The Return of the Evil Spirit

Today's Gospel reading from Matthew has two parts: "the return of the evil spirit" and "the true kindred of Jesus." Both of these puzzle me, but having them together in one sitting puzzles me futher!

Here's "the return of the evil spirit" in Matt.:

"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting-place, but it finds none. Then it says, "I will return to the house from where I came." When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits all more evil than itself, and they enter, and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first; so it will be with this evil generation."

Put into context, this whole chapter of Matthew emphasizes the the increasing conflict between Jesus and the local authorities, here the Pharisees with their strict adherence and interpretation of the law. In verses previous Jesus has been asked to show a sign, or some outward proof of his authority. We know that the Gospel of Matthew is noted for Jesus doing just the opposite, that is, not using miracles to prove who his is but rather for healing those in need.

Had the Pharisees really been listening, they should have been really scared: after all, they devoted their lives to strict living by rules and constant "house cleaning." Here Jesus is telling them that evil loves a clean house! But I think Jesus was saying that perhaps they were overzealous in trying to clean other people's houses and ignored what was happening to their own personal souls. Just because the Pharisees cleaned cleaned house once, didn't mean it won't get dirty again! And being "empty" didn't mean that the Pharisees were not vulnerable.

Here's food for thought (paraphrsed from resources at http://www.rc.net/): God wants to fill the void in our lives with himself and the good things he provides for our well-being. If we attempt to leave our lives vacant or fill them with other things, we will be worse off in the end. The parables in this reading make it clear that there are only two options - fill your life with God or leave yourself open to evil. A simple prayer for today: "God, be the ruler of my life and the master of my home. May there be nothing in my life that is not under your care and resulting from your grace. Amen."

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Daily office year two:
Psalm 38; Proverbs 17:1-20; 1 Timothy 3:1-16; Matt. 12:43-50