In the above text Jesus speaks of an unclean spirit leaving a man and walking through dry places. What is the point of this little discourse? What lesson is Jesus trying to get across?

First let us state the intent of the story, and then show how that conclusion is arrived at. The account before us is one of true, genuine repentance. Sometimes repentance is only done in "halfway measures and such is not true repentance. And so let us look at the account.

A certain man was possessed of an unclean, or evil spirit. The unclean spirit departs from the man, no doubt at the determination of the man himself. This spirit had found an abode in which he had been dwelling in this man. Upon leaving the man, the spirit found himself in inhospitable surroundings - going through "dry places." Not finding this to his liking, he then made the determination to return into the man from whom he had come out. And so not only has the evil spirit returned but he has brought with him seven other spirits worse than himself! He looked at his former abode and thought, "this now looks great; the man is now clean and my former 'apartment' is vacant and has been swept and redecorated!" No wonder he wanted to go back! Now what has happened?

The man had ridded himself of evil; he had taken the first step in repentance, if you please. But his problem was that he did not go far enough, for he did not replace the void left by the former tenant with a better one. It was just sitting there empty. And this ought to say volumes to us.

We need to rid the life of whatever evil and sin is there to be sure. It is not hard to find folks willing to do this. But there problem is that they think this is enough; they go no further, filling the life with good. This is sort of like a man going the wrong way on a road, and he finally realizes it; it is not going to take him where he wants to go. So - he just stops and sits there! That will not get him where he wants to go either. What he must do is turn around; it is not enough to just stop what one is doing that is wrong.

Real repentance demands a complete "U-Turn" in the life. It involves not only that one "stop being bad," although that is a noble pursuit, but it also demands that he "start practicing good." It is one thin to just not be a "bad person;" it is quite another to be busy about practing good things in the life. How many people in the world feel that "surely I will go to heaven; after all, I am not a 'bad person'." That may be - but what are they doing that is good?

The notion that just being a "good person" is decptive and greatly misleading. It ignores the fact that God intends that people fill the life with qualities such as benevolence, grace, love, etc. Have you filled your life with these? You say, "no - but I have quit being bad." I'm sorry my friend, but that is not good enough! Can we not see that from the story that Jesus tells in our text? A "negative morality" will simply not get the job done.

What was that Peter taught in Second Peter 2:20-22? We suggest that you read it. It is a precise case in point of what Jesus is talking about in our text! - Bill Moseley