12:1,2The Pharisees had established 39 categories of actions forbidden on the Sabbath, based on interpretations of God’s law and on Jewish custom. Harvesting was one of those forbidden actions. By picking wheat and rubbing it in their hands, the disciples were technically harvesting, according to the Pharisees. Jesus and the disciples were picking grain because they were hungry, not because they wanted to harvest the grain for a profit. They were not working on the Sabbath. The Pharisees, however, could not (and did not want to) see beyond their law’s technicalities. They had no room for compassion, and they were determined to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing.
Life Application Study BibleMatthewChapter 12
Matthew 12
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1565, 1566, 1567, 1568
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
12Matthew 12
1At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. 2But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.” 3Jesus said to them, “Haven't you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He went into the house of God, and they broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. 5And haven't you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? &T tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! 7But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’* 8For the Son of Man* is LORD, even over the Sabbath!” 12:8 11Son of Man’ is a title Jesus used for himself, Jesus Heals a Man’s Hand on the Sabbath (46/Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11) 2Then Jesus went over to their synagogue,!°where he noticed aman witha deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.) 11And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you work to pull it out? Of course you would. 12And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other one! ‘Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus. Large Crowds Follow Jesus (47/Mark 3:7-12) 15But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them,!6but he warned them not to reveal who he was. 17This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:
18“Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen.He is my Beloved, who pleases me.Iwill put my Spirit upon him,and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19He will not fight or shoutor raise his voice in public.
20He will not crush the weakest reedor put out a flickering candle.Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.
21And his name will be the hopeof all the world.”*Religious Leaders Accuse Jesus of Getting His Power from Satan(74/Mark 3:20-30);
22Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn't speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so thathe could both speak and see. 23The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?” 24But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan,* the prince of demons.” 42:18-21 Isa 42:1-4 (Greek version for 42:4). 12:24 Greek Beelzeboul; also in 12:27. Other manuscripts read Beezeboul; Latin version reads Beelzebub. 25Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27And if 1am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 28But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger— someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. 30“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. 3Every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come. 33“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” Religious Leaders Ask Jesus for a Miraculous Sign (75) 38One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.” 39But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41“The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent. 42The queen of Sheba* will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen. 43”When an evil* spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. 44Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. 45Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.” Jesus Describes His True Family (76/Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21) 46As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 47Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.”* 48jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 50Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” Jesus Tells the Parable of the Four Soils (77/Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8)
Textual footnotes
- 12:7 Hos 6:6 (Greek version).
- 12:42 Greek The queen of the south.
- 12:43 Greek unciean.
- 12:47 Some manuscripts do not include verse 47.
Life Application Notes 22 notes
12:4This story is recorded in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. The Bread of the Presence was replaced every week, and the old loaves 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 ones allowed to eat this bread, God did not punish David because his need for food was more important than the priestly regulations. Jesus was saying, “If you condemn me, you must also condemn David,” something the religious leaders could never do without causing a great uproar among the people. Jesus was not condoning disobedience to God’s laws. instead, he was emphasizing discernment and compassion in enforcing the laws.
12:5The Ten Commandments require that the Sabbath be kept holy (Exodus 20:8-11). The Pharisees had interpreted that to require a long list of actions that could not be done on the Sabbath, forcing the people to “rest.” That was the fetter of the law. But because the purpose of the Sabbath is to rest and to worship God, the priests were allowed to work by performing sacrifices and conducting worship services. This “Sabbath work” was serving and worshiping God. Jesus always emphasized the intent of the law, the meaning behind the letter. The Pharisees had lost the spirit of the law and were rigidly demanding that the letter (and their interpretation of it) be obeyed.
12:6The Pharisees were so concerned about religious rituals that they missed the whole purpose of the Temple—-to bring people to God. And because Jesus Christ is even greater than the Temple, how much better can he bring people to God. God is far more important than the created instruments of worship. If we become more concerned with the means of worship than with the one we worship, we will miss God even as we think we are worshiping him.
12:7Jesus repeated to the Pharisees words the Jewish people had heard time and again throughout their history (1 Samuel 15:22, 23; Psalm 40:6-8; Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 7:21-23; Hosea 6:6). Our heart attitude toward God comes first. Only then can we properly obey and observe religious regulations and rituals.
12:8When Jesus said he was master of the Sabbath, he claimed to be greater than the law and above the law. To the Pharisees, this was heresy. They did not realize that Jesus, the divine Son of God, had created the Sabbath. The Creator is always greater than his creation; thus, Jesus had the authority to overrule their traditions and regulations.
12:10As they pointed to the man with the deformed hand, the Pharisees tried to trick Jesus by asking him if it was legal to heal on the Sabbath. Their Sabbath rules said that people could be helped on the Sabbath only if their lives were in danger. Jesus healed on the Sabbath several times, and none of those healings were in response to emergencies. If Jesus had waited untit another day, he would have been submitting to the Pharisees’ authority, showing that their petty rules were equal to God's law. If he healed the man on the Sabbath, the Pharisees could claim that because Jesus broke their rules, his power was not from God. But Jesus made it clear how ridiculous and petty their rules were. God is a God of people, not rules. The best time to reach out to someone is when he or she needs help.
12:10-12The Pharisees placed their laws above human need. They were so concerned about Jesus breaking one of their rules that they did not care about the man’s deformed hand. What is your attitude toward others? If your convictions don’t allow you to help certain people, your convictions may not be in tune with God’s Word. Don’t allow rule keeping to blind you to human need.
12:14The Pharisees plotted Jesus’ death because they were proud, fearful, and outraged. Jesus had overruled their authority (Luke 6:11) and had exposed their evil attitudes in front of the entire crowd in the synagogue. Jesus had showed that the Pharisees were more loyal to their religious system than to God.
12:15Up to this point, Jesus had been aggressively confronting the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. Here he decided to withdraw from the synagogue before a major confrontation developed because it was not yet time for him to die. Jesus had many lessons still to teach his disciples and the people.
12:16Jesus did not want those he healed to tell others about his miracles because he didn’t want the people coming to him for the wrong reasons. That would hinder his teaching ministry and arouse false hopes about an earthly kingdom. But the news of Jesus’ miracles spread, and many came to see for themselves (see Mark 3:7, 8).
12:17-21The people expected the Messiah to be a king. This quotation from Isaiah's prophecy (Isaiah 42:1-4) showed that the Messiah was indeed a king, but it illustrated what kind of king— a gentle ruler who brings justice to the nations. Like the crowd in Jesus’ day, we may want Christ to rule as a king and bring great and visible victories in our tife. But often Christ’s work is quiet, and it happens according to his perfect timing, not ours.
12:24The Pharisees had already accused Jesus of being empowered by the prince of demons (9:34). They were trying to discredit him by using an emotional argument. Refusing to believe that Jesus came from God, they said he was in teague with Satan. Jesus easity exposed the foolishness of their argument.
12:25In the Incarnation, Jesus gave up the complete and unlimited use of his supernatural abilities. But he still had profound insight into human nature. His discernment stopped the religious leaders’ attempts to trick him. The resurrected Christ knows all our thoughts. This can be comforting because he knows what we really mean when we speak to him. {t can be threatening because we cannot hide from him, and he knows any selfish motives.
12:29At Jesus’ birth, Satan’s power and control were disrupted. in the wilderness Jesus overcame Satan’s temptations, and at the Resurrection he defeated Satan’s ultimate weapon—death. Eventually Satan will be constrained forever (Revelation 20:10), and evil will no longer pervade the earth. Jesus has complete power and authority over Satan and ail his forces.
12:30It 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, who alone is good. To refuse to follow Christ is to choose to be on Satan’s team.
12:34-36Jesus reminds us that what we say reveals what is in our heart. What kinds of words come from your mouth? That is an indication of what is in your heart. 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.
12:38-40The Pharisees were asking for another miraculous sign, but they were not sincerely seeking to know Jesus. Jesus knew they had already seen enough miraculous proof to convince them that he was the Messiah If they would just open their hearts. But they had already decided not to believe in him, and more miracles would not change that. Many people have said, “If I could just see a real miracle, then I could really believe in God.” But Jesus’ response to the Pharisees applies to us. We have plenty of evidence—Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, and ascension, and centuries of his work in believers around the world. Instead of looking for additional evidence or miracles, accept what God has already given and move forward. He may use your life as evidence to reach another person.
12:39-41Jonah was a prophet sent to the Assyrian city of Nineveh (see the book of Jonah). Because Assyria was such a cruel and warlike nation, Jonah tried to run from his assignment and ended up spending three days in the belly of a huge fish. When Jonah got out, he grudgingly went to Nineveh, preached God's message, and saw the city repent. By contrast, when Jesus came to his people, they refused to repent. Here Jesus is clearly saying that his resurrection will prove he is the Messiah. Three days after his death, Jesus wil! come back to fife, just as Jonah was given a new chance at life after three days in the fish.
12:41,42In Jonah’s day, Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, and it was as evil as it was powerful (Jonah 1:2). But the entire city repented at Jonah’s preaching. The queen of Sheba traveled far to see Solomon, king of Israel, and learn about his great wisdom (1 Kings 10:1-10; also see the note on Luke 11:31, 32 for more on the queen of Sheba). These Gentiles recognized the truth about God when it was presented to them, unlike the religious leaders, who ignored the truth even though it stared them in the face. How have you responded to the evidence and truth that you have?
12:43-45Jesus was describing the attitude of the nation of Israel and the religious leaders in particular. Just cleaning up one’s life without filling it with God leaves plenty of room for Satan to enter. The book of Ezra records how the people rid themselves of idolatry but failed to replace it with love for God and obedience to him. Ridding our life of sin is the first step. We must also take the second step: filling our life with God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Unfilled and complacent people are easy targets for Satan.
12:46-50Jesus was not denying his responsibitity to his earthly family. On the contrary, he criticized the religious!eaders for not following the Old Testament command to honor their parents (15:1-9). He provided for his mother’s security as he hung on the cross (John 19:25-27). His mother and brothers were present in the upper room at Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Instead, Jesus was pointing out that spiritual relationships are as binding as physical ones, and he was paving the way for a new community of believers (the universal church), our spiritual family.