Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 12:29

"Or how can one enter into the house of the strong [man,] and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong [man]? and then he will spoil his house." — Matthew 12:29 (ASV)

The devil is the strong man, the giant robber. He holds men in his possession as a warrior holds his property. There is no taking his goods from him without first confronting him personally. The very idea of plundering him while you are his friend, or while he remains unconquered, is ridiculous.

Our Lord, when His work began, bound Satan. The presence of God in human flesh was a restraint upon humanity's foe. Having bound the enemy, He now takes from his house those spoils that would otherwise have remained forever in his possession.

There is no deliverance for us except through our Lord’s victory over our powerful tyrant. Glory be to His name; He has bound the mighty and He takes from him his prey! This was our Lord’s fair and self-evident explanation of the matter about which the Pharisees theorized so despicably.