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"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it be with this wicked generation."
While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."
- Matthew 12:43-50
On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, as He spoke to the Pharisees who criticized Him (they claimed He cast out demons by the power of the ruler of demons), "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."
"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it be with this wicked generation." We have to put this statement into context: Jesus has been addressing the Pharisees who've blasphemed the work of the Spirit through Jesus' ministry, calling it evil. He's been preaching to them that they must take care of their inner state; repentance has to involve personal change, commitment and vigilance. They've demanded a sign from Him, so He compels them to believe, and He's called that evil as well. My study bible reminds us that when the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, they did not repent of their impure ways, and an unclean spirit took up residence in their hearts (Deuteronomy 31:20; Psalm 106:34-39). Therefore, we guard our hearts as an ongoing practice of true mindfulness. My study bible says, "Unless there is full repentance and the Holy Spirit dwells in a person, an expelled demon will return with others and reoccupy its abode."
While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." Jesus emphasizes the unification under one will; that is the will of the Father. It's a counterpoint to the statement He's just made referring to the "spirit" of the Pharisees. Everything begins with a depth of love of God. My study bible suggests that Jesus' relatives haven't yet understood His identity and mission (see John 7:5), and that He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to "the will of My Father." We recall that the term "brothers" in Jewish and more widespread Middle East usage even today can indicate extended family and cousins.
What do you love? It seems that this is the basic question Jesus is really asking us. He speaks to the Pharisees (even as He's teaching the crowds) about making the tree good, so its fruit will be good. He says, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." (See Saturday's reading, above.) Everything connects to the internal reality we nurture, what we embrace, and how we're vigilant in that embrace. He speaks of giving account of "every idle word." And He tells the Pharisees (and the rest of His listeners) that "by your words you will be justified, and by your words you are condemned." He invites us in to this place where our mindfulness requires us to be on constant guard of what we love and what we nurture in our inner lives, because all of that is reflected in and by what we do, what "fruits" we produce. Watching what comes out of the mouth gives us a good idea of what is inside the heart. What He seems to be teaching regarding the "unclean spirit" in today's reading is about the importance of a constant commitment to this process. It's not enough to think one time that something was a mistake, because it's natural that whatever habits will have won't disappear so easily. People who struggle with the pernicious difficulties of negative self-talk, for example, understand this all too well. But it works equally with all kinds of temptations in myriad forms. Whatever it is, Jesus speaks of the things that separate us from God. In effect, without a real commitment we may wind up in a place seven times worse than before. Speaking of His family, He reaffirms what He's just stated in the negative form ("The last state of the man is worse than the first"), only in the positive flip side: "Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." The Pharisees can hide their behavior, anyone can feign regrets, but if the inner life doesn't really change then there is an empty space waiting for the same old behaviors and influences and motivations to take root and multiply. To make a commitment of love to God, to seek the will of the Father, is to place oneself in a different orientation, and to unify oneself with Christ. This becomes a constant work, a constant effort. Speaking in terms of a spiritual battle, Jesus' talk of the Spirit and of demons remains backdrop to the human struggles we witness in the story of Christ and in our own lives. The Pharisees have accused Him of casting out demons by the power of the ruler of demons, but Jesus explains just what demonic activity is like and how it influences people -- while we're given the juxtaposition of His emphasis on an alliance with Him, by truly seeking the will of the Father. And so it remains: so much depends on what we seek actively to ally ourselves with, whom we seek to please, who we love. These are constant, ongoing choices that require an ongoing effort. Let us recall Jesus' many teachings that His followers are not to be asleep nor complacent, but awake and alert, knowing His return could come at any time, and when we don't expect it. We must remember that it's our job to serve with Him. As our Master He is also our example as the Suffering Servant.
