Mark tells us that experts in the law have come from Jerusalem. If these specialists undertook this five-day journey, it was because they had concluded that Jesus the Messiah posed a serious problem.
They do not come merely to investigate; they spread false claims to undermine the crowd's enthusiasm. They cannot deny the miracles, so they attribute them to Satan, thus turning Jesus the Messiah into a demon.
The atmosphere continues to deteriorate, and the pressure on Jesus the Messiah increases daily.
He will expose the inconsistencies in their statements, summon them and, once they have gathered, present them with a . This kind of statement avoids direct confrontation, since it allows for various interpretations.
The argument of Jesus the Messiah is structured around three main points.
The first point (Matthew 12.18) stresses that if Jesus were using the Devil's power to cast out Satan's demons, Satan would be fighting against himself, which would be inconsistent. He concludes that Satan's kingdom could not stand in such a situation.
The second point is mentioned in Matthew 12.19: he speaks of certain disciples of the who had also received the power to cast out demons, which did not seem to trouble the . This raises the question of the power by which they manage to cast out these demons.
The apostles and some of Jesus' disciples had also received this power (Mark 6.7, Mark 6.12-13, Luke 10.17, Matthew 10.1). What is the source of this power?
The third point, as illustrated in Matthew 12.29, Mark 3.27 and Luke 11.21-22: by opposing Satan and triumphing over him, Jesus the Messiah demonstrates that he possesses greater power. He embodies the stronger man in this , which Luke develops further.
The powerful man, representing Satan, manages to enslave certain people. However, another, even more powerful man, identified as Jesus the Messiah, succeeds in freeing them. The powerful man's house thus symbolizes the demonic world, into which Jesus the Messiah enters to free these people.
Through these various arguments, Jesus the Messiah refutes the accusations made by the , thus affirming his authority as the Son of God.
Matthew and Luke conclude with this statement: ‘Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.’ The choice is therefore clear: one is either for Jesus the Messiah or against him, with no other possible alternative. This means that the who oppose the Master will be lost unless they repent.