But you, dear children, are from God, and you have defeated these enemies. That’s because the one who’s in you is greater than the one who’s in the world.
These enemies left our community of believers, but they didn’t really belong to us. If they had belonged to us, they would have stayed with us. By leaving, they showed that none of them really belonged to us.
You were following the ways of this world and serving the one who rules over the spiritual forces of evil. That’s the spirit who’s still at work in those who aren’t obeying God.
They were having their evening meal. The devil had already put in the mind of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, the scheme of handing Jesus over to his enemies.
But he didn’t say that because he cared about the poor. He said it because he was a thief. Judas was in charge of the moneybag, and he used to help himself to what was in it.
“Or think about this. You can’t just walk into a strong man’s house and take what he owns. You have to tie him up first, and then you can rob his house.
Then the evil spirit goes and gets seven other spirits that are even worse than it is, and they all go live there. Then the person is worse off than they were before. That’s how it will be with this rebellious generation.”