Lohmeyer suggests that the “strong man” in the gospels (e.g. Mt. 12:29, Mk. 3:27) is Jesus. I have always understood these parabolic sayings as refering to Beelzebub or the demonic forces of evil that Jesus has been doing battle with. I’ve thought that Jesus is himself the “one” who enters the strong man’s house, binds him, and then sets about plundering the place. Lohmeyer’s comment is only made in passing, but his assumption seems to be that the “house” in question is the Temple, and therefore the “strong man” of the house would be Jesus, the Lord of the Temple. The context has to do with the authority of Jesus’ battle with evil spirits and demons, whether he is doing this by the power of demonic forces or by some other power (namely the Spirit of God). If Jesus is in fact the strong man, I guess the implication is that Beelzebub must come bind him if he’s going to have hope of plundering Israel.
I don’t know; my instinct is to stick with Jesus as the plunderer. Any thoughts?
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