𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁 𝟭𝟮:𝟮𝟮 – 𝟯𝟮

“𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 “𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘳-𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘳” 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭. 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.” [Page 302, James C. Scott, Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Resistance, Yale University Press, 1985]

 The context of the above quote from James C. Scott derives from two years living in a Malaysian village in the late 1970’s chronicling its transition from a largely non-mechanized peasant society to a mechanized, capitalistic one. He notes how the strategies of headmen and elites of the village encourage the poor and marginalized, who are being displaced and reduced to pure survival strategies as a result of the transition to technology, are designed to pit the them against one another.

  The well-known maxim “divide and conquer”—in Latin, 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢 —expresses a strategy as old as empire itself, though its precise wording has a later history. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿. Philip II of Macedon, for instance, secured dominance over the Greek city-states in the 4th century BCE not only through military strength but by cleverly fostering rivalries among them, ensuring they could not unite against him. Julius Caesar likewise exploited the feuds among Gallic tribes, setting them against one another while Rome extended its reach.

 In Matthew 12:22–32 Jesus heals a man who is blind and mute. The crowds marvel, but the Pharisees (representatives of the Judean elite) respond by saying: “𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘻𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴.” Jesus replies with sharp logic: “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘧 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥?” He is essentially exposing the irrationality of their accusation: if his exorcisms are Satan’s work, then Satan is undermining his own empire.

 Behind this clever rebuttal is a profound recognition:

·         Systems of domination endure only by 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺. If the ruling powers are divided, they collapse. If the ruled are divided, domination thrives. 

Jesus intuits that the Judean aristocracy—landed priestly elites, temple authorities, and their Roman patrons—sustain their power precisely by keeping “the people of the land” (peasants, artisans, day laborers) divided and suspicious of one another. 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗲𝘀’ 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰: 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰,” 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺—𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

 Scott describes how domination works most effectively when the dominated turn on each other rather than uniting against elites. This occurs when: Scarcity and debt push people into competition for survival. Gossip, suspicion, and petty conflicts keep them atomized. Patronage networks reward loyalty to elites but discourage solidarity among equals.

 Jesus seems to see through this structure: if domination is essentially “Satan’s kingdom,” then the aristocracy’s tactic of sowing division among the common people is a Satanic logic. His own ministry (healings, meals, parables) does the opposite—it restores community, mutual recognition, and solidarity, breaking the cycle of “beggar-thy-neighbor” survival.

 So when Jesus says, “𝘐𝘧 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 ,”  it’s not just a theological observation. It’s a 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁:

• The ruling order (symbolized by “Satan”) depends on unity at the top and division below.
• Any system that undermines itself through internal fracture will collapse.
• Jesus’ exorcisms symbolize liberation not only from demons but from the psychic and social atomization that sustains elite domination.

 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

 ·         The aristocracy’s strategy: divide the poor, unite the rulers.

 ·         Jesus’ strategy: unite the poor, expose the rulers’ division.

 This inversion is why his opponents find him dangerous. He is building solidarity among the very people who have been kept fragmented—healing not only bodies but communities.

 Jesus recognizes that the Judean aristocracy keeps the “people of the land” subordinated by setting them against one another—a strategy Scott later identified as central to domination. In Matthew 12, Jesus unmasks this logic by showing that only a united “kingdom” can endure. By implication, the real satanic order is the elite’s use of division to maintain power, while his work builds the opposite: a community of healing, solidarity, and resistance.