Sermon for Oculi, the Third Sunday in Lent

Jesus drives a demon out of a mute man, a great work of healing, and yet some of the people accuse him of working by the power of Beelzebub. Who is Beelzebub? He is their name for the prince of demons, or Satan. The name Beelzebub literally means “lord of the flies.” It was the name the ancient Israelites gave to one of the pagan gods but given that all pagan gods are really demons in disguise, it came to be a word for Satan. Jesus is accused of driving out demons by Satan. Jesus states the illogic of their claim – if Satan is working against Satan, how can his kingdom stand? A divided realm is one that is falling.