NOTES for Luk 11:14-23
Jesus once said something similar to verse 23: “Whoever is not against you is for you” (Lk 9:50). At first this may cause slight confusion—these lines look so very similar, yet seem to convey completely different meanings. But their meaning is one and the same: to teach us to love. Only afterward do we notice that in one case Jesus addresses His disciples and instructs them, while in the other He addresses all people and speaks of their attitude toward Himself. If a person is not filled with love for God and does not act according to His will under the guidance of that love, that person does the opposite, squandering time, life, and the strength that the Lord gives. When similar words are spoken to the disciples, however, they concern our human relationships. The Lord calls us to love our friends and our enemies, to say nothing of those who show us no hostility, those who are not against us. He seems to speak of the potential inherent in human relationships for shared creativity, work, and life in community. He warns us against any preconceived views and impressions of someone we barely know.