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. 

"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 

 

Yesterday 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 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 demons."  Beelzebub was a name for the pagan god Baal.  Throughout the Old Testament we can read the names of different Baal gods in various pagan regions and towns dedicated to them (1 Kings 1:18).  "Beelzebub" was a name given by the Jews to deride the god, meaning "the Lord of the Flies."  But here it is meant as a direct reference to Satan.

 

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.  My study Bible comments that a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test God (see Luke 4:9-12).  Jesus explicitly brings out the notion of spiritual warfare, of a host of spirits (led by Satan) who are against God.  Can Satan's kingdom stand if his house is divided and he is therefore at war with himself?  Moreover, if Christ is casting out demons by Beelzebub, how do the Jewish exorcists (your sons) cast out demons?  By what power?  If they accuse Him of casting out demons by demonic power, then their spiritual sons will be their judges.  The finger of God, my study Bible explains, 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."  The strong man in Christ's example is Satan, who holds sway over the fallen human race, my study Bible explains, while the stronger is Christ (see 1 John 4:4).  It is in this illustrated sense that Christ is also Deliverer, Savior, and Judge.

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

"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."  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who calls the unclean spirit a reference to the rebelliousness cast out of the Jews by the Old Testament prophets to prepare them to receive Christ.  Those who refuse to receive Him are left open to the wickedness of seven other spirits or demons.  We may also understand this teaching as one exhorting us to consider what it is to become a "temple of God," in whom the Holy Spirit dwells -- and the vigilance that becomes all the more necessary as a result (1 Corinthians 3:16).  It reminds us that salvation is not a one-time action, but asks of us an ongoing discipleship and awareness.

It's interesting that today's reading speaks about spiritual battle, about the "competition" constantly being waged in this world between the forces of Christ (the stronger man) and Satan (the strong man).  We accept that Christ has come as Savior and Liberator, the One who will deliver us from the evil one.  And yet, we are still intrigued with the composition of the text, in which it was in yesterday's reading that Christ taught His disciples to pray to "our Father in heaven."  If we recall, it was in the prayer (see yesterday's reading, above) in which we are taught to pray, "deliver us from the evil one."  Here, in today's reading which involves an exorcism by Christ and then accusations that He is working by the power of demons, we are given a taste of Christ's clear teaching about forces for good and evil in this world.  These aren't by any means equal forces, for He is clearly the "stronger man" while Satan is the "strong man" who has so many bound in the world.  But Christ is our Liberator, for He has the power to overcome him, take away his armor, and divide his spoils.  This language would make perfect sense to one familiar with first century warfare (as indeed, it makes sense to many in today's world), but Christ is speaking of spiritual warfare, a war that goes on unseen and yet felt today in the world.  It is a battle for souls, and hearts and minds, and our prayers become a first source of strength and armor and weapons for the battle, for it is through our prayers that we are prepared, disciplined, and trained -- and hence we get another marvelous reason for the construction of the Gospel:  yesterday's reading has prepared us for the events we read of in today's reading.  Jesus taught us a universal prayer for all Christians to pray for all the world -- on behalf of the world, for all the world, and for ourselves -- but we see that it isn't just a simple prayer, it's a weapon for the battle.  It is a prayer for the kingdom of God to be manifest in this world.  It constitutes an alignment with the "stronger man," so that we are fully arrayed for battle and we have declared whose side we're on, whose troops we form, whose battlements we stand behind.  So often we are tempted to think of faith as simply intellectual abstraction, a kind of philosophical divide that purveys questions of ideology or of competing systems of rules and regulations, of varied outlooks upon life and what it is to be a human being under various deities or belief systems.  But Christ phrases this spiritual condition of the world in completely different terms, and takes us away from abstractions such as a simple set of competing ideas. He makes it quite clear that this battle is essential, and most of all that it is in fact waged within us, and that it affects us human beings not just on the surface or in terms of  beliefs and concepts, but rather from the inside out.  It determines the conditions of the places we feel at home in the world, where we belong, and to what do we have our allegiance.  His actions in the world and His teachings make it very clear that the battle isn't just about ideas, but rather the very things that make life worth living, or not.  The demons in the Bible oppress and afflict, they give pain.  In fact the very word in the Greek text which is translated as "the evil one" is πονηρός/poneros, whose root πόνος/ponos literally means "pain."  The word could easily be translated as "the painful one" (as in the one who brings pain).  We are not talking about abstract ideas or slogans or theories, but rather conditions of living that affect the entirety of one's life, as so many have experienced and understood.  A spiritual reality forms the background and basis for our lives, unseen as it may be, but it has been shared and understood by so many throughout so much of the history we know -- and it equally remains a mystery in which we may participate as well, should we continue to "ask" and "seek" and "knock" as Christ advised also in yesterday's reading (see above).  So let us take the story in today's reading to heart, and especially in the context of the teaching by Christ of the Lord's Prayer and the comments that followed in yesterday's reading.  For we do not have a complete sense of Christ's work on our behalf without each one and without the understanding He seeks to teach.  Let us take seriously the thought that so much depends upon what path we're on, and what and whom we choose to follow, in whom we place our trust.

 

Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation

And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

- Mark 3:19b-35

Yesterday we read that, after the Pharisees began plotting with the Herodians to destroy Him (see Saturday's reading),  Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, and a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 

And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."   It may seem strange to us, but the Gospels show conflict between family and the religious life, particularly the work of the Spirit or holiness in the world (see also, for example, John 7:1-9).  Here, St. Jerome comments that even Christ's family seek to put a stop to His public ministry, which at this point has become overwhelming in its popularity, by claiming He has a weak mind.  Perhaps the sheer volume of people crowding into this home to see Him render His ministry "unseemly" or too conspicuous in their eyes; more likely, in the context of this explosive public attention, they are also responding to the new threats against Him from both the religious and state authorities.  But conflict and hostility do not deter Christ from pressing forward with His mission.

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."  Beelzebub, or Baal, was a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  The name Beelzebub is one given to Baal by the Jews, a disparaging epithet which means the prince of the "dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Here the scribes call him the ruler of the demons.  But Jesus responds to their charge with a rational question, "How can Satan cast out Satan?"   He makes it clear through the example of plundering a strong man's house that He is, in effect, the One who has come to bind Satan in opposition to his kingdom, and to liberate the world, his plunder.  My study bible says that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees and scribes in their opposition to Jesus.

 "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  Here Jesus takes His argument further, in a warning to these men of the leadership themselves.  To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to blaspheme against the divine activity of the Spirit, my study bible explains.  It is blasphemy against pure goodness.  The scribes to whom He speaks are the experts in the Old Testament Scriptures, and because of this they are fully aware of what the work of the Spirit in the world is.  My study bible says in this context that therefore their blasphemy against the Spirit -- in effect, calling the purely good "evil" -- comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.   A hardness of heart which refuses repentance remains, in effect of such a state, without forgiveness.

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."    Once more the interaction of Christ's family with His ministry illustrates the conflict between the social structures of the world and the holy.    My study bible comments that Jesus' relatives haven't yet understood His identity and mission.   Considering what we read earlier about their concern for Him, this is perhaps another time they try to speak with Him about His ministry.  Jesus remains firm in His mission,  pointing to a spiritual family,  based on obedience to the will of God.  There need be no real conflict here, and in the case of His mother, we know already of her love and obedience to God (Luke 1:38).

It's interesting to consider the images that Mark's Gospel gives us of the repeated attempts at intervention by Christ's family.  They may simply be trying to protect Him from the attention of both the state and religious authorities.  Perhaps they themselves are suffering from undesirable public scrutiny in their own lives in the wake of the effects of His ministry and the public response.  Whatever the reason, we are given to observe how deeply conflicts may play a role in the lives of the faithful.  The impact of the holy is one that shakes up the world.  The powers that be -- that of the "strong man" or "prince of this world" -- are shaken through holiness, the work of the Spirit in the world.  The nature of Christ's kingdom is clearly illustrated in the example He provides to the scribes as that which is in opposition to Satan.  The illustration teaches us, also, that this is not a peaceful opposition but a violent one, one designed to thoroughly shake up the hold that evil has on the world and to "bind up" its power.  As such, it shouldn't be so surprising that Christ's ministry shakes up His own world on so many levels:  from the religious leadership to the state power, to even those members of His own family.  In that light, it is interesting and important to consider Jesus' words about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  He tells us,  "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation."  Let us note that He compares other sins and blasphemies to this one significant act of blasphemy of the Spirit.  It's an acknowledgement that sin goes on all the time; it is simply part and parcel of our world.  But blasphemy against the Spirit falls in a particular category.  St. Gregory Nazianzinus comments on this passage that the Holy Spirit is God himself enabling our faith, and moreover, that God the Spirit is not only the one whom we worship but the one by whom we worship.  It is the Spirit, in other words, by whom we have faith in the first place.  What Jesus declares, then, about relatedness and relationships is that there is one overarching branch above all other things that gives us right-relatedness, and that is our love of God, our desire to be obedient to God.  This passes through all other things, and surpasses all other relationships in terms of the power and authority to create "family" -- the ones whom Christ calls His "brother and sister and mother."  It is ultimately God the Father who determines true relatedness in this picture, what the "family" is.  As it is God the Holy Spirit who is at work in the world, it is the work of the Spirit that reveals and inspires; in a sense it is God the Holy Spirit who declares what is real and what is truth.  Hence, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit becomes the one "unforgivable" thing.  This is not to say that we cannot be forgiven for this sin, but that this sin above all is a denial of life and truth.  As such, should we remain in such a state in which we call good "evil," we will remain outside of the reality of God's love and the basis for true relationship to all things.  What we should note is that the invitation to this family is open to all people; there are no barriers to faith, to the true desire to love God.  Indeed, in the eyes of the Gospel, this is our true natural state as creatures of God. And there we come to the notion of Satan the "strong man" who must be bound by Christ, as it is this influence, ultimately, which aims to keep us from true right-relatedness.  Christ lays out the pattern, the strength of faith, and it is the Holy Spirit at work in us and at work in the world who helps to us get there.  Let us take rest in that faith, so that we may truly see the reality of what is.

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

 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

On Saturday we read that when Jesus knew that the Pharisees began to plot against Him in order to destroy Him, He withdrew.  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!  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?"  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."   The name Beelzebub comes from a title for the god Baal.   For the Jews, this reference is a slur, meaning prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Baal was a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  Here, Baal is called ruler of the demons.  The impossibility of demons fighting against themselves, my study bible tells us, illustrates both the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.

"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."  To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to blaspheme against the divine activity of the Spirit; that is, blasphemy against pure goodness.  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven as the Jews did not know much about Christ, my study bible says.  However, blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity was known from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven -- this is because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  In patristic teaching, it is clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is neither an "unforgivable sin," nor does Jesus call this sin "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person repented of it.  Jesus makes such a declaration with the understanding that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and that these are beyond repentance by their own choice.

My study bible speaks about the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees, which leads to blindness concerning Christ, and even to the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  It is an important illustration for us about character, and the things that truly lead us to stumble and to sin.   Both pride and envy keep us from seeing things as they truly are.  Pride leads us to forget about a higher good, a greater depth of knowledge that God leads us toward, and it keeps us from a true focus on God as our source of what we know as good.  Moreover, pride blinds us in ways that have to do with cutting ourselves off from ways in which we may learn more, come to a deeper understanding of what is good, and improve our own lives.  Pride cuts off the Pharisees from Christ, as they are so overwhelmed with the need to express their superior positions and authority, they cannot see nor hear what He is truly about.  Envy is also a way of cutting down another person, but it comes from a lack of thankfulness for what we do have, a lack of appreciation of our own place with Creator.  It cuts off communion and it is also blind to the real communion that exists in the love of God.  It is almost always harmful to community in ways that are subtle and varied and can be unintended.  If we envy others for what they have which we think we do not, then we are missing our own blessedness -- and casting aspersions on the place where we, too, are loved by God.  When both pride and envy seem to pervade the minds of the disciples (on more than one occasion), Jesus teaches them that humility will be the way to greatness within His Church (see these readings for the depth of Jesus' emphasis on casting away what ails us in forms of pride and envy).  Humility and service become ways in which we express the grace that is available to us, and recognize our place is with God who loves us, not merely in competition with others from a limited perspective about who we are and what our capabilities are.  In this week in which we consider the great gift of the Holy Spirit after the celebration of Pentecost, let us consider the myriad gifts we fail to grasp and develop when a limited perspective on our lives is all that we have, when we allow pride or envy to get the better of us.  It diminishes us, in the end, and keeps us from the love of God that gives us so much.  It is the great gift of grace and of the Holy Spirit that leads us to all truth, teaches us to develop our talents and other gifts, leads us to wisdom and real joy which is internal.  Let us consider, then, the truth of the Spirit and all that we are given and is truly at hand when we enter into that communion of love, mercy, and the beauty of God.  As my study bible notes, it is the Holy Spirit that has been at work throughout the history of God's people.  Let us remember the Spirit is present with us in abundance through Christ.  Our true spiritual lives flow through His gift.  St. Paul writes, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).  If sons, then heirs.  Pride and envy have nothing to offer us but blindness to all that we may inherit, and the mystery that awaits our fulfillment as those who may become "like God" in the work of the Spirit in us, the presence of the Kingdom.