There is also a hint here about the danger that may lie hidden in a totally negative repentance and conversion.
 
 

In order to discover the deeper meaning of this parable, it will be beneficial to consider the references that precede and follow it. In St Luke's Gospel this passage occurs in the midst of a controversy in which Jesus was engaged with the Pharisees on his way to Jerusalem.

The objective of the Pharisees is to triumph over Jesus by branding him as one possessed by the devil and as a blasphemer. But Jesus proves his divine power and glory by casting the devil out of a dumb man (cf Lk 11:14-23). In those times, the power to cast out devils was considered a divine power. But magicians too did similar works. Jesus reveals that God's power is greater than man's power and that God's kingdom has clearly come into this world. The miracles of Jesus are the external signs of the proclamation of the kingdom of heaven.

Among the synoptic Gospels, we find St Mathew too gives this parable (cf Mt 12:43-45). Soon after relating the return of the unclean spirit, Jesus asks who truly is his mother and who are his brothers (cf Mt 12:46-50;Lk11:27-28). Disregarding all objections from the Pharisees, a woman cries out from amidst the crowd, proclaiming loudly the greatness of Jesus' personality and his divine Sonship. "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!" Jesus' rejoinder is noteworthy: "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it" (Lk 11:28). In short, we understand from this passage who exactly is a holy person, what exactly is meant by a holy place and what is true conversion.

This parable (cf Lk 1:24) is very much connected with the previous verse: "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters"(Lk 11:23). It is not possible to conquer the devil without remaining close to Jesus. Likewise, if we are separated from Jesus, we will fall into the snare of the devil.
 
 

Through the parable Jesus exhorts those who have been delivered from the dominion of Satan, not to fall into their former state again. Jesus cautions that such people will easily become the dwelling place of the unclean spirit instead of being the abode of the Holy Spirit and this state will bring about disastrous consequences.

"Waterless regions" were considered to be the abode of demons. According to the belief of the Jews at that time, the unclean spirit required a dwelling to live in. Therefore, a demon cast out, is always out of place. He runs about without a sense of direction, like a sea in turmoil. What he relishes is to dwell in the heart of man; it is in the destruction of man that he finds consolation.

Jesus relates this parable having in mind, very particularly, his Jewish contemporaries. Though they tried to become holy through the baptism of John and other rituals, they rejected Jesus and his Gospel. Thus their subsequent spiritual state was one of hypocrisy and lack of repentance. This makes their present condition worse than the first. It is a historical fact that the Gentiles (Romans) eventually attacked the Israelites and utterly devastated them. Thus the last state of this evil generation became worse than the first. (cf Mt 12:45).
 
 

The peculiarity of the one whose heart is a vacuum: Besides the heart being a vacuum, it keeps waiting to receive something or someone. It is an empty heart that provides a dwelling place for an unclean spirit who wanders about aimlessly. For example, if a room in our house is swept clean and left totally vacant and uninhabited for some days, its state will be deplorable. Likewise, if there is no one to live in hearts that we think are swept clean and purified, they easily become the abode of the demon . The reason is that the heart cannot remain empty. Our warfare does not end only by conquering evil. The depths of our heart should be filled with goodness.
 
 

Why does the evil spirit return with greater strength to the place swept and put in order? It is because the demon knows very well the state of that man, that he has no strength to withstand the evil spirit. Therefore, the demon says very clearly, "I will return to my house from which I came. " Though Satan has been cast out of that man, Christ has not been given entrance into his heart. Though he gave up his evil ways, he did not fill his heart with goodness. Jesus himself says that when we give strong guards to protect our house, thieves cannot break in. If there are good qualities to stand as powerful sentinels, Satan's attempt to return will be in vain(cf Eph 6:14-17).

A neutral state is the most dangerous. Exulting and rejoicing over the exorcism of the evil one, the human heart is consoled and slips into a state of lukewarmness and languor. It has no fear that Satan will take possession of it, nor humility nor dependence on God.

We must not forget that even if we give up the devil, the devil will not give us up. He goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself. The number "seven" is a number of completeness and perfection for the Jews. That is, this time Satan ensures the complete destruction of that man. It is not easy to restore to repentance a man who has fallen away after his conversion. His pitiable condition will be like the sow that is washed only to wallow in the mud (cf Heb 6:4-6;2 Pet 2:21-22). The vices that now enter his heart need not be the ones that he had earlier given up. Along with the former vices, more dangerous ones can now possess his heart and his destruction can be disastrous. An alcoholic who prides himself on the fact that he has given up his drinking habit and becomes careless and idle, can be overcome by drug addiction, and other vile desires and passions.
 

Jesus is pointing out to a great evil that has overtaken the modern world. There are many so-called "good" men who say it is enough to live according to one's conscience; there is no need of the Sacraments, the Eucharist or the Church. Many such claim to be intelligent people. There is no God in their hearts whom they can serve. However clean and purified we may appear to be, with our intellectual knowledge and culture, if we lack a living, vital and vibrant faith, we are worse than uncivilized primitives. We need to nourish and nurture the inner man along with the development of our external abilities. As St Augustine says, our hearts are made for God and they will not rest until they rest in him. The members of the Church themselves, will easily become victims of devils like alcoholism, drugs and atheism if they do not live according to the teachings of the Gospel. Psychologists may be able to find a remedy for our fear, alienation, unstable mental state and inferiority complex. But if, in a heart cleansed by such psychological techniques and psychiatric treatment, the love of God and a lofty moral sense do not take root, its state will be worse than the first.
 

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