When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, "I will return to my house from which I came"

 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 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.

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it 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."

- Luke 11:14-26

On Saturday we read that, as Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."  So He said to them, "When you pray, say:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us day by day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.  So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you,  will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

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 the demons."    Beelzebub was a name used by the Jews, meant to be satirical and derogatory, for a pagan god of their enemies, Baal.  (Beelzebub means "the Lord of the Flies.")  But here the name is used as a direct reference for Satan.  Those who accuse Jesus are most likely scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 12:24).

Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. Repeatedly in the Gospels, Jesus is asked for a sign.  This is usually to prove His authority to the religious leadership.  But a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test God (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."   Exorcism was, of course, known and practiced in the Jewish tradition.  Jesus replies to their charges with something quite logical:  Why would Satan cast out Satan?  And if I do this by the power of Beelzebub, then how do your own exorcists cast them out?

"But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."  My study bible explains that the finger of God is the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28).

"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 another argument by Christ, refuting claims that He casts out demons by the power of demons.  The strong man in his example is Satan, and it is only a stronger -- Christ -- who is able to defeat him, take from him all his armor in which he trusted (all of his weapons and battle gear for protection), and then divides his spoils.  Satan, my study bible says, holds sway over the fallen human race (as "the ruler of this world"), but Christ is more powerful (see 1 John 4:4).

 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  Jesus' statement here is a categorical one regarding His supreme and central authority. and spiritual power.  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.  It continues that those who work in opposition to Christ are different from those who work in good faith toward His purpose, but are not yet united to the Church (see 9:46-50). 

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it 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."  The Old Testament prophets repeatedly worked to cast out rebelliousness among the people in preparation for Christ.  My study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, in saying that those who refuse to receive Him are left open to the wickedness of seven other spirits or demons.  We should remember that seven is a number symbolizing completion, of fully going over into evil.

Jesus' final statement in today's reading is a rather extraordinary one, but it is a telling psychological insight about repentance, about personal change.  We can't do it if it's not voluntary.  Christ is speaking in the context of exorcism and the influence of the demonic on human beings.  He first categorizes Himself as the "stronger man" with regard to the demonic, all that is under the influence of Satan.  In truth, it seems, we can't clearly know the effects of Christ's Incarnation in terms of the susceptibility of human beings to the influence of the demonic.  Clearly, He here claims His power as greater.  But human beings are still susceptible to influence from what is around them, to loneliness, to personal and hidden selfishness, secret vices, and a host of "treasures" that have to do with inner demands not met in the rigorous light of faith.  What Jesus suggests is that without a true repentance, even if an exorcism should be done, the last state of that person is worse than the first.  It's a suggestion that holds true psychologically if we observe with experience, that the things we really haven't dealt with might be externally "shown" to be gone, but without real repentance or "change of mind" (as the Greek word metanoia literally means), there will be a sort of doubling down on old behaviors, habits, beliefs.  We remain blind to ourselves and blind to what is better.  To truly change, there is a powerful ally at hand, and that is found in the grace of God.  Here is where Christ's ministry brings what is truly powerful in our lives:  a sense of humility before God, the help of forgiveness and mercy, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the commands of Christ for living our good life in communion with Him.  Without this kind of rigorous honesty with ourselves and our own need for help and insight, how do we find what personal transformation really means?  In my perspective, we need all the help we can get to find ways of seeing that are different from what we know, a point of view that is capable of reflecting what the "Stronger Man" can help us to see from His perspective.   Without such internal work, Jesus warns us through the Gospels, we are left with the dangers of hypocrisy against which He rails:  those who are like "whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27).  We seek the renewal of the Christ, the One who constantly makes all things new.  Let us look around at our world and observe what works and what doesn't, what changes and what does not.  Let us also note the times we see human behavior in a state decidedly worse than the past, and ask ourselves why.