Matthew 12:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

NASB: Or, how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

CSB: How can someone enter a strong man's house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

NLT: For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger — someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

KJV: Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

NKJV: Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Colossians 1:13 says God "has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Jesus is describing the beginning of that dramatic rescue.

Ever since the fall of mankind (Genesis 3:1–13), Satan had wide freedom on the earth, oppressing people and holding them captive in his "domain of darkness." One of the first actions of Jesus' ministry was to do battle with Satan in the form of several temptations (Matthew 4:1–11). Jesus concluded that battle by saying to Satan, "Be gone!" Satan left, and Jesus' power over Satan was established. Satan could do nothing to stop Jesus from carrying out His plans in the heart of Satan's former domain.

That's what Jesus is describing in this verse. He has entered Satan's house, the earth, to plunder his goods, the people who will be God's. He began that "robbery" by first binding the strong man, Satan, so that He, Jesus, could work freely in removing Satan's grasp from those who would eventually trust in Christ.

Jesus' point to the Pharisees was larger than merely denying that He obtained power from Satan. It's that His power is precisely the opposite of that: it's godly power. The Pharisees were as wrong as they could possibly be about what was happening in the world right before their eyes.

Matthew 12:22–32 begins with Jesus healing a demon-oppressed man who cannot see or speak. The passage ends with a controversial, troubling statement. The crowds wonder if Jesus is the Messiah. Some Pharisees say Jesus casts out demons by the power of the prince of demons. Jesus counters their argument with both logic and a harsh rebuke. The Pharisees have missed the truth: the kingdom of God has come. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—seeing such a miracle and attributing it to Satan—is a sin which will not be forgiven.

Matthew 12 features confrontations between the Pharisees and Jesus over several issues. Among these are working on the Sabbath, healing on the Sabbath, and the source of His power to cast out demons. Jesus counters each argument and rebukes the Pharisees sharply for their obstinate unbelief. He even notes that those who maliciously ascribe His miracles to demons are unforgivable. He warns them, and the rest of their current generation, about the judgment to come. Jesus calls the Pharisees a brood of vipers and rejects their demand for another miracle. All they'll be promised is the sign of Jonah. The Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days. Jesus also states that all who do His Father's will are His family.

Matthew 11 depicted Jesus preaching and teaching after sending out His chosen disciples in pairs in chapter 10. Chapter 12 immediately picks up with more confrontation with the Pharisees. Jesus responds to those criticisms and rebukes their evil hearts as the source of their evil words. In the following chapter, Matthew will shift His focus onto Jesus' parables.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.