The Third Sunday in Lent (March 12, 2021) - Brightview

If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

In the Gospel reading from St. Luke, we see a very clear instance of spiritual warfare.

When Christ cast out demons, it is an incursion against the powers which keep humanity and the rest of the created world in chains. Each exorcism demonstrates Christ’s power over Death, Sin, and the Devil and his minions.

Yet in today’s reading, this miraculous activity confused some who witnessed it.

One group suggested, “He casts out demons by Be-elzebul, the prince of demons” (11:15).

Still, another group wanted him to perform another sign to prove that his power came from heaven.

So Christ wisely responds to the crowd: “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Be-elzebul. And if I cast out demons by Be-elzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

In his reply to the crowds, our Lord uses basic logic: it cannot be that he is an agent of Be-elzebul because that would mean Be-elzebul is divided against himself, and his house could not stand.

Further, if it were possible, it raises about all exorcisms, including those performed by other Jewish practitioners — were they doing what they did by the power of God or Satan?

Jesus leaves little room for doubt: his ability to cast out demons affirms his identity as the Son of God.

He goes on to make the contrast clearer: “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusts, and divides his spoil. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”

In this parable, Satan is the man guarding his domain and Christ, the Incarnate God, is the stronger man who crashes in to overcome the Devil and spoil his possessions. We know this because of Hebrews 2:14, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.”

The point then is that there is no neutrality. Everything we do is either a participation with Christ and his mission to defeat the Devil and liberate God’s creation from the bonds of Sin and Death or we participate in those powers, and thereby resist God.

There are two ways, therefore; two paths which form a basic choice. These two roads are present throughout the Old Testament:

The Tree of Life and the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil.In Wisdom literature, there is a road that “appears to be right” but actually leads to eternal death while there is a narrow road which leads to eternal life.

Lent is a season where we engage in fasting, almsgiving, and prayer as a means of self-reflection. And so I encourage you to ask yourself: which path am I on?