The Man with an Unclean Spirit Likened to a Man with False Teachings

By William Riley
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com

Q. What is Matt. 12.43-45 talking about when it says that when an unclean spirit leaves a man, it goes to the desert, and then can return with 7 more spirits, leaving the person worse off than before?

A. This is mainly a prophetic parable that relates all the back through v.22 when Yeshua healed a man that was demon-possessed. So let’s start in v 22 with a brief commentary about what is going on and that will clear up these verses. A man is blind and dumb/deaf and when Yeshua heals him, he is accused of doing so by Satan’s power. Yeshua responds back by saying Satan is not going to act contrary to his interests, and then let God get glory out of it. A kingdom or a house/family can’t function that way.

Now, the casting out of demons was nothing new, it was done before Yeshua came but they did it in the name of the Lord. Yeshua asks them if they cast out demons in the Lord’s name, why can’t he cast them out himself (because he is the Lord) or at least if you can do it, why can’t I? He goes on to say that he is not with me (Satan) is against me and be careful before you criticize. If you don’t believe me, that can be forgiven but if you willfully, maliciously oppose the Spirit of God then that will not be forgiven. They knew he was from God but opposed him for their own gain and power in this world.

He goes on to say a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. You won’t have a good tree with bad fruit and a bad tree with good fruit. A tree is known by its fruit. Now, he already taught on what good fruit was. It is scriptural doctrines. False teachers will bring bad doctrines and true teachers will bring truth (Matt 7.15-29). For example, the doctrine that says the Torah has been done away with is a false doctrine taught by false teachers, so it is bad fruit, and so on.

He is not addressing the scribes and Pharisee’s directly but he is talking to the general multitudes gathered there (12.45) but some of the Pharisee’s standing around demanded a sign from heaven to verify he was sent from God, to which Yeshua says that he will give them a sign from the earth. Just as Jonah was in the fish 3 days and 3 nights, so he will be in the earth 3 days and 3 nights. Ninevah was given 40 days to repent, Israel will be given 40 years. Ninevah repented, and Israel won’t as it will turn out because 40 years after Yeshua was resurrected the Romans came and destroyed the Temple and scattered the people. He then gives another example of gentile repentance with the Queen of the South who came to hear Solomon. She came from afar to hear Solomon, but the Jewish people didn’t have to leave the land to hear the Messiah himself, but they didn’t listen.

So, with that background we come to v 43-45. The unclean spirit going out refers to an outward reformation or profession brought about when Yeshua came and swept the house clean. The man is “Jacob” or the “house” of Israel. Before he came they appeared righteous with the oral law and man-made traditions and a lot of spiritual activity but weren’t. Yeshua comes along and “casts” out the unclean spirit (man’s traditions that has left him blind, deaf and dumb spiritually) out of the man (Jacob) which we just talked about as a contention with the religious leaders going back to v 22. The spirit cannot find rest because it is only happy when it is causing mischief to Gods Word by invalidating it with error.

Yeshua is crucified and resurrected and the spirit sees that there has been no true reformation in the people and returns more powerful than before, which was seen in the first century. The teachings of the apostle’s were rejected by the House of Israel overall and believers were persecuted, and again the house was empty of God but full of outward profession brought about by man’s traditions and works, which seemed like an “orderly” way of doing things but it was not from God. The dog returned to its vomit, forgot about Yeshua and the reforms he brought. They were worse off after Yeshua than before. Then Yeshua says that this story is the way it will be for that generation, which tells us he is giving a prophetic parable. I don’t think we can make this a doctrine about exorcisms as some do because by doing so they miss the whole point of the story.