Matthew 12 (ESV)
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man with a Withered Hand
9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
God's Chosen Servant
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward 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.”
9 Comments
Bruce Blakey Jan 17, 2017 @ 4:55 pm
Kelly and Rachel - To be forgiven of speaking against the Son is good news because we are all guilty of that. To blaspheme the Spirit is unforgivable because no one comes to Christ apart from the Spirit. In this text the Pharisees attribute a work of the Spirit to the devil. Because it is the Spirit who reveals truth to us and the Spirit who causes us to be born again the willful, conscious, persistent rejection of the Spirit's witness to the truth about Christ puts a person in a place beyond forgiveness. But notice - Jesus is not saying anyone had done this. This is a gracious warning from Christ. However, it is a serious and even frightening warning.
What stood out to me in the chapter is the supremacy of Christ. He is greater than the temple, Jonah, and Solomon. He is greater than anything or anyone and should be exalted! I am so thankful to be a part of His family (v.50)!
Yolanda Kennedy Jan 17, 2017 @ 1:08 pm
Two things stick out to me:
1. Strong warning in v36 about careless words. God, change my heart and help me only speak words of life.
2. Cutting words from Christ that goe against the grain of idolatrous family views. God, help me to deepen relationships with my true brothers and sisters and help me to restore broken relationships in my blood family for Your glory.
Noah Tiemeyer Jan 17, 2017 @ 10:11 am
Reminded again that it is my heart that must be changed, not my outward actions. "The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil." Encouraged to look into the passage today that I might behold Christ's glory and be changed by seeing Him.
Arturo (Gordie) Jan 17, 2017 @ 9:11 am
Quick true story in regards to verses 1-8. When I was part of the Catholic "system" once upon a time ago, I remember quite distinctively on one occasion when the "mass" was being conducted, I remember there being a shortage with the bread while it was being given out during "communion". So I noticed some bread to the side of the altar that was not being handed out. So as I walked over to grab that in order to continue giving to the people, the priest came over to me and said, "that cannot be distributed." And when I asked why, he said because it had not been consecrated yet. I felt bad at first, but then I thought that's not the point. What does it being consecrated have anything to do with the true meaning of the Lord's supper and therefore giving it to the people. Speaking on behalf of "legalism", that was surely the case. At any rate, there is so much in this chapter, I will be delighted in reading other comments.
Dennis L Troyer Jan 17, 2017 @ 8:27 am
Rachel and Kelly: Piper addresses the issue in an article. http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/beyond-forgiveness-blasphemy-against-the-spirit
Rachel DeMent Jan 17, 2017 @ 7:47 am
All of the sections in this chaper hark back to Jesus knowing the heart of the person(s) that he is interacting with. Especially in regards to the legalism of the Pharisees. And although v 33-37 and 38-42 are scarey, as a believer they are somewhat comforting knowing that I stand justified by the blood of Christ. 33-37 also set a good goal for me, what is my heart dwelling on? What should it be dwelling in to produce words/actions that would glorify Christ as my redeemer? Remembering that one day I will have to give an account is a good motivator.
Rachel DeMent Jan 17, 2017 @ 7:33 am
I second Kelly's question.
Kelly Bellinger Jan 17, 2017 @ 6:42 am
Why does Christ make a distinction between himself and the Holy Spirit regerding blasphemy? Why would it be worse to blashpheme against the Holy Spirit than Himself?
John Gardner Jan 17, 2017 @ 6:31 am
The text "Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit" between verses 21 and 22 should actually be a paragraph heading and not part of the text as it appears.
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