Matthew 12:43

“That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Those seem like harsh words addressed to the honored teachers of the Law.

Jesus must find it difficult to find ways to teach us like here.  So he moves our thinking on to a new plane, with a simple but profound story. He is trying to put what is happening into a context. At first it does not make much sense. And does not get better later on.

For example, why should an evil spirit just up and leave a person that it inhabits?  In this story it wants a better place to inhabit.  The problem is, it finds no place better than the one he left so he recruits seven other restless spirits, more wicked than he, who then, now a total of eight, invade the host!  This is not good news for the man.

So, finally Jesus’ attention switches to the host, the man. The poor fellow is now worse off than he was with only one evil spirit like when the story began.  So the man’s situation gets much worse.

Then Jesus puts the story into context. This is what will happen to this generation, he announced.  I am not sure what this means but it certainly means that things will get worse because evil spirits make it so.  Beyond that it is difficult to understand. I must remember that he is talking to experts on the Law, who should beware of a new invasion of evil spirits that will surely happen.