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
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
1At that time Jesus was walking through some fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His followers were hungry, so they began to pick the grain and eat it. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, “Look! Your followers are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath day.”
3Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry? 4He went into God’s house, and he and those with him ate the holy bread, which was lawful only for priests to eat. 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 kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.’ You don’t really know what those words mean. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.
8“So the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”
Jesus Heals a Man’s Hand
9Jesus left there and went into their synagogue, 10where there was a man with a crippled hand. They were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they asked him, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath day?”
11Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep, and it falls into a ditch on the Sabbath day, you will help it out of the ditch. 12Surely a human being is more important than a sheep. So it is lawful to do good things on the Sabbath day.”
13Then Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it became well again, like 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 bring about 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 upon him,
and he will tell of my justice to all people.
19He will not argue or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20He will not break a crushed blade of grass
or put out even a weak flame
until he makes justice win the victory.
21In him will the non-Jewish people find hope.”#Isaiah 42:1–4
Jesus’ Power Is from God
22Then some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk, because he had a demon. Jesus healed the man so that he could talk and see. 23All the people were amazed and said, “Perhaps this man is the Son of David!”
24When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Jesus uses the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, to force demons out of people.”
25Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking, so he said to them, “Every kingdom that is divided against itself will be destroyed. And any city or family that is divided against itself will not continue. 26And if Satan forces out himself, then Satan is divided against himself, and his kingdom will not continue. 27You say that I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons. If that is true, then what power do your people use to force out demons? So they will be your judges. 28But if I use the power of God’s Spirit to force out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
29“If anyone wants to enter a strong person’s house and steal his things, he must first tie up the strong person. Then he can steal the things from the house.
30“Whoever is not with me is against me. Whoever does not work with me is working against me. 31So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sin and everything they say against God. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit 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, it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. 34You snakes! You are evil people, so how can you say anything good? The mouth speaks the things that are in the heart. 35Good people have good things in their hearts, and so they say good things. But evil people have evil in their hearts, so they say evil things. 36And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people will be responsible for every careless thing they have said. 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 People Ask for a Miracle
38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law answered Jesus, saying, “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, except the sign of 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. 41On the Judgment Day the people from Nineveh will stand up with you people who live now, and they will show that you are guilty. 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 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 person, it travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest, but it doesn’t find it. 44So the spirit says, ‘I will go back to the house I left.’ When the spirit comes back, it finds the house still empty, swept clean, and made neat. 45Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits even more evil than it is, and they go in and live there. So the person has even more trouble than 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, trying to find a way to talk to him. 47Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, and they want to talk to you.”
48He answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49Then he pointed to his followers and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what my Father in heaven wants.”
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.