A house divided cannot stand – What does this mean?

from the old testament

• Throughout their history in the Promised Land, the children of Israel struggled with conflict among the tribes. The disunity went back all the way to the patriarch Jacob, who presided over a house divided. The sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel had their share of contention even in Jacob’s lifetime (Genesis 37:1–11).
• After Solomon’s reign as king, contention led to the splitting of the nation into the northern and southern kingdoms—both of which were eventually led away into captivity (1 Kings 12; 2 Kings 17; 25).
• The northern kingdom is called “Israel” (or sometimes “Ephraim”) in Scripture, and the southern kingdom is called “Judah.”

from the new testament

• The famous proverb "a house divided against itself cannot stand" is found in each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 12:22–32; Luke 11:14–23; Mark 3:22–29).
• In Mark 3, the scribes accused Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebul, that is, Satan. They said "by the prince of demons he casts out the demons" (Mark 3:22). Jesus responded by saying "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand" (Mark 3:23–25). Jesus was saying, essentially, that it is impossible for Satan to cast himself out. He was pointing out that Satan's goal is to destroy, not to heal; Satan would not cast demons out of a person in order to promote Jesus, the Son of God, as a powerful and merciful savior and healer. It makes no sense at all for Satan to do this. Jesus exposed their faulty reasoning and unbelief.
• It seems that Satan was working to oppose Jesus by having the Jewish leaders accuse Jesus of being possessed. This is consistent with the deceptive nature of Satan, who "disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14)

implications for today

When Jesus told the scribes that "a house divided against itself cannot stand" he was exposing their stubborn unbelief. It is obvious that Satan doesn't cast out demons; the scribes and Pharisees were just trying to find reasons to hate and oppose Jesus because He posed a threat to their religious system. They depended on their own efforts for salvation, and for that reason, Jesus' message of dependence on God was odious to them. They were trying to find anything—even the ridiculous—that would prove them right and Jesus wrong. The Pharisees were desperate to silence Jesus at any cost. They became irrational and were ready to murder Him. They were the ones exhibiting the works of Satan, while Jesus exhibited the works of God.

The incident in which Jesus pointed out that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” challenges us to examine where we might be resisting God’s truth in our own lives. Like the scribes and Pharisees, we can fall into the trap of stubbornly holding on to our own ways, even when it leads us away from God's purposes. When we rely on our own efforts or cling to misguided beliefs, we risk becoming spiritually divided and ineffective. To align ourselves with Christ, we need to acknowledge the areas of resistance in our hearts, humbly surrender to His guidance, and walk in unity with God’s Spirit. This alignment brings peace and strength, enabling us to stand firm against the enemy's schemes.