Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 10:25

"It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household!" — Matthew 10:25 (ASV)

Here Jesus forbids the disciples from being surprised when they suffer persecution. If they follow him, they should expect no less. The statement reveals something of Jesus’ perception of the nature of his own ministry and of the way the “gospel of the kingdom” will advance in the world.

The insult “Beelzebub” has an uncertain derivation. It is often seen as coming from a Hebrew term meaning “lord of the flies,” a mocking takeoff on “Prince Baal.” However, a better view is to see it as a straightforward translation of oikodespotes (GK 3867; “head of the house”). Beelzeboul (see NIV note) is recognized in the NT as the prince of the demons and identified with Satan (12:24–27; Mark 3:22–26). Thus the real head of the house, Jesus, who heads the household of God, is being willfully confused with the head of the house of demons. The charge is shockingly vile—the Messiah himself rejected as Satan! If so, why should his disciples expect less?