What does it mean that every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand?
Jesus’ answer shows that like the Pharisees (Matthew 11:24), he affirms that there is an organized, hierarchical demonic realm. He compares Satan’s realm to a kingdom, a city, and a house—that is, an ordered society carrying out the will and aims of Satan.
In Matthew 12:24 the Pharisees had spoken of the prince of demons,
implying that Beelzebul’s power is spreading through Jesus. Jesus shows the Pharisees that he could not be casting out demons by Beelzebul’s power, for internal division means the end of any kingdom and any society, but while Jesus affirms the existence of an organized kingdom of Satan, he, in contrast to the Pharisees, labels both the ruler and the demons as Satan to stress the unity of the force of evil. For him there is only one Satan, one adversary of God: the tempter, the evil one.
From Jesus’ answer in Matthew 12:25 it becomes evident that he, like the Pharisees (see Matthew 12:24) acknowledges the existence of an organized, hierarchical realm of demons. He then proceeds to compare this realm of Satan to a kingdom, a city, and a house—in other words an ordered society with a common will and common goals, in this case the will and aims of Satan.1
From this shared conviction, regarding the existence of evil, Jesus proceeds to prove to the Pharisees that it is not possible that he is casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, for internal division spells the end of any kingdom and any society. Yet although Jesus affirms the existence of an organized kingdom of Satan, he, in contrast to the Pharisees, refers to both the ruler and the demons simply as Satan in order to emphasize the unity of the force of evil. For him there is only one Satan, one adversary—the tempter, the evil one, the enemy of God.2
In Matthew 12:24 the Pharisees had spoken of the prince of demons,
implying the existence of a kingdom in which Beelzebul’s power is spreading through Jesus. Here in Matthew 12:25 Jesus dismantles that claim, however. If both the expelled demon and the exorcist of that demon himself belonged to the same kingdom, then that kingdom would already be divided—and a divided kingdom is no threat since it is inevitably on the path towards demise. After all, every kingdom or city divided against itself is destined to collapse.3
25 Comme Jésus connaissait leurs pensées, il leur dit: Tout royaume divisé contre lui-même est dévasté, et toute ville ou maison divisée contre elle-même ne peut subsister.