Ep. Mark 3:22–27 How Can Satan Cast Out Satan?

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.” So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.”— Mark 3:22–27 (NKJV)

The Accusation

The scribes didn’t come from Galilee’s synagogues. They came down from Jerusalem — the center of religious authority. Their verdict was sharp: “He has Beelzebub.”

To accuse someone of being possessed by the ruler of demons was the harshest judgment they could deliver. It was more than slander; it was to brand Jesus as outside the covenant, a danger to Israel itself.

Other Gospel Details

Matthew tells us this moment followed the healing of a blind and mute man. The people were whispering, “Could this be the Son of David?” (Matt. 12:23). Luke adds that Jesus said, “If I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20).

Mark records it most bluntly: not only that Jesus worked by Beelzebub, but that He had him. His very person was being branded demonic.

The Strong Man’s House

Jesus answered with a parable. If Satan were casting out Satan, his kingdom was already collapsing. No, something else was happening: the strong man was being bound, and his goods plundered.

The image wasn’t new. Isaiah had promised: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children” (Isa. 49:25).

What Isaiah had prophesied, Jesus was claiming. Satan was strong — but someone stronger had entered his house.

How the First Readers Heard It

Mark’s first audience, likely Christians in Rome, lived under Caesar, who claimed to be “lord.” They also lived in a world full of fear about spirits and omens. To hear that Jesus was not only confronting Satan but raiding his kingdom would have been electrifying.

This wasn’t a proverb about teamwork. It was an announcement of war: God’s reign was breaking into history, and Satan’s grip was ending.

When Good Is Called Evil

There was a time when my wife and I stepped in to help a family we cared about. Social Services was involved, and the children were at risk of being placed with strangers. The kids begged to come with us, so we opened our home. We wanted to help the parents keep their family together.

But somewhere in the process, something shifted. Instead of seeing us as allies, the parents began treating us as if we were the enemy. At one point, one of them even said they believed Satan was working through me. That cut deeply. Our only intention had been love and support, but in their eyes, our care had been twisted into opposition.

In the end, their choices cost them more time away from their children than was necessary. What stayed with me most was the sting of being misunderstood — even demonized — while trying to do good.

The Point for Us

Jesus was accused of being in league with Satan while He was overthrowing him. If the Spirit’s work in Him was misread as demonic, why should we expect to be treated differently?

Sometimes love will be branded as hate. Help will be treated as harm. Faithfulness will look like madness. That’s not failure — it’s the pattern of the kingdom.

Closing Word

The strong man is bound. The stronger One has come. His house is being plundered, and the captives are being set free.

Reference Notes

• Beelzebub: 2 Kings 1:2–3; BDAG, Βεελζεβούλ.

• Isaiah Echoes: Isa. 49:24–25; Isa. 27:1; Isa. 61:1.

• Historical Context: Josephus, Antiquities 8.45–48 (Jewish exorcists); Dead Sea Scrolls 4Q510–511 (demonology).

• Parallel Accounts: Matthew 12:22–29; Luke 11:14–22.