Mark 3: 22-30
The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast 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. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Curiosity Opens Doors
“Be curious, not judgmental.” There is a great scene in Ted Lasso in which Ted is challenged to a game of darts by someone who assumes he’s a clueless American bumpkin. As the crowded pub looks on, Ted explains that people underestimate him because they don’t bother to ask questions. Curiosity, Ted suggests, creates space for understanding; judgment shuts it down.
This is the heart of today’s Gospel. The scribes watch Jesus heal, restore, and free people—and instead of wondering what God might be doing, they rush to judgment. Faced with something they cannot control or explain, they choose suspicion over wonder. Rather than ask, “What might God be doing here?” they decide, “This must be dangerous. This is evil.”
Jesus does not respond with anger, but with clarity. How could evil undo evil? How could division bring wholeness? The scribes aren’t condemned for questioning Jesus. Rather, Jesus calls them out because they stopped questioning altogether. Curiosity would have kept them engaged and attentive to what was actually happening: wounds healed, lives restored, communities made whole. Judgement closes the door; curiosity opens it. What is God asking you to be curious about today?
—Jackie Schulte is the Interim Head of School and Dean of Faculty Formation at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Prayer
God of truth and light,
slow our rush to judgment.
Give us curious hearts that remain open and attentive
to your work in our lives.
Teach us to ask questions before we assume and give us the humility to choose curiosity over judgement.
Amen.
—Jackie Schulte
Pray with the Pope
Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.