What is the meaning of Matthew 12:29? Or again Jesus is building on the argument He has just made about a kingdom divided against itself falling (Matthew 12:25-28). With the phrase “Or again,” He invites His listeners to consider one more illustration that seals the point. Mark 3:27 and Luke 11:21-22 record the same picture, showing that this was a central teaching of Christ when confronting accusations that His power came from Satan. how can anyone enter a strong man’s house The “strong man” pictures Satan, whose “house” represents the realm where he exercises dominion—people held in bondage to sin and demonic influence (Ephesians 2:1-2; 2 Timothy 2:26). Isaiah 49:24-25 asks, “Can plunder be taken from a warrior?… I will contend with those who contend with you,” foreshadowing the Messiah’s ability to invade enemy territory. and steal his possessions, The possessions are the men, women, and children under Satan’s control. Jesus had just freed a demon-possessed man (Matthew 12:22), showing what this “stealing” looks like in real life. Acts 10:38 sums up His ministry: “He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.” unless he first ties up the strong man? Binding Satan is exactly what Jesus was doing through every exorcism and, ultimately, through His death and resurrection. Colossians 2:15 declares that He “disarmed the powers and authorities” at the cross; Hebrews 2:14 says He rendered the devil powerless over death. Revelation 20:2 pictures Satan bound, an image rooted in the victory Jesus inaugurated during His earthly ministry (John 12:31). Then he can plunder his house. Once the strong man is restrained, the house is open season. Jesus plunders by rescuing souls, transferring them “from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). Every deliverance, every conversion, every advance of the gospel is part of this ongoing plunder (Luke 4:18; Ephesians 4:8). Believers share in it through the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), knowing that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). summary Matthew 12:29 teaches that Satan is powerful but not invincible. Jesus, the stronger One, has entered the devil’s domain, bound him by His authoritative word and finished work, and is now liberating captives. The verse assures us that Christ’s victory is decisive and that, in Him, we share authority to see lives set free from the enemy’s grip. |
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