Matthew 12

Chapter 12

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

Read and summarize

Look for

— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

Note: Matthew 12 is the end of an important section; it ends the presentation of the kingdom to Israel. The rejection of Jesus Christ did not begin at the cross, but in Chapter 12. Note that Jesus will “shift gears” dramatically after Chapter 12 with the Seven Kingdom Parables in Chapter 13. Gentiles come into focus

Q: What was the source of conflicts between Jesus and the religious leaders in Matthew 12:1-13?

The Lord of the Sabbath ( 12:1-2 )

( 12:1-2 ) At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

— No longer being regularly engaged in their earlier occupations it is not surprising that at times the disciples were hungry

— Jesus, too, experienced not only thirst ( Jn 4:6,7 ) but also hunger ( Matt 21:18 )

— This little group was poor, needy and now also hungry

— Jesus and His disciples were picking grain because they were hungry, not because they wanted to harvest the grain for a profit ( cf. Mark 3:6-12; Luke 6:11; the Chosen has this reversed)

— The OT permitted eating grain or grapes from a neighbors field but not taking more than needed to satisfy one’s hunger

— “When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. 25 When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.” ( Deut 23:24-25 )

— But the Rabbinic tradition had ridiculously misinterpreted this verse to imply that rubbing the grain was a form of harvesting

Q: What do you think God’s intent was for this law?

Going Deeper

— The Pharisees had established 39 categories of actions forbidden on the Sabbath; harvesting was one of them

— Instead of being a day of rest it had become a day of burden

— The Sabbath is the only law of the Ten Commandments that is nonmoral and purely ceremonial; and it is unique to the Old Covenant and to Israel

— The other nine commandments, on the other hand, pertain to moral and spiritual absolutes and are repeated and expanded upon many places in the New Testament

— Observing the Sabbath was a kind of sacrifice, a symbolic service to the Lord in obedience to His command

— It was a reminder of God’s completion of creation and a shadow of the perfect rest His redeemed people look forward to in salvation and in heaven

— God’s Word was honored in name and was the supposed basis for their traditions

— But scripture was not studied and obeyed directly; it was rather used as a means to justify the traditions, many of which actually contradicted and “invalidated the word of God” ( Matt 15:6 )

The Instruction ( 12:3-8 )

( 12:3-8 ) But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which 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 that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But 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 even of the Sabbath.”

—The story of David is recorded in 1 Sam 21:1-6 entering the tabernacle

— The bread of the Presence was replaced every week, and the old loaves ( 12 one for each tribe ) were eaten by the priests

— The loaves given to David were the old loaves that had just been replaced with fresh ones

— Although the priests were the only one allowed to eat the bread, God did not punish David because his need for food was more important that the priestly regulations

— if God makes allowances for his own law to be broken under certain circumstances for the welfare of His people, He surly permits purposeless and foolish man-made traditions to be broken for that purpose

Q: Is God always more concerned about people’s need ahead of keeping ceremony ( xref. Hos 6:6 )?

— “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” ( Hos 6:6 )

Q: If no work was allowed on the Sabbath, wasn’t the work of the priest breaking the letter of the law on the Sabbath?

The Sabbath does not restrict service to God ( 12:5-6 )

( 12:5-6 ) Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.

— Jesus did not have to explain what He meant by saying on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath

— The Pharisees had often read in the law that priests were not only allowed but commanded to do many things that would otherwise be prohibited on the Sabbath

— If we are more concerned with the means of worship than the One we worship, we will miss God even as we think we are worshiping him

Going Deeper

— Jesus must have embarrassed and angered the Pharisees by pointing out their inconsistent legalistic thinking

— But their anger turned to rage when Jesus said, Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple

— Because of His previous claims to deity ( 9:2-6; 11:3-5, 25-27 ), the Pharisees probably realized Jesus was referring to Himself as greater than the temple

— His immediate purpose was not to prove His deity but to point out that He had the right to abrogate Sabbath regulations as He saw fit

— Jesus was saying, if even an earthly temple, which was but a type, demanded modification of the fourth commandment ( Sabbath ), literally interpreted, would not its far superior Antitype, namely Jesus Christ, who was addressing the Pharisees here and now, and in whom “all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily” ( Col 2:9; cf. John 10:30 ), have the right to make a similar demand?

— Surely, something greater than the temple, a treasure infinitely more precious, a gift from heaven immeasurably more valuable, an authority endowed with rights far more magisterial, was speaking to them

The Sabbath does not restrict acts of mercy ( 12:7-8 )

( 12:7-8 ) But 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 even of the Sabbath.”

— Jesus’ third point regarding the Sabbath was that its observance was never meant to restrict acts of mercy

— That was exactly the trouble with the Pharisees: they lacked pity

— They did not love kindness

— The hunger that plagued the disciples of Jesus failed to kindle within the hearts of their critics any feeling of tenderness or eagerness to help

— Instead they were condemning the disciples

— As to Jesus, they not only condemned him but secretly rejoiced having discovered another reason, as they saw it, for causing him to be destroyed

For Man’s benefit

— Jesus affirmed that the Sabbath was made for man’s benefit and God’s glory

— It was never intended to be a yoke of bondage to the people of God ( Mark 2:27 )

— Luke adds “I will ask one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy” ( Luke 6:9 )

— Activity per se was not unlawful; Good works were especially appropriate on the Sabbath, particularly deeds of charity, mercy and worship

— Works necessary for the preservation of life were also permitted

— To corrupt the Sabbath to forbid good works was a perversion of God’s design

— to do evil: Refusal to do good is tantamount to doing evil ( James 4:17 )

Going Deeper

— When Jesus said he was the Lord of the Sabbath, he claimed to be greater that the law and above the law

— The creator is always greater than the creation, thus Jesus had the authority to overrule their traditions and regulations

— Seven Healings on the Sabbath:

(Jesus compassion on display)

— Demoniac in Capernaum Mk 1:21-27

— Peter’s Mother-in-law healed Mk 1:29-31

— Impotent Man Jn 5:1-9

— Man with withered hand Mk 3:1-6 Mt 12:8-14

— Woman hunched over Lk 13:10-17

— Man with dropsy Lk 14:1-6

— Man born blind ( Jn 9:1-14 )

Q: Have you ever read or heard something in scripture and then caught yourself thinking just the opposite? How would you describe the Pharisees ( 12:9-13 )?

The Illustration ( 12:9-13 )

( 12:9-13 ) Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him. 11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.

— Jesus went directly into the synagogue and gave them an object lesson on the true meaning of Sabbath observance and of His authority over both man and the Sabbath

— When the Pharisees saw a man with a withered hand there, they thought this was the perfect trap

— They were completely unaffected by Jesus’ reminder from Scripture that God desires compassion not sacrifice

— Their Sabbath rules said that people could be helped only if lives were in danger

— Jesus healed several times on the Sabbath and none of those healings were in response to an emergency

— The best time to help people is when he or she needs help

— Sabbath Day Summary / Issues

We need to realize that we are not saved by the days we keep, we are saved by the Lord we keep.

The Sabbath is a time of devotion, not a subjection to rules; It is a benefit to be taken advantage of (Rom 14:5; Col 2:16).

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Sabbath day for you and me (Heb 4).

No intention to say sin is not sin…

Q: After hearing Jesus speak with authority and seeing his miracles, what did the Pharisees react? Why ( 12:14 )?

The Insurrection ( 12:14 )

( 12:14 ) Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

— Neither the power of Jesus’ arguments nor the power of His miracles moved the Pharisees

— Jesus connected the heart of God with kindness and mercy and He connected those virtues with the Sabbath

— But the Pharisees would have none of it because they “loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil” ( Jn 3:19 )

— Because they could not disprove the truth of what Jesus said or the power of what He did, they planned to kill him

— True to the spiritual nature of their father, the devil ( Jn 8:44 ), the Pharisees sought to destroy what they could not subvert

— The religious leaders make their final choice and reject Jesus as the promised Messiah and King

— The Kingdom coming will now be delayed (until the Tribulation?)

— Jesus will now move on to focus on the gentiles (The church)

Q: Was Jesus omniscient as a man ( 12:15-17 )?

Conformed to God’s Plan ( 12:15-17 )

( 12:15-17 ) But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

— Up to this point, Jesus had been aggressively confronting the Pharisees’ hypocrisy

— In His omniscience Jesus was aware of the Pharisees’ plan to destroy Him and therefore withdrew from there

Withdrew

— Jesus did not seek fame

— He did not want to stand out as a worker of miracles

— Vain display, earthly glory, matters such as these did not constitute the reason for his incarnation and sojourn among men

Going Deeper

— Jesus was never forced away from any place of ministry, but always withdrew of His own volition

— Had he been willing to use His power for that purpose, He could have continued in any place doing entirely as he pleased — because no force, including the Roman army, could have hindered Him

— But the Father’s plan was not to shed Roman blood but His Son’s blood because only His Son’s blood could atone for the sins of mankind and open the way to heaven

( 12:15 ) And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all

— The people Jesus healed were despised and neglected by the scribes and Pharisees, as well as by the priesthood, which God had established as a means for bringing His people nearer to Himself

— The religious leaders were interested in the rich and influential, not the sick, the poor and the outcast

— Jesus always had time for those who were suffering and in need

— When He looked over “the multitudes he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd” ( 9:36 )

— Not only were the oppressed by the Romans but by their own religious leaders who should have been their shepherds

— Christ feels the pain that hurts us and the weight of burdens that grind us down; and in His gracious lovingkindness he heals our hurts and lifts our burdens

Q: What does the prophecy of 12:18-21 say about the Messiah?

Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah ( 12:18-21 )

( 12:18-21 ) “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; 21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.”

— Here we see that Jesus was commended by the Father and commissioned by the Holy Spirit

— He was committed to meekness and the comforting of the weak

— Isaiah said that Christ would be so tender a shepherd that He would not throw away the little flute that did not play the perfect tune; instead he would restore the melody and bring back the song

— He would also clean and trim the wick so that it burns more brightly

— He would consummate the victory over sin and Satan

Isaiah

Hendriksen

— Matthew quotes Isa 42:1-4

— To prove Christ’s unassuming, gentle, and retiring nature a reference to Isa 42:2, 3 would probably have sufficed, but it is Matthew’s desire to quote also from the preceding and following context, in order that Messiah’s glory may become all the more strikingly evident, and the wickedness of his opponent stand out more clearly by contrast

Smoking Flax

Smoldering was no good to give light

— He will not break them

— They are deemed useless to the world, but He shows them compassion

— He bears our weakness and will impart strength to the weak, to all who ask for help

— We stumble but God doesn’t cast us out as if we were worthless

— He will heal the sick ( 4:23-25; 9:35; 11:5; 12:15 ), seek and save tax-collectors, and sinners ( 9:9; 10 ), comfort mourners ( 5:4 ), cheer the fearful ( 14:13-21 ), reassure doubters ( 11:2-6 ), feed the famished ( 14:13-21 ), and grant pardon to those who repent of their sins ( 9:2 )

Going Deeper

— This is a quote from Isaiah 42:1-4, the first of four servant songs found in Isaiah ( the others are Is 49:1-9a; 50:40-9; 52:13-53:12 )

— The Greek phrase translated I have chosen ( from hairetizō, αἱρετίζω ) indicates a firm and determined decision and is used nowhere else in the NT

— The Father had irrevocably chosen His beloved Son to be His divine Servant, the only One qualified for the task of redemption

— The battered reed and the smoldering wick represent people whose lives are broken and worn out, ready to be discarded and replaced by the world

— Because they can no longer “make music” or “give light,” society casts off the weak and helpless, the suffering and the burdened

— Those were the kind of people the Romans ignored as useless and the Pharisees despised as worthless

— The Lord will not break off or put out even the least of those who come to Him

By whose power does Jesus do these things ( 12:22-24 )

( 12:22-24 ) Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

— An astonishing triple miracle!

— The Pharisees or Priest would ask the demon his name, but this man could not speak, yet Jesus exorcised the demon. They wondered if Jesus was the Messiah

— The multitudes recognized these miracles as possible messianic signs

— The fact that the multitudes were seriously wondering if Jesus might be the Messiah drove the Pharisees to panic

— The Pharisees had already accused Jesus of being in league with the prince of demons ( 9:34 ), now they unwittingly accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul

— Jesus easily exposed the foolishness of their argument

— The Pharisees could not tolerate the thought that this man who denounced them as unrighteous and hypocrites and trampled on their human system of traditions could be the long awaited Messiah

Q: Again, we are faced with the question of whether Jesus was omniscient as a man? Some say that he had profound insight and discernment. What do you think (12:25-30 )?

The Answer ( 12:25-30 )

( 12:25-30 ) But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

— Although the Pharisees were speaking to the crowd beyond Jesus’ hearing, He nevertheless knew their thoughts

— The resurrected Christ knows all our thoughts

— This can be comforting because he knows what we really mean when we speak to him

— Jesus tells the Religious leaders straight out – “if it’s not a Satan thing….. Then your Messiah is here!” (Verse 28)

— The very fact that Satan’s kingdom is being proved vulnerable - for his envoys are being driven out of out of men’s hearts and lives — shows that God’s kingdom is making its presence felt

— The Pharisees accused Jesus of being and agent of Satan, the alternative was to announce Him as their Messiah

Going Deeper

— Jesus pointed out the Pharisees’ prejudice

— They approved of their religious establishment casting out demons but not Christ

— The implied suggestion was that they ask those practitioners by whose power they cast out demons. If they said “Satan’s power,” they would condemn themselves. If they said “God’s power,” they would undercut their accusation against Jesus

Jesus answers the Pharisees and says that there are 3 things wrong with their accusation:

1. It is absurd - a kingdom divided against itself will fall

2. It is prejudiced - there were some disciples of the Pharisees who were casting out demons ( Acts 19 ). The “sons of the Pharisees” ( 12:27 ) were utterly unable to cast out demons, but when Christ did it and the evidence was irrefutable, they ascribe it to Satan. They were biased

3. You are rebellious - He says that if he casts out spirits by the power of God ( 12:28 ). Since Christ in His incarnation restricted His power, the Spirit was working through Him. This is key to understanding the unpardonable sin ( 12:31 )

The Kingdom is near

— Jesus draws to a conclusion His argument, If I do these things by the HS, the Kingdom is here

— I am the king, and wherever the King is, the Kingdom is there

— If Christ lives in your hear, the kingdom is there, the sphere of His rule

The Accusation was Rebellious ( 12:28-30 )

( 12:28-30 ) But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

— It is impossible to be neutral about Christ

— Anyone who is not actively following him has chosen to reject him

— Any person who tries to remain neutral in the struggle of good against evil is choosing to be separated from God

— To refuse to follow Christ is to choose to be on Satan’s team

Q: Jesus said that any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men. What is the difference ( 12:31 )?

The Anathema ( 12:31-32 )

( 12:31-32 ) “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

— Few passages have been misinterpreted and misunderstood than these two verses

— Sin represents the full gamut of immoral and ungodly thoughts and actions; and every sin of which men sincerely repent shall be forgiven ( Mark 3:28, 14:71; Lk 12:10 ) except this particular sin

— Blasphemy represents conscious denouncing and rejection of God

— Defiant irreverence; intentionally and openly speaking evil against God or man, defamation, railing, reviling ( Eph 4:31; Col 3:8; 1 Tim 6:4 )

— Defaming or mocking Him ( cf. Mark 2:7 )

— In the last days blasphemy will be the norm ( Rev 13:5-6; 16:9; 17:3 )

One Exception

— Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven

— This sin will never be forgiven either now or in the age to come

— The Pharisees are ascribing to Satan what the Holy Spirit through Christ, is working

Our Forgiving God

— God by His very nature is a forgiving God

— “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” ( Ps 86:5 )

— “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases” ( Ps 103:3 )

— “Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.” ( Michah 7:18 )

— Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. ( Is 1:18 )

— “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” ( 1 Jn 1:9 )

— “My little children, He has forgiven all your sins for His name’s sake” ( 1 Jn 2:12 )

— Paul says to the Ephesians that we have been granted redemption and the forgiveness of sins ( Eph 1:7 )

— The worse possible sin would be to kill the Son of God; yet on the cross Jesus looks to the father and says “Father forgive them” ( Luke 23:34 )

— God forgives all types of sins, even blasphemers, like Paul ( 1 Tim 1:13 )

Q: Can God forgive those who reject Christ?

— if the sin of rejecting Christ was unforgivable, then none of us could be forgiven, because every one of us, before our redemption, were Christ-rejectors.

— John 16 says that Christ came into the world because they would not believe in Christ

— But, in order to have forgiveness there is one condition - repentance and confession and turning to God

— The reason the Pharisees were beyond pardon was because they perceived themselves as beyond the need for repentance

Rejection of the King

— Chapters 11 and 12 were all about the rejection of the King

— It all comes to climax in this chapter, Jesus heals a man possessed of a demon, blind and dumb ( 12:22 )

— They accuse Jesus of healing by the power of Beelzebub and He tells the Pharisees that He does these works by the power of the Holy Spirit

The Power of the Holy Spirit

— When Christ came into the world in humiliation, He set aside His prerogatives and He became utterly a servant to the will of the Father and utterly a vessel to be used by the power of the Spirit

— Everything He did, He did was energized by the power of the Holy Spirit ( cf. Matt 3:16; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:14 )

— When the Pharisees accused Jesus of doing the work of Beelzebub, they were blaspheming the Holy Spirit

Blasphemy of the Spirit

— A person who rejects the Son of Man can be forgiven and a person who blasphemes God can be forgiven ( Matt 12:31, 32a; cf. Col 3:8 )

— You can blaspheme the Son of Man, which speaks about His humanity but not His deity

— But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not forgivable ( Matt 12:32b )

— Those who spoke against the Holy Spirit were those who saw His divine power working in and through Jesus but willfully refused to accept the implications of that revelation, and, in some cases, attributed that power to Satan

— Having seen all the evidence necessary, perhaps thousands of miracles, the Pharisees concluded it was the work of the devil

Going Deeper

— The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the result of gradual progress in sin

— Grieving the Spirit ( Eph 4:30 ), if unrepentant of, leads to resisting the Spirit ( Acts 7:51 ), which, if persisted in, develops into quenching the Spirit ( 1 Thess 5:19 ).

— The true solution is found in Ps 95:7b, 8a “Today, O that you would listen to his voice. Harden not your hearts!” ( cd. Heb 3:7, 8a )

— Some will argue that this is a sin that cannot be committed today, others say it is possible

Exposing the Truth about Man’s Heart ( 12:33-37 )

( 12:33-37 ) “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

— It is not surprising after Jesus excoriated the Pharisees for their unforgivable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, he then began to speak about the importance of the tongue

— Jesus used a short parable to to illustrate the obvious: a tree and its fruit correspond

— God empowers nothing evil, and Satan empowers nothing good

— Here is one of the most basic principles of Scripture regarding man: the mouth speaks what is in the heart

— Because men’s words are an accurate gauge of their hearts, they shall be judged by them

— What kind of words come out of your mouth?

— You can’t solve your heart problem, however, just by cleaning up your speech

— You must allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with new attitudes and motives, then your speech will be cleansed at its source

— Jesus reminds us that of a truth we are what we are and that the proof of who / what we are will be known by our words / deeds.

If you are of good heart… good will be manifested.

If you are of evil heart… evil will be manifested.

Watch and notice what we say and do. (Self-evaluation)

“By their fruit you will know them”

Going Deeper

( 12:34 ) out of the abundance of the heart

— Out of the abundance, or that which fills translates the Greek noun perisseuma which means great abundance, fullness, or overflow

— It carries the idea of excess, which, in terms of Jesus’ figure, spills over from the heart and out of the mouth in the form of words

— What the heart is full of, will overflow from the mouth

— The person who is filled with lustful thoughts will eventually express those thoughts in crude or suggestive remarks

— The person who is persistently angry and hateful will sooner or later put those thoughts into words

— The day of Judgment for unbelievers culminates at the great white throne judgment; the Christian’s sin was judged at Calvary

— Some years ago, an article in the The Times of London reported that fourteen church study groups look at the OT Psalms and concluded that eighty-four of them were “not fit for Christians to sing”

— They reasoned that the wrath and vengeance reflected in those psalms was not compatible with the Christian gospel of love and grace

— Many in our own church, JOF, would agree with that statement

— Jesus was God incarnate and therefore love incarnate, but He spoke more about judgment and hell than anyone else in Scripture ( Matt 5:22, 29-30; 8:12; 10:14-15, 28; 12:36-37, vv 41-42, 13:40, 49; 16:26; 18:34-35; 22:13; 23:33; 24:50-51; 25:26-30)

Judgment on Christ Rejecters ( 12:38-42 )

Q: What are we to make of the religious leaders’ request in Matthew 12:38?

The Last Sign ( 12:38-40 )

( 12:38-40 ) Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For 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.

— The Pharisees were asking for another miraculous sign, but they were not sincerely seeking to know Jesus

— Jesus knew that they had already seen enough miraculous proof to convince them that he was the Messiah if they could just open their hearts

— But they had already decided not to believe in Him, and more miracles would not change that

— Instead of asking for additional evidence or miracles, accept what God has already done

— He may use your life as evidence to reach another person

Jonah ( 12:39-40 )

( 12:39-40 ) But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For 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.

— Jesus first responded that every request for a sign reflected the wicked expectations of an evil and adulterous generation

— Jonah grudgingly went to Nineveh and the city repented

— By contrast, when Jesus came to His people, they refused to repent

— Here, Jesus is clearly saying that His resurrection will prove that He is the Messiah

The Last Sentence ( 12:41-42 )

( 12:41-42 ) The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

— These Gentiles recognized the truth about God when it was presented to them, unlike the religious leaders who ignored the truth

— Something greater than Jonah … greater than Solomon refers to Jesus

— Compared to Jonah who preached judgment, Christ came in great humility and gracious love

— Compared to “that pagan women” who brought treasures to Solomon, Jesus preached only wisdom but salvation from sin

— How have you responded to the evidence and truth that you have?

The Danger of Reformation ( 12:43-45 )

( 12:43-45 ) “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

— Jesus was describing the attitude of the nation of Israel and the religious leaders in particular

— Just cleaning up one’s life and not filing it with God leaves plenty of room for Satan to enter

— Riding our lives of sin is the first step

— We must also take the second step: filling our lives with God’s Word and the Holy Spirit

Q: What is the significance of Jesus’ response when His family comes looking for him ( 12:48-50 )?

The Power of Relationship ( 12:46-50 )

( 12:46-50 ) “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and 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.”

— Having head knowledge of Jesus Christ is not salvation

— The names of his brothers is provided in 13:55 and Mark 6:3

— During Jesus’ ministry there is no clear evidence that any member of His family other than Mary fully understood who He was or trusted in Him as Savior ( Jn 7:5 )

— It is not clear why His mother and brothers are there, but we can assume that they loved Him

— Mark 3:21 tells us that friends of Jesus reported that He was out of His mind; and now the religious leaders are accusing of Him of being satanic

Hendricksen

— Under the leadership of the scribes and Pharisees the Jews are going from bad to worse, like a man who, possessed by an evil spirit, is first delivered from this demon but later repossessed by it and by seven otehr even more wicked than itself

— As the final paragraph ( 46-50 ) shows, at this point there is interference by the mother and brothers of Jesus

— There intention seems to have been to remove him for a while from the public

— Jesus was pointing out that spiritual relationships are more important than ties of blood ( John 1:13; Gal 6:10; Luke 2:49; John 2:4, 7:6 ) — This is a hard one! The NIV application bible says “spiritual relations are as binding as physical ones” not more important

MacArthur

— He is saying that earthly, physical relations are not the issue with me

— My spiritual family is what really matters ( 12:49 )

— In a real sense, He extended this invitation to Mary and the brothers as well

— The natural question is how to be related to Christ, and He answers it: For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.

Q: What is to do the will of my Father ( 12:50 )?

— At His baptism God spoke from heaven and said

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ( Matt 3:17 )

— To do the will of the father is to accept Jesus as His son and be pleased with Him as God is pleased with Him

Going Deeper

— By this time Joseph had probably been dead for many year, and Jesus’ immediate family consisted of His mother, Mary, his half brothers (James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas), and His half sisters, who are not named ( Matt 13:55-56 )

— We are not told ( cf. Mark 3:31-32; Lk 8:19-20 ) why Jesus mother and brothers were seeking to speak with Him, but it seems reasonable to assume that they were greatly concerned about His welfare and even feared with some of His home town friends that he had “lost his senses” ( Mk 3:21 )

— The scribes and Pharisees accused Him of doing His work by the power of Satan and plan to destroy him ( 12:14 ) and was probably already rumored among the people

— Was His family was hoping to dissuade Him from continuing His work and on a rescue mission to save Him from imminent death?

— We know that Jesus’ purpose in referring to His disciples as His mother and brother was to teach that He invites the entire world into His intimate and divine family; and Jesus did love His family, in fact He redeemed His mother and redeemed His brothers after His resurrection

Catholics teach that these were not His mother and brothers

— 1.2 Billion Catholics would disagree with our interpretation of this passage

— Thomas Aquinas taught that this Mary was the wife of Cleophas, Mary’s sister

— The official Catechism of the Catholic Church states that Mary was a perpetual virgin ( 499 ) and that Jesus was her only son ( 501 ). With respect to passages mentioning Mary and Jesus’ brothers and sisters, the Catechism states, “Against this doctrine the objection is sometimes raised that the bible mentions brothers and sisters of Jesus. The Church has always understood these passages as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary. In fact James and Joseph, “brothers of Jesus” are the sons of another Mary, a disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls “the other Mary.” They are close relations of Jesus, according to an Old Testament expression” ( Catechism of the Catholic Church 500 )

Additional Resources

The second servant song from our study of Isaiah: https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/526034-isaiah-41-45

MacArthur, John. Matthew 8-15. Moody Press, 1987.

MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.

MacArthur, John. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit, Part 1: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2292/blaspheming-the-holy-spirit-part-1

MacArthur, John. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit, Part 2: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2293/blaspheming-the-holy-spirit-part-2

MacArthur, John. Reformation vs Relationship: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2296/reformation-vs-relationship

Matthew Henry. Commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Hendrickson Publishers, 1994.

Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Matthew/Matthew%20Chapter%2010.html

George Haydock. Catholic Bible Commentary. Edw. Dunigan & Brother, 1859

Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd Edition. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 1997

William Hendriksen. Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.