Church Fathers Commentary Luke 11:21-23

"When the strong [man] fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." — Luke 11:21-23 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: As it was necessary for many reasons to refute the objections of His opponents, our Lord now uses a very plain example. Through this, He proves to those who will consider it that He overcomes the power of the world by a power inherent in Himself, saying, When a strong man armed keeps his palace.

St. John Chrysostom: He calls the devil a strong man, not because he is naturally so, but referring to his ancient dominion, of which our weakness was the cause.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For before the Savior's coming, he used to seize God's flocks with great violence and carry them, as if to his own fold.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Devil’s arms are all kinds of sins, and by relying on them, he prevailed against men.

The Venerable Bede: He calls the world the devil's palace, which lies in wickedness. In it, until our Savior's coming, the devil enjoyed supreme power because he rested in the hearts of unbelievers without any opposition.

But Christ has conquered with a stronger and mightier power, and by delivering all people, He has cast the devil out. This is why it is added, But when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him...

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For as soon as the Word of the Most High God—the Giver of all strength and the Lord of Hosts—was made man, He attacked the devil and took away his arms.

The Venerable Bede: His arms, then, are the craft and the wiles of spiritual wickedness, but his spoils are the people themselves, who have been deceived by him.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For the Jewish people, who had long been entrapped by him in ignorance of God and in sin, have been called out by the holy Apostles to the knowledge of the truth and presented to God the Father through faith in the Son.

St. Basil the Great: Christ also divides the spoil, showing the faithful watch which angels keep over the salvation of humanity.

The Venerable Bede: As conqueror, Christ also divides the spoils, which is a sign of triumph. For leading captivity captive, He gave gifts to men, ordaining some as Apostles, some as Evangelists, some as Prophets, and some as Pastors and Teachers.

St. John Chrysostom: Next, we have the fourth answer, where it is added, He who is not with me is against me. It is as if to say, "I wish to present people to God, but Satan wishes the contrary. How then could someone who does not work with Me, but scatters what is Mine, be so united with Me as to cast out demons with Me?" It follows, And he who does not gather with me, scatters.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: It is as if He said, "I came to gather together the children of God whom the devil has scattered. And Satan, since he is not with Me, tries to scatter those whom I have gathered and saved. How then can the one I strive to resist supply Me with power?"

St. John Chrysostom: But if the one who does not work with Me is My adversary, how much more so is the one who actively opposes Me? It seems to me, however, that He is here figuratively referring to the Jews, aligning them with the devil. For they also worked against Him and scattered those whom He gathered together.