If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

- Matthew 12:22-32

In today's reading, we skip forward a few chapters from the last. On Saturday, we read about the healing of two females: one a very young one, and the other with a blood flow, or haemmorhage, of twelve years. Jesus was approached by the ruler of the synagogue, who told Him that his daughter had just died, but that if Jesus came, and laid His hands on her, surely she would live. Jesus and His disciples began to go immediately to the ruler's house. But a woman with a twelve-years-long blood flow came secretly behind Him. She felt that if she could only touch His hem, she would be healed. But Jesus turned around, and told her, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." When He reached the home, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, all signs of mourning. He said, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they all ridiculed Him. Putting the crowd outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land.

Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" We have to understand the impact of such a healing in the context of the religious culture, of a people awaiting a foretold Messiah. The blind and mute man is freed from a terrible affliction, something that has bound him in his life. In the verses just previous to these, Matthew gives us a quotation from Isaiah, a prophecy that he says is fulfilled in Christ. Here, this healing also reflects Isaiah's prophecy, found in Isaiah chapter 35:

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.

Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." My study bible notes here: "Filled with pride and envy, the Pharisees found in this miracle a pretext to attack Jesus, accusing Him of having Beelzebub as the source of His power. Beelzebub/Baal was the prince perhaps of 'the dung heap' or 'the flies' -- a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16); here he is called ruler of the demons." The Pharisees are claiming that Jesus' power doesn't come from the God of Israel, but from a demonic source. They're not contesting that an exorcism has happened, but rather questioning the source of Jesus' abilities.

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" First of all, we have to look at the things the Gospel tells us about Jesus. He "knows their thoughts." So, once again, this is a case of perception by the "knower-of-hearts." And it is also, once again, a case of perception about those who are in the religious hierarchy. He speaks out to the things they have said and thought among themselves. His answer is quite logical here. No kingdom can battle against itself and hope to stay strong. Why then would Satan work against himself? As liberator and deliverer, Christ unbinds the afflictions of those who are suffering from some form of evil. In this case, He has cast out a demonic oppression. Why then would "the evil one" work such works against his own kingdom? Hence, Jesus' question: "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" Surely even the "ruler of the demons" understands what material strength is.

"And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges." In the religious structure of the time, exorcism was a known practice. So, then, how does this happen among the Pharisees through rabbinical practice? By whom do they cast out demons? Jesus calls these exorcists as witnesses; they who cast out demons by the God of Israel will be the judges of those who accuse Him.

"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." This is a very important concept in the Gospels; in fact, it is the heart of the gospel message! We have seen in particular in the recent readings in Matthew, in all of Jesus' healings (see the readings of the previous week), that the inferred message is clear: the kingdom of heaven has come near, and is among them.

"Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house." The only way to rob a strong man's house is to bind him. If Christ is then robbing Satan of another victim by casting out the demon that possesses the afflicted man, He is surely binding up Satan's power to do so -- binding up the "strong man" who is the ruler of this world. In this way, those who were once held captive in the house of Satan, are treasures plundered, taken away, by Christ.

"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad." It is Christ who is the stronger man, who works by the power of the true God. This is a statement of the One allied with God, who works by God's power, who is allied ultimately as Son, and may rule over all things on this earth. Anything that threatens this alliance is doomed to fail, to be scattered. The root for "gather" here in the Greek is "synago" - from which derives the word "synagogue." Its broader meaning is to assemble. This is a declaration of spiritual power and strength, and unquestionable authority over this world.

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." In effect, we find the Trinity here in this reading. Christ's power as Son is of the Father. But He does not declare Himself, in the end, to be the sole witness. He empties to the Holy Spirit, the One whose action in this world will mark the action of God. Even that which is spoken against the Son of Man may be forgiven, but the action of God's holy power in the world is that of the Spirit, and blasphemy against this -- calling the Spirit's work evil -- will not. The Spirit will therefore prove out all things, bring witnessing, and eventually Judgment. As Son of Man, He is also Judge; but it is the Spirit that will prove out all things, including "in the age to come." My study bible notes that God's power works through the Holy Spirit, "whose action signals the present reality of the Kingdom. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit. . . . Every sin against the Son of Man can be forgiven, because the Jews do not yet know much about Him. But blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity they know from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven. This blasphemy is willful hardness of heart. It attributes the saving action of the Spirit to Satan and refuses to accept God's forgiveness and mercy."

How does this reading apply to us, 2,000 years after these events take place? Do we know what is the action of the Holy Spirit in our world? Can we make a discernment and understand what this is? The word in Greek for witness is the word we know in English as "martyr." That's what a martyr is: a martyr is a witness for the work of the Holy Spirit in the world, one who testifies, and in that testimony may in fact also be called evil by those who cannot perceive, cannot discern. Saints are all witnesses to the work of the Spirit, the presence of the kingdom in the world. But the Holy Spirit works also in many ways, unseen by others, not spectacular, down to the seeming least minutiae in our lives. But these inner thoughts, this reality of change and effects in our lives, can come to make all the difference. We may have people in our lives who will claim that the changes that come to us are evil, not for the good. If spiritual conversion means a newfound self-esteem, those who are used to walking over us, or manipulating, or otherwise acting in bad faith through deception and lies, may be the ones calling the Spirit's actions "evil" in our lives. If we are involved in self-destructive activities, such as drug abuse or other forms of harmful and personally destructive addiction, those who are used to having us as part of such a circle may also tell us the Spirit's action is "bad" when we feel the positive effects of the Spirit's transforming work and seek to separate from our old habits and environment. There are so many ways in which the Spirit is at work in our lives and in the world. But the Spirit's action will always be seen in the effects left behind. In John's Gospel, Jesus will teach: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Christ still calls us to discernment of His kingdom, present among us. Can you know the effects of this wind? (In the Greek, the word for Spirit is the same as the one for breath or wind.) Can you discern the effects of this wind in your life? Can you see them in the lives of those around you? Have you ever been called upon to stand in your faith when these effects are called evil through a false accusation, perhaps even out of envy or pride? God's action is at work in us and among us. How does your faith help you to be a part of the life of the Spirit? In the West and among some Orthodox Churches, we celebrated Pentecost yesterday. Among the Eastern Orthodox, Pentecost is this Sunday. Let us think about the Spirit, and today's reading. We are still called to the discernment Christ asked 2,000 years ago. His words and His kingdom still stand, within us, among us, in our world, through our witness and faith.