Luke 11:14-23
“Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house.”
In today’s passage, the main question is about discernment. Is this Jesus really who he says he is, or is he only able to cast out demons because he is working the demons? How do we know the difference? To this, Jesus gives the famous answer that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand (yes, this phrase comes from Jesus, not Abraham Lincoln!).
The season of Lent is, among other things, a season of introspection and discernment. During these 40 Days, we are called to reflect on our mortality and sin and to attend to how Christ is calling us to follow him in light of these realities. Today’s text gives us a key pointer for periods of discernment. Christ shows us that unity can be a sign of God’s presence and division a marker of God’s absence.
When I think of my own spiritual life, my experience of desolation—of being far from God—is an experience of division. We are probably familiar with talking about sin as separation from God, keying us into the reality of division as a marker of God's absence. The main place I experience division and desolation in my spiritual life is being unable to pay attention to God. So much of our world is structured around dividing our attention, stealing a few moments to look at this screen or that app, rupturing our focus for the latest breaking news alert, or redirecting our desire to a new thing to purchase. All this creates the conditions where attending to God and paying attention to Christ’s Spirit become all the more difficult. Our lives bend towards being divided, deserting, and falling in on themselves.
The good news of the Gospel is that in Christ God is reconciling all things, breaking the bonds of division, and bringing forth a fundamental unity. This passage from Luke promises that unity is the fruit of Christ’s presence. It is no accident that today’s passage comes right after Christ has offered a teaching on prayer. If Lent is an invitation to introspection and discernment, and if prayer is the main way in which to do this work, then what today’s passage shows us is that Christ’s presence in prayer and discernment takes the form of unity and wholeness. If you feel far from God, that your spiritual life has “become a desert” marked by isolation from God, then in prayer invite Christ into that place and hope for the fruit of companionship he brings. If you struggle with feeling divided against yourself, against God, against your neighbor: again, invite Christ into that experience and hope for the fruit of unity that he promises. If there is a hard decision you are facing, a reality that brings anxiety, invite Christ into that situation and hope for the fruit of peace and assurance he offers. As we continue our Lenten journey, our walk with Christ through the wilderness to the empty tomb, pay attention to where you notice division and unity in your spiritual life and ask Christ to be present in the midst of that and to bring unity and wholeness to those places. "Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house,” but “the kingdom of God has come to you.”
Meditation by the Reverend Luke Zerra
Interim Dean, The Stevenson School for Ministry
Priest-in-Charge, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Brentwood, PA
Diocese of Pennsylvania