Anchor My Faith

Plundering the Strong Man’s House

Scripture: Matthew 12:28; Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21-22

In the previous lesson Jesus was trying to show the scribes the error of them accusing him of casting out demons by Beelzebul. In this lesson we will finish this section by seeing how Jesus supports his position.

^{Mt 12:28} “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

The amazing power that Jesus displayed in his ministry was due to the power of the Holy Spirit working through him. “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him” (Matthew 3:16 ESV). When beginning his ministry, Jesus returned from his time of testing in the wilderness in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country (Luke 4:4 ESV). It is by this power that Jesus is casting out demons (Matthew 12:28) and if that is true, then the kingdom of God has come.

The kingdom of God is inaugurated through the ministry of Jesus but is not yet completely realized. In Matthew 12:23 reference was made to the messianic Son of David, but in addition to that he is the King who exercises God’s own kingdom power against Satan and his agents and through a much greater power he overcomes the kingdom or domain of darkness. An interesting thread to follow is given in the following three references: Isaiah 59:17; Ephesians 6:10 – 20; and Revelation 19:11 – 21.

 In Isaiah we find “[The Lord] put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak” (Isaiah 59:17 ESV). This looks ahead to the Revelation passage.

Then in the Ephesians passage, we are instructed to put on the whole armor of God, which included the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes to deliver the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, and with prayer, we are to boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel. We are also included in the Revelation passage.

In the Revelation passage we again find the Lord, described as the Word of God who provided for our salvation, now riding on a white horse with the armies of heaven following him, coming in judgment. ¹² “His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. ¹³ He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Jesus continues his comments to the scribes by saying: ^{Lk 11:21} “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe, ^{Mk 3:27} and no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods. ^{Lk 11:22} But when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted. ^{Mk 3:27} Then indeed he may plunder his house ^{Mk 11:22} and divide his spoil.”

The strong man that Jesus had the power to overcome was Satan. We saw this victory over Satan when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1 – 11). All during the ministry of Jesus, Satan was unable to prevent him from proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and demonstrating the reality of its presence through his work and words. Then at the cross he was defeated.

The strong man’s house represents the sinful world over which, until the coming of Jesus Christ, he had such power. Jesus has come with power to overcome the guards and plunder the house and rescue people of faith for the kingdom. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13 ESV).

Conclusion

In which kingdom do you find your allegiance? At the cross the kingdom of darkness, Satan’s kingdom, was defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Through faith in who Jesus is and the work he has finished for our salvation, we can become members of the kingdom of the beloved Son by grace through faith. Be sure you belong to the right kingdom before it is too late!