One day after Jesus drove a demon out of a man, some people accused him of casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Luke 11:15).
What was Jesus doing two thousand years ago? Whose side was he playing for? Satan, the prince of demons, or God? If Jesus worked for Satan, he made for a bad employee. At every turn in the road, Jesus diminished Satan’s power rather than strengthened it.
To take one out of a myriad of examples, look at what happened in the region of the Gerasenes. There, a man with a demon fell at Jesus’ feet. He had no clothes. He did not live in a house but in the tombs. He shouted at Jesus not to torture him. They, for the demons were many, begged Jesus not to order them into the Abyss. Jesus, seeming to honor their request, sent them into a herd of pigs. But, that herd of pigs then went over a cliff and drowned. Though the pig farmers were not happy, this man, once tortured, now sat at Jesus feet, clothed and in his right mind, begging Jesus to let him go with him for he was so grateful for what Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:26-39) This was not the work of Satan. Satan would not destroy his own kingdom (Luke 11:17-20). Moreover, Jesus’ mighty works proved he was stronger than Satan (Luke 11:21-22).
Those who claimed Jesus worked for Beelzebul sound like those today who try to domesticate Jesus into being nothing more than a great teacher. Anyone who claimed to have the power Jesus had but was not what he claimed to be would not be a great teacher. As C.S. Lewis once said, “He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. […] You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.”
There is no neutral ground. Almost every historian agrees that Jesus existed as a real man who walked the earth at a certain time and place. We all must give answer to his grand claims of being God. As Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters (Luke 11:23).” We must choose. Who do you say Jesus was – or is?