Year A
Galatians 3:7-14
Psalm 111:1b-2.3-4. 5-6
Luke 11:14-26
A KINGDOM DIVIDED
St. Paul continues his arguments for Faith, today he says something very interesting. His argument is that Faith precedes the Law because Abraham who is our Father in faith came before the Law was given to Moses to be given to the Israelites and ultimately to us. More importantly it was through his Faith that God said all nations will be blessed (cf. Genesis 12: 2-3), and this St. Paul stresses today.
I will not enter into any argument concerning Faith and Works here, but let me say that the fact that Paul alludes to Abraham's Faith should let us re-examine Abraham's Faith. When we look at the Stories of Abraham's faith, we see that any time he affirms his faith in God, it simultaneously follows with he working towards that Faith he has in God.
You look at his beginnings when God called him to move from his home and family to a land he will show him, his faith in God simultaneously followed with him actually moving. Also remember when God asked him to Sacrifice his only son of the promise Isaac.
The point then is that through Faith, God calls us to his Kingdom and we must work towards this faith to be part of God's Kingdom and receive the Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives.
In today's gospel reading, as Jesus was been accused that he was casting out demons by the prince of demons called Beelzebub, he said that a kingdom divided cannot stand. I want to reflect on this by looking at what happened to Israel when their Kingdom divided into the Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom.
In the year 931 B.C, the Kingdom of Israel was divided. When Solomon's son Rehoboam succeeded his father, his poor leadership, failed policies, diplomacy and military led to Jeroboam becoming King for the rest of the 10 regions.
But there was a problem with the Northern Kingdom, in some sense it was a man made kingdom while the Davidic Kingdom obviously as an everlasting Kingdom was by God. The problem with the Man made Kingdom of the North was also that because it sought to please man, and protect the King, it came along with a man made religion where Israel's original sin of making golden calf and worshipping it was repeated, but this time it was doubled, two golden idols.
As a result of this, the tribes of the Northern Kingdom after the exile are completely lost or probably destroyed. It's only the Southern Kingdom that survived after the exile and came to rebuild the Kingdom. (c.f. 1 Kings and 2 Kings).
Now why this story? The point is that, man away from God is a Kingdom divided. God's Kingdom cannot be divided, but man has the freedom to be away from God. But been away from God means making a Kingdom for yourself, and if we make a Kingdom for ourselves, we are destined for destruction and damnation.
Man as the being with body, soul and spirit is the Steward of creation. Now if man makes for himself a Kingdom, he rejects God and his Holy Spirit for reigning in his spirit and since other spirits are willing to participate in the Stewardship of man and also have authority on earth, they use this as an opportunity and an open door for them. Man cannot be an empty house, he must be either filled with God's Spirit or any other rebellious spirits.
God's Spirit makes man worthy of God's Kingdom but when man divides himself from God and make his own kingdom, it ends up becoming the devil's kingdom since the rebellious spirits that will come into man's house are devils.
As Jesus said the Kingdom of God has come upon us because he was using God's power to cast out devils, let as respond to the call of faith from God, and allow him to fill us with the Holy Spirit for greater works.
By Sylvester Amakye-Quayson
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