Matthew 12
12
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
1At that time #For ver. 1-8, see Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5 Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and #Deut. 23:25they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, #[ver. 10; Luke 13:14; 14:3; John 5:10; 7:23; 9:16] “Look, your disciples are doing #[Ex. 20:9-11]what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3He said to them, #1 Sam. 21:1-6; See ch. 21:16“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4how he entered the house of God and ate #Ex. 25:30; Lev. 24:5-9the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5Or have you not read #Num. 28:9, 10; [1 Chr. 9:32; John 7:22, 23]in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6I tell you, #ver. 41, 42; [ver. 8; Hag. 2:9; Mal. 3:1]something greater than the temple is here. 7And if you had known #ch. 9:13 what this means, #Cited from Hos. 6:6; [Mic. 6:6-8]‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For #[ch. 9:6]the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man with a Withered Hand
9He went on from there and #For ver. 9-14, see Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11entered their synagogue. 10And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, #[Luke 14:3]; See ver. 2 “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—#[Luke 11:54; 20:20; John 8:6]so that they might accuse him. 11He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, #[Ex. 23:4, 5; Deut. 22:4]if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12#ch. 6:26; 10:31 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So #[John 5:16, 17]it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And #[1 Kgs. 13:4]the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
God’s Chosen Servant
15Jesus, aware of this, #Mark 3:7; John 10:39; See ch. 10:23 withdrew from there. And #ch. 19:2many followed him, and he healed them all 16and #Mark 1:25 (Gk.); 3:12; 8:30; Luke 4:41 (Gk.); 9:21; See ch. 8:4ordered them not to make him known. 17#See ch. 1:22This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 # Cited from Isa. 42:1-3 “Behold, my #Acts 4:27, 30 servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
# [Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18; John 3:34; Acts 10:38] I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 #
Isa. 42:4 (Gk.); [Isa. 11:10; Rom. 15:12] and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 # For ver. 22-24, see Luke 11:14, 15; [ch. 9:32-34] Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23#John 4:29; 7:26, 31; See ch. 9:27And all the people were amazed, and said, #John 4:29; 7:26, 31; See ch. 9:27“Can this be the Son of David?” 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, #Mark 3:22; See ch. 10:25“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25#See ch. 9:4 Knowing their thoughts, #For ver. 25-29, see Mark 3:23-27; Luke 11:17-22he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, #[Acts 19:13] by whom do #[2 Kgs. 2:7]your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28But if it is #[ver. 18] by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then #ch. 19:24; 21:31, 43; Luke 17:21the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29Or #Isa. 49:24 how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed #[Isa. 53:12]he may plunder his house. 30#Luke 11:23; [Mark 9:40; Luke 9:50]Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31#For ver. 31, 32, see Mark 3:28-30; [Luke 12:10; Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26; 1 John 5:16] Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but #[Acts 7:51; Heb. 10:29]the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32And whoever speaks a word #ch. 11:19; John 7:12; 9:24 against the Son of Man #1 Tim. 1:12, 13 will be forgiven, but #[See ver. 31 above] whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in #[Eph. 1:21]this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
33 # ch. 7:16-20 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, #
Luke 6:43, 44 for the tree is known by its fruit. 34#ch. 3:7; 23:33 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, #ch. 7:11 when you are evil? #ch. 15:18, 19; Luke 6:45; [ch. 13:52; Eph. 4:29]For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35#[See ver. 34 above]The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36I tell you, #[Eph. 5:4, 11; 2 Pet. 1:8] on the day of judgment #Eccles. 12:14; Rom. 14:12; 1 Pet. 4:5 people will give account for #See Acts 17:31every careless word they speak, 37for #[ch. 5:22; James 3:2-12]by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, #ch. 16:1; Mark 8:11, 12; Luke 11:16; 23:8; John 2:18; 4:48; 6:30; 1 Cor. 1:22we wish to see a sign from you.” 39But he answered them, #ch. 16:4; For ver. 39-42, see Luke 11:29-32; [Mark 8:11, 12] “An evil and #Isa. 57:3; Mark 8:38; James 4:4adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For #Jonah 1:17 just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, #[ch. 17:22, 23]so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41#Jonah 1:2 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and #Heb. 11:7; [Jer. 3:11; Ezek. 16:51, 52; Rom. 2:27] condemn it, for #Jonah 3:5 they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, #ver. 6something greater than Jonah is here. 42#1 Kgs. 10:1; 2 Chr. 9:1 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, #[See ver. 41 above]something greater than Solomon is here.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
43 “When # For ver. 43-45, see Luke 11:24-26 the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through # [Ps. 63:1; Jer. 2:6] waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and #2 Pet. 2:20-22; [John 5:14] the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this #ver. 39evil generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
46While he was still speaking to the people, behold, #For ver. 46-50, see Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21 his mother and his #ch. 13:55; Mark 6:3; John 2:12; 7:3, 5, 10; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 9:5; Gal. 1:19brothers#12:46 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 48, 49 stood outside, asking to speak to him.#12:46 Some manuscripts insert verse 47: Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you” 48But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50For #[John 15:14; Heb. 2:11] whoever #ch. 7:21; [Luke 11:28]does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
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Matthew 12: ESV
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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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