Matthew 12
12
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath Day
1One Sabbath day Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His disciples were hungry, so they began to break off heads of grain and eat them. 2The Pharisees saw this and told Jesus, “Look! Your disciples are doing something that’s against the Law to do on the Sabbath day!”
3Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read about what David did when he and his men were hungry? 4He went into the house of God, and he and his men ate the holy bread that only the priests were supposed to eat. 5Or haven’t you read in the Law how the priests in the temple do their regular work even on the Sabbath day, but they aren’t considered guilty? 6I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7Scripture says, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ If you knew what those words meant, you wouldn’t have accused people who were innocent. 8The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”
9Jesus went on from that place and entered a synagogue. 10A man with a weak and twisted hand was there. The Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, so they asked him, “Does the Law permit healing on the Sabbath day?”
11He answered them, “What if one of your sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath day? Wouldn’t you grab hold of it and lift it out? 12A person is worth far more than a sheep! So the Law allows us to do good on the Sabbath day.”
13Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it became as good as new, just as strong as the other hand. 14But the Pharisees went out and started making plans to kill Jesus.
God’s Chosen Servant
15Jesus knew what the Pharisees were planning, so he left that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed everyone who was sick. 16But he warned them not to tell other people about him. 17This was to make what the prophet Isaiah had said come true:
18“Here is my servant, the one I have chosen.
He’s the one I love, and I’m very pleased with him.
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he’ll announce to the nations that everything is going to be made right.
19He won’t argue or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20He won’t break a bent twig,
and he won’t snuff out a smoldering wick.
He’ll make right win over wrong,
21and the nations will put their hope in him.”
Jesus and the Prince of Demons
22Then they brought Jesus a man who was controlled by demons that kept him from speaking or seeing. Jesus healed the man so that he could speak and see. 23All the people were amazed and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons.”
25Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said to them, “Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. Every city or family that is divided against itself will not last. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he’s fighting against himself, so how can his kingdom last? 27You say I drive out demons by the power of Beelzebul. Then by whose power do your own people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is right here with you.
29“Or think about this. You can’t just walk into a strong man’s house and take what he owns. You have to tie him up first, and then you can rob his house.
30“Anyone who isn’t with me is against me, and anyone who doesn’t gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every kind of sin and insult can be forgiven, but saying that the Holy Spirit is evil will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.
33“If you make a tree good, its fruit will be good. If you make a tree bad, its fruit will be bad. You can tell a tree by its fruit. 34You nest of vipers! How can you who are bad say anything good? Whatever is in your heart comes out of your mouth. 35Good people say good things out of the good that’s stored up inside them, but bad people say bad things out of what’s stored up inside them. 36I tell you that everyone will have to account on judgment day for every word they’ve spoken that hasn’t done any good. 37You’ll be found guilty or not guilty based on your words.”
The Sign of Jonah
38Some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39He answered, “It’s a rebellious and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! But it won’t be given any except for the sign of the prophet Jonah. Just as 40Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, the Son of Man will spend three days and three nights in the grave. 41The people of Nineveh will stand up on judgment day with this generation and show that it’s guilty. They turned away from their sins when Jonah preached to them, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42The Queen of the South will stand up on judgment day with this generation and show that it’s guilty. She came from far away to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
43“When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through the deserts looking for a place to rest, but it doesn’t find any. 44Then it says, ‘I’ll return to the house I just left.’ When it gets back, it finds the house swept clean and put in order, with no one living in it. 45Then the evil spirit goes and gets seven other spirits that are even worse than it is, and they all go live there. Then the person is worse off than they were before. That’s how it will be with this rebellious generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers came and stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and they want to speak to you.”
48Jesus replied to him, “Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?” 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here is my mother! Here are my brothers! 50Anyone who does what my heavenly Father wants is my brother and sister and mother.”
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Matthew 12: RAD
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Matthew 12
12
CHAPTER 12
1In that time Jesus went by corns in [or on] the sabbath day; and his disciples hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
2And the Pharisees, seeing, said to him, Lo! thy disciples do that thing that is not leaveful to them to do in [the] sabbaths.
3And he said to them, Whether ye have not read, what David did, when he hungered, and they that were with him?
4how he entered into the house of God, and ate loaves of proposition, [either of setting forth], which loaves it was not leaveful to him to eat, neither to them that were with him, but to priests alone?
5Or whether ye have not read in the law, that in the sabbaths priests in the temple defoul the sabbaths, and they be without blame?
6And I say to you, that here is a greater than the temple.
7And if ye knew, what it is, I will mercy, and not sacrifice, ye should never have condemned innocents.
8For man’s Son is Lord, yea, of the sabbath.
9And when he passed from thence, he came into the synagogue of them.
10And lo! a man that had a dry hand. And they asked him, and said, Whether it be leaveful to heal in the sabbath? that they should accuse him.
11And he said to them, What man of you shall there be, that hath one sheep, and if it fall into a ditch in the sabbaths, whether he shall not hold, and lift it up?
12How much more is a man better than a sheep? Therefore it is leaveful to do good in the sabbaths.
13Then he said to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched forth; and it was restored to health as the other.
14And the Pharisees went out, and made a counsel against him, how they should destroy him.
15And Jesus knew it, and went away from thence; and many pursued him, and he healed them all.
16And he commanded to them, that they should not make him known;
17that that thing were fulfilled, that was said by Isaiah, the prophet, saying,
18Lo! my child, whom I have chosen, my darling, in whom it hath well pleased to my soul; I shall put my Spirit on him, and he shall tell doom to heathen men.
19He shall not strive, nor cry, neither any man shall hear his voice in streets.
20A bruised reed he shall not break [or He shall not break altogether a shaken reed], and he shall not quench smoking flax, till he cast out doom to victory;
21and heathen men shall hope in his name.
22Then a man blind and dumb, that had a fiend [or a devil], was brought to him; and he healed him, so that he spake, and saw.
23And all the people wondered, and said, Whether this be the son of David?
24But the Pharisees heard, and said, He this casteth not out fiends, but in Beelzebub, prince of fiends [or prince of devils].
25And Jesus, witting their thoughts, said to them, Each kingdom parted against itself, shall be desolated [or be desolate], and each city, or house, parted against itself, shall not stand.
26And if Satan casteth out Satan, he is parted against himself; therefore how shall his kingdom stand?
27And if I in Beelzebub cast out devils, in whom, [or by whose might], your sons cast out? Therefore they shall be your doomsmen.
28But if I in the Spirit of God cast out fiends, then the kingdom of God is come into you [or is come among you].
29Either how may any man enter into the house of a strong man, and take away his vessels, but he first bind the strong man, and then he shall spoil his house?
30He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not together with me, scattereth abroad.
31Therefore I say to you, all sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men, but [the] blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32And whoever saith a word against man’s Son, it shall be forgiven to him; but who that saith a word against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven to him, neither in this world, nor in the tother.
33Either make ye the tree good, and his fruit good; either make ye the tree evil and his fruit evil; for a tree is known of his fruit.
34Ye generation of adders, how may ye speak good things, when ye be evil? For the mouth speaketh of the plenty [or of the great abundance] of the heart.
35A good man bringeth forth good things of good treasure, and an evil man bringeth forth evil things of evil treasure.
36And I say to you, that of every idle word, that men speak, they shall yield reason thereof in the day of doom;
37for of thy words thou shalt be justified, and of thy words thou shalt be condemned.
38Then some of the scribes and the Pharisees answered to him, and said, Master, we will see a token of thee.
39Which answered, and said to them, An evil kindred and a spouse-breaker [or adulterous] seeketh a token, and a token shall not be given to it, but the token of Jonah, the prophet.
40For as Jonah was in the womb of a whale three days and three nights, so man’s Son shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
41Men of Nineveh shall rise in doom with this generation, and shall condemn it; for they did penance in the preaching of Jonah, and lo! here [is] a greater than Jonah.
42The queen of the south shall rise in doom with this generation, and shall condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and lo! here [is] a greater than Solomon.
43When an unclean spirit goeth out from a man, he goeth by dry places, seeking rest, and findeth not [or none].
44Then he saith, I shall turn again into mine house, from whence I went out. And he cometh, and findeth it void, and cleansed with besoms, and made fair.
45Then he goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits worse than himself; and they enter [in], and dwell there. And the last things of that man be made worse than the former. So it shall be to this worst generation.
46Yet while he spake to the people, lo! his mother and his brethren stood withoutforth, seeking to speak with him.
47And a man said to him, Lo! thy mother and thy brethren stand with-outforth, seeking thee.
48And he answered to the man, that spake to him, and said, Who is my mother? and who be my brethren?
49And he held forth his hand into his disciples, and said, Lo! my mother and my brethren;
50for whoever doeth the will of my Father that is in heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
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