He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad

 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

Yesterday we read that when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had begun plotting how they might destroy Him,  He withdrew from there (see Wednesday's reading).  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.  He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust."

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?"  Once again we observe Jesus performing the signs expected in the time of the Messiah, and so the people ask, "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."  Beelzebub was the name used by the Jews to ridicule a god (Baal) worshiped by the Philistines.  It means the prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies" (see 2 Kings 1:2-16).  Here, he is called the ruler of the demons.  My study bible says that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.  Jesus puts it very succinctly and in a clear picture:  He is the stronger man.  Satan may be strong, but Jesus is the stronger.  So much so, that His statement about Himself is absolute:  "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."  This is a statement not only about power, but also about the centrality of His Lordship.  He is the One around whom all others will either gather or scatter.

"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."  Here Jesus invokes the Trinity.  His earlier words speak of Himself as the One around whom all either gather with Him or scatter in separation.  But surprisingly, in this next sentence, He speaks of the Holy Spirit.  He has already taught (in the previous chapter of Matthew), "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Where one of the Trinity is, so are the others.  My study bible says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit; that is, blasphemy against pure goodness.  It says that a sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because the Jews did not know much about Christ.  But blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity they know already (especially the Pharisees) from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven because it comes from a willful hardness of heart.  It is, in fact, a refusal to accept God's mercy.  The Fathers of the Church, my study bible adds, are clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable" sin; nor does Jesus call it "unforgivable."  St. John Chrysostom tells us that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Jesus makes such a declaration, my study bible adds, knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and are beyond repentance by their own choice.

Just prior to today's passage, we read the words from Isaiah (in yesterday's reading, above) which are applied to Christ.  He is the Servant who will suffer for us in His service.  In yesterday's post we noted that my study bible says the Servant of Isaiah applies not only to Christ, but also to all who follow Him.  What we read in today's reading gives us an idea of the graciousness of God, of Christ Himself.  First He makes succinct and clear statements declaring His greater power than Satan.  So much so, that His power is not merely greater than a "strong man" (Satan), but His power is central to all that is:  "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."  But in the very next sentence, Jesus speaks not of Himself personally and His personal power, but rather of the work of the Spirit.  He makes this doubly clear when He says that "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."   As the human Jesus, a figure all are coming to know, He may be criticized.  But that which comes from what they know to be divine, the work of the Holy Spirit (Who proceeds from the Father -- see John 14:16, 26; 15:26), is another matter.  Jesus introduces into the text the ties between Father, Son, and Spirit.   What is truly blasphemous is that which will profane the work of God the Trinity in the world.  Ironically, it is the Pharisees who will bring charges of blasphemy upon Jesus, for which the Sanhedrin will declare He should be put to death.  Throughout Matthew's Gospel, we have been reminded of the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' life and ministry:  He is born of Mary by the power of the Spirit, John the Baptist declares that He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, and then later sees the Spirit resting upon Jesus at His baptism (1:18, 1:20, 3:11, 3:16).  It is the Holy Spirit who sends Jesus to the wilderness to be tested and tempted (4:1).  In the prophecy of Isaiah, from yesterday's reading above, it is declared of Christ, "I will put My Spirit upon Him."   The Holy Spirit has been present and at work all along in the Gospel, as the Spirit has been at work within the salvation history given to us in the Old Testament Scriptures.  Jesus reminds the Pharisees what they are dealing with, warning them about blasphemy themselves.  In the realm of the powers in use here, there is the truly strong, and it has been so throughout the tradition by which their "sons" also practice exorcism.  Jesus gives us a stark image to remind us of the powers that lie beyond the world and are also at work in the world.  He invites us in the strongest terms to make a choice, reminding us once again that we will serve one thing or another -- wittingly or unwittingly.  We should consider the choice regarding who or what we serve to be the most important one we make.  We remember that later He will teach that the Holy Spirit will be our Helper, sent to us in our own journey of discipleship and service.