43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
(Matthew 12)
This statement is not something Jesus made out of the blue: He had just healed one who was demon-driven, then accused of doing so through the power of Satan. Having shown them that such an idea was irrational and untree, He has been getting to the heart of the matter: responsiveness to the Spirit of God. When a person comes to Christ, it is not simply to "get clean, come clean, or clean up one's act." Christ wants to clean house to make room for the Spirit to move in and take over; it is a whole new life. One who simply wants to clean up their life and look better will be just as empty as the Pharisees, whom Jesus called "white-washed tombs."
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