And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
All Commentaries on Matthew 12:26 Go To Matthew 12
Hilary of Poitiers
AD 368
For a city or family is analogous to a kingdom; as it follows, “And every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.”.
But the word of God is rich, and whether taken simply, or examined inwardly, itis needful for our advancement. Leaving therefore what belongs to the plain understanding thereof, let us dwell on some of the more secret reasons. The Lord is about to make answer to that which they had said concerning Beelzebub, and He casts upon those to whom He made answer a condition of their answering. Thus; The Law was from God and the promise of the kingdom to Israel was by the Law; but if the kingdom of the Law be divided in itself, it must needs be destroyed; and thus Israel lost the Law, when the nation whose was the Law, rejected the fulfilment of the Law in Christ. The city here spoken of is Jerusalem, which when it raged with the madness of its people against the Lord, and drove out His Apostles with the multitude of them that believed, after this division shall not stand; and thus (which soon happened in consequence of this division)the destruction of that city is declared. Again He puts another case, “And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall hie kingdom stand?.
Otherwise; If the daemon was driven to this division to the end that he should thus afflict the daemons, even thus must we attribute higher power to Him who made the division than to those who are thus divided; thus the kingdom of the Devil, after this division made, is destroyed by Christ.
