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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
John Chrysostom
Even before now they had accused Him of this, that "by Beelzebub He casteth out the devils." But whereas then He did not rebuke them, allowing them both to know His power by His more numerous miracles, and by His teaching to learn His majesty: now, since they continued saying the same, He proceeds also to rebuke them, showing His Godhead by this first, that He made their secrets public; and secondly, by the very act of casting out the devils with ease. And indeed the accusation too was very shameless. …
Theophylact of Ohrid
"And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?" By divulging their thoughts He shows that He is God. He defends Himself from their accusation by means of everyday examples, and reveals their foolishness. For how is it that demons cast out one another when in fact they strive to assist one another? …
Western Saints
Jerome
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. The crowds marveled and confessed that he, who performed such great signs, was the son of David. But the Pharisees attributed the works of God to the prince of demons. To them, the Lord did not respond to their words, but to their thoughts, so that they might be compelled to believe in his power, who saw the hidden things of the heart.
Hilary of Poitiers
For a city or family is analogous to a kingdom, as it follows, And every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. But the word of God is rich, and whether taken simply, or examined inwardly, it is needful for our advancement. Leaving therefore what belongs to the plain understanding thereof, let us dwell on some of the more secret reasons. The Lord is about to make answer to that which they had said concerning Beelzebub, and He casts upon those to whom He made answer a condition of their answering. …
Thomas Aquinas
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them. In this part Jesus refutes his detractors: first, he argues against their statements; secondly, against the detractors (v. 31). He refutes their statements with four arguments, the second of which is at v. 26, the third at v. 26b, the fourth at v. 30. The first is stated most aptly: Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste. First he states the major premise, when he says, Every kingdom... There are three kinds of community: the house or family, the city and the kingdom. …
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