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 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 is also 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, He 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."   The text that follows immediately in Luke (between today's lectionary reading and yesterday's) has already been given in the lectionary, in preparation for Ascension Day.  It includes the Lord's Prayer; see this reading.

 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 by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Beelzebub was a name of the Jews for a pagan god of their ancient enemies (Ba'al).  This name means "Lord of the Flies" and was used in derision of a Canaanite god, Baal. But here, it's directly used as a reference for Satan.

Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.   A sign from heaven would be a spectacular form of proof of Jesus' divine origins and power.  My study bible comments that a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test God (see 4:9-12).

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan is also 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 raises a logical question.  They accuse Him of using the power of Satan to cast out demons.  But why would Satan want to cast out his demons, if they are indeed his "men" or his "soldiers," members of his house and kingdom?   He then also raises the question about the Jewish tradition of exorcism, when He asks, by whom do your sons cast them out?   Their response will judge His accusers.

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

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils."  Here is a natural image of war, from the ancient world to the modern, and even a kind of paradigm for the spiritual battle that goes on in our world, even through Christ's exorcism.  A strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace and his goods.  But when a stronger comes along, all the armor he had is futile, and his goods go to someone else.  Here, the strong man is Satan, the "prince" or "ruler" or "god" of this world, and a stronger, Christ, has come along to raid his goods, to liberate human beings for Himself and for the One who sent Him (1 John 4:4).

"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."   This is a clear statement that Christ is the stronger man in His parable above.  My study bible says that it is the work of Christ to gather the children of God, while those who scatter are in direct opposition to Him.  It adds that those who work in opposition to Christ are different from those who work in good faith toward His purpose but are not yet united to the Church (see 9:46-50).   Quoting St. Seraphim of Sarov, it notes 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."

We may wonder, all these centuries after the Incarnation, why it is that the "prince" of this world still seems to hold so much sway.  But that seems to be the natural reality into which we are born.  In recent days, the plea in the Lord's Prayer, translated "lead us not into temptation," has been in the headlines.  I do not wish to dispute about what exactly these words mean in the Greek.  But let us understand that we still live and are born into a world of temptation and where we will all surely face temptation (for even Christ was tempted; see 4:1-13).  And this is the spiritual battleground, which runs through the heart of each of us, and in which we're bound to struggle, like it or not.  We may wonder why Christ hasn't just fixed everything so that evil doesn't exist, or so that we don't have to think of ourselves as in the middle of some kind of struggle for power, control, dominance.  But when we do that, we forget about the one thing needed (see yesterday's reading, above).  That is, we forget about the nature of the spirit of God (9:55).  Our God is a God of love, who wants volunteers, and not slaves.  That is, love is a voluntary act.  One cannot compel love.   This is perhaps why Jesus, after speaking about exorcism in this passage, adds a statement about a house swept clean, but in which apparently the voluntary nature of our faith has not met with such a commitment, and there the unclean spirit brings back seven more like him, and the last state of that person is worse than the first (11:24-26).  In all of this spiritual battleground, we are not merely goods or pawns.  Human beings are meant for more; we are capable of love, and in such love is this battle fought and waged also by us as soldiers, if you will.  Christ may cast out all the demons and devils of this world, but human beings are capable of love -- and the things one loves or does not love seem to make such a great difference in life.  It is faith that makes a great difference between what we build in our lives and do not.  The reason for this is that faith is related to love; its root in Greek is the word for "trust."  What is love but a deep trust, a decision to give oneself to another?  This is our true bond with Christ, how we become one of His.   He may liberate all of us from evil influence, but how would this make us full human beings, capable of giving trust and love?  There is something deeper to which He aspires for each one of us.  How many of us realize its great significance for the things of which we are capable, the stature we have in our Creator's eyes?   We do not live in an existence caught between two absolute oppositional powers, good and evil.  We live in a world in which we are allowed to come into temptation, and even where evil still is at work, but for a purpose, because we are equipped for something greater than helpless matter.  Christ shows us the way with the Cross, by which evil is turned back upon itself, and "death is trampled by death," as the Easter hymn says.   We are equipped for faith and love and trust, out of which comes something far greater than a vote for one side or the other.  Like the apostles, we each are capable of sharing in Christ's power, God's grace invested in us, a living and active Kingdom carried within us and among us.  But that happens through love and trust, and persistence and endurance -- and this choice remains anew for each generation.  To those who understand the power of God as merely "power" in a worldly sense, all of this is lost.  With His last statement in today's reading, Jesus enforces the difference. 

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls

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's lectionary reading was the story of Martha and Mary: Martha was busy with serving as Jesus was in her house, with all the duties of hospitality -- while Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. Martha complained to Jesus that her sister was not helping her. Jesus told her that she was distracted and worried about many things . . . "but one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." See Martha and Mary - the Good Part, the One Thing Needed. The lectionary then skips a passage in Luke in which Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray when they ask Him to do so, and then speaks about prayer. For those readings, see Our Father - The Lord's Prayer and Consider the lilies. (These passages were given earlier in preparation for Ascension Day.)

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. By now we know Jesus' fame and reputation for having done spectacular signs of healing and casting out demons has grow greatly. Of course, the idea that the "mute speak" is one of the predictions of the Messiah, as given in Scripture. Here, there is a question of the origins of Jesus' power. Where does it come from? Beelzebub was a pagan god, my study bible says, "derided by Jews as 'The Lord of the Flies.' Here it is a direct reference to Satan." A sign from heaven -- such as some spectacular appearance rather than the signs of healing Jesus does -- is a demand for proof of Messiahship. As my study bible says, this is a demand for the validation of Jesus' authority. Jesus refused such temptations already in the wilderness, just before He began His public ministry, and He refuses here as well.

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." A point well-made, that is reasonable. How can a house stand when it is divided against itself? In this case, we can think of a house as a dynasty, like the house of a great king -- with all the things that are a part of such a "house" and its retinue and power. How can it stand or function if it is divided against itself? What happens to power when it is divided and not made single in strength?

"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." So how does Satan cast out the demons that do his work - his own demons? How can his kingdom be strengthened that way? And if He casts out demons by Beelzebub, then what of the exorcisms that are already a part of Jewish tradition? How do those work? Therefore, the ones who cast out the demons in their own tradition will judge the words of accusation here by those who deny the power of exorcism and its origins. This is a very clever argument, and we see Jesus here at His scrappy best. This is the One who will fight for the kingdom, and doesn't pull His punches -- or His insights.

"But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." He's exhorting them in every way He can to think about what is happening before them, and what they are saying and doing. "The finger of God," says my study bible, 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." How does the strong man invade another's house or kingdom, and take His spoils? The "ruler of this world" or the "Lord of the flies" may be powerful, and keep vulnerable human beings burdened and bound by demonic power, but there is One who is stronger than this strongman -- and He invades his house, takes away all his armor, and divides his spoils. So it is with Christ and the kingdom: it is the stronger, and it "breaks through" into our world in all manner of healing and power and signs of God's presence. He is here to claim this world for the kingdom -- just as He has just taught His disciples to pray "Thy kingdom come."

"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." This is a seeming contradiction, my study bible points out, to an earlier statement in Luke's Gospel, chapter 9 ("He who is not against us is on our side") -- but it points out that the emphasis here is on gathering and scattering. That is, whoever is engaged in the work of the kingdom, this great house of the Son, is gathering. But others that do not, and do not in some sense produce the fruit of this house of the kingdom, will scatter -- because it is the house of the stronger man. In the spiritual battle alluded to here, the "stronger man's" is the house that one would wish to side with. It is the house that will gather and stand, and its enemies will scatter. Each person, my study bible says, does one or the other.

So let's think about this choice that we make, to gather or to scatter. The word for gather is the same as the root for the word "synagogue" in the Greek -- to gather together or to assemble. But to scatter is to be dispersed, as a flock of sheep may be scattered, and each one is then "lost." So the sense here is of a great house, under whose "roof" we may gather and align ourselves. It is this house that will ultimately stand and grow, and it is this house with which we wish to be aligned in our hearts. This is the great house of the kingdom that "breaks through" into our world, and builds its fruit, and increases. How do you build that strength in your heart? What is your contribution to it, and when you "gather" to it in prayer or work or intention, what strength do you find in that? Tomorrow we all celebrate the feast of Pentecost, the great "breaking in" to the world of the kingdom, poured out upon all of us. Shall we gather with that Spirit? It is there for each of us and calls each of us to vocation in this House, each in our own way - to gather or to scatter with our response. How are you called to this great gathering of the kingdom?

Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full

"A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father." Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?" They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying." Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

- John 16:16-33

As Jesus continues His Farewell Discourse to His Apostles, we read His departing words also for ourselves. In yesterday's reading, He reassured them about the Holy Spirit which He would send after He goes to the Father. They will undergo the difficulties and sorrows that they share with Him -- He warns them they will be put out of the synagogues and those who harm them will believe they are acting for God. They are filled with sorrow at His words because He is leaving, but nevertheless, He teaches, it is to their advantage that He go, because then the Comforter will come for them. He said, "When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you all things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

"A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father." My study bible points out that the first "little while" is the period of the arrest, death and burial of Jesus; and the second "little while" is the time that Jesus is in the tomb.

Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?" They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying." Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy." The dialogue of this part reminds me of a play, a drama, in which the disciples act as our chorus. They ask the questions for us, they want to know. John's Gospel will always use the people in these scenes to get us to probe a little deeper, to understand there are mysteries involved in Jesus' life, death and Resurrection into which we are admitted -- at least to begin the journey -- in order to participate. And then Jesus begins to reveal a little more of what He is speaking about. He reveals that while He is away the "little while" they will weep and lament, even as the world rejoices, and that they will be sorrowful, "but your sorrow will be turned to joy." He tells them the truth, in all of its stunning paradox and reality.

"A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day you will ask Me nothing." Jesus gives us (and them) the figure of a woman in labor: what is to come will come even through pain and difficulty -- but what will come will erase the anguish, for joy. And it is the joy that will remain with them, no one will take it away. My study bible has an important and poignant note here: "Joy will come with the revelation of Christ risen from the dead, after the sorrow of the Cross. Jesus does not promise sorrow will be removed. His promise is that no one can remove our joy. In Phil. 3:10 we see this same combination of sorrow and joy -- the sufferings of Christ combined with His Resurrection, giving us entrance into the Kingdom of God."

"Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." My study bible says that "until now" they asked nothing in His name because Jesus was not yet glorified. But He goes to the Father, and this will change everything.

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father." My study bible says, "We know that prayer may be made in the name of God the Father, for Jesus Himself prayed 'Our Father' and 'Father, the hour has come.' Through Christ, we have direct access to the Father. Here, however, our Lord teaches us we may also pray in the name of God the Son. After Pentecost, we learn 'the [Holy] Spirit Himself makes intercession for us' (Rom. 8:26) and we are instructed to be 'praying always . . . in the Spirit' (Eph. 6:18). Therefore . . . we pray continually and with confidence to all three Persons of the Trinity, 'in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.'" But what strikes me most significantly about this passage is that it is linked to the knowledge of God, the knowledge of spiritual truth. It is not a promise that we will receive a house, a car or other such things. The Apostles are asking for truth, to know, to understand God and the spiritual life, to find entrance and participation in mysteries. And it is this, repeatedly, into which Jesus invites us to "ask and we will receive," to seek and to know. It is for this purpose He has become incarnate in the world: to bring God to us, to bring us to relationship. And so it is, and so is this promise in all its plain speaking and its promise of revelation for us. This is the great gift and the message we take with us, and they, the disciples, take forward with them.

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me." And yes, indeed, they and He do truly speak plainly, and use no figure of speech. Here is the crux, the culmination of ministry and discipleship. Their faith is complete. But Jesus warns them again: the hour is coming when they will all be scattered and they will leave Him alone -- yet He is not alone because the Father is with Him.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Again, to know is to have peace. He shares everything with them; this is communion and relationship. But in the world they will have tribulation. And as the servant is not greater than the master, we will share all things, He assures them: "But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." And that victory is for us, and with us, and it will always help us. My study bible notes, "Despite persecution and suffering, Christians can maintain the peace and joy of Jesus Christ who has overcome the world of darkness through His saving work."

To know God, then, is our greatest gift. That is, to be in communion with God, in relationship. Through Christ, we receive of the greatest gift of Father, Son and Spirit. He speaks plainly, He tells them all things. What we ask, we shall receive. And so, as this story goes, we are invited in -- to deeper relationship, to deeper knowing and to deeper trust: to plainer talk, to truth. What is this gift of grace for which we are to feel our joy and our trust, despite the tribulation in the world? This is what we must think about, and about how -- today -- it impacts us. How do you experience that, and what is the joy of the Apostles in this knowledge? Is that joy shared with you, despite tribulation? For what do you ask, that your joy may be complete? Jesus has overcome the darkness of the world to bring this light to us.