Luke 11:17

11:17 But Jesus, ¹  realizing their thoughts, said to them, ²  “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, ³  and a divided household falls. ⁴ 

Luke 11:26

11:26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ⁵  the last state of that person ⁶  is worse than the first.” ⁷ 

Luke 14:26

14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate ⁸  his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, ⁹  he cannot be my disciple.

[11:17]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:17]  ² sn Jesus here demonstrated the absurdity of the thinking of those who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. He first teaches (vv. 17-20) that if he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. He then teaches (v. 21-22) about defeating the strong man to prove that he does not need to align himself with the devil because he is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (4:1-13) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.

[11:17]  ³ tn Or “is left in ruins.”

[11:17]  ⁴ tn Grk “and house falls on house.” This phrase pictures one house collapsing on another, what is called today a “house of cards.”

[11:26]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[11:26]  ⁶ tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:26]  ⁷ sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.

[14:26]  ⁹ tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.

[14:26]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.