September 11, 2015
Scripture Reading: Matthew 12:22-28
“Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Questions for Reflection:
An interesting thing to do when reading a gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) account is look at how people respond and react to Jesus. What did the people do in this story? When Jesus acts, how do they respond? What did the Pharisees think? What is Jesus’ rebuttal?
At the heart of Jesus’ argument is that teams do not fight against themselves. Our actions have to match up to our convictions. Is there congruence in your life between your beliefs and your actions? If not, what needs to change?