“Then was offered to him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb: and healed him, so that he spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed, and said: ‘Is not this the son of David?’ But the Pharisees hearing it, said: ‘This man casteth not out devils but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.’ And Jesus knowing their thoughts, said to them: ‘Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate: and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself: how then shall his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.’”
Consider first, dearest Theophila, the wickedness of the enemy in taking away the senses by which belief comes to be: that is the sight and the hearing. One can only love what one knows, and how can one know what they cannot perceive? Thus: “He that hateth his brother, is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth; because the darkness hath blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:11). Jesus’ voice is the voice of truth: “For this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice” (John 18:37), which opens the eyes of the mind and ears of the heart with its gentle wonderfulness: “His lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh” (Canticle 5:13); “A peaceable tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4). Or, this can be a malicious spirit roosting in a wounded place of the heart, which keeps the eyes and ears from understanding: “Hear, O foolish people, and without understanding: who have eyes, and see not: and ears, and hear not” and the heart from singing praise, because it is too downcast or wrapped up in itself, which love alone can fix: “O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise” (Psalm 50:17). Thirdly, this exorcism can describe a lack of belief, for there is a lack of understanding of the truth of God, which is a victory for the devil: “And the serpent said to the woman: ‘No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:4-5), which in turn keeps truth and rejoicing far from the mouth: “Truths are decayed from among the children of men” (Psalm 11:2), for in failing to know the Beloved, one’s heart cannot be consumed with love for Him. In proclaiming Jesus the Son of David, there is anticipation for the Davidic Messiah, for David too exorcised unclean spirits: “So whenever the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, David took his harp, and played with his hand, and Saul was refreshed, and was better, for the evil spirit departed from him” (1 Kings 16:23). The Pharisees, however, attribute this work to Beelzebub, whom Remigius says is also called Belphegor; into whose worship Israel was seduced by prostitutes during their time in the desert: “And Israel at that time abode in Settim, and the people committed fornication with the daughters of Moab, who called them to their sacrifices. And they ate of them, and adored their gods. And Israel was initiated to Beelphegor” (Numbers 25:1-3). Therefore, the accusation of the Pharisees is that Jesus, who came to express the infinite love of God to all men, was leading the people grossly astray as a seducer. Jesus then knows their thoughts, which has two points of interest: First, this is a power of God alone: “For thou only knowest the heart of all the children of men” (3 Kings 8:39), and not of demons, but it is also a quality of love, for couples that love each other deeply know the movements of each other’s hearts and the words they will say, and Jesus knows the hearts of all by His infinite wisdom and love. The Lord does not lift His voice at them, but answers with mildness, not being troubled, for the sick need a gentle hand to administer care, and the heart that is hard is broken by force, but is softened by gentleness and love: “And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you” (Ezechiel 38:26). This mercy and care is outside of the capability of demons, whose every action is hatred, and their voices evoke much noise in the soul that seeks her Beloved: “I am grieved in my exercise; and am troubled, at the voice of the enemy” (Psalm 54:3-4). Jesus then seeks to do good to the Pharisees, and not bring attention to their sin, so too does Jesus want you to focus on Him and His love for you, and not on your sins: “Thy face, O Lord, will I still seek” (Psalm 26:8); “Thou hast delivered my soul that it should not perish, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back” (Isaias 38:17). Jesus then points out that all things, from kingdoms to families to individuals, are destroyed when there is discord within. It is rather harmony attained through a love that is just that builds the soul, house, or city that truly flourishes: “Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 126:1); “Love justice, you that are judges of the earth. Think of the Lord in goodness, and seek him in simplicity of heart” (Wisdom 1:1); “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Now, there is a mighty kingdom that is unjust, but it does not flourish in goodness and love but rather in malice, and that is the kingdom of Satan: “[God the Father] hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love” (Colossians 1:13). The fall of this kingdom is a day of peace for men: “The devil, who seduced them, was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone… And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away” (Apocalypse 20:9-21:4). Now, when Jesus mentions that “your children” cast out demons, he is referring to the Apostles, who learned no evil from Jesus, but only how to love: “A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). His followers exorcised demons: “And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying: ‘Lord, the devils are also subject to us in thy name’” (Luke 10:17), with which the Pharisees took no offense, but rather they detested the person of Jesus. Ah, which is more unreasonable, Theophila, to say that by a demon He cast out demons, or to outright hate Love Himself? Jesus came to robe His followers with magnificent gifts, “We will make thee chains of gold, inlaid with silver” (Canticle 1:10), such as “the word of wisdom: and to another, the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; to another, faith in the same spirit; to another, the grace of healing in one Spirit: to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the discerning of spirits,” (1 Corinthians 12:8-10), and He desired to give such gifts to the Pharisees, yet they resisted, clinging like a child to an object of affection when their parent tries to take them to something even more wonderful. This is why He says “the kingdom of God is come upon you,” because He desired to give the treasures of His love to them: “And God is able to make all grace abound in you; that ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). This applies to you, Theophila, in the words of St. Paul, to “Follow after love, be zealous for spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1), that if you follow the greatest act of love you can perform at all times, and cultivate the gifts of God, you will live in a perpetual feast of love and goodness: “I brought you into the land of Carmel, to eat the fruit thereof, and the best things thereof” (Jeremias 2:7).