And if Satan rises up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand. his end has come.
In this verse Christ brings His logical line to its conclusion. If what the scribes said were true, then it would mean that the end of Satan’s kingdom is already unavoidable. But the reality is otherwise. Satan’s end comes not by his own will, but by Christ’s authority. He has come to bind the “strong man” and to set his captives free. Evil does not have final authority. Though it is a real power, before Christ its kingdom is already condemned. Where the Gospel enters, Satan’s dominion begins to collapse. This is not only a refutation of the scribes’ accusation, but also a comfort for believers, that the power of evil is not limitless and its end is certain in Christ’s victory.