In Matthew 12:29, Jesus strengthens his point of Matthew 12:28—that the kingdom of God has come in him—through a parable. He compares Satan to the lord of a house (a strong man
) and those who are demon-oppressed to his goods
: instruments with no will of their own. From the shared conviction that Satan is a strong spirit who can only be overcome by one stronger still (see Isaiah 49:24; Matthew 4:11), Jesus demands that the Pharisees acknowledge that he does not act by Satan’s power, but has bound and conquered him when he casts out demons.
In Matthew 12:29, Jesus strengthens his conclusion of Matthew 12:28 namely, that the kingdom of God has come in him, by means of a parable. He compares Satan to the lord of a house (a strong man
) and those who are demon-oppressed to his goods,
his household effects: that is, instruments without a will of their own. From the shared conviction that Satan is a strong spirit who can only be overcome by one stronger still, Jesus demands that the Pharisees recognize the fact that he does not act by Satan’s power, but in fact has bound and conquered him when he casts out demons.1
One cannot enter the house of the strong man—someone especially powerful and renowned as such—and plunder his possessions unless one first overpowers that strong man and thereby proves to be stronger than he. By means of this self-evident parable (see Isaiah 49:24; Matthew 4:11), Jesus highlights that he is stronger than Satan; truly, he has no need of the devil.2
29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.