Matthew 12
12
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
1About that same time, Jesus was walking through some fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His followers were with him, and they were hungry. So they began to pick the grain and eat it. 2The Pharisees saw this, and they said to Jesus, “Look! Your followers are doing something that is against the Jewish law to do on the Sabbath day.”
3Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry? 4David went into God’s house. He and those with him ate the bread that was made holy for God. It was against the law for them to eat that bread. Only the priests were allowed to eat it. 5And have you not read in the law of Moses that on every Sabbath day the priests in the Temple break this law about the Sabbath day? But the priests are not wrong for doing that. 6I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. 7The Scripture says, ‘I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices.’# Quotation from Hosea 6:6. You don’t really know what those words mean. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.
8“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”
Jesus Heals a Man’s Crippled Hand
9Jesus left there and went into their synagogue. 10In the synagogue, there was a man with a crippled hand. Some Jews there were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus of doing wrong. So they asked him, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath day?”# It was against Jewish law to work on the Sabbath day.
11Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep, and it falls into a ditch on the Sabbath day, then you will take the sheep and help it out of the ditch. 12Surely a man is more important than a sheep. So the law of Moses allows people to do good things on the Sabbath day.”
13Then Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Let me see your hand.” The man put his hand out, and the hand became well again, the same as the other hand. 14But the Pharisees left and made plans to kill Jesus.
Jesus Is God’s Chosen Servant
15Jesus knew what the Pharisees were doing, so he left that place. Many people followed him, and he healed all who were sick. 16But Jesus warned the people not to tell who he was. 17He did these things to make come true what Isaiah the prophet had said:
18“Here is my servant whom I have chosen.
I love him, and I am pleased with him.
I will put my Spirit in him.
Then he will tell how I will judge all people fairly.
19He will not argue or shout.
No one will hear his voice in the streets.
20He will not break a crushed blade of grass.
He will not put out even a weak flame.
He will continue until he makes fair judgment win the victory.
21In him will the nations find hope.” Isaiah 42:1-4
Jesus’ Power Is from God
22Then some people brought a man to Jesus. This man was blind and could not talk, because he had a demon. Jesus healed the man, and the man could talk and see. 23All the people were amazed. They said, “Perhaps this man is the Son of David!”
24The Pharisees heard the people saying this. The Pharisees said, “Jesus uses the power of Beelzebul to force demons out of people. Beelzebul is the ruler of demons.”
25Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking. So he said to them, “Every kingdom that is fighting against itself will be destroyed. And every city that is divided will fall. And every family that is divided cannot succeed. 26So if Satan forces out his own demons, then Satan is divided, and his kingdom will not continue. 27You say that I use the power of Satan when I force out demons. If that is true, then what power do your people use when they force out demons? So your own people prove that you are wrong. 28But if I use the power of God’s Spirit to force out demons, this shows that the kingdom of God has come to you.
29“If anyone wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things, first he must tie up the strong man. Then he can steal the things from the strong man’s house.
30“If anyone is not with me, then he is against me. He who does not work with me is working against me. 31So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sin they do. And people can be forgiven for every bad thing they say. But if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, then he will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who says things against the Son of Man can be forgiven. But anyone who says things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. He will not be forgiven now or in the future.
People Know You by Your Words
33“If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good, then it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. 34You snakes! You are evil people! How can you say anything good? The mouth speaks the things that are in the heart. 35A good person has good things in his heart. And so he speaks the good things that come from his heart. But an evil person has evil in his heart. So he speaks the evil things that come from his heart. 36And I tell you that people will have to explain about every careless thing they have said. This will happen on the Judgment Day. 37The words you have said will be used to judge you. Some of your words will prove you right, but some of your words will prove you guilty.”
The Leaders Ask for a Miracle
38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law answered Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we want to see you work a miracle as a sign.”
39Jesus answered, “Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle for a sign. But no sign will be given to them. The only sign will be what happened to the prophet Jonah. 40Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights. 41And on the Judgment Day the men from Nineveh# The city where Jonah preached to warn the people. Read Jonah 3. will stand up with you people who live today. They will show that you are guilty because when Jonah preached to them, they were sorry and changed their lives. And I tell you that someone greater than Jonah is here! 42On the Judgment Day, the Queen of the South# The Queen of Sheba. She traveled 1,000 miles to learn God’s wisdom from Solomon. Read 1 Kings 10:1–13. will stand up with you people who live today. She will show that you are guilty because she came from far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is here!
People Today Are Full of Evil
43“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it travels through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it finds no place to rest. 44So the spirit says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.’ When the spirit comes back to the man, the spirit finds the home still empty. The home is swept clean and made neat. 45Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits even more evil than it is. Then all the spirits go into the man and live there. And that man has even more trouble than he had before. It is the same way with the evil people who live today.”
Jesus’ True Family
46While Jesus was talking to the people, his mother and brothers stood outside. They wanted to talk to him. 47Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside. They want to talk to you.”# Some Greek copies do not have verse 47.
48He answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49Then he pointed to his followers and said, “See! These people are my mother and my brothers. 50My true brothers and sisters and mother are those who do the things that my Father in heaven wants.”
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Matthew 12: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Matthew 12
12
Plucking Grain on the Sabbath
1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck off heads of grain and eat them.#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 2But when#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal the Pharisees saw it,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation they said to him, “Behold, your disciples are doing what it is not permitted to do on the Sabbath!” 3So he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him, 4how he entered into the house of God and ate the bread of the presentation, which it was not permitted for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests? 5Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the sanctity of the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here! 7And if you had known what it means,#Literally “it is” ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man with a Withered Hand Healed
9And going on from there he came into their synagogue. 10And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand, and they asked him, saying, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath?” in order that they could accuse him. 11But he said to them, “What man will there be among you who will have one sheep and if this one fell into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation out? 12Then to what degree is a man worth more than a sheep? So then, it is permitted to do good on the Sabbath.”
13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand,” and he stretched it#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation out, and it was restored as healthy as the other one. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted#Literally “taking counsel” against him in order that they could destroy him.
God’s Chosen Servant
15Now Jesus, when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“learned”) which is understood as temporal learned of it,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation withdrew from there, and many#Some manuscripts have “many crowds” followed him, and he healed them all. 16And he warned them that they should not reveal his identity,#Literally “make him known” 17in order that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said,
18“Behold my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19He will not quarrel or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
20A crushed reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not extinguish,
until he brings justice to victory.
21And in his name the Gentiles#Or “the nations”; the same Greek word (in the plural) can be translated as “nations,” “Gentiles,” or “pagans” will hope.#Verses 18–21 are a quotation from Isa 42:1–4
A House Divided Cannot Stand
22Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to him. And he healed him so that the man who was mute could speak and see. 23And all the crowds were amazed and began saying, “Perhaps this one is the Son of David!” 24But the Pharisees, when they#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal heard it,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation said, “This man does not expel demons except by Beelzebul the ruler of demons!” 25But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26And if Satan expels Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27And if I expel demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons expel them?#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation For this reason they will be your judges! 28But if I expel demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you! 29Or how can someone enter into the house of a strong man and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he can thoroughly plunder his house. 30The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. 31For this reason I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven! 32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the coming one!
Good Trees and Good Fruit or Bad Trees and Bad Fruit
33“Either make the tree good and its fruit is good, or make the tree bad and its fruit is bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say good things when you#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“are”) which is understood as temporal are evil? For from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good person from his#Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun good treasury brings out good things, and the evil person from his#Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun evil treasury brings out evil things. 36But I tell you that every worthless word that they speak, people will give an account for it on the day of judgment! 37For by your words you will be vindicated, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you!” 39But he answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation desires a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah! 40For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold, something#*Here “something” is supplied in the translation because the adjective is neuter gender greater than Jonah is here! 42The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something#*Here “something” is supplied in the translation because the adjective is neuter gender greater than Solomon is here!
An Unclean Spirit Returns
43“Now whenever an unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it travels through waterless places searching for rest, and does not find it.#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 44Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’ And when it#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“arrives”) which is understood as temporal arrives it finds the house#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation unoccupied and swept and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings along with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“go in”) has been translated as a finite verb live there. And the last state of that person becomes worse than the first. So it will be for this evil generation also!”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
46And#Some manuscripts omit “And” while#*Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“speaking”) he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and brothers were standing there outside, desiring to speak to him. 47And someone told him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are standing there outside desiring to speak to you.” 48But he answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to the one who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Behold my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
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