Today’s epistle reading is from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 14:9-18.

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

St. Paul begins today’s reading by saying: To this end, Christ died. The writer under the name Ambrosiaster gives an excellent summation of the reason for Christ’s death and what he accomplished.

The creation was made by Christ the Lord, but because of sin it has become separated from its Maker and taken captive. But God the Father sent his Son from heaven to earth to teach his creation what to do in order to escape the hands of its captors, so that his work should not perish. For this reason he allowed himself to be killed by his enemies, so that by going down to Hades he could condemn sin, because he was killed as an innocent man, and liberate those whom the devil held there. Therefore, since he showed the way of salvation to the living and offered himself for them and also delivered the dead from Hades, he is Lord of both the living and the dead, for he has turned the lost into his servants.

Today’s gospel reading is from St. Matthew 12:14-16, 22-30.

Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all. Yet he warned them not to make him known. Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and he healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad.”

St. John Chrysostom has much to say, not only about Jesus’ binding Satan, but also about the devil’s work in this world. He writes:

See how the reverse is confirmed, contrary to what his adversaries were trying to establish. They wanted to show that it was not by his own power that Jesus cast out demons, but he instead proved that he held in bondage with all authority not only the demonic powers but even their foremost leader. Christ prevails over Satan by his own power, and thus over the demonic forces. This is evident from the events reported. Satan is the prince of demons, and they only subjects. If so, how could they have been plundered unless he were first overcome and made to bow down? And here Jesus’ saying seems to me to encompass a prophecy, for not only I suppose are the evil spirits the possessions of the devil, but also the human beings that are doing Satan’s works. Therefore, he intends not only to cast out devils but also to drive away error from the world. He is putting down all sorceries and making the devil’s arts useless.

Let us walk together as members of the body of Christ in true love, putting away every judgmental spirit, knowing that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.