Matthew 12:22-30 / Mark 3:20-27 / Luke 11:14-23…
People were amazed at the power of Jesus, they couldn’t deny it. The exorcisms drew so much attention from people that it was impossible for anyone to even eat because it was so crowded around Him. Many wondered if Jesus could actually be the long awaited Messiah.
The religious leaders would have none of it. By accusing Jesus of being possessed by demons, the scribes were committing a very heinous sin. Jesus knew their thoughts, and responds by saying their accusations are illogical (Luke 11:17-18), that they are hypocritical (Luke 11:19), and He tells those who want to test Him that His power is demonstrable (Luke 11:20). It proves that He is from God.
Jesus uses this small parable about plundering a house to show His enemies that His power was superior to Satan’s power. He could plunder Satan’s kingdom of its goods, like those human beings tormented by demonic possession.
However, we should not assume that our demonstration of the kingdom and Jesus’ demonstration of the kingdom will be the same. He was drawing a picture to disprove the religious leaders and discredit their accusations. He wasn’t giving the disciples or us a pattern for ministry. He gave His disciples the power to cast out demons, but nowhere did He tell them to “bind the strong man,” and we have no record of their attempting such. If Jesus had intended this “binding the strong man” to be a pattern for our ministry, He would have made it clear. The thing that is clear is that Jesus is greater than Satan, He is not his counterpart.
Jesus leaves us no middle ground. He says that you either believe He is of God or of the Devil. Are you with Him?
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