Homily for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time June 9, 2024

A House Divided Cannot Stand

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus’ enemies use various arguments to try to discredit him. They argue that he is possessed by the devil, and that it is by being in league with the devil, that he is driving out devils.

To this Jesus replies: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”

The most famous use of these verses was in a speech that Abraham Lincoln made in 1858 before a State Republican convention. Here is what Lincoln said: "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half  slave  and half  free. I do not expect the Union to be  dissolved  -- I do not expect the house to  fall  -- but I  do  expect it will cease to be divided. It will become  all  one thing or  all  the other. Either the  opponents  of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its  advocates  will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in  all  the States,  old  as well as  new  --  North  as well as  South.”

A house divided against itself cannot stand. And we know, of course, that the opponents went to war because of their divisions in the War Between the States, the Civil War, the war between brothers and sisters.

I found an intriguing story that brings that struggle between good and evil, that struggle that divides us, down to a very personal level…

A young carpenter married a building contractor’s daughter. Soon thereafter, the father-in-law decided to boost the career of his new son-in-law. “Son,” he said, “I don’t want you to start at the bottom of this construction business as I did. I want you to go out to my job-site and build the most tremendous house this town has ever seen. Put the best of everything in it, make it a showplace, and turn it over to me when you are finished.”

“Well, this is an opportunity to make a killing,” thought the son-in-law. He hurried out to slap together a building that involved the cutting of corners. He made a deal with a shady wholesaler and installed sub-standard lumber, shingles, cinder blocks, cement, etc., but billed for the “best” materials. The two cheats would split the profits from their deception. In short order the son-in-law presented his father-in-law with the keys to the newly finished house.

“Is it a tremendous showplace of the newest and best materials as I asked?” inquired the father-in-law. “It sure is, dad,” answered the son-in-law. “Is it the finest house ever built?” “You betcha, dad.” “All right, where’s the final bill? And did you include a good profit in it for yourself?” “Uh, well….Here it is,” the son-in-law replied, “and yes, I did.”

“OK. Let me write out a check. Do you have the deed with you?” As he accepted the deed, the father-in-law said, “I didn’t tell you why I wanted that house to be the best ever built. I wanted it to be something special that I could give to you and my daughter to show you how much I love you. Here, take the deed and the keys. Go live in that showplace; it’s yours now. Go live in the house you built—for yourself!”

The young man slinked away, shattered and frustrated. He thought he was making a fortune at his father-in-law’s expense by shaving money here and there with inferior materials and various shortcuts, but in the end he only cheated himself.

A house divided cannot stand. That was true of Jesus’ assault on evil. He could not destroy the devil by being in league with the devil. That was true of our nation during the time of division over slavery in Lincoln’s day. That was true of the young carpenter who acted in opposition to his father-in-law’s love and only outsmarted himself. And I believe it is true of our nation today, where it seems everything becomes divisive, controlling, cruel, destructive and poisonous. A house divided cannot stand because it is built on the basis of hate, greed and deception, rather than on the bedrock of love, decency, compassion, human dignity and the common good. A house divided cannot stand! Until enough of us believe that, until enough of us work to overcome the division, until enough of us demand an end to the hate, the house cannot stand.

On which foundation do we want to build our house? On greed, hatred, corruption and constant division, or on the wisdom of Jesus, who said, “A house divided cannot stand,” and   “whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”—a real family founded on love, not division, greed and corruption.

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus’ enemies use various arguments to try to discredit him. They argue that he is possessed by the devil, and that it is by being in league with the devil, that he is driving out devils.

To this Jesus replies: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”

The most famous use of these verses was in a speech that Abraham Lincoln made in 1858 before a State Republican convention. Here is what Lincoln said: "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half  slave  and half  free. I do not expect the Union to be  dissolved  -- I do not expect the house to  fall  -- but I  do  expect it will cease to be divided. It will become  all  one thing or  all  the other. Either the  opponents  of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its  advocates  will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in  all  the States,  old  as well as  new  --  North  as well as  South.”

A house divided against itself cannot stand. And we know, of course, that the opponents went to war because of their divisions in the War Between the States, the Civil War, the war between brothers and sisters.

I found an intriguing story that brings that struggle between good and evil, that struggle that divides us, down to a very personal level…

A young carpenter married a building contractor’s daughter. Soon thereafter, the father-in-law decided to boost the career of his new son-in-law. “Son,” he said, “I don’t want you to start at the bottom of this construction business as I did. I want you to go out to my job-site and build the most tremendous house this town has ever seen. Put the best of everything in it, make it a showplace, and turn it over to me when you are finished.”

“Well, this is an opportunity to make a killing,” thought the son-in-law. He hurried out to slap together a building that involved the cutting of corners. He made a deal with a shady wholesaler and installed sub-standard lumber, shingles, cinder blocks, cement, etc., but billed for the “best” materials. The two cheats would split the profits from their deception. In short order the son-in-law presented his father-in-law with the keys to the newly finished house.

“Is it a tremendous showplace of the newest and best materials as I asked?” inquired the father-in-law. “It sure is, dad,” answered the son-in-law. “Is it the finest house ever built?” “You betcha, dad.” “All right, where’s the final bill? And did you include a good profit in it for yourself?” “Uh, well….Here it is,” the son-in-law replied, “and yes, I did.”

“OK. Let me write out a check. Do you have the deed with you?” As he accepted the deed, the father-in-law said, “I didn’t tell you why I wanted that house to be the best ever built. I wanted it to be something special that I could give to you and my daughter to show you how much I love you. Here, take the deed and the keys. Go live in that showplace; it’s yours now. Go live in the house you built—for yourself!”

The young man slinked away, shattered and frustrated. He thought he was making a fortune at his father-in-law’s expense by shaving money here and there with inferior materials and various shortcuts, but in the end he only cheated himself.

A house divided cannot stand. That was true of Jesus’ assault on evil. He could not destroy the devil by being in league with the devil. That was true of our nation during the time of division over slavery in Lincoln’s day. That was true of the young carpenter who acted in opposition to his father-in-law’s love and only outsmarted himself. And I believe it is true of our nation today, where it seems everything becomes divisive, controlling, cruel, destructive and poisonous. A house divided cannot stand because it is built on the basis of hate, greed and deception, rather than on the bedrock of love, decency, compassion, human dignity and the common good. A house divided cannot stand! Until enough of us believe that, until enough of us work to overcome the division, until enough of us demand an end to the hate, the house cannot stand.

On which foundation do we want to build our house? On greed, hatred, corruption and constant division, or on the wisdom of Jesus, who said, “A house divided cannot stand,” and   “whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”—a real family founded on love, not division, greed and corruption.