THE STRONG MAN BOUND

Matthew 12:29 - King James Version (KJV)

 29 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.

In this very climactic encounter with the Pharisees over Jesus’ reshaped definition of the kingdom of God, He shows the absurdity of the charge of casting out demons by Satan’s power.  On the contrary, the exorcisms demonstrate the penetration of Satan’s kingdom by the kingdom of God in Jesus. Jesus binding and plundering of the strong man was further inaugurated by His crucifixion and resurrection, is propagated by the church and will be consummated through the events of Age to Come.

• The world, that sat in darkness, and lay in wickedness, was in Satan’s possession, and under his power, as a house in the possession and under the power of a strong man; so is every un-renewed soul; there Satan resides, there he rules.

a.) Now, the design of Christ’s gospel was to spoil the devil’s house, which, as a strong man, he kept in the world; to turn the people from darkness to light, from sin to holiness, from this world to a better, from the power of Satan unto God (Acts 26:18); to alter the property of souls.

b.) Pursuant to this design, he bound the strong man, when he cast out unclean spirits by his word: thus he wrested the sword out of the devil’s hand, that he might wrest the sceptre (grave) out of it. The doctrine of Christ teaches us how to construe his miracles, and when he showed how easily and effectually he could cast the devil out of people’s bodies, he encouraged all believers to hope that, whatever power Satan might usurp and exercise in the souls of men, Christ by his grace would break it: he will spoil him, for it appears that he can bind him. When nations were turned from the service of idols to serve the living God, when some of the worst of sinners were sanctified and justified, and became the best of saints, then Christ spoiled the devil’s house, and will spoil it more and more.

It is here intimated, that this holy war, which Christ was carrying on with vigour against the devil and his kingdom, was such as would not admit of a neutrality (Matt. 12:30), He that is not with me is against me. In the little differences that may arise between the disciples of Christ among themselves, we are taught to lessen the matters in variance, and to seek peace, by accounting those who are not against us, to be with us (Luke 9:50); but in the great quarrel between Christ and the devil, no peace is to be sought, nor any such favorable construction to be made of any indifference in the matter; he that is not hearty for Christ, will be reckoned with as really against him: he that is cold in the cause, is looked upon as an enemy.

When the dispute is between God and Baal, there is no halting between two (1 Kgs. 18:21), there is no trimming between Christ and Belial; for the kingdom of Christ, as it is eternally opposite to, so it will be eternally victorious over, the devil’s kingdom; and therefore in this cause there is no sitting still with Gilead beyond Jordan, or Asher on the sea-shore, (Jdg. 4:16, 17), we must be entirely, faithfully, and immovably, on Christ’s side; it is the right side, and will at last be the rising side. See Exod. 32:26.

The latter clause is to the same purport: He that gathereth not with me scattereth.

Note, (1.) Christ’s errand into the world was to gather, to gather in his harvest, to gather in those whom the Father had given him, John 11:52; Eph. 1:10. 

(2.) Christ expects and requires from those who are with him, that they gather with him; that they not only gather to him themselves, but do all they can in their places to gather others to him, and so to strengthen his interest.

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)
www.biblestoriestheatre.org
info@biblestoriestheatre.org