Mattityahu 12:44

44 Then it says, Into my haunt I will return from where I came out. And having come out, it finds the bais standing empty, having been swept and having been put beseder (in order).

Mattityahu 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.


FOOTNOTES:

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

Mattityahu 12:44 In-Context

42 The Queen of the South will be made to stand up alive at the Yom HaDin with this generation and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the chochmah of Shlomo and, hinei, something much greater than Shlomo is here.
43 Now when the ruach hatameh (unclean spirit) goes out from the man, it goes through dry places seeking a manoach (resting place) and it does not find one.
44 Then it says, Into my haunt I will return from where I came out. And having come out, it finds the bais standing empty, having been swept and having been put beseder (in order).
45 Then it goes and takes along with itself seven other ruchot more evil than itself and, having entered the residence, it sets up house there, and the last state of that man has become worse than the first. Thus it will be with this evil generation also.
46 While he was still speaking to the multitudes, hinei, Moshiach’s Em and achim stood outside, seeking to speak with him.
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