In today’s Gospel some of the Jewish scribes demonize Jesus. They accuse him of being in league with the devil. They cannot deny that Jesus has been performing healings and exorcisms, so they claim that he is able to do this not by the power of the Spirit but by the power of the devil: “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Jesus counters that this claim makes no sense: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a house is divided against itself that house will not be able to stand.” Jesus also imparts a severe warning against those who demonize:
“Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
Mark explains what this means: “For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to accuse Jesus of being possessed by a demonic or “unclean spirit.” It is fine and forgivable to disagree with Jesus and even to refuse to believe in Jesus, what is unforgivable is to demonize him.
Jesus’ teaching also applies to us today. Our religious and political rhetoric is way too heated today. We are quick to demonize those with whom we disagree. Instead of trying to understand and reason with people as Jesus did with his opponents, we call them heretics, possessed, or traitors. Jesus calls us to do better by examining ourselves before we examine and condemn others:
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment, you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5).
Jesus challenges me and you to stop judging, to stop condemning, to stop demonizing. In other words, to watch how we view and talk about one another. Let us avoid the blasphemy of demonizing one another since we have all been created in God’s image and likeness.
Image: “Rosselli, Sermon on the Mount” by f_snarfel is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.