Luke 11:21-26: a reflection

21“When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. 22But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder. 23“He who is not with me is against me. He who doesn’t gather with me scatters. 24The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will turn back to my house from which I came out.’ 25When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order. 26Then he goes and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

Jesus tells of an unclean spirit that leaves a person, but finding the house swept and empty, returns with seven others worse than itself, so that the person's last state is worse than the first. When the unclean spirit has gone out of the man, Jesus says, it seeks rest and finds none; then it returns to its house, and finds it swept and put in order. Then it brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. The house was swept and put in order, but empty; and an empty, unoccupied house was open to be filled again, and worse. Reform that merely empties, without filling the heart with something better, leaves us open to worse than before. This shows the danger of a life swept clean but left empty, not filled with Christ. A life swept clean but left empty is open to worse. It is not enough to be rid of evil; the heart must be filled with good. Reform without renewal leaves us vulnerable. An empty heart, merely cleaned, can be filled with worse.

Notice the crucial detail: the house was swept and put in order, but empty. The unclean spirit left; the house was cleaned up, reformed, put in order. But it was empty, unoccupied; nothing had come to fill it, to take up residence in it. And an empty house, however clean, was open to be filled again, and by something worse. This is a striking warning about the nature of real change. It is not enough merely to be rid of evil, to reform, to sweep out the bad, to put our lives in order outwardly; if the heart is left empty, merely cleaned but not filled with something better, it remains open to be filled again, perhaps by something worse than before. Real and lasting change is not merely a matter of emptying, of sweeping out the bad; it requires filling, filling the heart with good, above all with Christ himself and his Spirit. To turn from a sin, to reform a behavior, is not enough if the heart is left empty; the space must be filled with Christ, with his presence, with new affections and loves, or the old, or worse, will return. We do well not to be content with merely sweeping our lives clean, but to seek that our hearts be filled with Christ, so that there is no empty space for evil to return to. Do not be content merely to sweep your life clean; seek to be filled with Christ. An empty heart, merely reformed, is open to worse. Real change fills the heart with good, not merely empties it of evil. Let Christ fill your heart, leaving no empty space for evil to return.

That is worth taking to heart, for a life swept clean but left empty is open to worse, and real change requires not merely emptying the heart of evil but filling it with Christ. We can be content merely to reform, to sweep out the bad and put our lives in order outwardly; but Jesus warns that an empty house, however clean, is open to be filled again, and by something worse. Emptying is not enough. Do not be content merely to sweep your life clean; seek to be filled with Christ, that there be no empty space for evil to return to. Do not be content merely to sweep your life clean of evil, but seek to have your heart filled with Christ, that there be no empty space for evil to return, as Jesus told of an unclean spirit that left a person but, finding the house swept and put in order yet empty, returned with seven others worse than itself, so that the person's last state was worse than the first; for the house was swept and put in order but empty, unoccupied, with nothing come to fill it, and an empty house however clean was open to be filled again by something worse, which is a striking warning about the nature of real change, that it is not enough merely to be rid of evil, to reform and sweep out the bad and put our lives in order outwardly, since if the heart is left empty, merely cleaned but not filled with something better, it remains open to be filled again perhaps by something worse, so that real and lasting change is not merely a matter of emptying but requires filling the heart with good, above all with Christ himself and his Spirit, since to turn from a sin or reform a behavior is not enough if the heart is left empty but the space must be filled with Christ and new affections, or the old or worse will return, and we do well not to be content with merely sweeping our lives clean but to seek that our hearts be filled with Christ.

Lord Jesus, you tell of an unclean spirit that leaves a person, but finding the house swept and empty, returns with seven others worse than itself, so that the person's last state is worse than the first. When the unclean spirit has gone out of the man, you say, it seeks rest and finds none; then it returns to its house, and finds it swept and put in order. Then it brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. The house was swept and put in order, but empty; and an empty, unoccupied house was open to be filled again, and worse. Reform that merely empties, without filling the heart with something better, leaves me open to worse than before. Show me the crucial detail: the house was swept and put in order, but empty. The unclean spirit left; the house was cleaned up, reformed. But it was empty, unoccupied; nothing had come to fill it. And an empty house, however clean, was open to be filled again, and by something worse. This is a striking warning about the nature of real change. It is not enough merely to be rid of evil, to reform, to sweep out the bad, to put my life in order outwardly; if my heart is left empty, merely cleaned but not filled with something better, it remains open to be filled again, perhaps by something worse. Real and lasting change requires filling my heart with good, above all with you yourself and your Spirit. To turn from a sin is not enough if my heart is left empty; the space must be filled with you. Take that to my heart, for a life swept clean but left empty is open to worse. Keep me from being content merely to sweep my life clean of evil; help me seek to have my heart filled with you, Lord, and your Spirit, that there be no empty space for evil to return to, but that you fill me with new affections and loves, making real and lasting change.