By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.
They accused him for doing good, setting people free, for liberating hearts and souls. They hardened their hearts in the face of mercy because he was not one of their number, not under their sway. The freedom he offered seemed dangerous to them because to it they could attach no strings of their own.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Their own people sometimes managed to drive out demons. It was clear, then, that to do so did not need to involve a power of greater evil than the demon being cast out. Their own people relied on prayer to cast out demons. What made them nervous was how simply Jesus was able to compel demons to leave, how a simple word of command was all it took. The right response to such a scene would be holy fear, but they rejected that response. There was something unique about the power Jesus had over demons but they refused to recognize what it was.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
The demons were not at war amongst themselves, but were a unified front under a strong man who guarded the captive souls of men and women fully armed in his palace. It was not ever to his purpose to release one of these souls and his minions could not resist him plans of their own.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
There was no real risk of to most of these captive souls being set free because there was none more powerful than the strong man to liberate them. The exorcisms of the Pharisees were limited in what they could accomplish. They might occasionally be successful but were unable to make a dent in the problem seen in the larger context.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Jesus was the stronger one who was able to set captives free with his word, who broke the power of the prince of darkness over the world. The Pharisees were jealous. They refused to concede their positions of influence even when the encountered the finger of God at work in their midst. They demonstrated the way, about which Jesus warned, that anyone who was not with him ran the risk of opposing him. Anyone who was working for their own sake, for their pride, or for the sake of power, could end up supporting the demons themselves by opposing the good work of Jesus, without whom no one could be set free.
We are souls who have been liberated by Jesus Christ, transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light (see Colossians 1:13). But this is only the beginning of our story. The house of our souls cannot remain empty, but must be filled with the life of the Holy Spirit. If we leave a spiritual vacuum at our center, the demons will perceive this as an invitation to return, and they are all too ready to oblige.
We need to fill our houses with the "spoils" that Jesus himself "distributes", that gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (see Ephesians 4:8).
When we gather with Jesus, when we fill our houses with the spiritual goods of heaven, we need not fear the coming day of the Lord, the day when he will come to judge the world with justice. He himself will not surrender those whom he has purchased with a price so dear as his own precious blood.
for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (see First Corinthians 6:20).
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