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. 2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, 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 # Other mss read he ate the sacred bread, 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 # = The Torah (the Pentateuch) 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 6But I 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, # Hs 6:6; Mc 6:8; Mt 9:13 # Hs 6:6 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 Paralyzed 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 paralyzed 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
11But He said to them, “What man among you, if he had a sheep # Or had one 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 man 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 destroy Him. # Mt 26:4; 27:1; Mk 3:6; Lk 6:11; Jn 10:39; 11:53
The Servant of the Lord
15When Jesus became aware of this, He withdrew from there. Huge crowds # 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:
18Here is My Servant whom I have chosen,
My beloved in whom My soul delights;
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
19He will not argue or shout,
and no one will hear His voice in the streets.
20He will not break a bruised reed,
and He will not put out a smoldering wick,
until He has led justice to victory. # Or until He has successfully put forth justice
21The nations will put their hope in His name. # Is 42:1-4; Jn 10:25 # Is 42:1-4
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 # Lit mute could both speak and see. # Mt 4:24; 9:32-34 23And all the crowds were astounded and said, “Perhaps this is the Son of David! ” # 2Ch 1:1; Mt 1:1; Rm 1:3
24When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “The 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, who is it your sons drive them out by? 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 to 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 rob 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. 31Because of this, # 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 # Or of the Spirit will not be forgiven. # 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 good, or make the tree bad # Or decayed ; lit rotten and its fruit 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 man produces good things from his storeroom of good, # Other mss read from the storehouse of his heart and an evil man 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 word they speak. # 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
39But He 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 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 proclamation; 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 man, 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.’ And returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. 45Then off it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that man’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
46He # Mk 3:31-35; Lk 8:19-21 was still speaking to the crowds when suddenly 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.” # Other mss omit this v.
48But He replied to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers? ” 49And stretching 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, that person is My brother and sister and mother.” # Mt 6:1; 7:21; Jn 15:14; Heb 2:11
Currently Selected:
Matthew 12: HCSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Matthew 12
12
A question about the Sabbath
(Mark 2.23-28; Luke 6.1-5)
1One Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields.#12.1 walking through some wheat fields: It was the custom to let hungry travellers pick grains of wheat. His disciples were hungry and began picking and eating grains of wheat.#Dt 23.25. 2Some Pharisees noticed this and said to Jesus, “Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!”
3Jesus answered:#1 S 21.1-6.
You must have read what David did when he and his followers were hungry. 4He went into the house of God, and then they ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are supposed to eat.#Lv 24.9. 5Haven't you read in the Law of Moses that the priests are allowed to work in the temple on the Sabbath? But no one says that they are guilty of breaking the law of the Sabbath.#Nu 28.9,10. 6I tell you that there is something here greater than the temple. 7Don't you know what the Scriptures mean when they say, “Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others”? If you knew what this means, you would not condemn these innocent disciples of mine.#Mt 9.13; Ho 6.6. 8So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.
A man with a crippled hand
(Mark 3.1-6; Luke 6.6-11)
9Jesus left and went into one of the Jewish meeting places, 10where there was a man whose hand was crippled. Some Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they asked him, “Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?”
11Jesus answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't you lift it out?#Lk 14.5. 12People are worth much more than sheep, and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then Jesus told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one.
14The Pharisees left and started making plans to kill Jesus.
God's chosen servant
15When Jesus found out what was happening, he left there and large crowds followed him. He healed all their sick, 16but warned them not to tell anyone about him. 17So God's promise came true, just as Isaiah the prophet had said,
18“Here is my chosen servant!#Is 42.1-4 (LXX).
I love him,
and he pleases me.
I will give him my Spirit,
and he will bring justice
to the nations.
19He won't shout or yell
or call out in the streets.
20He won't break off a bent reed
or put out a dying flame,
but he will make sure
that justice is done.
21All nations will place
their hope in him.”
Jesus and the ruler of the demons
(Mark 3.20-30; Luke 11.14-23; 12.10)
22Some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon in him. Jesus healed the man, and then he was able to talk and see. 23The crowds were so amazed that they asked, “Could Jesus be the Son of David?”#12.23 Could Jesus be the Son of David: Or “Does Jesus think he is the Son of David?” See the note at 9.27.
24When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “He forces out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!”#Mt 9.34; 10.25.
25Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said to them:
Any kingdom where people fight each other will end up ruined. And a town or family that fights will soon destroy itself. 26So if Satan fights against himself, how can his kingdom last? 27If I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons, whose power do your own followers use to force them out? Your followers are the ones who will judge you. 28But when I force out demons by the power of God's Spirit, it proves that God's kingdom has already come to you. 29How can anyone break into a strong man's house and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can take everything.
30If you are not on my side, you are against me. If you don't gather in the harvest with me, you scatter it.#Mk 9.40. 31-32I tell you that any sinful thing you do or say can be forgiven. Even if you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven, either in this life or in the life to come.#Lk 12.10.
A tree and its fruit
(Luke 6.43-45)
Jesus continued:
33A good tree produces only good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces.#Mt 7.20; Lk 6.44. 34You are evil snakes, so how can you say anything good? Your words show what is in your hearts.#Mt 3.7; 23.33; Lk 3.7; Mt 15.18; Lk 6.45. 35Good people bring good things out of their hearts, but evil people bring evil things out of their hearts. 36I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken. 37On that day they will be told that they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said.
A sign from heaven
(Mark 8.11,12; Luke 11.29-32)
38Some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a sign from heaven.”#Mt 16.1; Mk 8.11; Lk 11.16.
39But Jesus replied:#Mt 16.4; Mk 8.12.
You want a sign because you are evil and won't believe! But the only sign you will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40He was in the stomach of a big fish for three days and nights, just as the Son of Man will be deep in the earth for three days and nights.#Jon 1.17. 41On the day of judgment the people of Nineveh#12.41 Nineveh: During the time of Jonah this city was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which was Israel's worst enemy. But Jonah was sent there to preach, so that the people would turn to the Lord and be saved. will stand there with you and condemn you. They turned to God when Jonah preached, and yet here is something far greater than Jonah.#Jon 3.5. 42The Queen of the South#12.42 Queen of the South: Sheba, probably a country in southern Arabia. will also stand there with you and condemn you. She travelled a long way to hear Solomon's wisdom, and yet here is something much greater than Solomon.#1 K 10.1-10; 2 Ch 9.1-12.
Return of an evil spirit
(Luke 11.24-26)
Jesus continued:
43When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when the demon doesn't find a place, 44it says, “I will go back to the home I left.” When it gets there and finds the place empty, clean, and tidy, 45it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and the person ends up in a worse state than before. That's how it will be with you evil people of today.
Jesus' mother and brothers
(Mark 3.31-35; Luke 8.19-21)
46While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside because they wanted to talk with him. 47Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to talk with you.”#12.47 with you: Some manuscripts do not have verse 47.
48Jesus answered, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 49Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “These are my mother and my brothers! 50Anyone who obeys my Father in heaven is my brother or sister or mother.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012