Now Jesus was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons"; while others, to test him, sought from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall 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 11:14–20 (RSV)
Jesus never regarded evil as anything other than evil. He never said or implied that one could find a middle ground with evil. Evil's only purpose is to attack God in any way it can. There is no compromise with evil. No deal can be struck. It must be cast out. Jesus does not heal the demonic. It is cast out.
As a race, we must shed ourselves of the notion that we can control evil, bend its malice toward our ends. The moment we step onto evil's ground, it has us. We may think that we have it under our control, but make no mistake, evil can only be mastered, cast out, by the power of God. When we think of ourselves as God, we have already fallen.
We have been warned of the days when people will call evil good and good evil. This has been so from the very beginning. Those who witnessed Jesus cast out the demon from the mute man called Him evil, for they could not imagine God acting in the way they disapproved.
As we gaze around us, we see all manner of things once regarded as evil, now being called a good thing. What was once considered by all as a sin against God is not held up as 'personal freedom.' Each age makes its bargain with the evil one, so have these days.
In the past, folk would attempt to hide the evil to which they consented, but not so today. Evil is celebrated as liberation, the imagined freedom to be done with God. So little do people fear God that we live in a time almost without shame.
Shame caused Peter to weep bitter tears at his denial of Jesus. Shame hid Adam and Eve when they rebelled against God. Shame cover Abel's body after Cain chose the evil of murder over God. Shame warns us that the path we have chosen leads away from God the Father.
Jesus endured our shame on the cross. He confronted sin, death, and the devil as He was pinned to the wood. Jesus let all the evil we have done throughout time to focus its malice on Him. Evil, in its assault on Jesus, spent itself and was undone.
We can have no place for evil in our lives. It will tempt us time and again, tempt us to trust it over our Lord. It will whisper lies in our ears, promising all the wonders of creation at our fingertips. However, it comes upon us, let us cry out to Jesus to cast the evil out of our lives. Let us plead for Jesus to fill us with His life.