Matthew Chapter 12
Another Controversy About Breaking Sabbath
1 At that time, Jesus was walking along through grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and started picking off heads of wheat and eating the seeds.
2 When some Pharisees saw it, they said, “Your disciples are breaking the Law.”
3 He said, “You’ve read, haven’t you, what David and his men did when they needed food? 4 He went into God’s house, and he and his men ate the consecrated loaves that were against the Law for him and his men to eat, loaves that were only for priests. 5 Or, you’ve read in the Law, haven’t you, how the priests in the Temple desecrate Sabbath and remain innocent? 6 Something more important than the Temple is here. 7 If you’d known what this means, ‘I want mercy more than sacrifice’ [Hos 6:6], you wouldn’t have criticized innocent people. 8 A person is more important than the Sabbath.”lit
Mt 12:1-8
Healing a Man with a Paralyzed Hand
9 He left and went into their synagogue. 10 A man with a paralyzed hand was there, and they asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal on a Sabbath (so they could accuse him).
11 He said, “Wouldn’t any of you pull your sheep out that fell in a ravine on a Sabbath? 12 A person’s worth more than a sheep. So, it’s lawful to do good on a Sabbath.”
13 Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” It was restored like the other one. 14 The Pharisees went out and plotted to destroy him.
Mt 12:9-14
Jesus and the Multitudes:
Teaching and Healing
15 Jesus knew it and left. Many [crowds]ms followed him, and he healed them all 16 and charged them not to expose him— 17 in fulfillment of what Isaiah the prophet said,
18 “My servant that I’ve chosen,
my dearly loved one I delight in—
I’ll put my Spirit on him,
and he’ll render justice for the nations.
19 He won’t quarrel or shout;
nobody will hear him in the streets.
20 He won’t break a bent reed
or put out smoking flax,
till he brings justice to victory.
21 The nations will put their hope in him” [Is 42:1-4].
Mt 12:15-21
Pharisees’ Charge That Jesus Was
in League with the Devil
22 They brought Jesus a demon-possessed blind mute, and he healed him; he could speak and see. 23 The crowds were astounded, “This isn’t the Son of David, is it?”
24 When the Pharisees heard about it, they said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons.”
25 He knew what they were thinking and told them,
“Every kingdom at cross purposes with itself becomes desolate; no city or family at cross purposes with itself will stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he’s at cross purposes with himself; how would his kingdom stand? 27 If I cast out demons by Beelzebub, who do your students cast them out by? Judge for yourselves.
28 “If I cast out demons by God’s Spirit, then God’s kingdom has reached you. 29 How can somebody go into a strong man’s house and seize his property unless he ties him up first? Then he can ransack his house.
30 “Whoever’s not with me is against me, and whoever doesn’t gather with me scatters around. 31 So, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven except blasphemy against the Spirit. 32 Whoever insults me can be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit won’t be forgiven in this age or the next.
33 “Consider a tree and its fruit good or bad together, because by its fruit a tree is known to be good or bad. 34 You bunch of poisonous snakes! How can you bad people say good things? The mouth says what the heart holds. 35 A good person brings good things out of his good treasure; a bad person brings out bad things.
36 “At the judgment, people will account for every off-handed comment they make. 37 What you say will justify you or condemn you.”
Mt 12:22-37
Scribes and Pharisees Demand a Sign
38 Some scribes and Pharisees answered, “Rabbi, we want to see you do a sign.”
39 He answered them,
“A sinful, adulterous generation is straining to see a sign, but it won’t get one—except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 As ‘Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and nights’ [Jon 1:17], the Son of Man will be in the ground for three days and nights. 41 The people of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with people from today and condemn them. They repented at Jonah’s preaching; something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with people from today and condemn them; she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom; something greater than Solomon is here.
43“When an unclean spirit leaves someone, it wanders through desert places looking for rest and doesn’t find any. 44 It says, ‘I’m going back to the house I left.’ It goes and finds it empty, swept out, and decorated. 45 Then it takes seven spirits worse than itself, goes in and takes up permanent residence. The person’s last condition is worse than the first. That’s how it’ll be with today’s bad people.”
Mt 12:38-45
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
Interrupt His Ministry
46 While Jesus was talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers were standing outside of the crowd, trying to get to him to talk to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers have been standing outside, trying to get to talk to you.”
48 He answered the person, “Who’s my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 He held out his hand toward his disciples, “My mother and my brothers! 50 My brother, my sister, my mother is whoever does the will of my Father in heaven.”
Mt 12:46-50