Matthew 12
12
Lord of the Sabbath
1At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath.#Mk 2:23–28; Lk 6:1–5 His disciples#Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful#Mt 12:10; Lk 13:14; 14:3; Jn 5:10; 7:23; 9:16 to do on the Sabbath.”
3He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry: 4how he entered the house of God, and they ate#12:4 Other mss read he ate the bread of the Presence — which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?#Ex 25:30; Lv 24:5–9; 1Sm 21:6 5Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?#Nm 28:9–10; 1Ch 9:32; Jn 7:22–23 6I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.#2Ch 6:18; Mal 3:1; Mt 12:41–42 7If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice,#12:7 Hs 6:6#Hs 6:6; Mc 6:8; Mt 9:13 you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”#Mt 8:20; 9:6; 12:32,40
The Man with the Shriveled Hand
9Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue.#Mk 3:1–6; Lk 6:6–11 10There he saw a man who had a shriveled hand, and in order to accuse him they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” #Mt 12:2; Lk 13:14; 14:3; Jn 9:16
11He replied to them, “Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?#Ex 23:4–5; Dt 22:4; Lk 14:5 12A person is worth far more than a sheep; #Mt 6:26; 10:31 so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”
13Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored,#1Kg 13:4; Mt 8:3; Ac 28:8 as good as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might kill him.#Mt 26:4; 27:1; Mk 3:6; Lk 6:11; Jn 10:39; 11:53
The Servant of the Lord
15Jesus was aware of this and withdrew. Large crowds#12:15 Other mss read Many followed him, and he healed them all.#Mt 4:23; 10:23; 19:2; Mk 3:7 16He warned them not to make him known,#Mt 8:4; 9:30 17so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations. #
Mt 3:17; 17:5; Lk 4:18; Jn 3:34
19 He will not argue or shout,
and no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break a bruised reed,
and he will not put out a smoldering wick,
until he has led justice to victory. # 12:20 Or until he has successfully put forth justice
21 The nations will put their hope in his name. # 12:18–21 Is 42:1–4 #
Is 42:1–4; Jn 10:25
A House Divided
22Then a demon-possessed man#Lk 11:14–15 who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man#12:22 Lit mute could both speak and see.#Mt 4:24; 9:32–34 23All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” #2Ch 1:1; Mt 1:1; Rm 1:3
24When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”#Mt 9:34; 10:25; Mk 3:22
25Knowing their thoughts,#Mk 3:23–27; Lk 11:17–22 he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26If Satan#Mt 4:1,10; 13:19; Ac 13:10 drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.#2Kg 2:7; Ac 19:13 28If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.#Lk 17:21; 1Jn 3:8 29How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up#Is 49:24; 53:12 the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. 30Anyone who is not with me is against me,#Mk 9:40; Lk 9:50; 11:23 and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. 31Therefore,#Mk 3:28–30; Lk 12:10 I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy,#Heb 6:4–6; 10:26; 1Jn 5:16 but the blasphemy against#12:31 Or of the Spirit will not be forgiven.#12:31 Other mss add people 32Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man,#Mt 11:19; Mk 2:10; Jn 7:12; 9:24 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 one to come.#Mk 10:30; Lk 12:10; 20:34–35; Eph 1:21; Ti 2:12; Heb 6:5
A Tree and Its Fruit
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad # 12:33 Or decayed; lit rotten and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.#Mt 7:18–19,23; Lk 6:43–44; Jn 15:4–7 34Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow#1Sm 24:13; Mt 3:7; 23:33; Lk 6:45; Eph 4:29 of the heart. 35A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.#Mt 13:52; Col 4:6 36I tell you that on the day of judgment#Mt 12:41; Jn 5:29; 1Jn 4:17 people will have to account#Lk 16:2; Ac 19:40; Rm 14:12; Heb 13:17; 1Pt 4:5 for every careless#12:36 Lit worthless word they speak.#12:36 Lit will speak 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”#Mt 16:1; Mk 8:11–12; Lk 11:16; Jn 2:18; 6:30; 1Co 1:22
39He answered them,#Mk 8:11–12; Lk 11:29–32 “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.#Is 57:3; Mt 16:4; Mk 8:38 40For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish#12:40 Or sea creature; Jnh 1:17#Jnh 1:17 three days and three nights,#Jnh 1:17 so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it,#Jr 3:11; Ezk 16:51; Rm 2:27 because they repented at Jonah’s preaching; and look — something greater than Jonah is here.#Jnh 1:2; 3:5 42The queen of the south#1Kg 10:1; 2Ch 9:1 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 look — something greater than Solomon is here.
An Unclean Spirit’s Return
43 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any. #
Lk 11:24–26
44Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.#Heb 6:4; 2Pt 2:20 That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”
True Relationships
46While he#Mk 3:31–35; Lk 8:19–21 was still speaking with the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside wanting to speak to him.#Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3; Jn 2:12; Ac 1:14; 1Co 9:5; Gl 1:19 47Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”#12:47 Other mss omit this v.
48He replied to the one who was speaking to him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 49Stretching out his hand toward his disciples,#Mt 10:42; 28:19; Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Ac 6:1 he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”#Mt 6:1; 7:21; Jn 15:14; Heb 2:11
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Matthew 12: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Matthew 12
12
Sabbath Questions
1At that particular time Jesus went through the grainfields on the #The seventh day of the week, the day of worship.Sabbath, and His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. 2But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what #Picking grain to eat was not forbidden on the Sabbath. It was ridiculous for the Pharisees to try to equate gleaning for food with reaping a harvest (which was forbidden on the Sabbath).is unlawful on the Sabbath.” 3He said to them, “Have you not read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who accompanied him— 4how he went into the house of God, and they ate the #The bread of the Presence, the twelve fresh loaves presented each Sabbath to the Lord in the Holy Place.consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests only? 5Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break [the sanctity of] the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7And if you had only known what this statement means, ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], #I.e. more than.and not [animal] sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
Lord of the Sabbath
8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
9Leaving there, He went into their synagogue. 10A man was there whose hand was withered. And they asked Jesus, “Is it lawful and permissible to heal on the Sabbath?”—they asked this so that they might accuse Him and bring charges into court. 11But He said to them, “What man is there among you who, if he has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful and permissible to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then He said to the man, “Reach out your hand!” The man reached out and it was restored, as normal and healthy as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, discussing how they could destroy Him.
15Being aware of this, Jesus left there. Many followed Him, and He healed all of them [who were sick], 16and warned them not to tell [publicly] who He was. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18“Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen;
My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased;
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will proclaim justice to the nations.
19He will not quarrel, nor cry out loudly;
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20A battered reed He will not break,
And a smoldering wick He will not extinguish,
Until He leads justice to victory.
21And in His name the Gentiles (all the nations of the world) will hope [with confidence].”
The Pharisees Rebuked
22Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man both spoke and saw. 23All the people wondered in amazement, and said, “Could this be the Son of David (the Messiah)?” 24But the Pharisees heard it and said, “This man #A statement of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. See vv 31, 32.casts out demons only by [the help of] Beelzebul (Satan) the prince of the demons.”
25Knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will [continue to] stand. 26If Satan casts out Satan [that is, his demons], he has become divided against himself and disunited; how then will his kingdom stand? 27If I cast out the demons by [the help of] Beelzebul (Satan), by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [before you expected it]. 29Or how can anyone go into a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first overpowers and ties up the strong man? Then he will ransack and rob his house.
The Unpardonable Sin
30 He who is not with Me [once and for all on My side] is against Me; and he who does not [unequivocally] gather with Me scatters.
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things] will be forgiven people, but #Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is denying all the work of the Holy Spirit. This leads ultimately to rejecting the deity of Christ.blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Words Reveal Character
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is recognized and judged by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35The good man, from his [inner] good treasure, brings out good things; and the evil man, from his [inner] evil treasure, brings out evil things. 36But I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give an accounting for every careless or useless word they speak. 37For by your words [reflecting your spiritual condition] you will be justified and acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by your words [rejecting Me] you will be condemned and sentenced.”
The Desire for Signs
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign (attesting miracle) from You [proving that You are what You claim to be].” 39But He replied and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation [that is morally unfaithful to God] craves and demands a [miraculous] sign; but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah; 40for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nineveh will stand up [as witnesses] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now, something greater than Jonah is here. 42The Queen of the South (Sheba) will stand up [as a witness] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and now, something greater than Solomon is here.
43 “Now when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it roams through waterless (dry, arid) places in search of rest, but it does not find it. 44Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it arrives, it finds the place unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there. And the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. So will it also be with this wicked generation.”
Changed Relationships
46While He was still talking to the crowds, it happened that His mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him. 47Someone said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside asking to speak to You.” 48But Jesus replied to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49And stretching out His hand toward His disciples [and all His other followers], He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50For #A universal offer without restriction.whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven [by believing in Me, and following Me] is My brother and sister and mother.”
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