What does Luke 11:24 mean?
Jesus has taken advantage of a discussion about whether He is empowered by Satan or the Holy Spirit to talk about the distinctions of following Satan or Himself. He has talked about how Satan is like a strong man defending his authority and power within a fortress. Yet Jesus is stronger and will defeat Satan and redistribute what he'd held captive. Jesus then used an agricultural metaphor to put a dividing line between their followers: people show which side they're on by how they act (Luke 11:14–23).In this curious passage, Jesus shows that there is no middle ground. Even if you find yourself freed from Satan's influence and as spiritually neutral as possible, you're still vulnerable to Satan. In fact, you're more vulnerable to Satan than before.
The parable begins with a man freed from a demon: an act already established as only possible through God. Although the man appreciates the blessings of freedom, he doesn't make any positive movement toward God. He remains in a neutral human position. He doesn't realize that makes him vulnerable to even more demonic oppression (Luke 11:25–26). It isn't enough to "not worship" Satan. We must choose Jesus.
What this verse says about demons isn't clear. Demons can certainly exist without oppressing a human. But we don't know why the demon would travel through waterless places or need to seek rest. Nor do we know what "rest" would look like for a demon.
