“And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” - Luke 11:19-20

In today’s devo, Marc walks us through the subtext of a phrase that Jesus uses to push back on the Pharisees when they claim that He cast out demons by the power of Beelzebul. The “finger of God” is found three times in the Old Testament: two times, the “finger of God” produces the tablets that hold the covenant and commands that God established for Israel.

The third instance occurs in Exodus 8. The Egyptian magicians, after seeing the God of Israel bring sign after sign upon them, and after reaching the point where they could not duplicate God’s plague, finally relent, declaring, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). The Exodus and the redemption of God’s people wrap around all three mentions of this phrase.

By His word choice, Jesus pulls this historical context into His current culture, declaring, “This thing that you are seeing and experiencing right now is God’s final, complete redemption. What are you going to do about it?”

Question: In what area of your life do you need to let Jesus’ life and message have a greater impact?

Family Chat: If someone asked you, "What's the big deal with Jesus? Why do you even go to church?" What would you say to them?

Take Action: Whatever it is that God reveals to you in the question above, go and do it. Take the next step of obedience. If God reveals nothing above, first check to make that you have surrendered, deciding to obey whatever He reveals. Then discuss the question with someone in your life group.