Luke 11:20

Context

The verse belongs to the so-called "Beelzebub controversy" passage that begins at Luke 11:14. After Jesus cast out a demon that had made a man mute, some in the crowd accused him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Others demanded a sign from heaven. Jesus refuted the accusation with the analogy that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, and in this verse he draws his conclusion: "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." It is followed immediately by the parable of the "stronger man" who overcomes the "strong man" (Luke 11:21-22). The same episode also appears in Matthew 12 and Mark 3.

Interpretation

• The expression "finger of God": The Greek text reads "the finger of God" (daktylos theou). The Korean Revised Version renders it as "hand," while some modern translations, such as the Revised New Korean Standard Version (Saebeonyeok), translate it literally as "finger." Many commentators hold that the expression recalls Exodus 8:19, where the Egyptian magicians, seeing the plague brought about through Moses, said, "This is the finger of God." Read in this way, Jesus' exorcisms are, like the Exodus, acts in which God intervenes directly to set people free.
• The meaning of "is come": The verb rendered "is come upon you" means "has arrived" or "has overtaken." For this reason the verse is widely used as evidence that the kingdom of God is not merely a future reality but has already begun in the ministry of Jesus.
• The realized eschatology reading: The British theologian C. H. Dodd emphasized that the kingdom of God had already been realized in Jesus, and this verse is counted among the principal texts supporting that view.
• The "already and not yet" reading: In evangelical scholarship and in many Korean denominations, a widely accepted interpretation holds that the kingdom of God "already" began with the coming of Jesus but will "not yet" be consummated until the Second Coming. In this interpretation, the verse illustrates the "already" dimension.

Debates and Issues

• "Finger" and "Spirit": The parallel verse, Matthew 12:28, records the same saying as "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God." Scholars are divided over which of the two expressions is the older form. There is broad agreement, however, that both expressions convey the direct working of God's power.
• Exorcism and spiritual gifts today: The Pentecostal and charismatic traditions read this verse as grounds for believing that exorcism and divine healing continue today as signs of the kingdom of God. Reformed cessationists regard Jesus' exorcisms as signs attesting that he is the Messiah and are cautious about applying them directly as a norm for the church's ministry today. This issue is discussed further in the article Cessationism and Continuationism.

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently cited in sermons on the kingdom of God to explain the kingdom's present reality. It is also reportedly used as a proof text in divine healing meetings and deliverance ministries within Pentecostal circles such as the Full Gospel churches.

Related Passages

• Matthew 12:28
• Exodus 8:19
• Luke 11:21-22
• Luke 7:22
• 1 John 3:8