“But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house” Mark 3:27
Did you ever really stop and think about this verse? So, Jesus is talking about breaking into someone’s house and robbing them. He is comparing himself to the Robber and Satan to the Strong Man. Does that seem at all odd to you? Now it is quite true that just because Jesus tells a parable does not mean he condones all the behavior in the parable. He tells these stories both to hide wisdom from the doubter and to give wisdom to the seeker. But it is clear here that there is a conflict between Jesus and Satan where the scribes saw collusion. It is clear that he means to bind and rob Satan. This strikes us as odd these days, we have been taught about a warm fuzzy Jesus who is loving and accepting of everyone no mater what they do. Even having an enemy is labeled as ‘unloving’ and certainly ‘unChristian’. How much more tying them up and pillaging their house? But this is just because we are dumb.
This verse should, again, call to mind the Exodus story from the Old Testament.
The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. -Exodus 12:33-36
and later:
“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” -Deuteronomy 6:11,12
This idea of plundering the Egyptians became the common Medieval theme which we might call ‘general revelation’ today. It is the idea that Christendom can take whatever value there is in secular thinking and use it for the Glory of God, that is, use it for Christian Apologetics. Indeed it is the very idea of leveraging earthly wealth for kingdom gain (Matthew 25:14-30). We can all see the value of gold and silver, we see them as mere metal, religiously neutral, but ideas? Many early Christians so despised the non-Christian institutions of the Roman Empire that they simply sought to destroy them. But cooler heads prevailed and it was realized that there was much value in the Roman civilization which could be used for the Kingdom. Augustine took the logical reasoning of the Roman philosophers and turned it back on them by proving Christianity more logical than their own philosophies, in his City of God. Logic and formal argument were pillaged. Latin writing and numbering and the Roman Calendar were adopted. Even the very notion of Empire, all of the known world united into one, was realized in the Byzantine Empire. No doubt the Christians did without all the idols, the temples and their prostitutes. But why tear up the roads or the reason?
Of course Israel was supposed to use the wealth they had plundered to build a tabernacle to Jehovah, instead they built a golden calf.
It is easy to fall into two camps today. We either reject everything that is from the world as evil or we embrace it all, without even thinking it could do harm to our souls. This is difficult work, sorting out the plunder of the the enemy and turning his own weapons upon him. I know I’m sounding too militaristic again, and everyone knows Jesus told Peter to put his sword away because he was a pacifist. Well except for all of the war language, over and over in the New Testament. This is a war, there are real weapons, real victories and real losses. It’s not all just philosophical and ethereal. There are real houses that need to be plundered.
It’s very easy to criticize the Charismatics for thinking that we must bind the spirits. It requires no action now and none later. But they have their problems and we have ours The fact is that this is what Jesus said he was doing, what he must do before he could plunder this house. At least they have the language correct. If you want to know where they get it from, it is right here. Where do you get the notion that binding spirits is wrong? Clearly those with power over Satan’s minions are with Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit. To say otherwise is to blaspheme. If our war is not physical, and it is not over spirits what is it exactly? I guess it’s just a nice social club, gathering to talk about the bible. Oh the twisted web we weave, exempting ourselves from any responsibility.
Responsibility is precisely what we should take. We are Heirs with Christ Romans 8:17, we inherit this earth! We, the Church, are his body to whom all authority over principalities and powers and every ruler have been given Ephesians 1:22,23. Our faith should produce real results or it is dead saysJames. Does Ephesians 6 sound like Paul was just talking about the Apostolic period and now we don’t really need to deal with Spiritual Warfare? Because that’s how we act.