The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 12

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The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 12

The Bible Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.12.NIV

Hostility Escalating with the Sabbath

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.

2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” (According to the Law, laboring such as plucking and rubbing the grain was prohibited on the Sabbath as it is the Fourth Commandment and its associated laws. Observing the Sabbath literally was huge pride for Pharisees.)

3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?

4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. (Ahimelek- the priest gave the sacred bread, which was allowed to priest only, to David so he ate it on his way escaping from Saul. 1Sam. 21:1-6. It seemed wrong but was okay in terms of caring those in needs.)

5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? (Even the priests were waived from the Law for working on the Sabbath since the Law and laws are for the benefit of God's people.)

6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. (Jesus proclaims He is greater than the temple which was regarded to be sacred. It was a huge challenge to those who were bound by the literal laws which can not replace the true spirit of the Law; Love.)

7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ (Hos. 6:6) you would not have condemned the innocent. (God prefer mercy over sacrifice. Sacrifice should be a token of our commitment to God. And Mercy is the true commitment to God because mercy is originated from God.)

8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (When we know the true spirit of the Law we maybe free from the legalistic obligation. Jn. 8:31-32. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets; Old Testament. It was unacceptable for those religious leaders who were enjoying their own power over the ordinaries.)

9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” (People, Pharisees, try to accuse Jesus for violation of the Law. Healing could be considered of violation of the Law.)

11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? (Even an animal that has fallen into a pit must be rescued through labor on the Sabbath. The law was created to make everything work for the best. Common sense which is based on God's righteousness and human justice must be respected.)

12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” (Saving a person, doing good for something on the Sabbath is lawful based on the right common sense.)

13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. (Now, Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath.)

14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (It caused great disturbance among the Pharisees who's pride very much damaged so they decided to violate the Fifth Commandment; Do not murder.)

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. (Hostility getting bigger.) A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. (The Pharisees were angry but people follow Jesus. But eventually most of them left Jesus in His last moment. Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him but healed them regardlessly.)

16 He warned them not to tell others about him. (Jesus did all to please God but not for His worldly fame. But some Christian leaders nowadays act like that they are bigger than Jesus, pursuing worldly fame and gain. It is somehow scary.)

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

18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,

the one I love, in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on him,

and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

19 He will not quarrel or cry out;

no one will hear his voice in the streets.

20 A bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,

till he has brought justice through to victory.

21 In his name the nations will put their hope.” (Isa. 42:1-4, Notice His humbleness, Mercifulness, and righteousness.)

Jesus and Beelzebul

22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. (Demon- evil spirit- can cause blindness and mute. But Jesus can heal those.)

23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” (There was a sign in Jesus to be the Messiah, as like the king David.)

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul (Satan), the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” (But those religious leaders who were threatened by His authority accused Jesus to be the prince of demons. The conflict and hostility race to the top of the hill.)

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?

27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. (Jesus defeats their false accusation with reasoning.)

28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Jesus is establishing the Kingdom of God by defeating the demons.)

29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. (Spiritual warfare comes first.)

30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. (Rejecting Jesus is denying God's way of salvation. Because He is God-Sent and doing God's thing.)

31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. (Who's fighting against of God's Spirit is determined to be damned.)

32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Sin will be forgiven upon repentance but unbelief can not.)

33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. (Be a right tree so may bare the right fruit.)

34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (This condemnation of Jesus on those unbelief is extreme and final, that much true. also causing extreme hatred to Himself.)

35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. (Character- good or evil- dominates action- good or evil.)

36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.

37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (We are responsible for our thoughts and actions.)

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” (They still didn't trust Jesus out of their pride, asking a sign which had been revealed numerous times.)

39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (The sign of Jonah, 1:17, being three days in the stomach of fish, indicates Jesus will be buried in tomb for three days. Jesus began to mention His death.)

41 The men of Nineveh (the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire) will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater (Jesus) than Jonah is here.

42 The Queen of the South (queen of Sheba, 1Ki. 10:1-3) will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. (Even those people in Assyria and Sheba accepted God's truth but not these Jews. Jn. 1:11)

43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid (dry) places seeking rest and does not find it.

44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.

45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (If we do not repent, remain pure, and constantly fight against evil, we will fall again and suffer worse consequences.)

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.

47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.

50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Jesus did not deny his blood relationship, but expanded it to be a Kingdom Relationship. At the time, Jesus expected to suffer and die on the cross as the Messiah; Savior of All.)