by Dr. Judy Stack
Jesus was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven. But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? —for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul. Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his plunder. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
Much of the time we live our lives on the principle that we have a lot of control over things—we make choices and take action and reap the fruits of those, sometimes good things and sometimes bad. But then there are moments when we realize how much we are controlled by powers beyond us and bigger than us—“strong men.” Maybe we struggle with compulsive use of food or alcohol or media. Maybe we struggle with anxiety or depression or anger. Maybe it’s something else.
But being “with” Jesus means being on the side of the one who works for freedom and wholeness in our lives and in those around us. It means we “renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God” and instead cling to Jesus through whom the kingdom of God comes to us.
Bradbury’s Monarda (Bee Balm) – Monarda bradburiana
These photographs, shared each day during Lent, capture the beauty of plants native to the Upper Midwest. As we spend time in Lenten reflection, these images of new life can remind us daily of our calling to be caretakers of God’s Creation.
Photo by Jo Anna Hebberger
