Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Some Say Jesus Casts Out Demons By Satan’s Power

¹⁴ And He was casting-out a demon, and it was mute. And it came about, the demon having gone out, that the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He is casting out the demons by^[a] Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons”. ¹⁶ And others, testing Him, were seeking from Him a sign out of heaven.

A Kingdom Divided Cannot Stand. Watch Out Or You Will Be Worse Off

¹⁷ But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them— “Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and a house divided against a house falls; ¹⁸ and if indeed Satan was divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?— because you are saying that I am casting out the demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ And if I am casting out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom^[b] are your sons casting them out? For this reason, they will be your judges; ²⁰ but if I am casting out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God came^[c] upon you. ²¹ Whenever the strong man having fully-armed-himself ^[d] is guarding his own courtyard, his possessions are in peace. ²² But when one stronger than he, having come against him, overcomes him— he takes away his full-armor upon which he trusted, and distributes his spoils. ²³ The one not being with Me is against Me. And the one not gathering with Me is scattering. ²⁴ When the unclean spirit departs from the person, it goes-through waterless places seeking rest^[e]. And not finding it, then it says, ‘I will return to my house from where I came out’. ²⁵ And having come, it finds it having been swept and put-in-order^[f]. ²⁶ Then it proceeds, and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself. And having gone in, they dwell there. And the last state of that person becomes worse than the first”.

Blessed Are Those Hearing And Keeping The Word of God

²⁷ And it came about during His saying these things that a certain woman from the crowd, having raised her voice, said to Him, “Blessed is the womb having carried You, and the breasts which You sucked”. ²⁸ But He said, “More-than-that, blessed are the ones hearing the word of God and keeping it”.