Matthew 12
Lord of the Sabbath
At that time, Jesus
went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were
hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But the Pharisees, when they saw
it, said to him, "Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do
on the Sabbath."
But he said to them,
"Haven't you read what David did, when he was hungry,
and those who were with him; how he entered into the house of
God, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither
for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law,
that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath,
and are guiltless? But I
tell you that one greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this
means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have
condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord of the
Sabbath."
He departed there, and
went into their synagogue. And behold there was a man with
a withered hand. They asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath
day?" that they might accuse him.
He said to them,
"What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and
if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won't he grab on to it,
and lift it out? Of how
much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do
good on the Sabbath day." Then he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out;
and it was restored whole, just like the other. But the Pharisees went out, and
conspired against him, how they might destroy him.
God's Chosen Servant
Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew
from there. Great multitudes followed him; and he healed them all, and charged them that they
should not make him known: that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
"Behold, my
servant whom I have chosen;
my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased:
I will put my Spirit on him.
He will proclaim justice to the nations.
He will not strive,
nor shout;
neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
He won't break a
bruised reed.
He won't quench a smoking flax,
until he leads justice to victory.
In his name, the
nations will hope."
Jesus and Beelzebub
Then one possessed by
a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the
blind and mute man both spoke and saw. All the multitudes were amazed,
and said, "Can this be the son of David?" But when the Pharisees heard it,
they said, "This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul,
the prince of the demons."
Knowing their
thoughts, Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided
against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is
divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? If I by Beelzebul cast out
demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be
your judges. But if I by
the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon
you. Or how can one
enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he
first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house.
"He who is not with me is
against me, and he who doesn't gather with me, scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin
and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven men. Whoever 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, neither in this age, nor in that
which is to come.
"Either make the tree good,
and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for
the tree is known by its fruit. You offspring of vipers, how can
you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart,
the mouth speaks. The
good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man
out of his evil treasure brings out evil things. I tell you that every idle word
that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
For by your words you
will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
The Sign of Jonah
Then certain of the
scribes and Pharisees answered, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from
you."
But he answered them,
"An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a
sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.
For as Jonah was three
days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up
in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they
repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah
is here. The queen of
the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will
condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here. But the unclean spirit, when he
is gone out of the man, passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and
doesn't find it. Then he
says, 'I will return into my house from which I came out,' and when he has
come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes, and takes with
himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and
dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even
so will it be also to this evil generation."
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
While he was yet
speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brothers stood
outside, seeking to speak to him. One said to him, "Behold,
your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you."
But he answered him
who spoke to him, "Who is my mother? Who are my
brothers?" He stretched out his hand
towards his disciples, and said, "Behold, my mother
and my brothers! For
whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and
sister, and mother."
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