Matthew 12
CHAPTER 12
Jesus challenges the Pharisees about the Sabbath
At that time, on the Sabbath day, Jesus went through the grainfields, and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck ears of grain to eat. 2 But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him: Look, your disciples do what is unlawful on the Sabbath. 3 But he said to them: Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him-4 how he entered into the house of God and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them that were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 But I say to you, that one greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.
9 And he departed from there and went into their synagogue, 10 and saw a man having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? So that they might accuse him. 11 And he said to them: Which of you, if having only one sheep, and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, will not grab hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day. 13 Then said he to the man: Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out and it was restored whole, as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.
15 And Jesus perceiving it withdrew from there; and many followed him and he healed them all, 16 and charged them that they should not make him known. 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: 18 Look at My servant whom I have chosen, My beloved in whom My soul is well pleased. I will put My Spirit upon him and he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry aloud, neither shall anyone hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed he shall not break and a smoking wick he shall not quench, until he sends forth judgment to victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles hope.
Jesus heals and is slandered by the Pharisees
22 Then was brought to him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so much so that the dumb man spoke and saw. 23 And all the crowds were amazed, and said: Can this be the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said: This man does not cast out demons but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons.
25 And knowing their thoughts, he said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then shall his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges. 28 But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
29 Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man and ruin his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will ruin his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters.
31 Therefore I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in the age to come.
33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You offspring of vipers, how can you being evil speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil things.
36 And I say to you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you shall be justified and by your words you shall be condemned.
Jesus speaks of signs, unspiritual attitudes and his true family
38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying: Teacher, we would see a sign from you. 39 But he answered and said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there shall no sign be given it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, one greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, one greater than Solomon is here!
43 When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says: I will return to my house from which I came out. And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.
46 While he was yet speaking to the crowds, his mother and his relatives stood outside, seeking to speak to him. 47 And someone said to him: Look, your mother and your relatives wait outside, wanting to speak to you. 48 But he answered and said to him that told him: Who is my mother? And who are my relatives? 49 And he stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said: Behold, my mother and my relatives! 50 For whoever shall please my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.
Commentary
12:1 Jesus and the disciples were prefigured by David and those who followed him (12:3). Those who followed David were those in debt and ‘distressed’ (1 Sam. 22:2). It is the desperate and broken who follow Jesus today.
12:11 The man who had only one sheep was poor; that was why he was so concerned to rescue his only sheep. Yet he represents God and Jesus in their constant search for us. They therefore identify themselves with the very poorest of society. God is in search of man; and we search for Him. Hence the joy of our meeting with Him in baptism.
12:14 Then- The pure grace and love of Jesus often produces a harsh reaction and rejection from those who refuse to be moved by it. We can’t be passive to it.
12:16 Jesus sometimes did ask people to tell others about what He had done for them. Maybe He asked the extroverts to be quiet, and the introverts to tell others? The preaching of the Gospel in the right spirit is something done against our will; it’s difficult (1 Cor. 9:17).
12:20 Jesus tries to fan into life whatever weak spirituality a person has, rather than expecting perfection at His first encounter with them. We should treat people likewise.
12:28 The kingdom of God will be established literally on earth when Jesus returns; but the essence of the Kingdom is that God is King and that is true today. The sphere of His rulership and authority in the lives of His people can be understood as His Kingdom.
12:32 This is only true for those who saw the miracles of Jesus and blasphemed them. But if a person stops going against the clear evidence provided by the Holy Spirit that Jesus is God’s Son, then he is no longer blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
12:34 Therefore control of our thinking is so important. The environment we chose, what music we listen to, affects our thinking.
12:36 The judgement process will involve a recall of our words- and we shall have to explain them.
