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 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus knew that the Pharisees have now begun to plot against Him to destroy Him, He withdrew from there.  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?"  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."   According to Fr. Stephen De Young (who has written a recent book on the ancient god Baal), Beelzebub is a deliberate corruption of the name "Beelzebul."  Beelzebul is the Greek transliteration of an Aramaic title for the god Baal, and its meaning is "Baal is lord" or "the great god Baal."  But Beelzebub is a title given by the Jews to ridicule the god Baal, and its meaning is "lord of the flies." Given Baal's association with the underworld, this could be a reference to rotting corpses, or possibly due to his image as that of a bull, with animal excrement; thus, "lord of the dung heap."  Baal was a god worshiped by the Philistines (see 2 Kings 1:2-16).  But here he is called ruler of the demons.  My study Bible comments that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates 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."  My study Bible explains 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 is a blasphemy against the divine activity known from the Old Testament already to these men.  It will not be forgiven because it comes fro a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  But my study Bible adds that the Church Fathers are clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin'; nor does Jesus ever call this sin "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Christ makes this declaration in today's reading knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and that by their own choice they are beyond repentance.

 

In the Nicene Creed, we call the Holy Spirit "the Lord, the Creator of Life."  Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13).  The Orthodox prayer to the Holy Spirit, with which all services are begun, reads as follows:  "Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, everywhere present and filling all things, Treasury of blessings and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all stain, O Good One."  Each of these things gives us a hint about the Holy Spirit.  Genesis 1:2 tells us, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."  Thus we understand the Spirit as the One who gives life, who anointed Christ (an eternal reality made visible at His Baptism), who is active in the world and among us.  It is this activity of the Spirit, known to the Pharisees who now condemn Jesus' works as evil and demonic, that Christ says is a sin to condemn, to blaspheme.  To do so is an expression of hatred against goodness itself.  Perhaps we could call it the ultimate lie.  Why do people resist the good?  Why do people respond with hatred for what is good among them?  The answers to these questions may give us clues about what might be even a deeper mystery:  What is it that makes someone beyond repentance?  My study Bible says that Jesus makes this statement about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit knowing that, because of their choices, the men who make this accusation are now beyond repentance.  This implies that the power of our own minds, the power of our choices, can render us beyond help because we've gone so far down a particular trail that we will not perceive the options to reverse ourselves.  At least, this is the explanation that seems likely.  Perhaps we can be buried in our own thoughts of hatred and enmity so deeply that we no longer see clearly other possible options.  In the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, we're told that Pilate knew the religious leaders handed Christ over to him for crucifixion out of envy (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10).  In chapter 2 of the Wisdom of Solomon (also known as the Book of Wisdom), we read all about the hatred of the good, and the envy of the devil through which death entered the world (Wisdom of Solomon 2; see especially verse 24).  So out of envy, we know, such blind hatred can come that not only causes blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, but an enmity that has no capacity to turn itself around of its own power.  It is, perhaps, only a mind open to the Spirit which is capable of repentance, for the Spirit indwells us through Baptism, which begins our journey with Christ.  Jesus tells the disciples at the Last Supper that the world cannot receive the Spirit of truth, "because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:17).  "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me" (John 15:26).  Let us remember the Holy Spirit and the good works of God in our lives.  Only Christ can judge, for He is the One who knows people's hearts.  The good and true and beautiful path for the soul is to Him.   Let us pray that we always stay on it, and are guided back when we take the wrong way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons

 

 And they went into the 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 Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, after a confrontation with the Pharisees.  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, 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 the 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 the 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."  By now Christ's ministry has expanded so that a "great multitude" follows Him.  His popularity has spread all around not only His home territory but has expanded beyond that.  Perhaps because of the opposition of the Pharisees and scribes, who now plot against Him, His family tries to claim Him for safety, saying that He is out of His mind.  In some sense, in a culture that elevated modesty as a virtue one could say there is a type of scandalous notoriety for the family in all the public attention.

 

  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 was a name used by the Jews to ridicule the worship of the pagan god Baal.  Typical in places where Baal was worshiped (widely in this region of the Middle East at that time), altars and place names heralding Baal were myriad.  Baal means "lord" or "prince," and this particular name means prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Baal was a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  Here he is called ruler of the demons.   My study Bible comments that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees 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."  My study Bible explains that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit, blasphemy against pure goodness.  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 was known from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  In patristic commentary, it's clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin"; nor does Christ ever call it "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Jesus makes such a declaration here knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and they are beyond repentance by their own choice.  

 

 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."   My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  He points to a spiritual family which is based on obedience to the will of God.  In Jewish usage of the time, and across the Middle East today, brother may indicate any number of relations.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother"; Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother"; and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (Genesis 14:14; Ruth 4:3; 2 Samuel 20:9).  As for Christ Himself, He had no blood brothers, for Mary had but one Son:  Jesus.  These brothers who are mentioned were either stepbrothers (that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage), or cousins.  My study Bible cites Jesus committing His mother to the care of St. John at the Cross (John 19:25-27), which would have been unthinkable if Mary had had other children to care for her.  

In today's reading, Jesus says that he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.  Let us remember that this is in response to the scribes who came down from Jerusalem, who claimed that Jesus cast out demons by the ruler of demons.  My study Bible states that to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to label the good as evil.  In other words, what Jesus does by the power of the Holy Spirit, in effect casting out demons and healing, is blasphemed by calling it demonic or saying that His power is from the ruler of the demons.  In the tradition of the Bible, Satan is known as the accuser, the one who accuses people before God.  The Holy Spirit, by contrast, is called the Paraklete, which can mean "counselor," or more literally the one who comes when called to be by one's side.  This word in Greek was the common word for what we'd now understand as a lawyer, someone to help us present a defense.  But such work -- to call pure good "evil" -- goes beyond mere accusation and into a frame of mind that is itself very evil.  To do so knowingly is to pervert the truth, to participate in a very heinous lie, and to seek to manipulate a circumstance or appearance in order to, in fact, harm or disable the good.  This  in itself is likely a far worse intent than we'd like to contemplate.  But, unfortunately, not all motivations are good.  In this case, Jesus is growing many followers, He speaks with His own authority, and is now a well-known figure who has opposed the scribes and the Pharisees in some public contexts.  In healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, Jesus not only openly opposed these important figures from the religious establishment, but He showed them up openly and spectacularly by healing the man in clear opposition to them.  In Wednesday's reading, we were told that the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  (The Herodians are those who collaborate and support the Herodian dynasty, which ruled for Rome.)  So to call good "evil" is a type of ultimate manipulation, and it's akin in some sense to seeking to kill the good.  It's a deliberate lie that invokes and uses the concept of truth to pervert the truth, for to make such an accusation assumes posing as both true and good.  When we consider Christ's attitude toward hypocrisy, we begin to understand the deeply perverse nature of this type of blasphemy, and how much damage is done to those who might be persuaded, or the innocent and naive who would follow.  To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to hinder the good in the world, to help that which opposes God, opposes Christ.  In today's reading, Jesus also speaks of those whom He calls His brother and sister and mother -- that these are whoever does the will of God.  In pondering Christ's words, we must consider that the One who speaks isn't simply Jesus the human being, but also the divine Christ, the Creator, the Lord.  Today's reading asks us to think about the creation of the world, and its purpose.  In reading the Bible, we begin with Genesis, in which God creates the cosmos, all created things seen and unseen, including us.  In the creation story, Adam and Eve are set in a walled garden (Eden), a place where they commune freely with God, and given a purpose to be "like" God in also bringing the world out of chaos, to put into order and to fill with creation.  In Genesis 1:28, we read, "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' "  But to blaspheme the Spirit is to seek to subvert this essential will of God, not only to act in opposition to it, but to call God's works and God's grace working in us "evil."  One must consider Christ's mission of salvation, and our cooperation with that mission in this context, for the world was not created without purpose or intention. Will we cooperate with grace and seek God's will for ourselves?  Or will we oppose it?  The Pharisees do so today with selfish motives, and Jesus names clearly what they are doing.  

 

 

 

 

 

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"

 

 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 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, 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."   One thing we must notice about our recent readings is that so many people now follow Christ that He has drawn the attention of the religious leaders, who now plot against Him with the followers of Herod's court (see Thursday's reading).  This means that the powerful people who rule Galilee, where Christ's family lives in the town of Nazareth, are now helping to plot against Him.  So His extended family (His own people) are very likely justly frightened of this scrutiny.  Moreover, we're told in John's Gospel, speaking of extended family, that "even His own brothers did not believe in Him" (John 7:5).  At this stage, they likely come for Him as they are frightened for Him, and so want to draw Him out of the public eye and bring Him back home.  To feign insanity in order to avoid persecution is something familiar in the Scriptures (see 1 Samuel 21:12-15, which David did so), and perhaps a way they think He will not be held responsible.

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  Here we're given to understand that there are scribes who've come down from Jerusalem, the center of religious and community rule of Israel, perhaps particularly for the purpose of observing Christ's ministry -- another thing which would no doubt fuel the fears of Christ's family.  The scribes pronounce Jesus to be possessed by Beelzebub, and claim that it is by the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.  My study Bible explains that Beelzebub, or Baal, was the prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies" -- a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  Here the scribes from Jerusalem refer to him  as the ruler of the demons.  In other words, Satan.

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."  My study Bible comments that the impossibility here illustrated by Christ of demons fighting against themselves shows the irrational pride and envy of the scribes and Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.  Jesus refutes both the implication that He is out of His mind, and that He works through demons, and goes forward more deeply into declaring Himself:  He is indeed the stronger man, who binds the strong man (Satan) and will plunder his house.  Jesus has come to claim and to redeem a world, to bind Satan and plunder his house -- to claim the souls held there.

"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."   My study Bible explains that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit.  That is, it is blasphemy against pure goodness.  The divine activity of the Spirit is something known, particularly to these experts in the religion, because it is fully expressed throughout the Old Testament.  Therefore, such blasphemy is not forgiven as it comes from a  willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  According to patristic commentary, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin" and neither does Jesus ever call it "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  My study Bible comments that Jesus makes this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and are beyond repentance by their own choice.

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."  My study Bible comments (echoing John's Gospel as noted above) that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  There is no doubt they are likely responding to the scrutiny and plots against Him by the religious leaders, and are particularly alarmed by the scribes pronouncing Him to be working through the ruler of the demons.  And again, confronted with their fears, He goes beyond even this immediate concern of family, and asserts what is a greater family -- one which is based on obedience to the will of God.  In Jewish usage, my study Bible explains, brother can indicate any number of relations.  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).  Christ Himself had no blood brothers, as Mary had but one Son:  Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here are therefore either stepbrothers, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins.  Indeed, at the Cross Jesus commits the care of His mother to John His disciple (John 19:25-27).  This would have been culturally unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.

In a commentary on John, St. Augustine writes of Jesus' mother Mary:  "She did the Father’s will. It was this in her that the Lord magnified, not merely that her flesh gave birth to flesh.… When he said, "Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it," He was in effect saying: "My mother whom you have called blessed is blessed for the reason that she keeps the Word of God, not that the Word was made flesh in her and dwelt among us, but that she keeps the very Word of God through which she was made and which was made flesh in her."  Elsewhere he writes, "Mary is more blessed in receiving the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ," and moreover that "her nearness as a mother would have been little help for her salvation if she had not borne Christ in her heart in a more blessed manner than in the flesh."  Perhaps the greatest testimony to Mary's devout character and faith in the will of God is her simple response to the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation of the birth of Christ (Luke 1:26-38): "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."   Through St. John's care of Christ's mother, we know that she was indeed a close member of the community of the apostles and the faithful.  The fact that she was at the Cross tells us all we need to know about her dedication to her Son and to His ministry.   So, when Christ teaches that "whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother," then we must assume that His mother is included in that greater spiritual family that Christ has come to build up in the world, those who love the goodness of God and the working of the Holy Spirit.  From the earliest times of the Church, the veneration of Mary as saint comes from this understanding.  Indeed, right from the beginning, Mary and Jesus' earthly guardian, St. Joseph, sheltered Him from persecution and cared for Him as One special to God (see Matthew 2:13-23).  This makes Mary one whose devotion to God is integral to her love of her Son and her role as Mother.  In the history of the Church, she is the one who becomes Mother for millions, as she is known and remembered through those asking for prayers as one who turns no one away, whose compassion may be invoked for intercession, just as we would ask the prayers of kind people in our lives.  In the history of the Church Mary has been given many names for the various kinds of intercession people have experienced through prayer.  It is intriguing to consider how much of Christ's human character was learned from His mother.  We know through Christ of God's love and compassion, but the special woman who could fill this role as mother to Christ must also have had her own quality of insight, compassion, tenderness, and understanding.  We also know of her suffering for love of her Son, and for her faith in God.  So the Church has seen in her through the ages.  Let us also understand the significance of Christ's words, for He points to a family created in and through the Holy Spirit, even as Jesus was born to Mary through the Holy Spirit.  He calls us to this family, to His brother and sister and mother.  It is in that family where we may also experience Mary as Mother, among all the other brothers, sisters, and even mothers we will find there.

 

 

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 Jesus entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sad 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 was the name given to a pagan god (Ba'al, meaning Lord, usually attached to a name of a place where worship occurred).  This name may reflect derision by the Jews, characterizing him as "Lord of the Flies."  Here it is used as a direct reference to Satan, the ruler of the demons (see also verse 18).

 

 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  My study Bible comments 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.  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 the finger of God is the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 12:28).  Last Wednesday, the lectionary gave us the verses in chapter 11 just prior to today's section, in which Jesus teaches what we know as the Lord's Prayer to the disciples.  In Luke 11:13, just prior to today's passage, Jesus taught the disciples, "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!"

 

 "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."  My study Bible says that the strong man is Satan, who holds sway over the fallen human race, while 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 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, found in this reading and commentary).  My study Bible quotes St. Seraphim of Sarov, noting that only "good deeds done for Christ's sake bring fruit," and therefore deeds done for any other purpose, "even if they are good, are deeds that scatter abroad."

Today's reading gives us Christ's words that speak of His power and authority, and its absolute sense especially in comparison to the demonic, or even to those things nominally good but done for reasons other than serving God.  In the reading from Wednesday, speaking after the return of the Seventy from their first apostolic mission, Jesus rejoiced that God the Father had seen fit to reveal things to "babes" which had been hidden from the "wise and prudent," and He said to the disciples that they had seen and heard what even "prophets and kings" had desired to see and hear, and had not.  But in the middle of these statements, He said of Himself, "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  (See Luke 10:21-24.)  In that same reading, the Seventy rejoiced that even the demons were subject to them in Christ's name, and Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (see Luke 10:17-20).  So, in today's reading, when Jesus is accused of casting out demons by the power of demons, He responds in this context with an image of an earthly war of kingdom against kingdom, to convey a spiritual reality. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? is a reasonable question, for it implies for us a sense of authority that Satan cannot surpass.  Note that Jesus says, "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."  Again, it not only gives us an image of warfare, in which kingdoms and nations fight against one another, but it also asks us to consider what armor in which we trust can stand against Christ, against the finger of God?  That is, against the Holy Spirit at work in the world.  It seems to beg us to ask ourselves, what is the armor in which we trust in our lives?  Can money withstand the power of the Holy Spirit?  What is it that cannot pass away with certainty?  We can lay out all our plans, and we can trust in material goods to see us through life, but what can we do without the values and meanings that transcend all of that?  What do we do when shocking and surprising things happen to shake us up, and take away the things in which we placed all of our trust?  These things we see every day, and are too numerous to mention.  But Christ warns us many times about trusting to material goods alone to shore up our lives and our well-being (for example, Luke 12:13-21).  Many times we trust in the armor of the world to save us from uncertainty, but uncertainty is an inherent condition of life, and accepting this serves as food to consider what it is in which we may trust that transcends and supersedes the things which can't and don't last forever.  What do we take with us when we leave the world?  What remains with us if we lose what we think we have?  Even to be good stewards of our material goods requires of us a set of values capable of building our lives on good ground, and understanding what God asks of us, even finding the discernment to deal with the questions that blessings bring to us for how we are to use them.  St. Paul writes, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10).  Note that he doesn't say this of money itself, but of the love of money.  That is, elevating the material to a place of armor in which one trusts even before Christ, the things one pursues at the expense of the love of God.  But if we put Christ first, this is the way to sort out and put in order how the rest of our lives must fall into place.  If we trust in the whole armor of God instead, then we are prepared for the varied currents of life, the changes our lives go through, the experiences through which we find what is real and timeless, and what is not.  It is also there we can find the wisdom to know what to do with our resources, what is good and truly valuable, and what is not.  Many people trust in wealth, possessions, friends, even family members, but they underestimate the misery and despair that is possible without a sense of relatedness to God.  Let us think about our armor, and what truly protects us through all things -- and in which we can truly trust.  Let us build our lives with Him.

 

 

 

 

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 to plot against Him to destroy Him, He withdrew from there.  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?"  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."  In chapter 9 of Matthew's Gospel, we have already observed that the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the ruler of demons.  Here, they once again make the same charge, in response to the multitudes who begin to wonder if Christ is the Messiah, the Son of David.  This time, however, it is made more explicitly.  Beelzebub, or Baal, my study Bible explains, was the prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies" -- a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  This name, Beelzebub, is theorized by some to have been a jeering epithet coined by the Jews for the god Baal.  Here, he is called the ruler of the demons.  My study Bible says that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves is an illustration of the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.  We can observe for ourselves that all is done in response to the popularity of Jesus among the people, who wonder if He is indeed the Son of David.  But Jesus replies with what is not only a logical refutation of their accusation, but a further statement of His own, challenging them to think about what power and authority is in Him to do such works against the demonic.

 

 "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."  My study Bible comments that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit; that is, blasphemy against pure goodness.  It explains 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 was known from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven, because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  The patristic writers are clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin" -- nor does Jesus call this sin "unforgivable."  St. John Chrysostom says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if one were to repent of it.  Jesus makes this declaration, my study Bible comments, knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and they are beyond repentance through their own choice.  Let us note, also, that is so saying, Christ declares Himself to be in union with the Holy Spirit, and His works to be expressions of such.

Jesus is subtly but firmly declaring Himself in today's passage.  He is declaring His power and authority to be that which is unified with the Holy Spirit.  He quite explicitly states to the Pharisees, who accuse Him of working through Beelzebub to perform exorcisms, "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."  He goes on to remind them that One who could do what He does must "enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods" and therefore must have the greater strength to first bind the strong man in order to plunder his house.  (That is, to cast out the demons.)  When Jesus makes the final statement to them, that  "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad," it is a statement of supreme authority and union with God, the only greater power, or "stronger man" who could cast out Satan.  The only way such a statement could be made is if it rests in that type of absolute authority.  There is no competition with the Spirit, there is no equal rivalry to be had or achieved by a demon or any other power.  Therefore, in responding to the Pharisees and their accusation of working by Beelzebub, Jesus draws a line in the sand and goes one step further:  those who do not gather with Him scatter abroad.  There is no power which can challenge the authority working in Him.  He then goes on to give a warning which clarifies that the false accusations will not result in condemnation merely because Jesus, the Son of Man, suffers or is maligned or criticized.  It is the Spirit which is being maligned in their accusations against the works that have been done (and specifically exorcisms of demons performed), and this is an entirely different thing altogether.  This is not a competition between schools of thought or various approaches to the worship of God.  They are blaspheming the work of God the Spirit, and that is a much more grave thing to do.  The distinction here is quite important, because it sets the ground for their disputes in a much more significant place than merely some sort of rivalry for the people's trust and attention.  This goes beyond a rivalry in terms of worldly authority or influence.  One may not observe the action of the Spirit, one powerful enough to cast out demons and to heal, and simply label it evil without encountering a grave danger oneself of slipping into profound spiritual error and evil.  These are the most learned men of their time, experts in the Scripture, who spend their days debating it, pondering it, studying it.  If they call the work of the Spirit evil, it is a grave sin, for they do so knowingly and not in ignorance.  They are the ones who know better, but it is their envy and zealousness for their own authority and power that has gotten the better of them.  All of this serves to clarify for us an important understanding of the work of God in the world:  we cannot judge by appearances.  God can choose to work through the most unlikely-seeming candidates.  God the Spirit can work through the highly ascetic and impoverished John the Baptist, and God the Spirit can be at work in the ministry of Jesus, the "glutton and wine-bibber" (see Monday's reading).  God the Spirit can be at work through the repentant Matthew the tax collector and author of this Gospel.  God the Spirit can be at work through St. Paul, formerly Saul the most vicious prosecutor of followers of Christ.  In John's Gospel, Jesus says explicitly, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24).  Whatever our expectations may be, God has a way of defying them, of pulling us out of our own complacence and limitations and understanding of God.  This includes circumstances as well as people.  It is the power of God that has turned the Cross, the instrument of crucifixion, the most heinous and gruesome punishment meted out to the worst criminals by the Roman Empire, into a symbol of transfiguration and redemption and the power of God's love which can be at work in our own lives.  We cannot limit by our own definition or image what the power of God can do, what the Spirit can and will do.  Jesus has likened the work of the Spirit in human beings, and our capacity to understand or predict it, to the working of the wind.  (In both Greek and Hebrew, the words for wind, breath, and spirit are the same.)  He said, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  Does the Holy Spirit continue to be at work in our world?  Can the Spirit still work through the unlikeliest of candidates or circumstances?  Do we still run the risk of limiting through our own prejudices and desires for power and nearsightedness our capacity to see the work of God in the world and in people who make us uncomfortable?  Yes, yes, and yes.  Let us remember the danger we encounter when our own passions or self-righteousness or narrow legalistic focus come before a prayerful life and a heart open to the surprising work of God.

 

 

 

He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons

 

 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"  And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."  And their eyes were opened.  And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."  But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.  As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.  And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.  And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"  But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

 

- Matthew 9:27-34 

 

Yesterday we read that, while Jesus spoke to the disciples of John, teaching about the "new wine" of His ministry, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.

 

When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"  And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."  And their eyes were opened.  And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."  But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.  As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.  And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.  And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"  In accordance with Isaiah, the messianic age is signified when "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear" (Isaiah 35:5).   My study Bible says that these healings are a sign that Jesus is the awaited Messiah, as is the use of the title Son of David by the blind men, which is an expression of their faith that this is so.

But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."  My study Bible comments that to cast out demons by the ruler of demons is impossible, for the aim of the devil is to consolidate power, not to destroy it.  Moreover, Jesus cleansed lepers, raised the dead, and remitted sins -- works that demons could not perform.

 

As Jesus is performing signs which are being noted by the multitudes as those which were "never seen like this in Israel" and which clearly image those prophesied of the Messiah, the Pharisees make their charge that He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.  This is an important and serious charge and one they will make again in chapter 12 of Matthew's Gospel.  At that time, Jesus will give an elegant refutation of the accusation.  But here, it seems to come out of nowhere, suggesting that the frustrated Pharisees, worried that faith in their own authority is shaken by Jesus' presence in the eye of the public, simply make the charge as a kind of insult, a way to challenge whatever power it is that Jesus is using to perform these astonishing signs.  As written here in a rather simple way, it seems as if the Pharisees immediately go for the one gun in the arsenal:  that Jesus is performing a kind of dark magic rather than serving the God of Israel.  When we look around ourselves, we can still see people throwing around accusations of demonic affiliation for extraordinary talent on occasion, especially when someone doesn't conform to expectations about what a person with faith in Christ would or should look like or speak like.  It's illustrative about how seriously we should consider such a charge, especially if one is going to make such a charge in public.  At best one simply looks a bit demented oneself; at worst, one might be blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31, Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10).  To make such charges really requires a kind of expertise that very few people actually have (and those that do are likely to be clergy performing specialized work which would include psychiatric care by experts first to determine a specific malady, if present).   But what today's reading truly suggests to us is the need for our minds, in discerning spiritual matters, to be at once open and also discriminating.  When we speak of the things of God, we must always remember that God is bigger than all of us, and so conventional expectations, no matter how reasonable they seem or how much we might understand from tradition (including Scripture), may fail to be adequate when grace manifests in the world.  Saints come to us in new form with new times, and often they are controversial figures until after their deaths.  Just as with Jesus, all sorts of accusations might follow them as well.  In our own private lives, we might be faced with decisions to make within very complicated settings, requiring a delicate balance.  Rarely, I find, are decisions -- especially when we're trying our best to follow our faith -- totally simple to make.  God seems to want us to sweat over our choices, to come to God in prayer, to wrestle with the things that are far from easy or clear.  In this way, we come to rely more deeply on our faith, and to understand that we seek to participate in the life of Christ, and not merely follow some set of rules where the answer is always perfectly explicit to us.  Spiritual struggle requires discernment, discipline, often sacrifice -- and that sacrifice will frequently include ideas about ourselves and others and even our own spirituality that we need to discard.  God will seek to open our eyes and expand our understanding with each new struggle, and that is not easy.  It is called repentance, or change of mind, and we will be drawn to new experiences if we are real disciples, because we are called to continue to bear fruit in our lives.  Fruit-bearing also includes correction of our own limiting understanding and assumptions, even about things we thought were good.  So Jesus comes into the world and shakes up the establishment.  His healings reflect the prophecy of Isaiah, as we can see.  But He also calls into question the ways of the Pharisees and the religious establishment.  Like the prophets who've been sent before Him to call the people back to God, His challenges result in persecution and accusation, and we know the Passion to come.  But we should reflect that Jesus' teaching included for us the admonition to watch always, and to pray.  As His followers we're to be alert, to be mindful of His teachings, to be prudent.  Let us not be like those for whom loud accusations seem to satisfy a need to shut down challengers, but to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16).  God remains a mystery, far beyond us, whose thoughts are not our thoughts, and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).  Let us practice what Christ taught us and be good and diligent servants who watch and pray.

 

 

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).

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 after a confrontation with the Pharisees over healing on the Sabbath, the Pharisees began to plot against Jesus.  But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  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?"  The healing of a blind and mute man was not just a stupendous event, it was prophesied as a sign of the Messiah.  Therefore the multitudes 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."  Beelzebub or Baal was a god worshiped by the Philistines  (see (2 Kings 1:2-16).   This form of the name may have been a deliberate mispronunciation by the Jews to mean prince "of the dung heap" or lord of the "the flies."  Here, he is called ruler of the demons.   Jesus responds by pointing out the lack of sense in the accusation against Him:  Would Satan cast out Satan?  How then would his kingdom stand?  Moreover, since there were exorcists in Jewish tradition, Jesus asks,  by what power do they cast out demons?  Therefore they are witnesses against the Pharisees' accusation.   Here is a great caution to them:  If he casts out demons by the Spirit of God, then they must conclude that surely the kingdom of God has come among them.  Only a stronger man (Christ, the Son, with the power of the Holy Spirit) could first bind the strong man (Beelzebub).  My study bible says that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the Pharisees irrational pride and envy in their opposition to Jesus.

"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."   Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit -- a blasphemy against pure goodness, says my study bible.  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because the Jews did not know much about Christ, it explains.  But the divine activity of the Spirit is already known, particularly to the Pharisees, from the Old Testament Scriptures.  Therefore blasphemy against the work of the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and refusal to accept God's mercy.  My study bible goes on to state that "the Fathers are clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an 'unforgivable sin'; nor does Jesus ever call this sin 'unforgivable.'  St. John Chrysostom teaches that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Jesus makes this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness 'evil,' and are beyond repentance by their own choice."

Here Jesus names the work of the Holy Spirit, countering the accusation that He works by the power of the demons, or  "Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  What we have to see, first of all, is that this warning issued to these men is made from love and mercy.  They still have time to repent.  Their accusation is vile, made from the motives of envy and pride of their places in the religious life of the people.  But it goes beyond merely that, and into blasphemy, not because they accuse Him, but because they blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit.  It is the signs themselves, the healing which they attribute to evil spiritual forces, that tell the truth and bear witness to the work of the Spirit, which they refuse to recognize.  It is, as my study bible says, a deliberate kind of hardness of heart to attribute such signs to the work of evil.  Thereby it becomes blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  It's a good warning, and an important one.  It goes back to a sort of failure of gratitude, this inability or refusal to accept and acknowledge the work of God in one's midst, the great spiritual blessing of this gift of mercy and grace.  Such a refusal can only be made from self-centered motives, and in fact an inappropriate fear of God, a fear of losing materially and so a refusal to gain spiritually.  But in this the leadership fails to lead the people; these are the religious authorities, experts in Scripture and the Law, but in the blind preoccupation with their own places threatened by Christ's "mighty works," they do their worst rather than upholding their true responsibility as religious leaders.  What we need to understand is that the mistakes of these men also may be our own mistakes in our lives, and that this warning stands for everyone -- but especially for those who think they "know better" or have been exposed to the love and mercy of God.  It is exceptionally important that we understand love to understand Jesus and what He is teaching here.  We may look at the saints of the Church to understand they weren't always our definition of "perfect."  Jesus' words about the criticisms of both He and John the Baptist apply here:  John they said was too ascetic, and He's labeled in an opposite way:  a winebibber and glutton.  But "wisdom is justified by her children."  If love is at work in the power of the Holy Spirit, then a receptiveness to mercy -- the opposite of hard-heartedness -- is what it takes to know it.  To degrade and portray such work as evil is blasphemy. Let us look for the power of the Spirit at work in our lives.  The Holy Spirit may be present in the "works" of people around us as well.  Let us look to our own judgment, and remember the words of these men, and pray for our own receptivity to the goodness of God at work in our world, the kingdom present among us.  Perhaps what is called evil may just be our fear of recognizing the need for change.

If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you

 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 were plotting against 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!  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?"  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."  To heal the blind and mute is a sign of the Messiah.  This is why the people ask, "Could this be the Son of David?"  The Pharisees at this point are looking for reasons to condemn Jesus.  Beelzebub -- or Baal -- was the prince of "the dung heap", or lord of "the flies" (derisory terms used by the Jews for this god worshiped by the Philistines; see 2 Kings 1:2-16).   Here the Pharisees refer to Baal as the ruler of the demons.  Jesus answers with direct logic and knowledge of warring kingdoms:  the demons fighting against one another couldn't be strong.  Furthermore, if He casts out demons by demons, then by whom do Jewish exorcists under their religious authority (for there was such a tradition) cast out demons?  He puts it very bluntly:  they must consider what they are saying.  If He casts out demons, contrary to their assertions, by the Spirit of God, then surely the kingdom of God is present.  He is the stronger man.  Those who are not with Him are against Him, and those who don't gather with Him scatter abroad.  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.

"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's the "real deal," so to speak.  The work of the Spirit in the world -- as they know full well -- is God's work in the world.  What Jesus condemns is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit, a blasphemy against what my study bible calls "pure goodness."  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because they don't know much about Christ.  But the Spirit's divine activity is known from Old Testament Scripture, in which they are the official experts.  That type of blasphemy won't be forgiven, says my study bible, because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.   In the tradition of the Church, blasphemy against the Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin," nor does Jesus ever call it "unforgivable."  St. Chrysostom teaches that it would be forgivable if one repented of it.  This declaration by Jesus is made knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling divine goodness "evil," and that they are deliberately choosing to do so for their own reasons.  They are past repentance.

Why would people deliberately blaspheme the Holy Spirit?  It's rather ironic, to say the least, that it is Jesus who will be brought up and "convicted" on charges of blasphemy.  A different charge will be made in order to bring Him to Pilate and have Him put to death, but that is simply because Pilate wasn't a religious authority, and blasphemy charges would have meant nothing to him.   Jesus is a popular figure, and so it was necessary for His death to have been an act by the Roman state.  But we can ask ourselves why these religious authorities would do such a thing if they truly understood that the Spirit was at work in Christ.  Perhaps they thought that the sanctity of their positions, and their places within the establishment group of the temple leadership, ensured them.  Perhaps the Gospel is simply trying to allow us to see -- as so much in the Old Testament Scripture does as well -- that a position in life, even one of religious authority, doesn't preclude us from sin and terrible error.  It really serves to enforce the fact that it is the circumcised heart and humility toward God that is the best and only protection that we're on the right track.  Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees is that they've made such an idol out of their own traditions built up around the Law that they criticize Him for doing good -- for fulfilling the aims of the Law in the first place.  But none of this would be happening if it weren't for envy, at least this is the position of the Gospels.   Pilate, veteran of politics, will see that.  But it must be a dire warning to us that envy can blind us to the true reality of something we should know better about.  Envy can trip us up in matters of the greatest importance.  It is a kind of archetypal sin; after all, it's the one ascribed to Satan.  Jesus' popularity with the people is very strong, as was John the Baptist's.  And now the signs He's producing are those associated with the coming of the Messiah.  That is a threat to the positions of these men who criticize and find fault, and Jesus does nothing to diminish the growing split between His work and the anger of these men.  He tells them the truth, a truth He knows they won't believe.  So as we're heading into the time of His ministry in which He accepts this growing split, we note Jesus' mission and strategy:  He has attempted to avoid direct confrontation with the leadership, but He does not back down from doing the good works He's sent to do.  He doesn't stop teaching, even about the presence of the kingdom of God in their midst.  He doesn't stop defending the work of the Spirit.  He is our Suffering Servant, One who's humble and meek and lowly of heart, who is compassionate, but who will not stop His mission for any reason.  He's humble enough to accept what is happening, and His signs are for use only to build up the faithful.  Let us remember His focus, through all things.