Homilies on Matthew, Homily 41

“And Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste; and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand?” They had already accused Him of this before, saying that “by Beelzebub He casts out the demons.” But then He did not rebuke them, allowing them to recognize His power through His more numerous miracles and to learn His majesty through His teaching. Now, since they kept saying the same thing, He also proceeds to rebuke them, showing His Godhead first by making their secrets public, and second by the very act of casting out the demons with ease. And the accusation itself was utterly shameless. For, as I have said, envy does not look for something to say, but only for a chance to say anything at all. Yet even so, Christ did not despise them, but defends Himself with His characteristic patience, teaching us to be gentle with our enemies. Even if they say things that we know we have not done and that have not the slightest plausibility, we should not be upset or troubled, but give them an explanation with complete patience. This is exactly what He did on that occasion, providing the strongest proof that what they said was false. For someone possessed by a devil would neither show such gentleness nor know people's secrets. In fact, both because such a suspicion was so outrageously impudent and because they feared the crowd, they did not dare make these charges publicly, but were turning them over in their minds. Yet to show them that He knew all this too, He does not state the accusation or expose their wickedness. Instead, He gives the rebuttal, leaving the consciences of those who had said it to convict them. For He had only one aim: to do good to those who were sinning, not to expose them. Certainly, if He had wanted to speak at length, make them ridiculous, and also inflict the harshest possible punishment on them, nothing could have stopped Him. Nevertheless, He set all these things aside and kept only one goal in view: to make them more open to the truth instead of more argumentative, and so make them more willing to change. How, then, does He argue with them? Not by citing the Scriptures (for they would not even listen, but would instead be sure to twist their meaning), but by drawing on everyday experience. For “every kingdom,” He says, “divided against itself will not stand; and a city or a house, if it is divided, soon falls apart.” For wars from outside are not as destructive as civil wars. Yes, this is true of bodies too; indeed, it is true of everything. But for now He takes His illustration from things more widely familiar. And yet, what on earth is more powerful than a kingdom? Nothing; nevertheless, it perishes if it is divided. And if someone blames this on the great burden of its affairs, saying that it collapses under its own weight, what would you say about a city? And what about a house? So whether something is small or great, if it is divided against itself, it perishes. If, then, I have a demon and use him to cast out the demons, there is division and fighting among demons, and they take their stand against one another. But if they stand against one another, their strength is drained and destroyed. “For if Satan casts out Satan” (He did not say “the demons,” indicating their great unity with one another), “he is then divided against himself”—that is how He puts it. But if he is divided, he has become weaker and is ruined; and if he is ruined, how can he cast out another? Do you see how absurd the accusation is, how foolish and inconsistent? For the same people cannot first say that He stands firm and casts out demons, and then say that what keeps Him standing is precisely what would be likely to bring about His downfall. 2. That, then, is the first rebuttal; the next concerns the disciples. For He answers their objections not always in just one way, but also in a second and a third, intending to silence their shamelessness as completely as possible. He did the same regarding the Sabbath, bringing forward David, the priests, the testimony that says, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,” and the purpose for which the Sabbath was established; “for the Sabbath,” He says, “was for man.” He does the same here: after the first rebuttal He proceeds to a second, clearer than the first. “For if I,” He says, “cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?” Notice His gentleness here too. For He did not say “my disciples” or “the apostles,” but “your sons,” so that if they wanted to return to the same noble disposition as these men, they might find a powerful incentive here. But if they refused to be fair and continued on the same course, they would no longer be able to offer any excuse, however shameless. What He says amounts to this: “By whom do the apostles cast them out?” For they were already doing so, having received authority from Him, and these men brought no charge against them. Their quarrel was with the person alone, not with the acts. Since He wanted to show that their words arose only from their envy of Him, He brings forward the apostles in this way: If I cast them out in this way, that must be even more true of those who have received their authority from me. Nevertheless, you have said no such thing to them. How, then, do you bring these charges against me, the source of their deeds, while clearing them of the accusations? This, however, will not free you from punishment; it will condemn you all the more. That is why He also added, “They will be your judges.” For when people from among you, who have experience in these things, both believe me and obey, it is perfectly clear that they will also condemn those who oppose me in both deed and word. “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you.” What does “the Kingdom” mean? “My coming.” See how He again wins them over and reassures them, draws them toward knowing Himself, and shows that they are fighting against their own good and opposing their own salvation. “For you ought to rejoice,” He says, “and leap for joy that One has come bringing those great, indescribable blessings that the prophets celebrated long ago, and that the time of your prosperity is near. But you do the opposite: far from accepting the blessings, you even speak evil of them and invent groundless accusations.” Now Matthew says, “If I cast out by the Spirit of God”; but Luke says, “If I cast out the demons by the finger of God,” indicating that casting out demons is a work of the greatest power, not of any ordinary grace. He intends them to draw this conclusion from these things and say, If this is so, then the Son of God has come. He does not say this, however, but hints at it discreetly, so as not to provoke them, by saying, “Then the kingdom of God has come to you.” Do you see His extraordinary wisdom? Through the very things they were criticizing, He showed His presence shining out. Then, to win them over, He did not simply say, “The Kingdom has come,” but “to you,” as though He had said, The good things have come to you; why, then, are you displeased with your own blessings? Why fight against your own salvation? This is the time the prophets foretold long ago; this is the sign of the coming they celebrated: these very things being done by divine power. For you yourselves know that they are being done; and the deeds themselves cry out that they are being done by divine power. And it is impossible that Satan should now be stronger; on the contrary, he must necessarily be weak. But someone who is weak cannot cast out the strong devil as though he himself were strong. By speaking this way, He showed the power of love and the weakness of division and strife. That is why He Himself also continually instructed His disciples about love on every occasion, teaching them that the devil leaves nothing undone in his effort to destroy it. 3. After giving His second rebuttal, He adds a third, saying: “How can anyone enter the strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man, and then plunders his goods?” For what has been said makes it clear that Satan cannot possibly cast out Satan. But everyone also acknowledges that he cannot be cast out in any other way unless someone first overpowers him. What, then, does this establish? The previous statement, with still more evidence. “Why, I am so far,” He says, “from using the devil as an ally that I wage war against him and bind him; and the plundering of his goods is unmistakable proof of this.” See how He proves the opposite of what they were trying to establish. For while they wanted to show that He does not cast out demons by His own power, He shows that He holds not only the demons but even their chief leader bound under His full authority, and that He overcame him by His own power before overcoming them. This is clear from what is being done. For if he is the ruler and they are his subjects, how could they have been plundered unless he had been defeated and forced to submit? And here His saying also seems to me to be a prophecy. For I suppose that the devil's goods include not only the evil spirits, but also the people who do his works. He therefore said these things to declare that He not only casts out demons, but will also drive all error from the world, put an end to the devil's sorceries, and make all his tricks useless. And He did not say, He will take away, but “He will plunder,” to express that this is done with authority. But He calls him “strong,” not because he is so by nature—God forbid—but to describe his former tyranny, which arose from our negligence. 4. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Notice a fourth rebuttal too. For what do I desire? He says. To bring people to God, teach virtue, and proclaim the kingdom. What do the devil and the evil spirits desire? The opposite of these things. How, then, could someone who does not gather with me, and is not with me at all, be likely to cooperate with me? And why do I even say cooperate? On the contrary, his desire is to scatter my goods. How, then, could someone who is so far from cooperating that he actually scatters have shown such unity with me as to cast out the demons with me? Now it is natural to suppose that He said this not only about the devil, but also about Himself, since He, for His part, opposes the devil and scatters his goods. And how, someone may ask, is the one who is not with me against me? By the very fact that he does not gather. But if this is true, it applies all the more to someone who opposes him. For if someone who does not cooperate is an enemy, all the more is someone who wages war. But He says all these things to show how great and indescribable His hostility toward the devil is. For tell me, if you have to go to war with someone, isn't anyone unwilling to fight on your side against you by that very fact? And if elsewhere He says, “Whoever is not against you is for you,” this does not contradict the present saying. For here He described someone actively opposing them, but there He points to someone who is partly on their side: “For they cast out demons,” it says, “in Your name.” But it seems to me that here He is also hinting at the Jews, placing them on the devil's side. For they too opposed Him and scattered what He gathered. He made it clear that He was also hinting at them by saying: “Therefore I tell you, every kind of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people.” 5. After defending Himself, answering their objection, and proving the emptiness of their shameless conduct, He proceeds to frighten them. For this too is an important part of counsel and correction: not only to reason and persuade, but also to threaten. He does this in many passages when laying down laws and giving counsel. And although the saying may seem very unclear, if we pay attention, it will be easy to explain. First, then, we should listen to the actual words: “Every kind of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people; but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven them. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.” What, then, is He saying? You have said many things against me: that I am a deceiver, an enemy of God. These things I forgive you when you repent, and I impose no punishment on you. But blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven, no, not even to those who repent. And how can this be right? For even this was forgiven upon repentance. At least many of those who said these words later believed, and everything was forgiven them. What, then, does He mean? That this sin is more unforgivable than anything else. Why? Because they did not know who He Himself might be, but they had ample experience of the Spirit. For the prophets too spoke everything they said by the Spirit, and indeed everyone in the Old Testament held Him in very high regard. What He says, then, is this: Granted, you take offense at me because of the flesh with which I am clothed; can you also say of the Spirit, We do not know it? That is why your blasphemy is unforgivable, and you will be punished both in this life and in the next. For many have been punished only here (like the man who engaged in sexual immorality, and those among the Corinthians who partook unworthily of the mysteries); but you will be punished both in this life and in the next. As for your blasphemies against me before the cross, I forgive them, and also the outrageous crime of the cross itself; nor will you be condemned for your unbelief alone. (For even those who believed before the cross did not have perfect faith. And on many occasions He even commands them not to make Him known to anyone before the Passion; and on the cross He said that this sin was forgiven them.) But you will have no excuse for your words about the Spirit. For to show that He is speaking of what was said about Him before the crucifixion, He added, “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit”—there is no longer any forgiveness. Why? Because you know this, and the truths you harden yourselves against are publicly known. For although you say that you do not know me, you certainly are not ignorant that casting out demons and performing cures are works of the Holy Spirit. So you are insulting not only me, but also the Holy Spirit. That is why no prayers can avert your punishment, either here or there. For among people, some are punished both here and there, some only here, some only there, and others neither here nor there. Both here and there, like these very men (for here they paid a penalty when they suffered those incurable calamities at the capture of their city, and there they will undergo a very severe one), like the inhabitants of Sodom, and like many others. Only there, like the rich man who endured the flames and could not obtain so much as a drop of water. Here, like the man who engaged in sexual immorality among the Corinthians. Neither here nor there, like the apostles, the prophets, and blessed Job; for their sufferings certainly were not punishments, but contests and wrestling matches. Let us work, then, to belong to the same group as these; or if not these, at least those who wash away their sins here. For that other judgment is truly terrifying, its retribution unrelenting, and its punishment incurable. 6. But if you do not want to be punished even here, judge yourself and impose your own penalty. Listen to Paul when he says, “If we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.” If you do this, advancing step by step, you will even receive a crown. But how are we to impose our own penalty? someone may ask. Mourn, groan bitterly, humble and afflict yourself, and recall your sins in detail. This is no small torment to a person's soul. Anyone who has felt contrition knows that this punishes the soul more than anything else. Anyone who has lived with the memory of sins knows the anguish it brings. That is why God appoints righteousness as the reward for such repentance, saying, “Be the first to tell your sins, so that you may be justified.” For it is no small step, really no small step, toward changing for the better to gather all our sins together and continually turn them over in our minds, counting them up in detail. Anyone who does this will be so heartbroken that he will not think himself worthy even to live; and anyone who thinks this way will be softer than any wax. For do not tell me only about acts of sexual immorality, or adulteries, or things that are obvious and universally acknowledged. Gather together also your secret schemes, your false accusations, your malicious talk, your empty boasting, your envy, and everything like these. For these too will bring no small punishment. The person who hurls insults will also fall into hell; the drunkard has no share in the kingdom; someone who does not love his neighbor offends God so deeply that even his own martyrdom brings him no help; someone who neglects his own family has denied the faith; and someone who disregards the poor is sent into the fire. Do not consider these things small, then, but gather them all together and write them down as in a book. For if you write them down, God blots them out; on the other hand, if you neglect to write them down, God both records them and imposes their penalty. It would be far better, then, for us to write them down and have them blotted out above than for God to bring them before our eyes on that day after we have forgotten them. So, to keep this from happening, let us count them all up carefully, and we will find ourselves answerable for much. For who is free of greed? Do not tell me about the amount; since we will pay the same penalty even for a small amount, consider this and repent. Who is free of all insolence? Yet this casts a person into hell. Who has not secretly spoken evil of his neighbor? Yet this deprives a person of the Kingdom. Who has not been stubbornly self-willed? Yet such a person is more unclean than anyone. Who has not looked with lustful eyes? Yet such a person is an adulterer in the fullest sense. Who has not been “angry with his brother without a cause”? Yet such a person is “liable to judgment before the council.” Who has not sworn an oath? Yet this comes from the evil one. Who has not sworn falsely? But such a person goes beyond what comes from the evil one. Who has not served mammon? But such a person has fallen away from true service to Christ. I also have other things greater than these to mention. But even these are enough to bring a person to contrition, unless he is made of stone or has lost all feeling. For if each one of them casts a person into hell, what will they do when they are all combined? How, then, can anyone be saved? someone may ask. By applying the remedies that counteract these things: almsgiving, prayers, contrition, repentance, humility, a contrite heart, and contempt for possessions. For God has marked out countless ways of salvation for us, if we are willing to pay attention. Let us pay attention, then, and cleanse our wounds in every way: showing mercy, letting go of our anger against those who have displeased us, thanking God for everything, fasting as we are able, praying sincerely, and “making friends for ourselves from the mammon of unrighteousness.” For in this way we will be able to obtain pardon for our offenses and gain the promised good things. May we all be counted worthy of them, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might forever and ever. Amen.