Mateo 12:44

44 Entonces dice: Me volveré a mi casa de donde salí; y cuando viene, la halla desocupada, barrida y adornada

Mateo 12:44 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 12:44

Then he said, I will return into my house
Into the land of Judea, particularly into the Scribes and Pharisees, outward professors of religion; who, notwithstanding their outward reformation, and great pretensions to holiness, are Satan's house still: he has a property in them, a claim upon them; and though he says,

from whence I came out,
yet he never really and properly quitted it, only seemingly, and in appearance; and therefore his returning is only throwing off the guise, and reassuming his former character, as a vicious and unclean spirit.

And when he is come, he findeth it empty:
not empty of sin: this puts me in mind of a passage in the Misna ^F25, where it is said, that on a fast day,

``when they stand in prayer, they cause to descend, or go before the ark, an old man, who is used (to prayer,) whose children, (Mqyr wtybw) , "and his house, are empty", so that his heart is perfect in prayer,''

or entirely at leisure for it. The commentators ^F26 on that phrase, "his house is empty", note, that he was empty of sin, and free from it, and one concerning whom an evil report had not gone forth from his youth: but such was not this house; it was empty of God, of the true knowledge of him, of the fear of him, and love to him; of Christ, of faith in him, affection for him, and hope on him; of the Spirit of God, and of his graces, and of spiritual, internal religion, and powerful godliness.

Swept;
not with the Spirit of grace convincing of sin, righteousness, and judgment; but with the besom of an outward reformation:

and garnished;
not with internal grace, which makes saints all glorious within; but with secret lusts and corruptions, which rendered it an agreeable habitation for this unclean spirit; and at most, with some show of morality, a little negative holiness, or abstinence from outward acts of sin, an observance of some external rites and ceremonies, and a few hypocritical performances of fasting and prayer; which Satan can very well bear with, so long as the heart is empty of spiritual grace, and till an opportunity offers of throwing off all appearance of good.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Taanith, c. 2. sect. 2.
F26 Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Mateo 12:44 In-Context

42 La reina del austro se levantará en el juicio con esta generación, y la condenará; porque vino de los fines de la tierra para oír la sabiduría de Salomón; y he aquí más que Salomón en este lugar

43 Cuando el espíritu inmundo ha salido del hombre, anda por lugares secos, buscando reposo, y no lo halla

44 Entonces dice: Me volveré a mi casa de donde salí; y cuando viene, la halla desocupada, barrida y adornada

45 Entonces va, y toma consigo otros siete espíritus peores que él, y entrados, moran allí; y son peores las postrimerías del tal hombre que las primeras. Así también acontecerá a esta generación mala

46 Y estando él aún hablando a la multitud, he aquí su madre y sus hermanos estaban fuera, que le querían hablar