Matthew 12:26

Matthew 12:26, in plain English

Jesus asks: if Satan is driving out his own demons, he is fighting himself. How could his kingdom possibly survive? The accusation does not hold up.

Why it's here

Jesus is showing that the Pharisees' claim crumbles under its own weight. Satan would not sabotage his own operations.

Who's speaking

Jesus continues responding to the Pharisees.

Where it sits in the story

Jesus makes the absurdity crystal clear: Satan tearing down his own kingdom makes zero sense. The accusation is not just wrong -- it is illogical.

The scholarly reading

Jesus applies the principle directly: if Satan (Satanas) casts out Satan, he is divided against himself (eph' heauton emeristhe), and his kingdom cannot stand -- making the Pharisees' accusation self-defeating.

Language and setting

This is the specific application of the general principle from verse 25. Jesus demonstrates that attributing His exorcisms to Satan undermines the very concept of demonic power the Pharisees invoke.

Voice

Jesus continues His logical rebuttal to the Pharisees.

Significance

Jesus drives the point home: the Pharisees' own logic, if followed consistently, would mean Satan is systematically destroying his own power structure -- an absurd conclusion.

24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”

25Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?

27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Read all of Matthew 12 — Grain fields on a Saturday spark a furious confrontation. Jesus claims an authority that makes the Pharisees begin plotting his death.