Contents:
• The Sabbath day
• The Pharisees continue to reject Jesus. He rebukes them.
• Demon possession
• We are Jesus’s family and friends

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew Chapter 12.

Verse 1-6

On the Sabbath day Jesus’s disciples passed through a grainfield, and took the opportunity to pick and eat some grain. The Pharisees seized that moment to accuse his disciples of being law breakers.

But notice what Jesus does. He does with the Pharisees exactly the same thing He did with Satan. Jesus uses the word of God to rebuttal and rebuke his adversaries.

And once again, I will ask you the reader, the same question I asked previously, “How well do you know the word of God?” As a follower of Jesus Christ, you should make it your daily self-discipline to read from God’s word.

Furthermore, there is reading and there is study. I believe you should do both. Reading is basically just your eyes going over the words on the page. You are simply reading it. This is valuable for gaining familiarity with the enormity of God’s word. It’s a big book.

Having read the whole Bible, multiple times, the Holy Spirit can then, at the moment you need it, remind you of exactly the verse you need for the situation you may find yourself in. (read John 14:26).

Study, however, is reading a portion of God’s word and then researching it to understand what it means. (interacting with God’s word should always begin with prayer).

Reading is superficial, study is thorough. You should do both. If I can make a musical comparison, reading the Bible is like learning scales and chords, studying the Bible is like learning how to play Beethoven’s fifth symphony. You are taking the scales and chords you have learned and are now learning how to apply them.

Verse 7

Jesus reminds the Pharisees of what is written in Hosea 6:6, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”. If the Pharisees had understood this, they would have been merciful, recognizing that the disciples were not farmers out harvesting their field on the sabbath, but were instead, merely hungry travelers passing through a grain field. Did the Pharisees put food to their own mouths on the sabbath day? Yes, they did. Thus, they made themselves hypocrites by condemning those who do no different than they.

Verse 8

Jesus is announcing to the Pharisees that he is the Messiah. By the way, the phrase “Son of man” comes from the book of Daniel and refers to Jesus.

Daniel writes,

In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

Because of these verses Jesus often refers to himself as “the son of man”.

Verses 9-14

My whole Christian life, from childhood until this moment right now, I have been truly baffled by the attitudes of the Pharisees. They see Jesus performing miracles that only the Messiah, sent from God, could do. Yet, their greatest desire is to accuse him of wrongdoing.

On this occasion they see that among them is a man with a withered hand. Seizing the opportunity, they ask Jesus if it’s lawful to heal on the sabbath. They speak as if healing powers are common among them, as if they also have such powers.

Jesus highlights their hypocrisy by pointing out that if they had a sheep fall into a pit on the sabbath, they would be willing to lift it out. He continues, “Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

But notice he didn’t say, it’s lawful to heal on the sabbath day. That was their specific question. Jesus instead broadens the answer in such a way as to include application for every man and woman. Doing good on the sabbath day is lawful. That can include nearly anything, much of which the Pharisees did not permit.

For example, they already accused Jesus’s disciples of wrongdoing when they picked grain to eat on the sabbath day. But what if you and I owned an enormous wheat field. And what if on the sabbath day we wanted to harvest wheat in order to give it to widows and orphans. Jesus is saying, it is lawful to do good on the sabbath. The Pharisees, however, would have tried to prevent us. They would rather the widows and orphans go hungry than you and I harvesting our field on the sabbath day. This is exactly what Jesus meant when he said he desired mercy not sacrifice. Mercy would be feeding orphans. Sacrifice would be not working on the Sabbath day.

Jesus then healed the man with the withered hand but the Pharisees then plotted how they might kill Jesus. But isn’t that perplexing? Why plot to kill a man for doing good? What if the man with the withered hand was a pharisee’s son? Would that Pharisee still hate Jesus? Their attitude and behavior toward Jesus baffles me. But isn’t it the same today? Jesus Christ wants to save everyone’s life and to rescue everyone from death, yet today so many people hate him for it.

Verses 15-21

Recall that I talked about this in my commentary when John The Baptist was arrested. Jesus knows that in order to complete his mission and ministry he has to keep himself from being arrested or killed before everything is completed. So every time someone is seeking to arrest him or kill him, he withdraws to some other place.

He warns those following him not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah.

“Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory. In His name the nations will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1-4)

Verses 22-28

A demon possessed man who was also both blind and mute. I am assuming that the cause of his blindness and muteness was his being possessed by a demon. He was brought to Jesus and Jesus healed him to the astonishment of those around him. People began to rightly wonder if Jesus was the Messiah.

But once again, here come the Pharisees, (pearls before pigs). No matter what evidence is presented to them, they will not accept it. The excuse they come up with this time is to accuse Jesus of casting out demons through the power of Satan. In other words, they want so badly for him to not be the prophesied Messiah that they’ll come up with anything to accuse him of.

Jesus points out how ridiculous their accusation is. “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste.” Jesus points out that the only other alternative is that He is driving out demons by the Spirit of God which means that the Kingdom of God has come upon them. In so doing the Pharisees are repeatedly demonstrating their rejection of God.

Verse 29-30

Jesus continues his rebuttal of the Pharisees accusation that he is casting out demons by the power of Satan by informing them that he has tied up Satan. This is not literal; Satan will not be bound until the, yet to come, Millennial reign. But remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert and Jesus overcame Satan. Jesus said to him “Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” After which the devil left Him. (Matthew chapter 4)

That is the key to understanding this verse:

How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

By commanding Satan to go away from him, Satan has lost that battle and no longer has power over Jesus. Satan can not hang around in the areas where Jesus is operating. So to the Pharisees Jesus is saying that not only does he not cast out demons by the power of Satan, but that he also cast out Satan from their geographic area, in order to allow himself to operate fully and unhindered.

I wonder where Satan went at that time? He is obviously nearby because we know that he is going to eventually possess Judas, which God allows.

Jesus then rebukes the Pharisees by declaring that they are against him and that instead of gathering up the spiritual harvest, they are scattering. The work they do is contrary to Jesus’s mission.

Verses 31-32

Jesus continues his rebuke of the Pharisees with this warning, that whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. I want to pause here and spend a little more time on this verse because of its infamy.

“Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.” Praise God! This is the good news! All of your sins can be forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. It is he who makes you righteous before God. It is he who enables you to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!

“but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.”

Any person who goes to their grave without having the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. Today, if you ask anyone how to get into heaven, most people will say that you have to be a good person. Let’s think about the implication of that sentiment. People who think they can get into heaven by being a good person, are saying that they can get into heaven without God; without the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for them on the cross. They think they can get into heaven by bypassing the Holy Spirit. In other words, getting into heaven by being a good person means that one’s entry to salvation is entirely of their own doing.

That is pride. It is the highest blasphemy there can ever be. Pride is what got Satan kicked out of heaven. How then can anyone think they’re going to get into heaven by means of their own pride? They say, “I am a good person, I have done so well in life that I’m going to be ushered into heaven for having been so wonderful.” Pride, pride, pride.

“I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” ~ a quote from Lucifer as it appears in Isaiah chapter 14

If you die without the Holy Spirit, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven and your sins will never be forgiven. Period. End of statement.

I am reminded of Matthew chapter seven in which Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:15-20)

So we see that even among Christians that are doing good works there will be many people who do not enter into the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus says “I never knew you”, he doesn’t mean that he was unaware of them. He means that they were never filled with the Holy Spirit. They thought they could get into heaven by being a good person. By bypassing the Holy Spirit, Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross and by bypassing God. It sounds ridiculous, but that’s what believing in salvation by works is.

When Jesus said “but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven”, what is the Father’s will? It is that we put our faith in Jesus Christ.

In summary, the blasphemy of the Holy spirit, from which there is no forgiveness, is that you go to your grave without having ever been filled with the Holy Spirit.

But how do you get the Holy Spirit?

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Verses 33

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

Jesus is condemning the Pharisees of being bad trees which bear bad fruit. This again, is how we are to recognize false teachers. Which, if you think about Jesus saying MANY will come to him on the last day and to whom he will say “I never knew you”, it is therefore safe to assume that MANY of the churches in your hometown may be led by a false teacher and false elders. Remember, be ever watching and ever perceiving. Pray continually for the Lord’s guidance.

Verse 34-37

“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees. Remember when John The Baptist called them a brood of vipers? Well, Jesus is specifically repeating John’s words. Jesus goes on to say that what comes out of the pharisees mouths is what is in their heart, and that it is evil.

“The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

On the day of judgment, those who put their faith in Jesus stating that “Jesus Christ is Lord” will be acquitted. But those who, with their words, rejected Jesus Christ, will be condemned.

Verse 38

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

These ignoramuses have been watching Jesus heal the sick, restore a man’s withered hand, give sight to the blind, make the mute speak and the lame walk and now they claim to want to see a sign from him?

What they are doing is the equivalent of today’s stereotypical declaration “Prove to me that there is a God!” In this case they are saying “Prove to us that you are the Messiah.” But what does God want from us? What did I write only a few paragraphs ago? The will of the Father in Heaven is that we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Do we worship God by proof? No. that then would not be faith. Thus, anyone who says to you, “Prove to me that there is a God” has already lost, because God will never make someone worship him by proof. That will never happen. However, to the person who seeks God through faith, Jesus will make Himself known to that person. But to the person who screams “Prove it!”, they’ve already lost.

The words “Prove it” are a declaration to their own rejection of Jesus Christ. The person who says, “prove it” is, by their words, stating that they do not believe. And what did Christ just say? “by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Verses 39-40

In response to their demand for a sign, Jesus declares them to be “A wicked and adulterous generation”. He says that the only sign they will be given is that he will be put into the grave for three days, and then will rise back to life again. But even this they will not accept.

On a personal note, I have often enjoyed court room dramas on television. I find them very interesting. On the rare occasion that I’ve been called for jury duty, I’ve been excited to serve because of my interest and desire to watch the court room proceedings. I don’t know if this is at all possible, but I have prayed to the Lord that on the great day of Judgment, I might be allowed to sit in the gallery of God’s courtroom. I am very interested to see what the Pharisees have to say for themselves. I recall throughout my life, the famous and influential people who have mocked God. I would like to hear what they have to say for themselves on their day of Judgment. This is not some sort of vindictive streak within me, rather I actually want to hear from the person who, their whole life they mocked and condemned God, what they have to say while standing before the almighty God.

There was a famous scientist, who had his own television show and was extremely influential on the youth of my generation. He once said, “The idea that God is an oversized male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous.” I am interested to see that man, on the day of Judgement, stand before my savior and explain himself.

“But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” (Matthew 12:36)

Verses 41-42

The people of Nineveh repented when Jonah showed up, but Jesus’s generation did not repent even though he is greater than Jonah. Likewise the queen of the south traveled all the way from Africa to meet Solomon, but these Pharisees wouldn’t even walk five and a half miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to see the Messiah when he was born.

On the day of Judgment, the people of Nineveh and the Queen of the south will stand and give testimony against the Pharisees of Jesus’s generation and will condemn them.

Verses 43-45

This is a frightening few verses. I want to begin our focus with the last sentence of the last verse, “So will it be with this wicked generation”. Jesus is saying that in some cases, these people that he has been casting demons out of are eventually going to become re-possessed, making the final plight of the person worse than before.

We know, however, and for example, that the men possessed by legion sought to follow Jesus, but he sent them back to their home town with instructions to tell the people what God had done for them. They did so. So we see that they were operating their lives in faith.

Most of the Jewish people who crowded around Jesus, however, did not put their faith in him and simply wanted something from him. After Jesus ascended into heaven, how many of those people he cast demons out of became re-possessed?

Notice that the key to these verses we are now examining is that when the demon returns, it finds the house vacant. Again, light and dark can not exist in the same place at the same time. When I walk into a room in the early morning and flip the light switch, the darkness instantly flees and I suddenly have to squint my eyes because it’s so bright. Thus, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ and through that faith are then filled with the Holy Spirit, we can never be possessed by demonic forces. Ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit.

Verses 43-50

The first thing I notice herein is that these verses show us that the Catholic tradition of Mary remaining a virgin her whole life is a false doctrine. Jesus’s mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. Jesus had siblings. He was not an only child.

Jesus did not immediately go out to meet them. It appears that he may not have gone out at all. Is this an example of Jesus dishonoring his mother? No. Jesus is God and he does not sin. I suspect that perhaps his family had come there to discourage him from doing all that he had been doing. They probably had heard that the pharisees were planning to arrest him or even try to kill him, and they perhaps came there to tell him, “It’s time to come home and go back to making furniture”.

But Jesus did not go out there to meet them. Instead, he continues in his ministry. He tells the onlookers, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

This statement is a strong indication that we are meant to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is calling us his family. Elsewhere Jesus says,

You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14-15)

Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ become his friends and family.