Parable of the Strong Man

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The Hanged Man's House, Cézanne, 1873.

The Parable of the strong man (also known as the parable of the burglar and the parable of the powerful man) is a parable told by Jesus in the New Testament, found in Matt 12:29, Mark 3:27, and Luke 11:21–22, and also in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas where it is known as logion 98[1]

Text[]

In Luke chapter 11, the parable is as follows:

When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armour in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.

— Luke 11:21-22, World English Bible

Interpretation[]

In the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this parable forms part of the Beelzebul controversy, where Jesus's opponents accuse him of gaining his power to exorcise demons by being in league with Satan. Interpreted in this context, the strong man represents Satan, and the attacker represents Jesus. However, this is an opposite interpretation of what Jesus meant. In Matthew 12:22-29, where they brought Jesus a man possessed by a demon, the demon is the one who "binds" the strongman before possessing him. The strongman is the victim of the demon. The demon had caused the strongman to be blind (to the truth) and could not speak because of the possession. For example, if a demon "blinds" the strong man from the truth of the 7th-day Sabbath of resting mentally on Saturday, then he cannot think properly and logically (not mentally resting at the proper time, just like not sleeping for two or three days a person cannot think straight), and the person is easier to deceive and be influenced by the demon (possession). Many misinterpret this to mean that Jesus is the one who binds the strongman, but it is the demon who binds the strongman before possessing him (his now-possessed illogically-thinking mind, as many people, including many Christians and theologians, have).

Jesus thus says that he could not perform exorcisms (represented by stealing the strong man's possessions) unless he was opposed to – and had defeated – Satan (represented by tying up the strong man).[2][3][4] Craig S. Keener suggests that the parable relates to the common wisdom that "no one plunders a strong man,"[5] while R. T. France and others see the parable as echoing the Book of Isaiah:[6][7]

Can plunder be taken from warriors,
or captives rescued from the fierce?

But this is what the LORD says:
"Yes, captives will be taken from warriors,
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;
I will contend with those who contend with you,
and your children I will save. (Isaiah 49:24–25, NIV)

It has been suggested that "Beelzebul" means "house of Ba'al", and that the image of the strong man's house was originally a wordplay on this.[7]

In the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, which does not have the context of the Beelzebul controversy, the parable has been interpreted as merely suggesting that "shrewd planning and careful strategy" are necessary in order to accomplish one's goals.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ "Gospel of Thomas (Lambdin Translation) -- The Nag Hammadi Library". gnosis.org. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  2. ^ Jürgen Becker, trans. James E. Crouch, Jesus of Nazareth, Walter de Gruyter, 1998, p. 184
  3. ^ Duane Frederick Watson, The Intertexture of Apocalyptic Discourse in the New Testament, Brill Academic Publishers, 2003, p. 26
  4. ^ William Telford, The Theology of the Gospel of Mark, Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-521-43977-9, p. 62
  5. ^ Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999, ISBN 0-8028-3821-9, p. 364
  6. ^ R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007, ISBN 0-8028-2501-X, p. 481
  7. ^ a b James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2001, p. 121
  8. ^ Richard Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas, Routledge (UK), 1997, p. 111
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