Parable of the Strong Man Parable of the Strong Man The Parable of the strong man (also known as the parable of the burglar and the parable of the powerful man) is a parable told by Jesus in the New Testament, found in , , and . In Luke, the parable is as follows: In the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this parable forms part of the Beelzebul controversy, where Jesus's opponents accuse him of gaining his power to exorcise demons by being in league with Satan. Interpreted in this context, the strong man represents Satan, and the attacker represents Jesus. Jesus thus
Parable of the Strong Man will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. (, NIV)</poem> It has been suggested that "Beelzebul" means "house of Ba'al," and that the image of the strong man's house was originally a wordplay on this. In the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, which does not have the context of the Beelzebul controversy, the parable has been interpreted as merely suggesting that "shrewd planning and careful strategy" are necessary in order to accomplish one's goals. Parable of the Strong Man The Parable of the strong man (also known as the parable of the burglar and the