“BLESSED ARE YOU IN THE STRONGEST MAN”
Saint Luke 11. 14-28
Oculi - The Third Sunday in Lent: 19 March Anno Domini 2006
Fr Watson
When God said with His own lips: “More than that,” He was indicating that a truthful but incomplete statement had just been uttered. More than what; more than the accurate reality of “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You.” The Lord had been given the perfect opportunity to sound like the typical “anti-Mary” Protestant or Pseudo-Lutheran, but He did not take it. Rather the Christ agreed with the anonymous woman from the crowd. Yes He said, but even “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” Christ’s comment was not new or unique. Earlier in Saint Luke’s Gospel Elisabeth filled with Holy Ghost had said: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” [Lk. 1.42] This of course had echoed what the Arch Angel had already spoken to the Virgin: “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” [v. 28]
The Virgin was not blessed because she was Mary of Nazareth, a really good, pious and hard working Pharisee. No, the Virgin was blessed because of Christ the Word made flesh, and of all the words of Holy Scripture that had pointed to Him and His work. Saint Mary had heard these words and by the same Holy Ghost was given the gift of faith to trust them. So, even more than one unique individual in God’s plan of Salvation; even more wonderful than the rare blessings the Lord had bestowed upon the Virgin (or for that matter upon Abraham, Moses, and David) was the blessing guaranteed to all “who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Hear that Word.
The Lord was able and willing to cast a demon out of a man. Objectively this proved that Jesus, the Rabbi from Galilee, had incredible power; that He was “awesome.” But it also gave opportunity for His adversaries to allege that He was really evil masquerading as good: “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” Indeed, to perform a feat of power would prove nothing but that the doer was powerful; but not necessarily good. The Lord punctured the logic of the naysayers by simple and direct truth. God is good and the devil is evil. God made all perfect and healthy, while Satan corrupted and brought everything into a state of decay, brokenness and death. The Lord’s will is that no one would ever be blind, lame, deaf, mute, leprous, or demon possessed. Satan’s will is that all would suffer diseases, death without faith, and an eternity of hell. The Lord made it clear that any time Satan’s unalterable will for destruction and blackness are breached; anytime God brings about healing, life and light, the devil has lost a battle and his demonic forces are sent reeling back. He is suffering another rout right now as you “hear the Word of God and keep it.”
The devil is certainly strong. He is the “strong man” to whom Christ referred. The devil’s battle instruments are lies, cunning, false teaching, promises of glory and ease, inducements to power, wealth and mammon of all types, temptations and allures to one’s ego and self-will, guilt, shame, and again, lies, always lies. He is formidable. By your birth into original sin and then by your daily sins, all of you would be his “goods” locked safely in his hellish dungeons. But there is “more than that.” There is more than the “strong man.” There is the stronger man; the God/Man Christ Jesus and no other! Jesus is the God so omnipotent in His strength that He willingly chose to be born of a Virgin; to be born a man. Jesus is the Strongest One because He laid aside the use of His divinity and took your place under the burden of the Law. Jesus the Strongest One allowed Himself to be driven into the desert where He defeated not just a demon, but Beelzebub himself.
You don’t always hear the word of God do you? You don’t always take the opportunities the Lord gives you to hear His word. When you deliberately miss Sunday’s Divine Service you choose to put something ahead of the Word you are given to “hear.” Repent and believe. The Stronger Man heard the Word and kept it for you; in the desert, and everywhere else right up to the time when the devil was finally judged the loser, the defeated, and the overcome. On the hill of Calvary, on the Cross, the real strength of the God/Man was shown as in His bleeding body He in reality stripped all the armor off of Beelzebub. “Surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” in that crimson flood. Hear the Word of your liberation and believe.
The victory of Christ Jesus the Strongest Man came upon you in the Waters of your + adoption. There at the font the demons were drowned like the sewer rats they are; the devil was sent scurrying back into his darkness, and you were cleansed, clothed and incorporated into Christ’s very Body. In Christ, in His word, in His Baptism, in His Supper, you keep the Word; for in reality Christ in You, keeps you!
Blessed is the Virgin. Blessed are the Saints in Triumph. Blessed is His Bride, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which so freely gives His Word and Sacrament. “Blessed are you who hear the Word of God and keep it.”
“The Kingdom of God, [Christ Jesus], has come upon you.”
In the Name of The Father and of The Son + and of The Holy Ghost