Column: A Kingdom Divided Cannot Stand

Greetings to all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. I, like many Minnesotans, have been on the Minnesota Timberwolves bandwagon during the 2024 NBA postseason. For non-sports fans, the historically anemic Timberwolves have made an interesting and highly enjoyable run in the playoffs. They made it as far as the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks, at the time of writing this article.

One thing I've enjoyed during this playoff run is watching the level of teamwork it takes to be a successful NBA team. In professional basketball there is so much more going on than superstar players shooting the lights out. It really does come down to great coaching, solid defense, excellent passing, smart shot decisions, and bench players stepping up in key roles. When the team is doing the fundamentals well and working together as a unified whole it is inevitable that great things lie ahead.
 
So, what does any of this basketba11 conversation have to do with today's Gospel reading from St. Mark? Let's take a closer look. Today we hear that Jesus' public ministry is taking off in dramatic ways in the villages and countryside around the Sea of Galilee. Miraculous physical healings and exorcisms are commonplace, and this is drawing large crowds of people who are seeking out Jesus. Some of the Pharisees are threatened by the signs he is performing and the crowds he is attracting and believe that Jesus is breaking the Law of Moses by healing the man with a withered hand in a Synagogue on the Sabbath. St. Mark tells us that "The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death" (Mark 3:6). Other Temple officials show up at this point in the story with the goal of evaluating Jesus. They do not deny that miraculous events are occurring in Jesus' public ministry, but rather than giving the glory to God, they conclude that "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons" (Mark 3:22). In other words, Jesus is using the powers of darkness to defeat the powers of darkness. It is this accusation that leads Jesus to declare that 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" 
(Mark 3:24-25),

At the core of this teaching is the profound truth that division and disunity leads to weakness and the eventual collapse of any kingdom or household.
 
This seems obvious to us when we consider something like an ascending NBA basketball team. We know that a team will not have success on the court unless they play together as a team, and not as individuals. They must understand their abilities and be able to bring them into harmony with the other members of the team towards the common goal of victory. This may also seem just as obvious in other dimensions of our life like marriage, family life, or the workplace. We know that being united with our spouse, our children, other family members, and co­workers brings a sense of peace and harmony in our life.

It's not always easy to achieve or maintain unity but we know it's important and that the consequences of division can be costly. However, all this may be less clear to us in the life of the Church.

We live in times when we are invited on a regular basis to divide from one another in the body of Christ. Encampments and factions are too often openly exhibited for all to see. Division, of course, has been the devil's work from the beginning and must be resisted. St. Paul, addressing a very divided Corithian community, urges them "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose" (1 Corinthians 1:10). The Catechism also reminds us in the very first paragraph that God's primary work in the world is to call "together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family" (CCC 1). 

Let us ask for St. Paul's intercession and that we will "Mend (our) ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you" (2 Corinthians 13:17).