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

 

 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 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."

 

- Luke 11:14-23 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the disciples went toward Jerusalem, they entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus' answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." 

 

 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 demons."  Beelzebub is a derisive name for a pagan god worshiped by the Philistines, a twist in pronunciation rendering it "Lord of the Flies."  Here, this name specifically refers to Satan.  

Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  My study Bible comments here that a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test God (see Luke 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."  Jesus gives a quite rational answer, which illuminates the idea that there is a spiritual war going on in what is often called the "unseen world" of the bodiless beings such as angels.  Why would Satan cast out his own demonic allies?  When Jesus asks, "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?" He is referring to the Jewish tradition of exorcism.  In Matthew 12:24, they are Pharisees who bring this charge against Jesus.  What He's saying is that if they want to ascribe demonic influence to exorcism, then their own tradition (and those who perform exorcisms in that tradition) witness against them.

"But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."  The finger of God refers to 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."  The strong man to whom Jesus refers is Satan, whom my study Bible says holds sway over the fallen human race.  But the stronger is Christ (see 1 John 4:4).  

"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  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.  Those who work in opposition to Christ, it notes, are different from those who work in good faith toward Christ's purpose but are not yet united to the Church (see Luke 9:46-50).  My study Bible quotes St. Seraphim of Sarov, who writes that only "good deeds done for Christ's sake bring fruit."  Deeds done for any other purpose, "even if they are good, are deeds that scatter abroad."

How are we to understand our faith?  Particularly in light of what is indicated in today's passage, that there is an invisible spiritual battle going on between angelic forces loyal to Christ, and those in rebellion (the demons).  In a modern context, most people go about their lives without any consideration of such possible realities, but it is, nevertheless, part and parcel of the framework of the Bible and of the ancient world into which Christ was born.  This "unseen" reality remains a part of the understanding of the Church.  Certainly there are many people who believe that angels are around us, doing unseen spiritual works.  The demonic is another kind of story altogether, as well as the subject of widely varied commercial exploits and fantasies.  As we know from the New Testament Scriptures, exorcism was a frequent part of Christ's healing ministry, as well as the early Church.  In today's text, Jesus refers to the exorcism that was already part of Jewish religious tradition.  Jesus gives us a picture of the struggle between two warring spiritual powers.  But this is by no means whatsoever an equal battle.  There is the "strong man," Satan, also called the prince or ruler of this world (see John 12:31;14:30;16:11).  But Christ calls Himself the "stronger man," indicating that His power and authority -- extended through the Church -- is greater than that of the demonic powers.  Jesus says, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).  This extends to His authority within the unseen world (Luke 4:36) and He extends His power to others (Luke 10:17).  The Church still continues to perform exorcisms, and Baptism remains a sacrament in which we renounce the powers and works of this "strong man."   Jesus speaks absolutely and unequivocally about His power and authority, unrecognized by those to whom He speaks (and who accuse Him of working through the power of Satan).  As incarnate human being, He is without obvious material power, worldly authority, or the power of a state or an army.  But as Christ, He is One who asserts spiritual authority, recognizable only through faith.  Indeed, it is the power of faith that allies us with Christ, the "stronger man."  In a popular movie from 1995 (The Usual Suspects), a master criminal declares, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist."  This was a memorable line in the film, but its sentiment wasn't original.  It has been repeated frequently (in works such as The Master and Margarita, for example, a satirical fantasy written under Stalin's rule).  But the key to understanding our place in the midst of such spiritual struggle is really our faith, and our greatest weapon is prayer.  In the context of today's reading, the lectionary has skipped over the beginning of chapter 11, as it was given earlier, in preparation for the commemoration of Christ's Ascension.  In the verses between today's reading and yesterday's, Jesus gave to the disciples the Lord's Prayer, which begins with the words "Our Father in heaven."   It is important to remember that it is through faith and prayer that we bind ourselves to the power of Christ, and play our role in this struggle.  Forget about fantasies and imaginary representations which appear in popular media.  It is faith and prayer, and all the aspects of worship available to us in the practices and sacraments of the Church, through which we engage in this "invisible" battle, and choose to ally with the One who scatters His opponents.  It is through such practices, also, that we grow in spiritual wisdom and insight into such matters.  Our resistance to temptation of all kinds is the mirror of Christ's denial of the devil (Luke 4:1-13); it is a life prayerfully and faithfully lived that is our part in this struggle.  Take refuge in the prayer He taught us, to Our Father in heaven, whose divine will and kingdom we pray be done on earth as it is in heaven.  This is where we start as His disciples, where we continue, and the true way we meet our challenges.  Our real mission is to seek the kingdom of God (Luke 12:31).