The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons” (Mark 3:22).

The scribes have come from Jerusalem to Galilee. Have they come because they have heard about this Jesus and want to assess the one who was speaking on his own authority, healing many, eating with sinners? They experience for themselves Jesus exorcising demons, and do not understand how he is able to cast them out to heal those possessed, so they make the leap that he does so, not by the power of God but, by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. Could their purpose be to delegitimize, or literally demonize, Jesus in such a way that those beginning to follow him will begin to doubt or outright turn away from him? If Jesus is who he says he is, then the scribes are actually the ones serving Satan in aligning with him to sow discord and disunity.

Jesus is providing an invitation to build bridges of reconciliation and healing to restore the unity that has been lost by those choosing to sin, to put self first over God. He also meets those on the peripheries, those who have been kept at arms length, healing those conditions which have been used to justify their separation. Yet Jesus does not impose over another, he invites, as well as others come to him on their own initiative or call out to him seeking healing. In each case, Jesus demands a choice. Jesus has also said and is recorded in Luke, that he has not come to establish peace but division (cf. Lk 12:49-53).

Jesus shows over and over again by word and deed not only how he is creating bridges of connection between the human and the divine, he is in actuality the bridge, the kingdom of God in our midst, and yet, he is not going to drag anyone over it against their will. Jesus calls all who encounter him to make a choice, there is no middle ground, we are either for him or against him.

The scribes in today’s account and many of his relatives reject Jesus. He is able to perform only a few miracles in his own hometown. Those who reject the invitation cut themselves off, separate themselves from the very source of their life, the very core and sustaining force of their being. Those who say yes and repent, like those that receive his healing, like the disciples, the Apostles, and Mary Magdalene, surrender to him, will be transformed, and are freed from their enslavement to sin. They align themselves with the very source and communion they have been created for, God the Father. This is no one revelatory moment but a day to day commitment of saying yes to Jesus. Even in messing up or falling down, we refuse to stay down but are willing to get up, repent, and to begin again and again. We must always and everywhere reject the lie that echoes in our minds that we cannot be forgiven. Jesus loves us more than we can ever mess up.

If you have read today’s Gospel you might say, well what about Mark 3:29 where Jesus says that “whoever blasphemes against the holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an ever lasting sin”? Jesus is referring here to our free will to accept or reject the free gift of his grace. The scribes have Jesus, the kingdom of God in their midst, and they reject him. He will not impose, he only proposes. If he or his healing and forgiveness is refused, he respects the freedom of the person to reject the offer. The difference between Peter and Judas was that Peter repented, was forgiven, and transformed. Judas withdrew within himself, cut himself off from Jesus, did not believe he would conquer death and come back as he said, and took his own life.

We can choose the path of Peter or the path of Judas. We have a choice each and every day, each and ever moment, to say yes or no to the kingdom of God, to Jesus whose is at hand. We can withdraw from God and others, feed our own self and ego, refuse to examine our conscience to assess where we have sinned, live defensively, keep those who we deem as different at arms length, or worse, demean, belittle, and degrade.

We can also refuse that path of darkness and take the hand of Jesus, repent from our pride, prejudice, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, sloth, and wrath, and believe in the gospel. We can believe that Jesus is who he said he is, refuse to build walls, but instead join in the task of building bridges of unification and communion. We will take steps forward and steps back, and we will fall, but through each experience, the hand of Jesus is still there to help us back up and we can begin again and again. We are not alone. Mary the Mother of God, the Apostles, Mary Magdalene, and the saints said yes to Jesus’ invitation, they understand what we are going through, they are also cheering us on, guiding us, empowering us, so that one day we to will be where they are, seeing God the Father face to face. Jesus is offering his hand to us today, will you take it?

Photo: Rainbow, sometime in August 2018

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, January 22, 2018;

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/012218.cfm