Matthew 12

1 Not long afterward Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began to pick heads of wheat and eat the grain. 1
2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do this on the Sabbath!"
3 Jesus answered, "Have you never read what David did that time when he and his men were hungry? 2
4 He went into the house of God, and he and his men ate the bread offered to God, even though it was against the Law for them to eat it - only the priests were allowed to eat that bread. 3
5 Or have you not read in the Law of Moses that every Sabbath the priests in the Temple actually break the Sabbath law, yet they are not guilty? 4
6 I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple.
7 The scripture says, "It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.' If you really knew what this means, you would not condemn people who are not guilty; 5
8 for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
9 Jesus left that place and went to a synagogue,
10 where there was a man who had a paralyzed hand. Some people were there who wanted to accuse Jesus of doing wrong, so they asked him, "Is it against our Law to heal on the Sabbath?"
11 Jesus answered, "What if one of you has a sheep and it falls into a deep hole on the Sabbath? Will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 6
12 And a human being is worth much more than a sheep! So then, our Law does allow us to help someone on the Sabbath."
13 Then he said to the man with the paralyzed hand, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it became well again, just like the other one.
14 Then the Pharisees left and made plans to kill Jesus.
15 When Jesus heard about the plot against him, he went away from that place; and large crowds followed him. He healed all the sick
16 and gave them orders not to tell others about him.
17 He did this so as to make come true what God had said through the prophet Isaiah:
18 "Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, 7 the one I love, and with whom I am pleased. I will send my Spirit upon him, and he will announce my judgment to the nations.
19 He will not argue or shout, or make loud speeches in the streets.
20 He will not break off a bent reed, nor put out a flickering lamp. He will persist until he causes justice to triumph,
21 and on him all peoples will put their hope."
22 Then some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon. Jesus healed the man, so that he was able to talk and see.
23 The crowds were all amazed at what Jesus had done. "Could he be the Son of David?" they asked.
24 When the Pharisees heard this, they replied, "He drives out demons only because their ruler Beelzebul gives him power to do so." 8
25 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and so he said to them, "Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long. And any town or family that divides itself into groups which fight each other will fall apart.
26 So if one group is fighting another in Satan's kingdom, this means that it is already divided into groups and will soon fall apart!
27 You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. Well, then, who gives your followers the power to drive them out? What your own followers do proves that you are wrong!
28 No, it is not Beelzebul, but God's Spirit, who gives me the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you.
29 "No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house. 9
30 "Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering. 10
31 For this reason I tell you: people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 Anyone who says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven - now or ever. 11
33 "To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree; if you have a poor tree, you will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears. 12
34 You snakes - how can you say good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 13
35 A good person brings good things out of a treasure of good things; a bad person brings bad things out of a treasure of bad things.
36 "You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken.
37 Your words will be used to judge you - to declare you either innocent or guilty."
38 Then some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up. "Teacher," they said, "we want to see you perform a miracle." 14
39 "How evil and godless are the people of this day!" Jesus exclaimed. "You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah. 15
40 In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth. 16
41 On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I tell you that there is something here greater than Jonah! 17
42 On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse you, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Solomon! 18
43 "When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it travels over dry country looking for a place to rest. If it can't find one,
44 it says to itself, "I will go back to my house.' So it goes back and finds the house empty, clean, and all fixed up.
45 Then it goes out and brings along seven other spirits even worse than itself, and they come and live there. So when it is all over, that person is in worse shape than at the beginning. This is what will happen to the evil people of this day."
46 Jesus was still talking to the people when his mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside, asking to speak with him.
47 So one of the people there said to him, "Look, your mother and brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak with you."
48 Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"
49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, "Look! Here are my mother and my brothers!
50 Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother, my sister, and my mother."

Matthew 12 Commentary

Chapter 12

Jesus defends his disciples for plucking corn on the sabbath day. (1-8) Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the sabbath. (9-13) The malice of the Pharisees. (14-21) Jesus heals a demoniac. (22-30) Blasphemy of the Pharisees. (31,32) Evil words proceed from an evil heart. (33-37) The scribes and Pharisees reproved for seeking a sign. (38-45) The disciples of Christ are his nearest relations. (46-50)

Verses 1-8 Being in the corn-fields, the disciples began to pluck the ears of corn: the law of God allowed it, ( Deuteronomy 23:25 ) . This was slender provision for Christ and his disciples; but they were content with it. The Pharisees did not quarrel with them for taking another man's corn, but for doing it on the sabbath day. Christ came to free his followers, not only from the corruptions of the Pharisees, but from their unscriptural rules, and justified what they did. The greatest shall not have their lusts indulged, but the meanest shall have their wants considered. Those labours are lawful on the sabbath day which are necessary, and sabbath rest is to froward, not to hinder sabbath worship. Needful provision for health and food is to be made; but when servants are kept at home, and families become a scene of hurry and confusion on the Lord's day, to furnish a feast for visitors, or for indulgence, the case is very different. Such things as these, and many others common among professors, are to be blamed. The resting on the sabbath was ordained for man's good, ( Deuteronomy 5:14 ) . No law must be understood so as to contradict its own end. And as Christ is the Lord of the sabbath, it is fit the day and the work of it should be dedicated to him.

Verses 9-13 Christ shows that works of mercy are lawful and proper to be done on the Lord's day. There are more ways of doing well upon sabbath days, than by the duties of worship: attending the sick, relieving the poor, helping those who need speedy relief, teaching the young to care for their souls; these are doing good: and these must be done from love and charity, with humility and self-denial, and shall be accepted, ( Genesis 4:7 ) . This, like other cures which Christ wrought, had a spiritual meaning. By nature our hands are withered, and we are unable of ourselves to do any thing that is good. Christ only, by the power of his grace, cures us; he heals the withered hand by putting life into the dead soul, works in us both to will and to do: for, with the command, there is a promise of grace given by the word.

Verses 14-21 The Pharisees took counsel to find some accusation, that Jesus might be condemned to death. Aware of their design, as his time was not come, he retired from that place. Face does not more exactly answer to face in water, than the character of Christ drawn by the prophet, to his temper and conduct as described by the evangelists. Let us with cheerful confidence commit our souls to so kind and faithful a Friend. Far from breaking, he will strengthen the bruised reed; far from quenching the smoking flax, or wick nearly out, he will rather blow it up into a flame. Let us lay aside contentious and angry debates; let us receive one another as Christ receives us. And while encouraged by the gracious kindness of our Lord, we should pray that his Spirit may rest upon us, and make us able to copy his example.

Verses 22-30 A soul under Satan's power, and led captive by him, is blind in the things of God, and dumb at the throne of grace; sees nothing, and says nothing to the purpose. Satan blinds the eyes by unbelief, and seals up the lips from prayer. The more people magnified Christ, the more desirous the Pharisees were to vilify him. It was evident that if Satan aided Jesus in casting out devils, the kingdom of hell was divided against itself; how then could it stand! And if they said that Jesus cast out devils by the prince of the devils, they could not prove that their children cast them out by any other power. There are two great interests in the world; and when unclean spirits are cast out by the Holy Spirit, in the conversion of sinners to a life of faith and obedience, the kingdom of God is come unto us. All who do not aid or rejoice in such a change are against Christ.

Verses 31-32 Here is a gracious assurance of the pardon of all sin upon gospel terms. Christ herein has set an example to the sons of men, to be ready to forgive words spoken against them. But humble and conscientious believers, at times are tempted to think they have committed the unpardonable sin, while those who have come the nearest to it, seldom have any fear about it. We may be sure that those who indeed repent and believe the gospel, have not committed this sin, or any other of the same kind; for repentance and faith are the special gifts of God, which he would not bestow on any man, if he were determined never to pardon him; and those who fear they have committed this sin, give a good sign that they have not. The trembling, contrite sinner, has the witness in himself that this is not his case.

Verses 33-37 Men's language discovers what country they are of, likewise what manner of spirit they are of. The heart is the fountain, words are the streams. A troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams. Nothing but the salt of grace, cast into the spring, will heal the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt communication. An evil man has an evil treasure in his heart, and out of it brings forth evil things. Lusts and corruptions, dwelling and reigning in the heart, are an evil treasure, out of which the sinner brings forth bad words and actions, to dishonour God, and hurt others. Let us keep constant watch over ourselves, that we may speak words agreeable to the Christian character.

Verses 38-45 Though Christ is always ready to hear and answer holy desires and prayers, yet those who ask amiss, ask and have not. Signs were granted to those who desired them to confirm their faith, as Abraham and Gideon; but denied to those who demanded them to excuse their unbelief. The resurrection of Christ from the dead by his own power, called here the sign of the prophet Jonah, was the great proof of Christ's being the Messiah. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale, and then came out again alive, thus Christ would be so long in the grave, and then rise again. The Ninevites would shame the Jews for not repenting; the queen of Sheba, for not believing in Christ. And we have no such cares to hinder us, we come not to Christ upon such uncertainties. This parable represents the case of the Jewish church and nation. It is also applicable to all those who hear the word of God, and are in part reformed, but not truly converted. The unclean spirit leaves for a time, but when he returns, he finds Christ is not there to shut him out; the heart is swept by outward reformation, but garnished by preparation to comply with evil suggestions, and the man becomes a more decided enemy of the truth. Every heart is the residence of unclean spirits, except those which are temples of the Holy Ghost, by faith in Christ.

Verses 46-50 Christ's preaching was plain, easy, and familiar, and suited to his hearers. His mother and brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him, when they should have been standing within, desiring to hear him. Frequently, those who are nearest to the means of knowledge and grace are most negligent. We are apt to neglect that which we think we may have any day, forgetting that to-morrow is not ours. We often meet with hinderances in our work from friends about us, and are taken off by care for the things of this life, from the concerns of our souls. Christ was so intent on his work, that no natural or other duty took him from it. Not that, under pretence of religion, we may be disrespectful to parents, or unkind to relations; but the lesser duty must stand by, while the greater is done. Let us cease from men, and cleave to Christ; let us look upon every Christian, in whatever condition of life, as the brother, sister, or mother of the Lord of glory; let us love, respect, and be kind to them, for his sake, and after his example.

Cross References 18

  • 1. 12.1Deuteronomy 23.25.
  • 2. 12.3, 4 1 Samuel 21.1-6.
  • 3. 12.4Leviticus 24.9.
  • 4. 12.5Numbers 28.9, 10.
  • 5. 12.7 aMatthew 9.13; bHosea 6.6.
  • 6. 12.11Luke 14.5.
  • 7. 12.18-21Isaiah 42.1-4 (LXX).
  • 8. 12.24Matthew 9.34; 10.25.
  • 9. +212.29Tobit 8.3.
  • 10. 12.30Mark 9.40.
  • 11. 12.32Luke 12.10.
  • 12. 12.33 +2Si 27.6; +1Mt 7.20;Luke 6.44.
  • 13. 12.34 aMatthew 3.7; 23.33;Luke 3.7; bMatthew 15.18;Luke 6.45.
  • 14. 12.38Matthew 16.1;Mark 8.11;Luke 11.16.
  • 15. 12.39Matthew 16.4;Mark 8.12.
  • 16. 12.40Jonah 1.17.
  • 17. 12.41Jonah 3.5.
  • 18. 12.42 1 K 10.1-10;2 Chronicles 9.1-12.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. evil thing they say; [or] evil thing they say against God.
  • [b]. [Some manuscripts do not have verse 47.]

Matthew 12 Commentaries

Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.