Mark 3:23

3:23-27 Jesus showed the absurdity of this charge by giving several analogies. Satan would not undo his own work.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 3:23.[27] Προσκαλεσάμενος, having called them to Him) By that very act He led them on to some degree of attention.—Σατανᾶν, Satan) see Mat 12:26, note.

[27] Mar 3:22. οἱ ἀπὸ ιἑροσολύμων καταβάντες, who came down from Jerusalem) on the days immediately before the Passover, when by this time all other men were going up. Jesus had been away from Jerusalem for a considerably long interval of time: therefore at this particular time now they were trying to restrain [check] Him in Galilee, where a great multitude of people was flocking around Him, that multitude being free from other concerns at the time, and preparing to go up to celebrate the Feast.—Harm., p. 314.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 3:23 . προσκαλεσάμενος : Jesus, not overawed by the Jerusalem authorities, invites them to come within talking distance, that He may reason the matter with them. ἐν παραβολαῖς , in figures: kingdom, house, plundering the house of a strong man. Next chapter concerning the parabolic teaching of Jesus casts its shadow on the page here. The gist of what Jesus said to the scribes in refutation of their theory is: granting that spirits are cast out by aid of another spirit, more is needed in the latter than superior strength . There must be qualitative difference in nature and interest. The argument consists of a triple movement of thought. 1. The absurdity of the theory is broadly asserted. 2. The principle on which the theory is wrecked is set forth in concrete form. 3. The principle is applied to the case in hand. πῶς δύναται , etc., how can Satan cast out Satan? It is not a question of power , but of motive, what interest can he have? A stronger spirit casting out a weaker one of the same kind? (so Fritzsche).

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(23) Said unto them in parables.—The word is used in its wider sense, as including any form of argument from analogy more or less figurative. As in most reports of discourses as distinct from facts, St. Mark is somewhat briefer than St. Matthew.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23. How can Satan cast out Satan?] Using an irresistible argumentum ad hominem He shews them the absurdity of supposing that Satan could be his own enemy. If neither kingdom, nor city (Mat_12:25), nor house could stand, when divided against itself, much less could the empire of the Evil One.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And if a kingdom be divided against itself,.... Any of the kingdoms of this world, and the kingdom of "Satan":

that kingdom cannot stand: not long; its internal broils and divisions will, soon bring it to desolation; See Gill on Mat 12:25.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

Ver. 23. {See Trapp on "Mat 12:25"} {See Trapp on "Mat 12:26"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 23-27. How can Satan cast out Satan? Observe here that our Lord distinctly affirms the personality of Satan, and a real kingdom of evil. But then he goes on to show that if this their allegation were true, namely, that he cast out devils by the prince or the devils, then it would follow that Satan"s kingdom would be divided against itself. As a house divided against itself cannot stand, so neither could the kingdom of Satan exist in the world if one evil spirit was opposed to another for the purpose of dispossessing, the one the other, from the minds and bodies of men. Our Lord thus employs another argument to show that he casts out evil spirits, not by Beelzebub, but by the power of God. It is as though he said, "As he who invades the house of a strong man cannot succeed until he first binds the strong man; in like manner I, Christ Jesus, who spoil the kingdom of Satan, whilst I lead sinners who had been under his power to repentance and salvation, must first bind Satan himself, otherwise he would never suffer me to take his captives from him. Therefore he is my enemy, and not in league with me, not my ally in the casting out of evil spirits, as you falsely represent me to be. It behoves you, then, to understand that it is with the Spirit of God that I cast out devils, and that therefore the kingdom of God is come upon you.

Vers. 23-27. "How can Satan cast out Satan?" or, the logic of spiritual forces.

The spirit of Christ"s answer to this malicious attack is calm, fearless, and full of light. He meets the charge with convincing and irrefutable logic.

I THE DEFENCE. There are two elements in his argument:

1. A demonstration. It is the familiar reductio ad absurdum, such as one might use with a schoolboy. It is so simple and trenchant that it straightway becomes an attack of the most powerful kind. He treats them as children in knowledge, and convicts them at the same time of diabolical malice.

2. An inference. Here the advantage is pushed beyond the point expected. tie is not satisfied with a mere disclaimer; he comes to a further and higher deduction. If it was true that he did not cast out Satan by Satan, then it must also be true that he cast out Satan in spite of the latter; and that could only mean one thing. Satan, "the strong man," must have been bound by the Son of man, else he would not suffer himself to be so "spoiled." This is at once an assurance full of comfort to his friends and a warning to his enemies.

II POSITIONS ASSUMED IN IT.

1. The solidarity of evil.

2. The irreconcilableness of the kingdoms of light and darkness. M.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

Jesus explains with a parable why it is foolish for people to think that Jesus is controlled by Satan. (See: Parables)

Jesus called them to him

"Jesus called the people to come to him"

How can Satan cast out Satan?

Jesus asked this rhetorical question in response to the scribes saying that he cast out demons by Beelzebul. This question can be written as a statement. AT: "Satan cannot cast out himself!" or "Satan does not go against his own evil spirits!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

If a kingdom is divided against itself

The word "kingdom" is a metonym for the people who live in the kingdom. AT: "If the people who live in a kingdom are divided against each other" (See: Metonymy)

cannot stand

This phrase is a metaphor meaning that the people will no longer be united and they will fall. AT: "cannot endure" or "will fall"(See: Metaphor and Litotes)

house

This is a metonym for the people who live in a house. AT: "family" or "household" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

Jesus

Satan

kingdom

house

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

23. προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτούς. The hostile Scribes were so far off that He had to summon them in order to address them. This shows that they had made this monstrous charge behind His back, when He was too far off to hear. Therefore, as in Mar 2:8 and Mar 3:4, it was because “He knew their thoughts” that He surprised them with this unanswerable question. As in Mar 2:8; Mar 2:17; Mar 2:19; Mar 2:25, Mar 3:4, He meets their indirect and underhand methods directly and openly.

ἐν παραβολαῖς. The original meaning of “comparison” occurs Mar 4:30 and is not wholly absent here; Euthymius has ἐν παραδείγμασιν. His questions are parallels to their accusation. To say that by evil spiritual power He casts out evil spirits is to say that Satan casts out himself, which is like saying that a kingdom or a house is divided against itself. But here the O.T. meaning of παραβολή may be uppermost, a “trite and terse saying” or a “symbolical saying.”

Πῶς δύναται; This question elsewhere implies that the thing is morally impossible (Mat 12:34), or physically impossible (Mat 12:29; Joh 6:52), or that no one would have the face to do it (Luk 6:42). Here it means that such conduct would be not only morally impossible but unthinkable; it involves a contradiction. The Satanic corporation does not violate the conditions of its existence. Note the pres. infin.; cannot go on casting out. We have here one of the many occasions of which it is recorded that Christ spoke of the great power of evil as a personal agent; Mar 4:15; Luk 10:18; Luk 13:16; Luk 22:31; Mat 25:41; Joh 8:44. See on Mar 1:13. It is difficult to believe that Christ was ignorant on this momentous point, or that, if He knew it to be a superstition, He yet encouraged men to hold it.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23.] προσκαλ. αὐτούς is not inconsistent (De Wette) with His being in an house—He called them to Him, they having been far off. We must remember the large courts in the oriental houses.

ἐν παρ.] namely, a kingdom, &c., a house, &c., the strong man, &c.

σατανᾶς σατ.] The external unity of Satan and his kingdom is strikingly declared by this simple way of putting the question: see note on Matt. The expression must not be taken as meaning, Can one devil cast out another? The σατανᾶς and σατανᾶν are the same person: cf. ver. 26.

26.] ἀλλὰ τέλ. ἔχει, peculiar to Mark.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23. ἐν παραβολαῖς—A parable is an analogy. It assumes a likeness between higher and lower things, such that what is true in one department holds good in another. It serves the purpose not only of illustration and of figurative statement, but also of proof. Here the apologetic purpose is evident. The analogy may be drawn out into a story, or description, as in most of Jesus’ parables, but this is not essential. In this case, Jesus begins with an abstract statement of his position, and then gives several analogous cases proving the general principle.

Σατανᾶς Σατανᾶ ἐκβάλλειν—Satan is the Heb. name of the devil, the prince of the demons. It means the Adversary, and except in this passage, and Luk 22:3, the name is written with the article.1 Jesus shows the fallacy of the scribes’ position by calling their attention to one essential element in his casting out of demons, which makes it impossible to account for it in their way. And that is, that his action toward the demons is hostile action. To be sure, his ordering them round, in itself considered, may be merely an exercise of the power which their ruler exercises over them. But when his authority is exercised, not for them, but against them, and against everything for which they and their ruler stand, he must be representing, not some friendly power, but a distinctly hostile force. They are so identified with their ruler, that what he does to them he does virtually to himself, and he does not cast himself out from one of his principal vantage points, possessing a special strategic value for his cause.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.