Today's Reading: St. Luke 11:14-28
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 27:30-45; 28:10-22; Mark 9:1-13
“But others from them said, ‘By Beelzebub the Lord, He casts out demons,” (St. Luke 11:15)
Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen. No, unhappy Lent! All these eyes in the Gospel lesson today and no one sees! Jesus casts a demon out of a mute man. He speaks! It’s a miracle! Jesus has authority over demons! So, Happy Lent!
No, sad Lent. Rejected Lent. Jesus is rejected. They accuse Him of casting out demons by the prince of demons, Beelzebub. Others ask Him to do another sign! Didn’t they just see Him cast out that demon?
It’s dumb! A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. If Jesus casts out demons by the prince of demons, how can Satan’s kingdom stand?
But what if Jesus is casting out demons by God’s hand? What if the finger of God is doing these signs? Then the kingdom of God has come!
It has come, because Jesus has come. He has burst into our world like a man breaking into the house of a strong man. The strong man is safe with his weapons behind his locked door—until a stronger man comes along and wants them for Himself.
Jesus is that stronger man. He has burst into the devil’s house and stolen us back from him. He takes us back, redeems us, from the power and control of the devil. Jesus uses the example of a strong man when speaking of casting out a demon. His ultimate victory over the devil is not by force of arms, but by being conquered on the Cross. He is overpowered, betrayed, beaten, and executed on Good Friday.
Sad Lent? No, you can’t get a happier Lent than Jesus dying for us on Good Friday. He rose on Easter morning, leaving death and hell in the tomb. He dies. He rises. He wins. The strong man is undone by His strength. Death itself is conquered by His death. Life comes out of the tomb—never to return to the grave again.
Today, Jesus casts out a demon and the mute speak! But, the eyes of the crowd are closed to Him. They reject Him and actually accuse Him of working for Satan. But things are only going to get worse for Jesus as He heads to Calvary to answer for our sins. Yet, even in His rejection, we will witness the finger of God saving us. Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen.
“O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.” (Collect for Oculi)