Something Worse than Sin?
Luke 11:14-28
March 8, 2026 anno Domini
Perhaps it is because we have been studying the wisdom literature in Sunday morning Bible Study, that I’m going to begin the sermon with a riddle:
There is something worse than your sin. What is it?
At the end of that mysterious section of the text where Jesus talks about a unclean spirit leaving a person and then returning with seven more spirits, Jesus says, “And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” Now, numerically it’s easy to understand Jesus’ comment – being possessed by one unclean spirit is bad, so eight would be far worse, but what does this mean?
Jesus is speaking about the crowd’s reaction to what happened earlier. There was a demon possessed man. The demon made the man mute. Jesus cast out the demon and the man’s tongue was loosed.
This is what Jesus does. We see it week in and week out especially during Lent but throughout the whole church year. Jesus saves. Jesus delivers. Jesus sets us free — from the little problems of life – like running out of wine at a wedding, to being possessed by a legion of demons, from stilling the storm to rescue His disciples, to raising Lazarus from the dead so he could care for his sisters Mary and Martha. The Son of God has come into the world to set us free from the oppression of sin, the curse of death, and ultimately from bondage to the Devil.
He is the stronger man. He has come into the Devil’s house (remember – the Devil is the Prince of this world), Jesus has come into the Devil’s house and is ransacking the place, tearing apart every nook and cranny, looking for every treasure the Devil has stolen from the Father. Jesus is looking for you. Jesus isn’t stealing. He’s redeeming – He’s taking back for His Father what the Devil stole through sin.
That’s what He does for the mute man. Luke keeps it simple. Now Jesus was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke. Jesus redeemed the man from the devil and set his tongue free.
Some people marveled, but some did not. Some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.”
What were those people saying? They were saying that good is evil. That Jesus was not the Son of God in the flesh setting people free from the Devil, but that He was actually in league with Satan. He wasn’t from His Father above, but from the Devil below.
Imagine a city full of crime. Car jackings are rampant. Murders are high. Crowds are out of control. Families do not venture out at night for fear of violence. And then help comes – the police step up, additional law enforcement comes to restore law and order, to rid the city of evil and crime, but a group of people protests. Those policemen aren’t here to protect and serve. They are the criminals. They’ll do more harm than good. Our city would be better off without any police. Now imagine if they were believed, if all law enforcement was refused entry into the city. What would the state of such a city be compared to what it was? It would be worse.
There is something worse than being demon oppressed – saying Jesus is in league with the Devil, not being satisfied with what He has done, but wanting more – another sign. Worse than being oppressed by a demon is not wanting to be free when Jesus will set you free. So, there is something worse than your sin – refusing the forgiveness that Jesus brings.
This, then is what the Devil would have you believe – that forgiveness is worse than holding on to your sins. That Jesus is more oppressive than the Devil. That possession by the Devil is better than possession by your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Devil’s sermons are enticing. Israel wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt. The King and the people wanted to kill Jeremiah for preaching repentance in today’s Old Testament reading.
Now, the Devil likely knows that none of you here would outwardly blaspheme Christ. You confess the Creed so you’re not going to say Jesus has an unclean Spirit or gets his paycheck from Satan, Inc.
No, it is far more likely he will work on you in the way that Jesus describes in the text. The temptation for you is to leave your house empty after the Devil has been cast out. When you were baptized the pastor likely said over you, as he made the sign of the cross, “Depart thou unclean spirit and make room for the Holy Spirit, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” When you were confirmed, you were asked three times if you would keep your house clean. Do you renounce the Devil? Do you renounce all his works? Do you renounce all his ways? And to that you responded “Yes, I renounce him.”
So this morning the question is, “Are you keeping your house clean?” Or have you unlocked the doors by your worry, acting as if your Savior wasn’t seated at the right hand of God ruling the world. Or are the windows wide open because you keep looking over at your neighbor and wanting everything he as, believing that God’s gifts are not enough? Have you blown the roof off your house with your anger, as if the Lord has not made you righteous by the cross and will judge the world on the last day? Satan has easy entry to your life through your sins, especially those that deny the truth of your Savior.
Repent. Don’t leave your house empty with the doors unlocked and the windows open. Fill your house with Jesus. Read God’s Word, speak God’s Word to one another, pray out loud, together with your family. “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” Because where Jesus is the demons flee. When Jesus speaks the demons cower. Where Jesus works Satan falls. There is nothing better than the freedom of His forgiveness, but there is something worse than your sin. It’s refusing the freedom that comes in the name of Jesus. Amen.