Symbolism concerning wicked spirits

[Scott]

When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger man than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and dividedth his spoils. He that is not with Me is against Me: and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, 'I will return unto my house whence I came out.' And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Luke 11:21-26.

What is the symbolism here? Jesus says alot of things here that I've been trying to figure out, but to no avail. Would someone please help me out with this?
Thanks.

[Alec Lowly]

When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger man than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and dividedth his spoils. He that is not with Me is against Me: and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, 'I will return unto my house whence I came out.' And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Luke 11:21-26.

What is the symbolism here? Jesus says alot of things here that I've been trying to figure out, but to no avail. Would someone please help me out with this?
Thanks.

Scott, nobody ever won a prize fight by studying the history of boxing. As is obvious here, your searching the scriptures is confusing and distracting you from the issue at hand. Stop doing exegesis and start praying. Here are two psalms to pray fervently: Psalms 51 and 91, according to numbering of the King James (Protestant) Bible. Seek repentance by praying the first and protection by praying the second. Satan cannot stand against a man who prays these psalms with his whole heart.

[Scott]

Scott, nobody ever won a prize fight by studying the history of boxing. As is obvious here, your searching the scriptures is confusing and distracting you from the issue at hand. Stop doing exegesis and start praying. Here are two psalms to pray fervently: Psalms 51 and 91, according to numbering of the King James (Protestant) Bible. Seek repentance by praying the first and protection by praying the second. Satan cannot stand against a man who prays these psalms with his whole heart.

Thanks for the psalms. They are truly powerful. I am not sure, however, the meaning of the other things you have said in your post. If you'rs saying this post has anything to do with my previous post on devil worship; it doesn't.

[Ken McRae]

Would someone please help me out with this?

Scott ~ Alec gives good advice and I basically agree with it. Rather than try to analyze things too deeply, you should rather give yourself to penitential exercise, and devotional reading that will inspire you toward prayer. And for learning prayer, you should seek out the guidance of a priest. You can ask him about such matters. When you read such Scriptures, avoid becoming too complex and subtle in your thinking. Simplify things, rather than complicate them unnecessarily. Draw simple lessons from these texts, rather than seek the "deeper" layers. If your spiritual-director thinks you need to dig deeper somewhere, then follow his advice. About this text, though, what I get from it is that you must acquire the virtues. Cleansing the heart of vices is one thing, replacing them with opposite virtues is something else. Don't confuse them. You must exercise yourself unto godliness, by struggling to acquire the Spirit of Christ. This is achieved by a life of continuous prayer. And for that, you must seek out an appropriate spiritual guide or director.

[Father David Moser]

"When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger man than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and dividedth his spoils. ...."
What is the symbolism here? Jesus says alot of things here that I've been trying to figure out, but to no avail. Would someone please help me out with this?
Thanks.

I'm not at home with my library so I can't come up with some good quotes, but let me try to just share some of my thoughts. The "strong man" in this parable is the evil one. As long as a person remains in the clutches of the evil one (whether actively or passively), he feels at peace or at least has little or no "spiritual necessity". The only thing that will trouble this state is the "invasion" of the "stronger man" - that is the Holy Spirit. And then there is struggle, the evil one trying to hold what he has against the Holy Spirit Who brings to us the freedom that Christ has accomplished for us.

The remainder of this parable speaks of the necessity of not remaining inctive or inert following the coming of the Holy Spirit. Once we choose to follow Christ, once the evil one has been banished from our lives, then we must "fill" the house of the soul with the Holy Spirit by following Christ. Otherwise, we are in danger of being overtaken by the evil one and re-enslaved by his deception. The spiritual life in Christ is an active endeavor, requiring that we pursue it. It's not something that you can just "coast" along, resting on one or two "spiritual highs" to slide through.

Fr David Moser