When an unclean spirit spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none

 "When an unclean spirit 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 also 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 told the Pharisees (who had accused Him of casting out demons by the power of the ruler of the 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 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 also be with this wicked generation."  Jesus has just given His sternest words for the Pharisees who've blasphemed the work of the Spirit, accusing Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub (in these passages in Matthew called the "ruler of the demons").  Here is an even stronger warning.  My study bible tells 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 105:34-39).  Therefore we must guard our hearts.  Unless there is full repentance and the Holy Spirit dwells in a person, an expelled demon will return with others and reoccupy its abode.  Once again (as in Saturday's reading, above) we have a powerful irony.  It's the Pharisees who've just accused Jesus of using demonic power.   After He defended Himself, they demanded a sign to prove that He's the Christ.  Again, that demand received strong dismissal and condemnation from Jesus.  Here, He warns them that even if they repent of their particular accusation now, without a true change of heart, they will simply continue down the same bad road, becoming worse than their current state.

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."  My study bible says that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of My Father.  It also notes that in Jewish usage the term brother can indicate any number of relationships.  (This remains so in common language across the Middle East.)  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  Mary had but one Son:  Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here are either stepbrothers, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins.  As Jesus submits His mother to the care of John at the Cross (John 19:25-27), we must consider this in context of the society of the time.  It would be unthinkable if Mary had had other children to care for her.

Jesus' teaching to the Pharisees is interesting, because it indicates that repentance isn't just a "one-time" action.  We may repent of particular behaviors or incidents in our lives, and this is not to suggest that we must dwell on them.  Rather, repentance (which means literally "change of mind" in the translation of the Greek word metanoia) is something that is greater than a one-time change of heart.  It's an ongoing state of mind, a continual process at work within us.  That is, Jesus' words, as they do elsewhere, indicate that we are on a road going somewhere, that faith is a journey, not a one-time decision.  Jesus has given us the prayer to Our Father, in which we pray, "Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  In us, the work that affirms this petition is ongoing, daily, just as we pray daily.  To guard the heart is to be alert to our purpose and commitment, to live our faith even to the point of being aware of our thoughts, our considerations, and actively seeking that will and the work of the kingdom in all things that come to us.  Jesus' words to the Pharisees remind us that life isn't about a one-time decision.  Rather, faith takes work, we're on a pathway somewhere, on a journey, and awareness and mindfulness are called from us about who we are and what our lives are about.  He takes this a step further when He proclaims that His mother and brothers are among His disciples, that "whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."  This isn't to dismiss His family nor to be disrespectful to them, but to proclaim the reality of the Kingdom, and the relatedness of all those who participate in this active work of faith, of seeking and doing "the will of My Father in heaven.'  When Jesus teaches, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," He's given us similar instruction.  The word translated as "way" is a word that means "road" in Greek.  This "way" is a pathway, a lane, a road, a street.  It is an ongoing route which we're always in the midst of, and in which we're always going to make choices as to direction.  Jesus' warnings to the Pharisees about ongoing choices teach us about our faith and what it asks of us.  Like a commitment in marriage, it's not about one day and one choice or declaration, but an active commitment that takes daily work and awareness.  It continually needs shoring up, protection, and the effort that the goal of whole-heartedness asks of us.  It's the fullness of the "life" and "truth" He is and offers, and we are invited in with whole heart as active participant.  This is the real work of faith.