He drives out demons by the prince of demons
Gn 32,23-33; Ps 16; Mt 9,32-38
9 JULY
The word reveals the heart. The crowd with a simple heart sees Jesus that frees a deaf-mute with an unclean spirit; it is taken by amazement and confesses that there had never been seen such a thing in Israel. Never means from the time of Abraham up to the present. The Pharisees, with the impure heart, rotting for the evil that dwells in it, accuse Jesus of acting in the name of Beelzebùl, who is the prince of the demons. God, the Son of God, that came into the flesh to free man from the slavery of Satan and all his lies, would have made himself a slave to the lord of darkness and falsehood for an ephemeral worldly glory. Truly the word reveals the rottenness of the heart. It really speaks sin on their mouth. When this happens it is a sign that the limit of evil has been surpassed.
When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do a man’s faults when he speaks. As the test of what the potter moulds is in the furnace, so in his conversation is the test of a man. The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so too does a man’s speech disclose the bent of his mind. Praise no man before he speaks, for it is then that men are tested (Sir 27,4-7). Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. For it flatters him in his own eyes Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil. Your loving-kindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. O continue Your loving-kindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come upon me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the doers of iniquity have fallen; They have been thrust down and cannot rise (Ps 36 (35) 1-13).
If the Lord were not protected and guarded by his Father from these slanders, he would have been condemned even before completing his mission. The truth sung by Sirach on the custody of the Righteous by God is above all for Jesus.
I give you thanks, O God of my father; I praise you, O God my saviour! I will make known your name, refuge of my life; you have been my helper against my adversaries. You have saved me from death, and kept back my body from the pit, From the clutches of the nether world you have snatched my feet; you have delivered me, in your great mercy From the scourge of a slanderous tongue, and from lips that went over to falsehood; From the snare of those who watched for my downfall, and from the power of those who sought my life; From many a danger you have saved me, from flames that hemmed me in on every side; From the midst of unremitting fire, From the deep belly of the nether world; From deceiving lips and painters of lies, from the arrows of dishonest tongues. I was at the point of death, my soul was nearing the depths of the nether world; I turned every way, but there was no one to help me, I looked for one to sustain me, but could find no one. But then I remembered the mercies of the Lord, his kindness through ages past; For he saves those who take refuge in him, and rescues them from every evil (Sir 51,1-8).
This time Jesus leaves the Pharisees and goes elsewhere. Crowds need his miracles and his Word. They are flocks like sheep without a shepherd, abandoned to themselves. But can He teach, cure and heal the whole world? He cannot. This is why he asks his disciples to pray to the Father to send workers to his harvest. This prayer must always be raised from the heart of every disciple of Jesus. But in order to do so one must have the same eyes of Christ and his very heart.
As they were going out, a demoniac who could not speak was brought to him, and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest.”
Mother of God, Angels and Saints ensure that every Christian prays to the Father with perseverance.