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And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."
- Luke 11:14-23
Yesterday we read that, as Jesus and the disciples went toward Jerusalem, He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." We should understand that between yesterday's and today's reading, there is a passage given to us last week by the lectionary. See Our Father in heaven, in which Jesus gives the Lord's Prayer in response to a request by the disciples to be taught to pray. About these verses, my study bible notes that "Beelzebub" was a deliberate corruption of the name of a foreign god, meaning "the Lord of the flies" as derided by the Jews. Here it is a direct reference to Satan.
Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. Often we read that people seek to test Jesus by asking for a sign. Signs are never given on demand, and those signs that we do read about in the Gospels are never "proofs" for faith but rather the product of faith, signs that the Kingdom is, indeed, present. My study bible says that a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test (see 4:9-12).
But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." The finger of God is another term for the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 12:28). Jesus speaks rationally here, very logically. He shows them the error in their thinking and accusations against them. How do the Jews, therefore, practice exorcisms, He asks, by which power? Those who do so will judge His accusers. But if Christ works by the finger of God (that is, the Spirit), then they had better think about what that means about the presence of the Kingdom!
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils." Here is a real battle of power. My study bible says that the strong man is Satan (also sometimes called the ruler or prince of this world, who "holds sway over the fallen human race," while the stronger is Christ (see 1 John 4:4).
"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." My study bible says that it is the work of Christ to gather the children of God, while those who scatter are in direct opposition to Him. Importantly, it points out that who work in opposition to Christ are different from those who work in good faith toward His purpose but aren't yet united to the Church (see 9:46-50).
To my mind, Jesus' final statement here is a statement of great power, and of authority. That is, He's the ultimate ruler, the ultimate authority, and thus it is natural that "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." Christ as Lord of the Universe is above all; what is done in His name or for the love of Him is something imbued with power by the nature of His authority. But we really have to remember what it means to love Christ. To love Him is to follow His commands, His teachings. It's not enough to say that we are called Christian or that we belong to the Church. What Christ has repeatedly iterated was the power of real love, loving God and loving doing God's works of charity and mercy, growing to be more "like Him." This sort of faith, this trust and love of Christ, is what builds up the Kingdom in the world, and it is what makes that power so strong that it prevails over everything. When we are united to that true power of the universe, this God who is love and who brings life in abundance, then we act in His will, in accordance with the Spirit that has been sent to us, and that is what truly gathers. It's often said that God works in mysterious ways. We can quote from Isaiah who has written: "Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!" (Isaiah 45:15 NKJV). That is, we may not see it as a sign or proof that works to convince the faithless, but in the end we may observe this power at work in our lives, in times of great conflict and difficult decision, even in ways that don't seem like an obvious victory, such as martyrdom. The crucifixion of Christ is one obvious example of this! For Christians, it is a triumph over death, an instrument of the most profound possible transcendence; for others, a stumbling block and foolishness. Let us remember the faith we put into God's love, into His commands of love and mercy, and the great authority -- the highest power in the universe -- which we follow. His commands are those that exalt humility, and yet His authority is absolute.
