, it means that the hearts of each person who makes up that society are dominated by the power of the devil. A prime example of this is the ideology of Nazism, which dominated the hearts of the German people from the 1930s to the middle of 1940s. The ideology of Nazism, which believed in the absolute superiority of the so-called Aryan race and sought to dominate the world by massacring Jews, was truly devilish. The Nazi regime collapsed as a result of divine judgment, and Germany suffered the hardship of being divided into East and West after World War II.

Amid such hardship, the German people demonstrated their resolve to break away from the demonic ideology of Nazism. The villa on the shores of Lake Wannsee near Berlin, where the Nazis decided on the policy of exterminating the Jews, has been turned into a memorial museum showcasing the atrocities of the Nazis. Additionally, near the Auschwitz concentration camp, a youth training centre was built with funding from the West German government and Volkswagen. Statements affirming Nazism or similar ideologies are prohibited by law. The German people, having rid themselves of the demonic ideology of Nazism, embraced a new ideology of walking as members of the European Community. However, it is also a fact that the nationalism ideology is influencing Germany today. A political party named “Alternative for Germany,” which advocates strict restrictions on immigration, has rapidly gained support among the German people and secured 152 seats in this year’s German federal election, becoming the second-largest party in Germany.

How has post-war Japan fared, given that it fought alongside Germany in World War II under the banner of nationalism? Japanese nationalism was more religious in nature than German Nazism, as it elevated the Emperor of Japan to the status of a deity and regarded Japan as a divine nation. Furthermore, by deifying humans, it embraced the idolatrous belief of worshipping idols, which clearly contradicts the teachings of the Bible. Since it contradicted the teachings of the Bible, it must be described as a demonic religious ideology. After the defeat in World War II, the Emperor of Japan issued the so-called “Declaration of Humanity,” the Constitution of Japan was enacted, and Japan became a nation where the people hold sovereignty. In this way, it seemed that the Japanese people had been liberated from demonic religious ideology.

However, can it be said that the Japanese people have truly embraced a new ideology or faith to replace their former religious ideology in their hearts? Eighty years have passed since the end of World War II, but in modern Japan, there is a strong movement toward the revival of nationalism, as seen in the Liberal Democratic Party’s constitutional amendment proposal, which seeks to restrict the basic human rights of the people and open the way for the state, prefectures, and municipalities to engage in religious activities. Furthermore, the hearts of the Japanese people seem to be swayed by materialism, which places money above all else, and hedonism, which pursues pleasure. Is this not a state where the demon that was once driven out is now attempting to settle in people’s hearts, bringing other demons with them? As Christians living in Japan, we desire to proclaim the salvation of Christ and continue to pray for the salvation of the Japanese people, so that their hearts may not become dwelling places for demons, but rather houses where the Holy Spirit may dwell.