Jesus tells this parable:
"How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." (NIV)
I want to quote the middle line for you from the NASB version (which is what we used in our study) to give you a different "flavor" of Jesus' words.
"But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house."
Isn't that fascinating?! When Jesus speaks of the strong man, he is, of course, referring to Satan, who, many of us can attest, is a mighty strong opponent. But Jesus is speaking of robbing and plundering the property of Satan! Yes, that's right, Jesus is endorsing piracy!
"Wait a minute!" you say. "Jesus also tells us to not steal. Isn't that a commandment?"
Yes, it is a commandment. And no, Jesus isn't being literal. It is, after all, a parable. However, I do believe Jesus' choice of words should be heeded. Three things to focus on: 1) Satan is likened to a strong man; 2) the "strong man" (Satan) can be bound/tied up; 3) we are called to "plunder/rob" (fight valiantly) for the things Satan lays claim to.
Let us first establish what it is that Satan "owns," that is, the things that Jesus is robbing and plundering. In John 12:31, 14:30, & 16:11 Jesus speaks of Satan as the "prince of this world". When Jesus was tempted, the final temptation is for Jesus to worship Satan, and in return Satan would give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. So is it the things of this world that Satan owns? Does Jesus want us to plunder Satan of money, cars, houses, status and other riches? I don't think so; that seems contrary to Jesus' own teachings to value Him above all other things. However, I do think the things of this world do need to be plunder, but we will get there.
In Ephesians 6:12, Paul instructs believers that "our struggles is not against flesh and blood, but against the...powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil...." This, then, is truly what Jesus is talking about. Satan has laid claim to souls. Any soul that does not love and treasure Christ is in the possession of Satan. Therefore this is the battle ground on which we fight. We wage war on Satan for the souls that do not yet know Christ. When Christ says that he "plunders" the things of Satan, he establishes the value of the human soul. It is treasure that is to be wanted, like valued objects in a house are the ones a thief comes for.
Now, to the binding of the strong man. No doubt about it, Satan seduces humans with all kinds of temptations. He is viciously conniving and deviously convincing when it comes to the appeal of evil. He does not show evil to be evil at all, but rather presents evil as the best option for us to choose. Many students that I teach at the Christian school have expressed their frustrations at how hard it is to live a Christian life. They know the truth that we are all imperfect and bound to make mistakes. The one thing I encourage them in (when I hear this conversation) is to not give up hope and not give up striving. Just because we are eventually going to trip up in sin is not excuse to not try in the first place.
But the fact that Jesus alludes to binding or tying up the strong man must bring us encouragement, and not just a small hint or sense of encouragement, but a full sword-bearing, sword-swinging encouragement. It is possible to bind Satan. James encouraged the first-century Christians (and us) by tell them the way to bind and tie up Satan. "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (4:7, NIV) Going back to the temptations of Jesus, we see that for every temptation Jesus responded with scripture. This, then, is how we bind and hog-tie Satan--hide away scripture in your heart and meditate upon it day and night. This is also how we will plunder the souls that Satan lays claim to. All scripture can be used to reveal the nature of God, confront the truth of sin (which Satan does not want the world to know is its prime problem), and lead people to the cross and love of Christ, the only Savior, to whom be glory forever, Amen!
So to sum up 1) Satan is to be taken seriously as a legitimate threat; 2) though Satan is strong, it is not an impossible fight when the Sword of the Spirit of Truth (the Word) is used; 3) souls are at stake--this battle is literally a matter of life and death eternal. Consider which ending you want for yourself and your loved ones. Then begin to hide God's Word away in your heart and follow Christ's commands to carry His teachings to the very ends of the earth (starting in your neighborhood, of course).
I want to quote the middle line for you from the NASB version (which is what we used in our study) to give you a different "flavor" of Jesus' words.
"But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house."
Isn't that fascinating?! When Jesus speaks of the strong man, he is, of course, referring to Satan, who, many of us can attest, is a mighty strong opponent. But Jesus is speaking of robbing and plundering the property of Satan! Yes, that's right, Jesus is endorsing piracy!
"Wait a minute!" you say. "Jesus also tells us to not steal. Isn't that a commandment?"
Yes, it is a commandment. And no, Jesus isn't being literal. It is, after all, a parable. However, I do believe Jesus' choice of words should be heeded. Three things to focus on: 1) Satan is likened to a strong man; 2) the "strong man" (Satan) can be bound/tied up; 3) we are called to "plunder/rob" (fight valiantly) for the things Satan lays claim to.
Let us first establish what it is that Satan "owns," that is, the things that Jesus is robbing and plundering. In John 12:31, 14:30, & 16:11 Jesus speaks of Satan as the "prince of this world". When Jesus was tempted, the final temptation is for Jesus to worship Satan, and in return Satan would give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. So is it the things of this world that Satan owns? Does Jesus want us to plunder Satan of money, cars, houses, status and other riches? I don't think so; that seems contrary to Jesus' own teachings to value Him above all other things. However, I do think the things of this world do need to be plunder, but we will get there.
In Ephesians 6:12, Paul instructs believers that "our struggles is not against flesh and blood, but against the...powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil...." This, then, is truly what Jesus is talking about. Satan has laid claim to souls. Any soul that does not love and treasure Christ is in the possession of Satan. Therefore this is the battle ground on which we fight. We wage war on Satan for the souls that do not yet know Christ. When Christ says that he "plunders" the things of Satan, he establishes the value of the human soul. It is treasure that is to be wanted, like valued objects in a house are the ones a thief comes for.
Now, to the binding of the strong man. No doubt about it, Satan seduces humans with all kinds of temptations. He is viciously conniving and deviously convincing when it comes to the appeal of evil. He does not show evil to be evil at all, but rather presents evil as the best option for us to choose. Many students that I teach at the Christian school have expressed their frustrations at how hard it is to live a Christian life. They know the truth that we are all imperfect and bound to make mistakes. The one thing I encourage them in (when I hear this conversation) is to not give up hope and not give up striving. Just because we are eventually going to trip up in sin is not excuse to not try in the first place.
But the fact that Jesus alludes to binding or tying up the strong man must bring us encouragement, and not just a small hint or sense of encouragement, but a full sword-bearing, sword-swinging encouragement. It is possible to bind Satan. James encouraged the first-century Christians (and us) by tell them the way to bind and tie up Satan. "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (4:7, NIV) Going back to the temptations of Jesus, we see that for every temptation Jesus responded with scripture. This, then, is how we bind and hog-tie Satan--hide away scripture in your heart and meditate upon it day and night. This is also how we will plunder the souls that Satan lays claim to. All scripture can be used to reveal the nature of God, confront the truth of sin (which Satan does not want the world to know is its prime problem), and lead people to the cross and love of Christ, the only Savior, to whom be glory forever, Amen!
So to sum up 1) Satan is to be taken seriously as a legitimate threat; 2) though Satan is strong, it is not an impossible fight when the Sword of the Spirit of Truth (the Word) is used; 3) souls are at stake--this battle is literally a matter of life and death eternal. Consider which ending you want for yourself and your loved ones. Then begin to hide God's Word away in your heart and follow Christ's commands to carry His teachings to the very ends of the earth (starting in your neighborhood, of course).
