Jesus declares in today’s Gospel: “But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” Jesus has gone about doing good, healing people and performing exorcisms. Those who oppose Jesus cannot deny that these healings and exorcisms have taken place so instead they accuse Jesus of being in league with the devil: “By the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Jesus asks the pointed question: “If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out?” More importantly he is calling them to see the special visitation of God that is taking place through his words and actions. Jesus claims his authority comes from his heavenly Father. God is the one who empowers him to heal and perform exorcisms not the devil. It is a special time because the Kingdom of God is now at hand.
Jesus wants his contemporaries and all of us this recognize the presence of God in our midst, the hand or the finger of God: “But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” The central message of Jesus’ preaching is the Kingdom of God. God’s Kingdom is present when God’s will is done. God’s Kingdom is present when Jesus welcomes outcasts and sinners; when Jesus embraces lepers; when Jesus heals and drives out demons. Jesus begins his public ministry with his proclamation of the gospel of God:
“Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: ‘This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1:14-15).
Jesus proclaims that God is at hand, this is the central message of the Gospel. After this proclamation Jesus issues his invitation: “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” This is the invitation we received on Ash Wednesday as the minister applied the ashes to our forehead. We are invited to respond to God’s initiative. God is at hand, waiting for us to respond and turn to him. God hands are extended to embrace us as soon as we turn to him. God’s Kingdom is at hand as we carry on Jesus’ ministry of welcoming, healing, and reconciling.
Image: “Gospels, Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy, Walters Manuscript W.592, fol. 48b” by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts is marked with CC0 1.0.