Of deafness and fake listening

Today’s gospel (Luke 11: 15-26) is complex and sees Jesus speaking at his most rabbinical and paradoxical. It was quite necessary too. Some of the people in this passage of the gospel argued that He was casting out devils by Beelzebub.

What follows is Jesus' complex refutation of what was a perverse account of His actions among the possessed. Anyone with a fair mind could have seen that what Jesus brought the possessed was liberation and freedom. The gospel frequently comments on the peace and calm of those delivered of an evil spirit. Had we seen it ourselves, we might have tasted the tranquillity that hung in the air after such an act of mercy. But the naysayers have their way with accusations: Jesus is of the devil.

We might not like to recognise it, but this gospel shows us to what extent some people place themselves beyond dialogue or at least beyond help. To take one contemporary example, those who said Jesus cast out devils by Beelzebub are like those who today say defending the rights of the unborn brings misery to women. It is absurd, and the literal definition of ‘absurdity’ is deafness. Just as there are none so blind as those who will not see, there are none so deaf as those who will not hear.  

If we have the wit to be apologists, we should of course speak out. Be ready always to give a reason for that hope that is within you, says St Peter. On the other hand, dialogue has its limits. Dialogue means ‘through words’, but what can be done when we speak words to humans who no longer hear them, whose minds are locked up in a perverse understanding of the world? Jesus also gives us the response: don't despair. Some devils are only cast out through prayer and fasting. Now, many prayers are words, but they are words directed to God, not people. The only thing we can do for some people – like those who are determined to see Jesus as a servant of Beelzebub - is to carry our daily cross for them and commend them to the mercy of God which longs to shine on them if only they will consider its possibility. It is not that we withdraw; rather we leave room for them possibly to hear their own absurdity. We need here the supernatural wisdom to know when to scatter the seed freely, and when not to cast pearls before swine.

One could think the opposite of absurdity and deafness is, therefore, for us to listen to everyone. Of course, we must listen, especially to those in distress, but when we listen, we cannot do so uncritically, as if everyone had an equally valid point. We must recognise the truth where we find it, but we are not bound to honour nonsense or error. Jesus warns again in the gospel: he who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. Overly comfortable harmonies can be as deceptive and  destructive as open division. Easy compatibility can be a lazy way to disguise wounds that run deeper and require more honesty. The human heart is so prone to myth, especially about itself, that sometimes it needs a storm to clear the air and make the truth visible again. If you doubt that, don’t forget Jesus overturned the tables of money changers in the temple, not because He had lost control, but because -  in a way - they had. Of course, some clouds cannot even be dispersed by such an intervention; sometimes the air cannot be cleared. At those times, we have to endure the darkness. God is in charge, and we can also realise that He is with us in the darkest moments. 

We must not give in to despair: Jesus delivers. We must not give in to false peace: Jesus demands more.