Luke 11:14-23
“Notice what you notice.” All too often in past readings, when two or three Gospel writers repeated the same story I would look for differences between these accounts. That was interesting to a point, but does not really get very deep into the heart of the matter before us. So I won’t be doing that much more, unless the differences are particularly striking.
For example, in today’s reading Luke has “the people” saying He casts out demons by Beelzebul… (v. 15), while in Matthew it’s the Pharisees who bring this charge. However, who said it is not a major point here. What is interesting is that the charge is brought against Jesus at all. In Jesus’ reply He asks …by whom do your sons cast them out? (v. 19), suggesting that casting out demons was not uncommon among the Jewish people – and possibly even commonplace. So why would the Pharisees (or the people) bring a Beelzebul charge against Jesus when He can respond with the same charge against them? It’s like me charging you with not wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day when I don’t have green on myself. The counter-charge is obvious.
Then in Luke we also see the people asking for a sign from heaven (v. 16) when Jesus had just performed a healing miracle – a mute (and blind?) person speaking (and seeing?). What other kind of sign could they have been seeking??!!
In Jesus’ closing statement for today’s and yesterday’s readings, both Luke and Matthew draw a clear dividing line between Jesus’ followers and everyone else: Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters (Lk. 11:23, Mt. 12:30). Jesus is not allowing for middle-roaders, for agnostics. Effectively He is labeling everyone else as His enemies, since they are undoing (scattering) what He has put together (gathered). It makes me want to be careful in sowing any kind of dissension in the Body. Pray about it, find support in Scripture, and close off any discussion with “Your will be done, O Lord”.