Once again we hear in the gospel of a debate between Jesus and his opponents. This time it’s about power. Specifically, power over evil. Both sides have the ability to cast out “demons”. All evil, especially sickness, was at that time considered caused by demons. So anyone who cured someone was understood to have power over evil. However, Jesus’ enemies made the outlandish claim that he was in league with the devil.

Evil was personified and the Evil One had a name. In this case it was Beelzeboul, derisively called “Lord of the Flies” by the Israelites. He was the old, pre-Israel god Ba’al, at war with Israel’s God Yahweh. At that time, the Hebrew people acknowledged that there were other gods, but that their God was the most powerful God.

In that context, Jesus invokes that image of a civil war and asks if a society can survive with such a divisive division.

Throughout history, there have been civil wars, nations at war with themselves.

Some of the more notorious have been civil wars in Rome during the time of Caesar; a tragic civil war in England between the monarchists and the republicans; and those of our own day in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, etc.

The most tragic of civil wars was in this country, 150 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of men died over issues such as slavery and so-called States’ Rights. It can be legitimately argued that that division continues in our own time. The U.S. Civil War is not resolved. Thus, we are still a nation divided. It is reflected in our politics.

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech before the Illinois State Legislature. Two years later he would be elected President of the United States.

Lincoln said in part: “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one things or all the other.”

One wonders what Lincoln would say today about this “house,” this country.

Coach Kerns asked me to connect my remarks to the Basketball Team as they pursue the State championship. It should be clear that a team united cannot fall. Win or lose, the team achieves victory by standing together, united.

On the higher level of spirituality, in terms of today’s gospel, we all have the same choice: choose Jesus or choose evil.

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