Luke 11:21-36
Only the power of the Lord Jesus, the One who has conquered "the strong man", can deliver us from the evil which is in us. If not, once one passion is gone out, it will inevitably be replaced by another. The house in v. 25 is a picture of our heart. There is no point in sweeping and garnishing it, if a new guest, the Lord Jesus has not first come to live there and take control of it.
The Lord again states that blessing does not depend on family relationships (vv. 27, 28; cf. Luke 8:21) nor on the privileges of birth. Blessing is promised to those who hear and who keep the Word of God.
V. 33 resumes the teaching of Luke 8:16. The bushel, a measure of capacity, is the symbol of commerce and business; the bed is the symbol of sleep and laziness. The two things are opposed to each other, but they are both capable of smothering the little flame of our witness. In Matthew 5:15, the lamp must shine for "all that are in the house". Here it must shine "that they which come in – the visitors – may see the light".
The evil eye is what allows the darkness of sin to penetrate into our innermost being. Let us be careful about the direction in which our eyes stray sometimes (Job 31:1), and also about certain things we read which defile our heart and lead our imagination astray! (2 Corinthians 7:1).