The Gospel for SATURDAY, May 14, 2005
Luke 11:14-23
He was driving out a devil and it was dumb; and it happened that when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he drives devils out.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Any kingdom which is divided against itself is heading for ruin, and house collapses against house. So, too, with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last?—since you claim that it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out, through whom do your own sons drive them out? They shall be your judges, then. But if it is through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the kingdom of God has indeed caught you unawares. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own home, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than himself attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil. ‘Anyone who is not with me is against me; and anyone who does not gather in with me throws away. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
Rabbi Jesus
One of Jesus' greatest strengths in his preaching was his use of rabbinical methods to make his point. Having been accused of being in the employ of Beelzebul -- the chief devil -- to drive out devils, Jesus cuts quickly to two major points: would the devil work against itself?, and if devil-power casts out devils, how do the Pharisees and their followers, themselves, perform exorcisms?
A Reflection
Strong's Lexicon translates the Greek in the last verse differently from the translation here. Strong says that the word speaks "of those who, routed or terror stricken or driven by some other impulses, fly in every direction" -- Strong, J. (1996).
Unused as we are to war-like imagery coming from Jesus, we would do well to try to understand what lies behind the words. He had just been accused of being in league with evil. Ironically, His opposition in the religious elite were more likely the ones who were allied that way. Perhaps He had begun to understand that the situation arising was on an irreversible path toward a showdown in the Temple, and He was starting to stir His "troops" to rally with him, and giving a warning to those opposed.
The imagery is powerful: the strong man -- supposedly the evil one here -- is overtaken and subdued by One working "through the finger of God". This was the trump that Jesus played. While the Pharisees might be able to exorcise a few demons, Jesus did it routinely, never failed, and was up front about how He did it, through God. What could those opposed say, or do, that was as transparent and pure as Jesus had described?
The issue with me is that I am always certain that I'm not "gathering in" enough, and am torn between duty to family and following Jesus. I thank Jesus for supporting and comforting me as I work through it, and keeping me from running in terror.
A Collect
Write with your finger, almighty God, your Love upon our hearts. Amen
8:08:27 PM 
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