Throughout His ministry, Jesus demonstrated His power over demons, casting them out of their victims with ease (Luke 11:14). And His opponents knew there were only two possible explanations for this – either confrontation or collusion. In sum, they knew Jesus was either overcoming the demons by the power of God, or conspiring with them to make Himself look good (Luke 11:15). And so they accused Jesus of consorting with Satan.

Of course, Jesus brushed aside their erroneous conclusion, pointing out how foolish it would be for Satan to fight against himself (Luke 18). But Jesus agreed with their basic understanding of the world. Like them, He understood Himself to be engaged in a cosmic conflict with the forces of evil. And in this struggle, Jesus says there are only two sides – we are either with Him or against Him (Luke 11:23). There’s no middle ground, no way to sit on the sidelines.

Now, we might want to opt out of this great conflict. We might want Jesus simply to bless us and our loved ones, and then leave us out of the struggle with evil that is raging in our lives and in the world around us. But what if we were to get our wish? What if Jesus were to straighten out the mess in our lives or in our culture, casting out the demons that beset us, and then just leave us alone?

The truth is that, in the midst of any war, to be alone is to be vulnerable. Jesus pointed out that a man freed from any sort of demon who didn’t seek the protection of Christ would simply be making it possible for more demons to move into a clean house (Luke 11:24-26). In the same way, history warns us that even the individuals and societies most influenced by the gospel are no match for the powers of evil if they turn away from Christ and place their faith in the Church or in their cultural or political systems.

No, the sobering truth is that we simply can’t have Christ’s blessings without submitting ourselves to Christ. We can’t sit on the sidelines in the spiritual war raging all around us. So where will our loyalties lie today? Whose side are we on?

Luke 11:14-26 (NASB)

14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; and it came about that when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
16 And others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.
17 But He knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.
18 “And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
19 “And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges.
20 “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed;
22 but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder.
23 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.
24 “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
25 “And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.
26 “Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”