The Empty House

by Sakae Kubo

This is a book first posted on Grace Connection, the Magazine. There is no printed edition. All 30 chapters will appear on the Wheel in the following weeks.

Chapter 6

Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26

This parable is found in two different Gospels: Matthew and Luke. In Matthew the parable is placed in a context of the impenitence of Israel. The people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, but a greater than Jonah is here and yet Israel does not repent. The Queen of the South came all the way from Ethiopia to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and yet one greater than Solomon is here and Israel does not listen to his wisdom. In this context, the parable is a warning to Israel that unless it accepts the message of Jesus, its condition will become far worse than it is at present. Either human beings place their efforts on the side of Christ or seven other spirits more evil than the original one will occupy us. In Luke the parable is placed after the assertion that he who is not with Christ is against him. It emphasizes the impossibility of neutrality.

Read more at Adventist Perspective.