In Matthew 12:43–45, Jesus teaches about the nature of an evil spirit as understood by the Jews of that time. It says that when an unclean spirit leaves a person, it wanders through dry places. In that era, deserts or barren places were believed to be the dwelling places of evil spirits. When the spirit does not find a suitable place to settle, it returns to its old “house.” Seeing that the house is clean, swept, and unoccupied, it invites seven other spirits more wicked than itself to enter and live there.
Read superficially, and without context, this story might appear to depict Jesus’ view of the supernatural. But understood in relation to the preceding verses, the teaching contains a very challenging truth. Remember that the apostles’ writings originally had no section divisions as we do now. Therefore, if this chapter is read from the first verse, it is clear that in Matthew 12, Jesus is confronting the Pharisees and scribes directly—representatives of the Jewish religious establishment of that time.
From verses 1 to 42, Jesus exposes three main problems in the Pharisees and scribes. First, in the event where Jesus’ disciples pick grain on the Sabbath, they show a legalistic and moralistic attitude that ignores mercy (Matt. 12:1–8). Second, when Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, they reveal violence and cunning of heart (Matt. 12:9–14). Third, when Jesus casts out demons, they display an evil heart by speaking blasphemies against the Spirit of God (Matt. 12:22–32).
By linking Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes to the teaching about the return of the unclean spirit, Matthew emphasizes their close relationship. The unclean spirit leaving a person symbolizes the Pharisees’ and scribes’ outward claim to be “clean” from visible idolatry, as their ancestors had practiced. They lived very obediently to God according to the Mosaic law as they interpreted it. They observed religious festivals and diligently practiced Jewish rites.
However, they did not fill the “house” — their soul and life — with the true Lord. Jesus should have occupied their souls and lives as Lord over them. Rejecting Jesus means remaining under the influence of a more wicked power. This is evident in the Pharisees’ and scribes’ lives: although they did not commit outward moral sins, they harbored hypocritical, unjust, hard, and even cruel hearts—to the point of conspiring to kill Jesus (Matt. 12:14). This condition is actually far more horrifying than mere involvement in idolatry or fellowship with evil spirits as their ancestors did.
If Matthew 12:43–45 is interpreted in that context, we reach an important conclusion: it is not enough merely not to betray God or to be religiously faithful. Salvation must be filled by receiving Jesus as the Lord of life. Without receiving Jesus, a person remains under the control of the evil one.
Receiving Jesus means accepting His mind and affections. A person who has repented from outward sins—such as stealing, killing, adultery, consorting with dark powers, or living wrongly—must fill their soul with the mind and feelings of Christ. If Jesus’ mind and affections do not replace the old mind and affections, that person can become worse. Why? Because they feel religious and free of visible moral fault, while actually still living according to the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. All of that is practiced under the guise of religion, so they consider themselves righteous. This condition is like someone who does not finish a course of antibiotics. As a result, the illness becomes resistant and much harder to cure than before.
Therefore, we must realize that fidelity to God is not proven merely by not switching religions. Someone who truly receives Jesus must struggle to have the mind and feelings of Christ. When Christ’s mind and affections rule our lives, we become a “dwelt house,” so the evil one has no power over us. Conversely, if someone thinks having the mind and feelings of Christ is not urgent and still feels entirely entitled to themselves, it is reasonable to suspect they are like an unoccupied house—one that might again be inhabited by seven spirits more wicked than earlier.