GOSPEL READING:
Mark 3:22-3022 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons." 23 And he called them to him, and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house. 28 "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" -- 30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
Meditation: When danger lurks what kind of protection do
you seek? Jesus came to free us from the greatest danger
of all - the corrupting force of evil which destroys us from
within and makes us slaves to sin and Satan (John 8:34). Evil is
not an impersonal force that just happens. It has a name and a
face and it seeks to master every heart and soul on the face of
the earth (1 Peter 5:8-9). Scripture identifies the Evil One by
many names, 'Satan', 'Beelzebul - the prince of demons', the
'Devil', the 'Deceiver', the 'Father of Lies', and 'Lucifier', the
fallen angel who broke rank with God and established his own army
and kingdom in opposition to God.
The Lord Jesus frees us from Satan's power
Jesus declared that he came to overthrow the power of Satan and
his kingdom (John 12:31). Jesus' numerous exorcisms brought
freedom to many who were troubled and oppressed by the work of
evil spirits. Jesus himself encountered personal opposition and
battle with Satan when he was put to the test in the wilderness
just before his public ministry (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1). He
overcame the Evil One through his obedience to the will of his
Father.
Some of the Jewish leaders reacted vehemently to Jesus' healings
and exorcisms and they opposed him with malicious slander. How
could Jesus get the power and authority to release individuals
from Satan's influence and control? They assumed that he had to be
in league with Satan. They attributed his power to Satan rather
than to God. Jesus asserts that no kingdom divided against itself
can survive for long. We have witnessed enough civil wars in our
own time to prove the destructive force at work here for the
annihilation of whole peoples and their land. If Satan lends his
power against his own forces then he is finished. Cyril of
Alexandria, a 5th century church father explains the force of
Jesus' argument:
Kingdoms are established by the fidelity of subjects and the obedience of those under the royal scepter. Houses are established when those who belong to them in no way whatsoever thwart one another but, on the contrary, agree in will and deed. I suppose it would establish the kingdom too of Beelzebub, had he determined to abstain from everything contrary to himself. How then does Satan cast out Satan? It follows then that devils do not depart from people on their own accord but retire unwillingly. "Satan," he says, "does not fight with himself." He does not rebuke his own servants. He does not permit himself to injure his own armor bearers. On the contrary, he helps his kingdom. "It remains for you to understand that I crush Satan by divine power." [Commentary on Luke, Homily 80]
Jesus asserted his authority to cast out demons as a clear
demonstration of the reign of God. God's power is clearly at work in
the exorcisms which Jesus performed and they give evidence that
God's kingdom has come.
Being clothed in God's strength
What kind of spiritual danger or harm should we avoid at all
costs? Jesus used the illustration of a strong man whose house and
possessions were kept secure. How could such a person be overtaken
and robbed of his goods except by someone who is stronger than
himself? Satan, who is our foe and the arch-enemy of God, is
stronger than us. Unless we are clothed in God's strength, we
cannot withstand Satan with our own human strength. What does
Satan wish to take from us - our faith and confidence in God and
our readiness to follow God's commandments. Satan is a rebel and a
liar. Satan can only have power or dominion over us if we listen
to his lies and succumb to his will which is contrary to the will
of God. Jesus makes it clear that there are no neutral parties in
this world. We are either for Jesus or against him, for the
kingdom of God or opposed to it.
There are ultimately only two kingdoms in opposition to one
another - the kingdom of God's light and truth and the kingdom of
darkness and deception under the rule of Satan. If we disobey
God's word, we open the door to the power of sin and Satan's
influence in our lives. If we want to live in true freedom from
the power of sin and Satan, then our "house" - our mind and heart
and whatever we allow to control our appetites and desires - must
be occupied and ruled by Jesus Christ where he is enthroned as
Lord and Savior. Do you know the peace and security of a life
submitted to God and to his Word?
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
What is the unforgivable sin which Jesus warns us to avoid? Jesus
knows that his disciples will be tested and he assures them that
the Holy Spirit will give them whatever grace and help they need
in their time of adversity. He warns them, however, that it's
possible to spurn the grace of God and to fall into apostasy
(giving up the faith) out of cowardice or disbelief. Why is
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit reprehensible? Blasphemy
consists in uttering against God, inwardly or outwardly, words of
hatred, reproach, or defiance. It's contrary to the respect due
God and his holy name. Jesus speaks of blaspheming against the
Holy Spirit as the unforgivable sin.
Jesus spoke about this sin immediately after the scribes and
Pharisees had attributed his miracles to the work of the devil
instead of to God. A sin can only be unforgivable if repentance is
impossible. If people repeatedly close their eyes to God, shut
their ears to his voice, and reject his word, they bring
themselves to a point where they can no longer recognize God when
he can be seen and heard. They become spiritually blind-sighted
and speak of "evil as good and good as evil" (Isaiah 5:20).
The Holy Spirit heals and transforms us
To fear such a state of sin and spiritual blindness, however,
signals that one is not dead to God and is conscious of the need
for God's grace, mercy, and help. There are no limits to the mercy
of God, but anyone who refuses to acknowledge and confess their
sins and to ask God for forgiveness, spurns God's generous offer
of mercy, pardon, grace, and healing. Through their own stubborn
pride and willfulness, they reject God, refuse his grace and help
to turn away from sin, and reject the transforming power of the
Holy Spirit to heal and restore them to wholeness. God always
gives sufficient grace and help to all who humbly call upon him.
Giving up on God and refusing to turn away from sin and disbelief
results from pride and the loss of hope in God.
What is the basis of our hope and confidence in God? Through
Jesus' death on the cross and his victory over the grave when he
rose again on the third day, Satan has been defeated and death has
been overcome. We now share in Christ's victory over sin and Satan
and receive adoption as God's sons and daughters. Through the gift
of the Holy Spirit, the Lord enables us to live a new life of love
and freedom from slavery to sin. The Lord Jesus is our refuge and
strength because he makes his home with us (John 15:4) and gives
us the power and help of the Holy Spirit. Do you take refuge in
the Lord and allow him to be the Ruler of your life?
Lord Jesus, you are my hope and salvation. Be the ruler of my heart and the master of my home. May there be nothing in my life that is not under your lordship.
Psalm 89:19-21,24-25
19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said: "I have set the crown upon one who is mighty, I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him;
21 my hand shall always remain with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. "
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The cross of Christ as victory, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"It is not difficult, therefore, to see how the devil was
conquered when he, who was slain by him, rose again. But there is
something greater and more profound of comprehension: to see how
the devil was conquered precisely when he was thought to be
conquering, namely, when Christ was crucified. For at that moment
the blood of him who had no sin at all, was shed for the remission
of our sins (Matthew 26:28, 1 John 3:5). The devil deservedly held
those whom he had bound by sin to the condition of death. So it
happened that One who was guilty of no sin freed them justly from
this condemnation (Hebrews 2:14). The strong man was conquered by
this paradoxical justice and bound by this chain, that his vessels
[booty] might be taken away. Those vessels which had been vessels
of wrath were turned into vessels of mercy (Romans 9:22-23)." (excerpt
ON THE TRINITY 13.15.19)
