But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every nation divided by civil war is on the road to ruin, and will fall. If Satan also
is divided, his empire is coming to an end. How can you say that I drive out demons by calling upon Beelzebul? If I drive them out
by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive out demons? They will be your judges, then. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God;
would not this mean that the kingdom of God has come upon you? As long as a man, strong and well armed, guards his house, his
goods are safe. But when a stronger man attacks and overcomes him, the challenger takes away all the weapons he relied on, and
disposes of his spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me, scatters.
Reflection:
“Finger” is a polysemous symbol. It can be a symbol of
accusation, when someone points a finger at me. When
placed over the lips, it can silence me against my will. It can give
me orders that may or may not be pleasing to me. Finger can
also mean someone pointing to me in delight, reaching out
to me to hug and carry me in their arms or on their shoulders.
It can show me the way forward. A little child can hold on to the
finger of her mom or dad and walk securely. Finger can wipe
away the tears of my eyes. When Jesus referred to the “finger of
God” it could only mean one thing: the maternal-paternal
finger of God that seeks to touch, heal, redeem, protect;
the finger that truly wipes away every tear from our eyes (cf. Rev.
21.4). Our call is to be this finger of God.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2022