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Text -- Matthew 12:1-43 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Lord of the Sabbath
12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath . His disciples were hungry , and they began to pick heads of wheat and eat them.
12:2 But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him , “Look , your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath .”
12:3 He said to them , “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry –
12:4 how he entered the house of God and they ate the sacred bread , which was against the law for him or his companions to eat , but only for the priests ?
12:5 Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty ?
12:6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here .
12:7 If you had known what this means : ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice ,’ you would not have condemned the innocent .
12:8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath .”
12:9 Then Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue .
12:10 A man was there who had a withered hand . And they asked Jesus , “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath ?” so that they could accuse him .
12:11 He said to them , “Would not any one of you , if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath , take hold of it and lift it out ?
12:12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep ! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath .”
12:13 Then he said to the man , “Stretch out your hand .” He stretched it out and it was restored , as healthy as the other .
12:14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him , as to how they could assassinate him .
God’s Special Servant
12:15 Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there . Great crowds followed him , and he healed them all .
12:16 But he sternly warned them not to make him known .
12:17 This fulfilled what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet :
12:18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen , the one I love , in whom I take great delight . I will put my Spirit on him , and he will proclaim justice to the nations .
12:19 He will not quarrel or cry out , nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets .
12:20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick , until he brings justice to victory .
12:21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope .”
Jesus and Beelzebul
12:22 Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute . Jesus healed him so that he could speak and see .
12:23 All the crowds were amazed and said , “Could this one be the Son of David ?”
12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this they said , “He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul , the ruler of demons !”
12:25 Now when Jesus realized what they were thinking , he said to them , “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed , and no town or house divided against itself will stand .
12:26 So if Satan casts out Satan , he is divided against himself . How then will his kingdom stand ?
12:27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul , by whom do your sons cast them out ? For this reason they will be your judges .
12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God , then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you .
12:29 How else can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his property , unless he first ties up the strong man ? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house .
12:30 Whoever is not with me is against me , and whoever does not gather with me scatters .
12:31 For this reason I tell you , people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy , but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven .
12:32 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 .
Trees and Their Fruit
12:33 “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 .
12:34 Offspring of vipers ! How are you able to say anything good , since you are evil ? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart .
12:35 The good person brings good things out of his good treasury , and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury .
12:36 I tell you that on the day of judgment , people will give an account for every worthless word they speak .
12:37 For by your words you will be justified , and by your words you will be condemned .”
The Sign of Jonah
12:38 Then some of the experts in the law along with some Pharisees answered him , “Teacher , we want to see a sign from you .”
12:39 But he answered them , “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign , but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah .
12:40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights , so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights .
12:41 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it , because they repented when Jonah preached to them– and now , something greater than Jonah is here !
12:42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it , because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon – and now , something greater than Solomon is here !
The Return of the Unclean Spirit
12:43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person , it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find it.
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Sabbath |
Matthew, Gospel according to |
Jesus, The Christ |
JESUS CHRIST, 4C1 |
Pharisees |
Miracles |
Accusation, False |
Sadducees |
ANTICHRIST |
LAW IN THE NEW TESTAMENT |
Tradition |
Jonah |
Satan |
Blasphemy |
Sin |
Synagogue |
JONAS |
PERSON OF CHRIST, 4-8 |
Beelzebub |
Ecclesiasticism |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Mat 12:1; Mat 12:1; Mat 12:2; Mat 12:3; Mat 12:4; Mat 12:4; Mat 12:4; Mat 12:4; Mat 12:4; Mat 12:6; Mat 12:7; Mat 12:7; Mat 12:8; Mat 12:8; Mat 12:9; Mat 12:9; Mat 12:9; Mat 12:10; Mat 12:10; Mat 12:10; Mat 12:10; Mat 12:13; Mat 12:14; Mat 12:15; Mat 12:15; Mat 12:17; Mat 12:18; Mat 12:18; Mat 12:21; Mat 12:21; Mat 12:22; Mat 12:22; Mat 12:24; Mat 12:24; Mat 12:24; Mat 12:24; Mat 12:25; Mat 12:25; Mat 12:25; Mat 12:26; Mat 12:27; Mat 12:27; Mat 12:28; Mat 12:28; Mat 12:29; Mat 12:29; Mat 12:29; Mat 12:30; Mat 12:30; Mat 12:31; Mat 12:32; Mat 12:32; Mat 12:32; Mat 12:33; Mat 12:35; Mat 12:35; Mat 12:35; Mat 12:36; Mat 12:38; Mat 12:38; Mat 12:38; Mat 12:38; Mat 12:38; Mat 12:39; Mat 12:40; Mat 12:40; Mat 12:41; Mat 12:41; Mat 12:41; Mat 12:42; Mat 12:42; Mat 12:43; Mat 12:43; Mat 12:43; Mat 12:43; Mat 12:43
NET Notes: Mat 12:1 Or “heads of grain.” While the generic term στάχυς (stacus) can refer to the cluster of seeds at the top of ...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:8 A second point in Jesus’ defense of his disciples’ actions was that his authority as Son of Man also allowed it, since as Son of Man he wa...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:10 The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1;...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:13 The passive was restored points to healing by God. Now the question became: Would God exercise his power through Jesus, if what Jesus was doing were w...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:15 א B pc lat read only πολλοί (polloi, “many”) here, the first hand of N reads ὄχλο...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:17 Grk “so that what was said by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, saying.” This final clause, however, is part of one sentence in Greek...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:26 This first class condition, the first of three “if” clauses in the following verses, presents the example vividly as if it were so. In fac...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:27 The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
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NET Notes: Mat 12:29 Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesu...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:32 Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. This passage has troubled many people, who have wondered whether or not they have committ...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:33 Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying both “tree” and “fruit,” can also mean R...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:35 The treasury here is a metaphorical reference to a person’s heart (cf. BDAG 456 s.v. θησαυρός 1.b and th...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:38 What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to comm...
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NET Notes: Mat 12:39 Grk “But answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
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