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 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, 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."

 

  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."  Today's reading picks up after a passage in which Jesus taught the disciples to pray, giving us what we know as the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father (see this reading for that passage).  Beelzebub is a "nickname," so to speak, meant to be derogatory, mocking the pagan god Baal, and Baal's many shrines whose names sounded similar.  This name, used by the Jews in derision, means "the Lord of the Flies."  Here, it is a direct reference to Satan. 

 

  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 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."  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."  The strong man is Satan, whom my study Bible says 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 Him.  Those who work in opposition to Christ, it notes, are different from those who work in good faith toward His purpose but are not yet united to the Church (see Luke 9:46-50).  My study Bible quotes St. Seraphim of Sarov, who says that only "good deeds done for Christ's sake bring fruit," and so therefore deeds done for any other purpose, "even if they are good, are deeds that scatter abroad."  

 

It's interesting to look at the word translated as scatters in today's reading ("He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters").   This verb is σκορπίζω/skorpizo).   If we look up the etymology of this Greek word, we find that it comes from an ancient root that means to "penetrate" or to "pierce."  Apparently it suggests to us a force that works like a battering ram or catapult, which can penetrate and enter into a body of persons or other things, and so scatter and divide them, with an action of breaking apart.  The same word has a common root with the word for scorpion (σκορπίος/skorpios) whose tail penetrates and stings, and an animal that is, interestingly, a metaphor for demons, who "sting" and torment people.  So, looked at etymologically, this word suggests to us a weapon of war that divides and splits (and hence, scatters or disperses).  If this is the action of a tormenting, stinging demon that may make a person "beside himself," or create dissension within a body of people, then Christ's power here is suggestive of a far more powerful weapon of war than the demons possess.  Therefore if we consider these various meanings, what we have is suggestive not of a passive sort of force or entropy by which those who do not gather with Christ fail, but rather the scattering is the result of the much more powerful force of Christ.  Moreover, there's another interesting word which is translated as "gather," and that verb is συνάγω/synago.  This is the root of the word synagogue, meaning "assembly" in Greek.  This verb συνάγω/synago for "gathers" is again suggestive not of some more passive force from within those who gather, but rather it suggests there is one by whom they gather, one who leads and so gathers.  Clearly that leading and gathering force is Christ, just as it is the power of Christ that will divide and scatter those against Him.   Taken together, the Greek of the original text reveals to us more about the power of Christ and how it works.  That is, the stronger man whose power and force overcome the will and effort of other "strong men" who seek to rule or lead in opposition.  Christ has come into the world bringing a Kingdom which is a kingdom of love, in which we are taught to forgive, to pray for one another, even to love our enemies.  But in spiritual terms, Christ is the more powerful force that destroys the rule of His enemies, the devil and demons that torment human beings, penetrating and scattering and dividing their efforts -- while in Him is the greater power to lead and to gather together to Himself those who love Him.  Taking these words together we can understand the power in the original Greek text, the authority and divinity present in the teachings.  While we have discerned from many passages we have read in St. Luke's Gospel so far the spiritual battle which goes on unseen behind what we know of our world, today's reading puts it in sharper focus.  Jesus' words draw quite profoundly upon images of battle between kingdoms for the authority over one place, a stronger man decisively overcoming a strong man who thought his goods were secure.  It's interesting how the word for scorpion (a metaphorical image for a demon) somehow is linguistically linked to the greater scattering and piercing power of Christ.  Jesus now journeys toward Jerusalem and the Cross -- which was a weapon used in an attempt to defeat Him.  But through His power the Cross upon which He was crucified will become the most powerful and decisive weapon of them all -- a true battering ram for the gates of hell (the devil's power of death), for they shall not prevail over His Church (Matthew 16:18).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."   Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

 

- Luke 11:14–26 

 

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

 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Beelzebub was a name for the pagan god Baal.  Throughout the Old Testament we can read the names of different Baal gods in various pagan regions and towns dedicated to them (1 Kings 1:18).  "Beelzebub" was a name given by the Jews to deride the god, meaning "the Lord of the Flies."  But here it is meant as a direct reference to Satan.

 

Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  My study Bible comments that a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test God (see Luke 4:9-12).  Jesus explicitly brings out the notion of spiritual warfare, of a host of spirits (led by Satan) who are against God.  Can Satan's kingdom stand if his house is divided and he is therefore at war with himself?  Moreover, if Christ is casting out demons by Beelzebub, how do the Jewish exorcists (your sons) cast out demons?  By what power?  If they accuse Him of casting out demons by demonic power, then their spiritual sons will be their judges.  The finger of God, my study Bible explains, is the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28).  

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils."  The strong man in Christ's example is Satan, who holds sway over the fallen human race, my study Bible explains, while the stronger is Christ (see 1 John 4:4).  It is in this illustrated sense that Christ is also Deliverer, Savior, and Judge.

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

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who calls the unclean spirit a reference to the rebelliousness cast out of the Jews by the Old Testament prophets to prepare them to receive Christ.  Those who refuse to receive Him are left open to the wickedness of seven other spirits or demons.  We may also understand this teaching as one exhorting us to consider what it is to become a "temple of God," in whom the Holy Spirit dwells -- and the vigilance that becomes all the more necessary as a result (1 Corinthians 3:16).  It reminds us that salvation is not a one-time action, but asks of us an ongoing discipleship and awareness.

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