Matthew 12:1-23

Sabbath Questions

1 ¹At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to ²pick the heads of grain and eat.

2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples do what ³is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."

3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions *,

4 how he entered the house of God, and ⁴they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?

5 "Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?

6 "But I say to you that something ⁵greater than the temple is here.

7 "But if you had known what this means, '⁶I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent.

Lord of the Sabbath

8 "For ⁷the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

9 ⁸Departing from there, He went into their synagogue.

10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "⁹Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"-so that they might accuse Him.

11 And He said to them, "¹⁰What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?

12 "¹¹How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

13 Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" ¹²He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.

14 But the Pharisees went out and ¹³conspired * against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

15 But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and ¹⁴He healed them all,

16 and ¹⁵warned them not to tell who He was.

17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

18 "¹⁶BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; ¹⁷MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; ¹⁸ I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, ¹⁹ AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.

19 "²⁰HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.

20 "²¹A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

21 "²²AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE."

The Pharisees Rebuked

22 ²³Then a ²⁴demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.

23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "This man cannot be the ²⁵Son of David, can he?"

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Cross References 25

1. Matthew 12:1-8: {Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5}
2. Deuteronomy 23:25
3. Matthew 12:10; Luke 13:14; Luke 14:3; John 5:10; John 7:23; John 9:16
4. 1 Samuel 21:6
5. 2 Chronicles 6:18; Isaiah 66:1, 2; Matthew 12:41, 42
6. Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13
7. Matthew 8:20; Matthew 12:32, 40
8. Matthew 12:9-14: {Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11}
9. Matthew 12:2; Luke 13:14; Luke 14:3; John 5:10; John 7:23; John 9:16
10. Luke 14:5
11. Matthew 10:31; Luke 14:1-6
12. Matthew 8:3; Acts 28:8
13. Matthew 26:4; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:2; John 7:30, 44; John 8:59; John 10:31, 39; John 11:53
14. Matthew 4:23
15. Matthew 8:4; Matthew 9:30; Matthew 17:9
16. Isaiah 42:1
17. Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5
18. Luke 4:18; John 3:34
19. Isaiah 42:1
20. Isaiah 42:2
21. Isaiah 42:3
22. Romans 15:12
23. Matthew 12:22, 24: {Luke 11:14, 15;} Matthew 9:32, 34
24. Matthew 4:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9
25. Matthew 9:27

Footnotes 22

[a]. Or "occasion"
[b]. Or "showbread;" lit "loaves of presentation"
[c]. Or "profane"
[d]. Lit "is"
[e]. Or "mercy"
[f]. Lit "Him"
[g]. Lit "will be from you"
[h]. Lit "will have"
[i]. Lit "well"
[j]. Lit "health"
[k]. Lit "took counsel"
[l]. Lit "knowing"
[m]. Lit "make Him known"
[n]. Lit "Child"
[o]. Lit "chose"
[p]. Or "took pleasure"
[q]. Or "judgment"
[r]. Or "nations"
[s]. Or "puts forth"
[t]. Or "judgment"
[u]. Or "nations"
[v]. Lit "Him"