WhAT DOES "ekballo" MEAN?

Jesus uses the word “ekballo” in Matthew 9:38, where he begs his disciples to “pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send forth (Gr. ekballo) laborers into the harvest field. Ekballo is not the normal term used for “send,” as most of our translations have it. It is a spiritually violent word filled with passion and force. It is the same word that Jesus uses when he says, “If I cast out (Gr. ekballo) demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:20, NASB)

The authority and the force of Jesus casting out demons is the same spiritual force and authority by which he thrust forth laborers. It is the word used when Jesus goes to confront Satan in the wilderness. The Gospel of Mark says, “And the spirit drove (Gr. ekballo) him into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” It seems as if the power and the resistance of Satan and his evil spirits must be confronted by a greater forcefulness and empowerment. When Jesus ekballos demons, demons must leave.