TRV
Translation
King James Version
And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
Complete Jewish Bible
But he called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan expel Satan?
Berean Standard Bible
So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?
American Standard Version
And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
World English Bible Messianic
He summoned them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
Geneva Bible (1599)
But he called them vnto him, and said vnto them in parables, How can Satan driue out Satan?
Young's Literal Translation
And, having called them near, in similes he said to them, `How is the Adversary able to cast out the Adversary?
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In the KJVVerse 24,312 of 31,102
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Commentary on Mark 3 verses 22–30
22 ¶ And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
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.
28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points
I. Here is, The impudent impious brand which the scribes fastened upon Christ's casting out devils, that they might evade and invalidate the conviction of it, and have a poor excuse for not yielding to it. These scribes came down from Jerusalem, Mar 3:22. It should seem they came this long journey on purpose to hinder the progress of the doctrine of Christ; such pains did they take to do mischief; and, coming from Jerusalem, where were the most polite and learned scribes, and where they had opportunity of consulting together against the Lord and his Anointed, they were in the greater capacity to do mischief; the reputation of scribes from Jerusalem would have an influence not only upon the country people, but upon the country scribes; they had never thought of this base suggestion concerning Christ's miracles till the scribes from Jerusalem put it into their heads. They could not deny but that he cast out devils, which plainly bespoke him sent of God; but they insinuated that he had Beelzebub on his side, was in league with him, and by the prince of the devils cast out devils. There is a trick in the case; Satan is not cast out, he only goes out by consent. There was nothing in the manner of Christ's casting out devils, that gave any cause to suspect this; he did it as one having authority; but so they will have it, who resolve not to believe him.
II. The rational answer which Christ gave to this objection, demonstrating the absurdity of it.
1.Satan is so subtle, that he will never voluntarily quit his possession; If Satan cast out Satan, his kingdom is divided against itself, and it cannot stand, Mar 3:23-26. He called them to him, as one desirous they should be convinced; he treated them with all the freedom, friendliness, and familiarity that could be; he vouchsafed to reason the case with them, that every mouth may be stopped. It was plain that the doctrine of Christ made war upon the devil's kingdom, and had a direct tendency to break his power, and crush his interest in the souls of men; and it was as plain that the casting of him out of the bodies of people confirmed that doctrine, and gave it the setting on; and therefore it cannot be imagined that he should come into such a design; every one knows that Satan is no fool, nor will act so directly against his own interest.
2.Christ is so wise, that, being engaged in war with him, he will attack his forces wherever he meets them, whether in the bodies or souls of people, Mar 3:27. It is plain, Christ's design is to enter into the strong man's house, to take possession of the interest he has in the world, and to spoil his goods, and convert them to his own service; and therefore it is natural to suppose that he will thus bind the strong man, will forbid him to speak when he would, and to stay where he would, and thus show that he has gained a victory over him.
III. The awful warning Christ gave them to take heed how they spoke such dangerous words as these; however they might make light of them, as only conjectures, and the language of free-thinking, if they persisted in it, it would be of fatal consequence to them; it would be found a sin against the last remedy, and consequently unpardonable; for what could be imagined possible to bring them to repentance for their sin in blaspheming Christ, who would set aside such a strong conviction with such a weak evasion? It is true, the gospel promiseth, because Christ hath purchased, forgiveness for the greatest sins and sinners, Mar 3:28. Many of those who reviled Christ on the cross (which was a blaspheming of the Son of man, aggravated to the highest degree), found mercy, and Christ himself prayed, Father, forgive them; but this was blaspheming the Holy Ghost, for it was by the Holy Spirit that he cast out devils, and they said, It was by the unclean spirit, Mar 3:30. By this method they would outface the conviction of all the gifts of the Holy Ghost after Christ's ascension, and defeat them all, after which there remained no more proof, and therefore they should never have forgiveness, but were liable to eternal damnation. They were in imminent danger of that everlasting punishment, from which there was no redemption, and in which there was no intermission, no remission.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 22–30. Public domain.
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Pseudo-Jerome (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
Or this is meant; that he will not deserve to work out repentance, so as to be accepted, who, understanding who Christ was, declared that He was the prince of the devils.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
EIGHTY-THREE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS, QUESTION 79.2
Now as for the Lord’s saying: “Satan cannot drive out Satan,” lest perhaps anyone using the name of some of the lowest powers when driving out a demon should think this opinion of the Lord’s to be false, let him understand the point of this saying: Satan does spare the body or the senses of the body, but he tempts the senses for the purpose of dominating the will of the man in question, in a triumph of greater import, through the error of impiety. Satan does not strike for the body as such, but rather for the innermost self in order to work in him in the manner described by the apostle: “according to the prince of the power of this air, who is now active in the sons of disobedience.” For Satan was not troubling and tormenting the senses of their bodies, nor was he battering their bodies, but he was reigning in their wills, or better, in their covetousness.
Pseudo-Chrysostom (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 500
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) The blasphemy of the Scribes having been detailed, our Lord shows that what they said was impossible, confirming His proof by an example. Wherefore it says, And having called them together unto him, he said unto them in parables. How can Satan cast out Satan? As if He had said, A kingdom divided against itself by civil war must be desolated, which is exemplified both in a house and in a city. Wherefore also if Satan's kingdom be divided against itself, so that Satan expels Satan from men, the desolation of the kingdom of the devils is at hand. But their kingdom consists in keeping men under their dominion. If therefore they are driven away from men, it amounts to nothing less than the dissolution of their kingdom. But if they still hold their power over men, it is manifest that the kingdom of evil is still standing, and Satan is not divided against himself.
(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) He says indeed, that blasphemy concerning Himself was pardonable, because He then seemed to be a man despised and of the most lowly birth, but, that contumely against God has no remission. Now blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is against God, for the operation of the Holy Ghost is the kingdom of God; and for this reason, He says, that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost cannot be remitted. Instead, however, of what is here added, But will be in danger of eternal damnation, another Evangelist says, Neither in this world, nor in the world to come. By which is understood, the judgment which is according to the law, and that which is to come. For the law orders one who blasphemes God to be slain, and in the judgment of the second law he has no remission. nHowever, he who is baptized is taken out of this world; but the Jews were ignorant of the remission which takes place in baptism. He therefore who refers to the devil miracles, and the casting out of devils which belong to the Holy Ghost alone, has no room left him for remission of his blasphemy. Neither does it appear that such a blasphemy as this is remitted, since it is against the Holy Ghost. Wherefore he adds, explaining it, Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
BedeAD 735
On the Gospel of Mark
And calling them together, he said to them in parables: How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. A kingdom and city divided against itself cannot persist. But just as small things grow through harmony, so the greatest things fall apart through discord (Sallust). Therefore, if Satan fights against himself, and a demon is an enemy of another demon, the end of the world should already have come so that adversarial powers would not have a place in it, since war among them means peace for humans. But if you think, O Scribes and Pharisees, that the departure of demons is due to obedience to their prince, to deceive ignorant men with fraudulent simulation, what can you say about the health of bodies, which the Lord has brought about. It is one thing if you assign to demons also the weaknesses of members and the signs of spiritual powers. And if Satan has risen up against himself, he is divided, and he cannot stand, but has an end. By saying this, he wanted to be understood from their own confession that by not believing in him they had chosen to be in the kingdom of the devil, which surely could not stand divided against itself. Therefore, let the Pharisees choose what they will. If Satan cannot cast out Satan, they could find nothing to say against the Lord. But if he can, they should more carefully consider themselves, and depart from his kingdom, which cannot stand divided against itself.
Bede (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 735
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(in Marc. i. 17) The Lord has also bound the strong man, that is, the devil: which means, He has restrained him from seducing the elect, and entering into his house, the world; He has spoiled his house, and his goods, that is men, because He has snatched them from the snares of the devil, and has united them to His Church. Or, He has spoiled his house, because the four parts of the world, over which the old enemy had sway, He has distributed to the Apostles and their successors, that they may convert the people to the way of life. But the Lord shows that they committed a great sin, in crying out that that which they knew to be of God, was of the devil, when He subjoins, Verily I say unto you, All sins are forgiven, &c. All sins and blasphemies are not indeed remitted to all men, but to those who have gone through a repentance in this life sufficient for their sins; thus neither is Novatusm right, who denied that any pardon should be granted to penitents, who had lapsed in time of martyrdom; nor Origen, who asserts that after the general judgment, after the revolution of ages, all sinners will receive pardon for their sins, which error the following words of the Lord condemn, when He adds, But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, &c.
(ubi sup.) Neither however are those, who do not believe the Holy Spirit to be God, guilty of an unpardonable blasphemy, because they were persuaded to do this by human ignorance, not by devilish malice.
Theophylact of Ohrid (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1107
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
The meaning of the example is this: The devil is the strong man; his goods are the men into whom he is received; unless therefore a man first conquers the devil, how can he deprive him of his goods, that is, of the men whom he has possessed? So also I who spoil his goods, that is, free men from suffering by his possession, first spoil the devils and vanquish them, and am their enemy. How then can ye say that I have Beelzebub, and that being the friend of the devils, I cast them out?
We must however understand, that they will not obtain pardon unless they repent. But since it was at the flesh of Christ that they were offended, even though they did not repent, some excuse was allowed them, and they obtained some remission.
Glossa Ordinaria (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1274
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(non occ.) And because He has already shown by an example that a devil cannot cast out a devil, He shows how he can be expelled, saying, No man can enter into a strong man's house, &c.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
In Mark 3:23, Jesus directly confronts the absurd accusation from the scribes that He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. He calls them to Himself and, using a series of rhetorical questions framed as parables, challenges their illogical premise by asking how Satan could possibly cast out Satan. This pivotal verse sets the stage for Jesus' profound teaching on the nature of spiritual authority, the unity of evil in its opposition to God, and the ultimate triumph of God's Kingdom over the dominion of darkness.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Mark 3:23 immediately follows the serious accusation leveled against Jesus by scribes who had come down from Jerusalem. In Mark 3:22, they declared, "He has Beelzebub, and by the prince of demons He casts out demons." This charge was not merely a misunderstanding but a malicious theological attack, implying that Jesus' miraculous power stemmed from demonic rather than divine sources. Jesus' response in verse 23 initiates a crucial discourse (extending through Mark 3:27) where He systematically dismantles their argument through irrefutable logic and powerful imagery, ultimately asserting His superior authority over the kingdom of darkness.
Historical & Cultural Context: The accusation of being possessed by Beelzebub (a derogatory name for Baal-Zebul, a Philistine deity, often associated with demonic power in Jewish tradition) was a grave insult and a theological condemnation. In first-century Jewish society, exorcism was recognized, but the source of the power was paramount. Attributing Jesus' power to Beelzebub was an attempt to discredit His ministry and delegitimize His claims of divine authority. The scribes, as religious authorities, sought to protect their established order and viewed Jesus' popular movement and unconventional methods as a threat, leading them to resort to such extreme and blasphemous accusations.
Key Themes: This verse introduces several profound themes that resonate throughout Mark's Gospel and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it highlights the logical fallacy of internal division within a unified entity, a concept Jesus elaborates upon in Mark 3:24-26. Secondly, it underscores the nature of evil as a unified, albeit perverse, force fundamentally opposed to God. Satan's kingdom, while destructive, maintains a strategic coherence in its rebellion against divine order. Thirdly, Jesus' response implicitly asserts His divine authority over all spiritual powers. By exposing the absurdity of their claim, He subtly points to the true source of His power, which is from God, not from Satan. This aligns with other passages where Jesus demonstrates unparalleled power over evil spirits, such as when He casts out demons with a word (e.g., Mark 1:27).
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jesus employs several potent literary devices in this concise verse. The most prominent is Rhetorical Question, "How can Satan cast out Satan?" This is not a question seeking information but one designed to make an obvious point, exposing the inherent absurdity and illogic of the scribes' accusation. It forces the listeners to acknowledge the self-evident truth that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. This question also functions as a form of A fortiori Argument, implying that if even Satan's kingdom has a perverse unity, how much more should God's kingdom operate with unity, and how illogical it is to suggest that God's power would be used to undermine itself. Furthermore, the use of "parables" (G3850, parabolē) here, though not a lengthy narrative, serves as a concise Adage or Proverb, a short, memorable saying that encapsulates a universal truth about unity and division, making Jesus' point both profound and easily grasped.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Mark 3:23 serves as a foundational statement in Jesus' defense, not only refuting the scribes' blasphemous accusation but also unveiling deeper theological truths about the nature of spiritual conflict and the kingdom of God. By exposing the internal consistency of Satan's kingdom, Jesus implicitly highlights the even greater unity and power of His own mission. His ability to cast out demons is not a sign of internal demonic strife but rather an undeniable demonstration of a superior, divine power actively invading and dismantling the dominion of darkness. This act signifies the inbreaking of God's Kingdom, where the "strong man" (Satan) is being bound and his possessions plundered, an idea further developed in the subsequent verses.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jesus' logical and direct rebuttal in Mark 3:23 offers profound insights for believers today. It calls us to cultivate spiritual discernment, not to blindly accept accusations or claims, but to apply sound reasoning and biblical truth to evaluate what we hear, especially concerning spiritual matters. Just as Jesus exposed the illogic of His accusers, we are challenged to think critically and to test the spirits, ensuring our understanding aligns with God's revealed truth. This passage also underscores the reality of spiritual warfare and the organized nature of evil. Satan's kingdom, though destined for defeat, operates with a perverse unity in its opposition to God. This awareness should motivate us to stand firm in our faith, recognizing that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil. Furthermore, if even the kingdom of darkness understands the necessity of unity for its survival, how much more should the church, the body of Christ, strive for genuine unity in purpose and mission, avoiding internal divisions that weaken its testimony and hinder its effectiveness in advancing God's kingdom.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Jesus use "parables" for such a short question?
Answer: The Greek word G3850 (parabolē) translated as "parables" in this context is broader than just long stories. It can refer to a proverb, an adage, a riddle, or a concise, illustrative saying that conveys a deeper truth or exposes a logical flaw. Jesus' question, "How can Satan cast out Satan?" functions as a powerful, self-evident truth, a short, pointed illustration of the absurdity of the scribes' accusation. It's a rhetorical device that makes His point with undeniable clarity, much like a proverb.
What does this verse tell us about the nature of Satan's kingdom?
Answer: This verse, along with Jesus' subsequent explanation in Mark 3:24-26, reveals that Satan's kingdom, though evil and chaotic in its effects, possesses a perverse internal unity. It is not self-destructive in its primary goals. Satan's aim is to oppose God and His Kingdom, not to undermine his own dominion. Therefore, the idea of Satan actively casting out his own demons is illogical, as it would lead to the collapse of his power structure. This implies a strategic, albeit evil, organization within the forces of darkness.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Mark 3:23, while a direct refutation of a false accusation, profoundly points to the Christ-centered fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. Jesus' ability to cast out demons, which the scribes maliciously attributed to Satan, is in fact the clearest evidence of His divine authority and the inbreaking of God's Kingdom. The very question, "How can Satan cast out Satan?" sets the stage for Jesus' subsequent teaching about binding the strong man (Mark 3:27), signifying that He, the stronger one, has come to conquer Satan and plunder his domain. This foreshadows the ultimate victory of Christ over sin, death, and the devil, a victory fully realized through His atoning work on the cross and His resurrection. The New Testament consistently presents Jesus as the one who has disarmed the powers and authorities (Colossians 2:15), crushed the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15), and holds the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:18). His exorcisms are not merely acts of compassion but demonstrations of the Kingdom of God advancing, proving that the Son of God appeared for this very purpose: "to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). Thus, Mark 3:23, in its logical simplicity, powerfully affirms Jesus as the sovereign Lord over all spiritual forces, the true King whose kingdom will never be divided or fall.