relied on, and disposes of his spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me, scatters. When the evil spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through dry lands, looking for a resting place; and finding none, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds the house swept and everything in order. Then it goes to fetch seven other spirits, even worse than itself. They move in and settle there, so that the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

Reflections
Jesus shows the self-defeating elements in his opponents‘ charges. A kingdom that is divided by internal rivalries cannot last. And, Jesus asks his accusers, when their own people drive out demons, by whose power do they do it? “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out devils, then the reign of God is among you.“ There can be no laxity or indifference where Jesus is concerned. We have to make our choice – for him or against. Not to choose is itself a choice – against him. Put differently, the choice is between life driven by fear or life inspired by mercy. The new life that is given has to be actively filled with the Spirit of Jesus. The daily question we need to ask is “What do you fill the void in your life with?“ It is easy to look for things to fill the restlessness within. It is easy to get addicted with our computers and cellphones, with anything that distracts from centering our lives. Jesus wants to fill our hearts and minds with the power of his life-giving word and healing love. If we want to live in true freedom, then our “house“ (our heart) has to be a place where Jesus is the center of our lives.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018