The phrase “binding the strong man” comes from a statement Jesus made recorded in Matthew 12:29, Mark 3:27, and Luke 11:21-22. In these passages, Jesus makes reference to someone entering into a strong man’s house and plundering his goods. He indicates that in order to do this, one must first “bind the strong man”. Understanding the context and meaning behind this analogy gives insight into an important spiritual truth.
The background for this statement was Jesus’ ministry of healing and deliverance from demons. He had been going throughout Galilee preaching the gospel and casting out demons from people who were oppressed. The Pharisees who observed this accused Jesus of operating under the power of Satan rather than the power of God (Matthew 12:24, Mark 3:22). Jesus responded by explaining how illogical this accusation was – why would Satan cast out his own demons and undermine his own work? No, it was by the Spirit of God that Jesus was delivering people from bondage.
To illustrate his authority over the powers of darkness, Jesus gave the analogy of the strong man’s house. The strong man represents Satan, the ruler of demons and god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). His “house” is the sphere of influence he wields on earth. As long as his power goes unchecked, Satan has free reign over his domain and the people under his sway. But Jesus came to change that.
By casting out demons and setting the captives free, Jesus demonstrated his power and authority over Satan’s kingdom. Through his words, miracles, and eventual death and resurrection, Jesus “bound the strong man” – he removed Satan’s ability to freely exercise his control and deception over humanity. Where Christ’s light shines, the darkness has to flee. As one commentator notes, “The ‘strong man’ – Satan – has been bound by Christ’s victory on the cross, death, resurrection, and ascension.”
There are a few key implications we can draw from this analogy of binding the strong man:
- Jesus Christ is stronger than Satan – He alone had the power to restrain the devil and plunder his kingdom through his redemptive work.
- Jesus’ mission was to deliver people from Satan’s grip – The gospel sets captives free from their slavery to sin, death, and condemnation.
- The kingdom of darkness has been invaded – Though not fully defeated, Satan’s power and domain have been dealt a mortal blow by Christ.
- Believers have authority in Christ – As we remain in Christ, we walk in the authority He demonstrated over spirits, sin, and deception.
- Spiritual warfare requires confronting the strongman – As we proclaim the gospel and see people set free, we participate in binding Satan’s work.
In many ways, the analogy of binding the strong man is a picture of what happened spiritually through Jesus’ earthly ministry and atonement. He confronted the devil face-to-face and dealt the decisive blow that would lead to his ultimate defeat. While we wait for Christ’s return when Satan will be completely vanquished, we can walk in the victory and authority Jesus’ secured for us. We can boldly enter into the strong man’s house, set captives free, and plunder what was stolen through deception and subjugation. Christ has bound the devil, but now the church is called to join in announcing and enforcing the victory until he comes again.
1. The background context of Jesus’ statement
To fully understand Jesus’ analogy, it’s important to look at the events and conversations that prompted him to speak about binding the strong man. There are a few key points of context to note:
- Jesus had been going throughout Galilee preaching, teaching, and healing (Matthew 4:23). His miracles included casting out demons from people.
- The Pharisees accused Jesus of operating under Satan’s power rather than God’s when they saw him deliver people from demonic spirits (Matthew 12:24).
- Jesus exposed the illogical nature of their accusation – why would Satan undermine his own work? (Matthew 12:25-29)
- Jesus established that he operated by the power of the Holy Spirit to plunder Satan’s kingdom.
- To illustrate this authority, Jesus gave the analogy of someone entering a strong man’s house and plundering his goods after binding him.
Recognizing what prompted Jesus to share this analogy helps us see the significance of his statement. He was affirming his divine authority over spiritual forces of darkness through the ministry of deliverance.
2. Jesus is the one who binds the devil
A key understanding from this passage is that Jesus alone had the power and authority to restrain Satan and render him unable to freely work in people’s lives. A few verses bring this out:
Matthew 12:29 – “How can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.”
Luke 11:21-22 – “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.”
As the Son of God, Jesus was the only one who could successfully enter Satan’s domain (“strong man’s house”) and overpower him. Through his sinless life, miraculous works, death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead, Jesus essentially stripped Satan of his armor and rendered him unable to keep people captive to sin and deception.
It’s not that Satan no longer has influence and power in the world, but his grip has been forcefully broken by Christ’s redemptive work. Believers are now able to resist and overcome him because of what Jesus accomplished (James 4:7, 1 John 2:13-14). Where God’s kingdom advances, the devil’s grip is loosened. Jesus is the hero who binds the villain in this story.
3. The purpose was to set captives free
Why did Jesus come to bind the strong man? So that captive souls could be set free! Jesus states this plainly:
Matthew 12:29 – “…he may plunder his house.”
Luke 11:21-22 describes it this way:
Luke 11:21-22 – “When one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he…divides his spoil.”
The “plunder” and “spoil” refers to the people who were under Satan’s sway but could now be delivered and transferred into Christ’s kingdom. As the prophet Isaiah spoke of the Messiah:
Isaiah 49:24-25 – “Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued? But thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued.”
Jesus’ mission was to set the captives free through the gospel. Wherever the good news spreads, souls are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into his marvelous light (Colossians 1:13). The binding of Satan was a necessary step in the plundering of his house and the rescue of his captives.
4. The kingdom of darkness has been invaded
Jesus’ analogy indicates that his ministry inaugurated an invasion into enemy territory. Satan had been ruling over the earthly realm unchallenged for ages. But Jesus came to change that. His incarnation, sinless life, and redemptive work launched an incursion into the very stronghold of the devil. Scripture affirms this:
Colossians 2:15 – “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them.”
1 John 3:8 – “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
While the final destruction of Satan’s kingdom will happen when Christ returns, Jesus’ first coming dealt a devastating blow. His death and resurrection sealed the ultimate defeat of the powers of darkness. Like an arrow through the heart, the gospel pierced through the domain of the enemy and began the process of dismantling his works.
5. Believers have authority in Christ over the demonic
Because of Christ’s finished work, believers are given authority in his name over the demonic realm. Scripture affirms this authority:
Luke 10:19 – “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”
Mark 16:17 – “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons.”
Since Jesus bound the strong man, Christians can now directly confront dark powers by pronouncing Christ’s victory over them. When believers exercise their position in Christ through faith, the forces of evil have to yield.
Examples of this authority can be seen in Paul’s ministry. In Acts 16:16-18, he cast out a spirit of divination from a slave girl. In Acts 19:11-12, even handkerchiefs Paul touched could be used to heal people and drive out evil spirits.
This authority is not our own, but Christ’s. We can only confront the demonic in the strength of Jesus’ name and his finished work on the cross. But where people walk in genuine faith in God’s Word, the devil flees.
6. Spiritual warfare involves binding the strong man
Jesus’ words hold important truths for the topic of spiritual warfare. Confronting the powers of darkness looks like “binding the strong man” through proclaiming the gospel and releasing those held captive.
This binding happens as we:
- Share the good news of Christ which displaces deception and breaks bondages (Isaiah 61:1)
- Expose schemes of the enemy through prayer and discernment (Ephesians 6:11-12)
- Exercise authority in Christ’s name over spirits that afflict people (Matthew 10:1)
- Walk in righteousness, faith, proclamation of Scripture to dispel darkness (Ephesians 6:10-17)
Wherever believers carry Christ’s light through word, prayer and deeds, the devil is firmly bound from establishing rule. We can participate in plundering his house as God’s kingdom expands.
7. Examples of binding Satan’s work
The book of Acts provides examples of what it can look like for believers to bind the work of the strongman today as they carry out Christ’s mission:
- Preaching the gospel – Philip’s preaching and miracles in Samaria defeated sorcery and witchcraft in that region (Acts 8:4-13).
- Healing – Peter healed a paralyzed man in the name of Jesus, bringing deliverance and defeating the devil’s work (Acts 9:32-35).
- Casting out spirits – Paul directly confronted and cast out a demonic spirit from a slave girl (Acts 16:16-18).
- Burning sorcery items – New believers in Ephesus repented and burned books of magic, weakening demonic influence (Acts 19:17-20).
In each case, the gospel’s advance into Satan’s territory resulted in tangible defeat of his work and liberation of people in bondage. This is what it looks like when the light of Christ invades the darkness – the devil’s grip is forcefully broken. Where God’s truth prevails, the power of evil is bound.
8. We still battle against the devil’s schemes
An important reminder is that though Satan has been decisively bound through Christ’s finished work, we still battle against his schemes until Jesus returns. Some verses that bring this out:
Ephesians 6:12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
1 Peter 5:8-9 – “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.”
Believers should not underestimate the devil’s ploys for deception, temptation, fear, and accusation. We’re to stay watchful, sober-minded, and firm in the faith as we resist his workings. The good news is that we have God’s armor to protect us (Ephesians 6:10-18). Walking in the Spirit’s power and Christ’s victory enables us to overcome anything the enemy tries to bring against us.
9. Jesus will destroy all evil rule and authority when He returns
The binding of the strong man began through Jesus’ earthly ministry. But Scripture speaks of a coming day when Christ will completely destroy all satanic rule and hand the kingdom over to God the Father:
1 Corinthians 15:24-26 – “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
Revelation 19:11-16 – “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war… He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”
All authority will be handed back to the Father once Jesus has finally put down every evil spiritual power. As the rightful ruler of the cosmos, the devil and all his hordes will be completely conquered by Christ upon his return. The binding that began at Calvary will culminate with absolute victory.
10. How this should shape our lives and prayers
Understanding the truth about Jesus binding the strong man should empower our lives and prayers in these ways:
- We can have boldness sharing the gospel, knowing Christ’s authority backs us (Acts 28:31).
- We should pray for those held captive, asking God tear down spiritual strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
- We can pray confidently against demonic influences, covered by Christ’s blood.
- Walking in the Spirit helps us resist deception and temptation (Galatians 5:16).
- We look with hope to the day when all evil will be vanquished forever.
Jesus’ victory enables us to confront darkness without fear. His death and resurrection give us power to proclaim freedom over areas still influenced by the devil’s work (Isaiah 61:1). We bind the enemy’s activities through faith in the risen Christ!
