Mark 3:27

Mar_3:27

No man can enter into a strong mans house and spoil his goods.

The devils strength

Christ is showing that He casts out demons by a greater power than Satans, viz., by the power of His own Godhead. This He illustrates by a comparison taken from one who forcibly enters the house of a strong man, and makes spoil of it by violent seizure of the goods and weapons that he had in his house. Such an one must be stronger than the strong man, else he cannot do it. Even so (says the Saviour) seeing that I have forcibly entered upon Satans possession, and have bound him and spoiled his goods, i.e., taken from him that power and tyranny which he before exercised over the body of him that was possessed; and seeing I have also cast him out of his own house, i.e., out of the person possessed; hence it may appear that I have done all this by a greater power than the power of Satan is, even by the power of My Godhead. Note that-

1. Christ likens Satan to a strong man well armed, and furnished with weapons to defend himself and his house in which he dwells.

2. He likens Himself to One that is stronger than that strong man.

3. He resembles the person that was possessed with the demon to the house of the strong man in which he holds possession.

4. He resembles the power of Satan to the goods and weapons of the strong man.

5. He compares the casting out of Satan by Himself to the entering into the strong mans house, and binding of him, and spoiling of his house, etc. (G. Petter.)

Satan being likened to the strong man

, this teaches us that he is a creature of great strength and power (Luk_11:21; 1Pe_5:8; Eph_6:12).

I. Wherein this power of the devil is manifested-

1. In working upon the insensible creatures-air, earth, water, etc.

2. In working upon those sensible creatures that want reason-beasts, birds, fishes, etc. He is able to enter into them and to move and work in them.

3. On the bodies of men; entering into them, hurting and annoying them, vexing and tormenting them with pain and disease.

4. On the minds, hearts, and affections of men, in tempting them inwardly, and soliciting them to sin by inward suggestion. This he does, not directly, but partly by the outward senses representing evil objects to them and so conveying evil thoughts to the mind, and partly by insinuating himself into the fancy or imagination.

II. What kind of power it is. Not an absolute power, but limited.

III. From whence He derives it. From God only; and He who gave, controls it.

IV. Why God gives Him such power.

1. That His own Divine power may the more appear in subduing Satan.

2. For the trial of His own children.

3. For the executing of His heavy vengeance and punishment on the wicked by Satan. (G. Petter.)

The strong man armed:

First, the strong man armed keepeth his palace. For indeed it is a palace-that soul of yours-made to be a royal habitation; and well did the King of kings furnish it for Himself. He had supplied it marvellously with all that should be for royal use and royal glory, and He had decked it with the most precious ornaments, and He set a throne there. Is it empty? No. Who sits on it? Who is supreme there over the affections? Who is that that is holding his silken reins that are as bands of iron? The strong one-none know how strong but those who try to escape, and throw off his tyranny; so strong that his strength is unseen, while in stillness and in silence he holds his own; so strong that the greatest determination of the most strong-minded man, unaided, trying to break any one of those many bonds, would be as if he were to try to uproot a mountain. And well is that strong one armed. Not in vain has he been reading the human heart for six thousand years; not in vain are all his vast experiences. Of amazing intellect is he-of immense power-a fallen angel of light, and he can wear all aspects, and he can bear all disguises. Awful the thought-that as the Lord Jesus had His armour so has that strong one-wherein he rightly trusts. There are the light, glittering darts of pleasure, that which has slain many a mighty one. And there is the heavy sword of unsanctified intellect to lay low the strong-minded. And there is the breastplate of selfishness, wrapping the heart round in its soft indulgences. And there is the shield of uncharitable controversy, which irritates without convincing. And there is the helmet of bold presumption, starting high in its false professions; and the girdle of infidelity-cramping, binding, girding the very loins of the man; and the shoes that walk roughly, and the spirit that takes converse only with itself. So, for years and years, the strong one armed rules, and so he keeps his captives quiet. And it is a weeping sight before the holy angels-those noble courts of mans immortality, so trodden down, and profaned, and desolate. But the stronger comes; and now the fighting begins. Go with me a little way; for, thank God! that that gentle One who is so tender with weak and child-like hearts that He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, is yet of such gigantic might that He, stronger than the strongest, can and will trample down all His enemies and ours under His feet, till He brings forth judgment unto victory. See, then, how He binds. A little while ago some straitening circumstance happened to you, and you felt strangely circumscribed. Perhaps you were confined to your house; perhaps you were laid on a sick bed-you were shut out from the scenes you loved so well-your spirit felt cramped-your life became as a galling fetter-and you chafed against the restraint which you felt, but could not overcome. You did not know or think at that time that this was the very way by which that stronger one was proceeding to bind that old, strong, self-willed, impetuous nature in you, which, rampant so many years, had done you such grievous harm-you, who were the slave of your evil passions! Or, a very heavy trial almost crushed you-not you, but the old habit-the old affection-the old man in you-which many a lighter means had been tried, and tried in vain, to subdue and to destroy. Or, a very deep humiliation visited your heart, and many a high thought of your youth was brought low-you felt it very hard; for you did not realize into what pride the strong one was lashing you, and what curbing that proud heart of yours needed before it could be broken. And remember, even the knocking off the prisoners chains will give him pain, and the longer he has worn the chain the greater the pain of loosening. Now mark the spoil. He will bind the strong man, and then He will spoil his house. The habit of sin broken, the soul emancipated; Christ is free to claim His own property, which His own blood has purchased, and His own right hand has rescued. He had restored the property to its rightful owner. And wondrously, in His infinite love, He divides the spoils which He has taken. You, He gives to yourself, so that that is which was not before, nor ever could be-He has made you your own. Nevertheless, you are not your own, but His-your own, because you are His. Your heart, which Satan bound, and He looses, He keeps all for Himself. Your fellowships, your sympathies, He allots for the Church. Your time, your talents, your energies, your charities for the world; your highest exercises of mind, for communion with Himself; your faith for the promises; your ambition for the extension of the truth, and the exalting of His own empire; your awe and love for holy worship; your soul, bound up in the bundle of life, for heaven, and for eternity; your knees for prayer; your tongue for holy utterances; your ears for truth; your eyes to receive and emit sacred influences; your feet for mission; your whole body for saintly service. So He divides the spoils; and yet they are all the more one, because they are divided; for it is all for all; and all for all for Him; and all for all for Him forever. (J. Vaughan, M. A.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3:27 Jesus provided a better explanation for his ability to cast out demons: Someone stronger than Satan had arrived (1:7) and was able to loot Satan’s house. Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God (1:1), was introducing God’s Kingdom and rescuing people from Satan’s power.

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

Mar 3:27. Ἐὰν μὴ—δήσῃ, καὶ τότε—διαρπάσει) A most similar construction occurs; Deu 20:5, etc.—μὴ ἀποθάνῃ καὶ ἕτερος, ἐγκαινιε͂ι; also Gen 27:12; Mat 5:25; Mat 26:53; Mat 27:64; Rom 11:25-26; Rom 11:35; also Mar 5:23 at the end of the verse; Luk 13:25; Luk 18:7; Joh 12:35.

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

Mar 3:27 by another figure shows the true state of the case. Jesus, not in league with Satan or Beelzebub, but overmastering him, and taking possession of his goods, human souls. The saying is given by Mk. much the same as in Mt.

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

Verse 27. -30. No man, &c.] For an explanation of these verses, and a definition of the sin against the Holy Ghost, see Mt 12:29-33.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

27. a strong man’s house] The “strong man” is Satan; his House or Palace is this Lower world; the Stronger than the Strong is Christ, who first bound the Evil One, when He triumphed over his temptations. Comp. Luk_11:21-22.

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.

But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost,.... Against his person, and the works performed by him, by ascribing them to diabolical power and influence, as the Scribes did,

hath never forgiveness: there is no pardon provided in the covenant of grace, nor obtained by the blood of Christ for such persons, or ever applied to them by the Spirit;

but is in danger of eternal damnation. The Vulgate Latin reads it, and so it is read in an ancient copy of Beza's, guilty of an eternal sin; a sin which can never be blotted out, and will never be forgiven, but will be punished with everlasting destruction; See Gill on Mat 12:32.

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

27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

Ver. 27. {See Trapp on "Mat 12:29"}

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.

27. οὐ δύναται οὐδείς. See on Mar 1:44; neither here nor there is there a double neg. in Mt. This is a fourth παραβολή, but it is not parallel to the other three. It shows that, so far from being Satan’s agent, He is an enemy who is conquering him by driving out his agents. The picture comes from Isa 49:25, where Jehovah says “Even the captives of the strong one shall be taken away,” because the stronger than he has come, a saying which may have been proverbial.

τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ. The world is Satan’s home, and he and his demons are the household. See on τῷ ἄρχοντι, Mar 3:22, and cf. Eph 6:12.

εἰσελθών. This Christ did at the Incarnation.

τὰ σκεύη. Like vasa (Vulg.), a very comprehensive term. We need not interpret the σκεύη: Victor makes them mean mankind.

δήσῃ. It may be doubted whether this refers to anything so definite as the Temptation. Lk. has νικήσῃ, but he varies the picture considerably.

καὶ τότε. Again we have a somewhat superfluous statement; cf. Mar 1:32; Mar 1:42, Mar 2:23; Mar 2:25, etc. The ἰσχυρότερος deprives ὁ ἰσχυρός of his ill-gotten possessions. This seems to refer to the driving out of the demons; they are Satan’s representatives, and they are expelled from their usurped habitations. On the other hand, not even Satan can snatch (δύναται ἁρπάζειν) His sheep out of the hand of the Good Shepherd (Joh 10:27).

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.

27. οὐ δύναται οὐδεὶς εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ εἰσελθὼν τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ διαρπάσαι—no one can enter into the strong man’s house, and plunder his tools.

εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ εἰσελθὼν τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ, instead of τὰ σκεύη τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BCL Δ 33, Memph. Pesh.

In what precedes, Jesus has simply taken the negative attitude towards their charge that he is in collusion with Satan, showing that that is impossible. But in this verse he shows what is the real relation to Satan involved in his casting out demons. What it does mean is conflict with Satan, and victory over him. This also is stated in the form of an analogy, that no one can enter a strong man’s house, and despoil his tools, except he first bind the strong man. σκεύη is here not possessions or goods, but utensils, and denotes the demons as Satan’s instruments, or tools. What Jesus says is not simply an inference from his casting out of demons, though that is the proof of it to others. But this victory over Satan is a part of his self-consciousness. He knows that he has met Satan here on his own stamping ground, where he has been accustomed to take advantage of the weakness of men for their undoing; moreover, that Satan has approached him on this same side of his human weakness, and for once, has met his master. Instead of mastering, he has been himself mastered, and the mastery has been followed up by crippling; he has been bound. Here we come upon one of the deepest truths of Jesus’ life, that the real basis of his power, which is a spiritual power, is to be found in his own righteousness under difficulties, and those difficulties the same which are inherent in human nature, and due to the exposure of that nature to a subtle and victorious power of evil which had so far dominated the world.

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

Spoil [διαρπασαι] . Mark uses the stronger and more vivid compound verb, where Matthew employs the simple aJrpasai. The verb means, primarily, to tear in pieces; to carry away, as the wind; to efface, as footsteps. So, generally, to seize as plunder, snatching right and left.

His goods [τα σκευη] . Lit., his vessels. So Wyc. Compare Mr 10:16; Act 9:15; Act 10:11; 2Ti 2:20. The special object of the robber may be precious vessels of gold or silver; but the word is probably used in its general sense of household gear.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.