Church Fathers Commentary Luke 11:14-16

"And he was casting out a demon [that was] dumb. And it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, the dumb man spake; and the multitudes marvelled. But some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casteth he out demons. And others, trying [him], sought of him a sign from heaven." — Luke 11:14-16 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: The Lord had promised that the Holy Spirit would be given to those who asked for it; He clearly shows the blessed effects of this promise in the following miracle. Thus it says, And Jesus was casting out a devil, and it was dumb.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now, the word "dumb" commonly means one who does not speak. It is also used for one who does not hear, but more properly for one who neither hears nor speaks. A person who has not heard from birth is necessarily unable to speak, for we learn to say the things we are taught by hearing. If, however, someone loses their hearing from a disease that has come upon them, there is nothing to prevent them from speaking. But the man who was brought before the Lord was both dumb in speech and deaf in hearing.

Titus of Bostra: Now, Christ calls the devil "deaf" or "dumb" because it is the cause of this calamity, which prevents the divine word from being heard. For the devil, by taking away the sensitivity of human perception, dulls the hearing of our soul. Christ therefore comes so that He might cast out the devil and we might hear the word of truth. He healed one person to create a universal foretaste of humanity's salvation. Thus it says, And when he had cast out the devil, the dumb spoke.

The Venerable Bede: But Matthew relates that this demon-possessed man was not only dumb, but also blind. Three miracles, then, were performed at the same time on one man: the blind sees, the dumb speaks, and the one possessed by a devil is set free. The same thing is accomplished daily in the conversion of believers. First, the devil is cast out, allowing them to see the light; then, those mouths which were previously silent are loosened to speak the praises of God.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now when the miracle was performed, the multitude extolled Him with loud praises, giving the glory that was due to God. As it says, And the people wondered.

The Venerable Bede: But since the crowds, who were considered ignorant, always marveled at our Lord’s actions, the Scribes and Pharisees took pains to deny them or to pervert them with a clever interpretation, suggesting they were not the work of divine power, but of an unclean spirit. Thus it says, But some of them said, He casts out devils through Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

Beelzebub was the god of Ekron. "Beel" is indeed Baal himself, and "Zebub" means "a fly." He is called Beelzebub, the "lord of the flies," and the chief of the devils was so named from his most foul practices.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But others, with similar darts of envy, sought a sign from heaven from Him, as it says, And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

It was as if they were saying, “Although you have cast out a devil from the man, this is not, however, proof of divine power. We have not yet seen anything like the miracles of former times. Moses led the people through the middle of the sea, and his successor Joshua stopped the sun in Gibeon. But you have shown us none of these things.” For seeking signs from heaven showed that the speaker was influenced by this kind of feeling toward Christ.