Mark 3:25

Mark 3:25, in plain English

He continued, 'If a family is divided against itself, that family can't hold together.'

Why it's here

From nations to families—the principle is the same. Internal division destroys from the inside. Satan isn't foolish enough to destroy his own operation.

Who's speaking

Jesus reinforces His point with a second analogy, this time about a household.

Where it sits in the story

Jesus made it personal. Everyone has seen a family torn apart by internal fighting. The same logic applies: Satan wouldn't wage war on himself. Jesus was fighting against Satan, not for him.

The scholarly reading

Jesus extended the analogy: a household divided against itself (eph' heautēn meristhē) likewise cannot stand, reinforcing the logical impossibility of Satan opposing his own forces.

Language and setting

Moving from the political (kingdom) to the domestic (household), Jesus brought the analogy closer to home, making the argument accessible at every level of society.

Voice

Jesus continues His argument with a second, more intimate analogy about a divided household.

Significance

The progression from kingdom to house narrowed the focus, making the principle increasingly personal and undeniable. Every listener knew from experience that a household torn by internal conflict cannot endure.

23So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?

24If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand.

25If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand.

26And if Satan is divided and rises against himself, he cannot stand; his end has come.

27Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

Read all of Mark 3 — A man with a withered hand, a crowd pressing in from every side, and twelve unlikely men called to change the world.