Day Twelve – Thursday, January 16, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Matthew 12

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

Controversy Over Sabbath-Labor

Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5 (Parallel)

1 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!”³ 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 New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 12:1–8.

Points to Ponder:

• The first part of this chapter discusses conflicts between the Pharisees and the disciples of Jesus, especially over happenings on the Sabbath day. This entire chapter discusses interactions between Jesus and the Pharisees, but these first two pericopes are about the Sabbath.
• In this section, Jesus’ disciples were hungry, and began to pull heads of grain from the edge of the field and eat them.
• The Pharisees cried foul and condemned them for working on the Sabbath.
• Jesus defended them by referring to King David when he ate the shewbread in the temple, which was not lawful. He also referred to the priests who work every Sabbath in the temple, technically breaking the law.
• Then He declares that He (one among them) is greater than the temple, and Lord even of the Sabbath. He pulled rank and explained His right to have His disciples pull grain from the field on the Sabbath.

Controversy Over Sabbath-Healing

Mark 3:1–5; Luke 6:6–10 (Parallel)

⁹ 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.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 12:9–13.

Points to Ponder:

• After the disciples finished their food, Jesus and they went into the synagogue.
• No doubt, the Pharisees had already begun to deliberate over the Sabbath transgression. A man with a paralyzed hand was there. They tested Jesus by asking if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath.
• Jesus reminds them that the law even allows them to take a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath. He asks if a man is not more valuable than a sheep. If so, it is lawful to do good on any day, even the Sabbath.
• He called the man to stretch out his hand. When he did, he was healed.
• I can only imagine the gasp that came from the pious (hypocritical) Pharisees.

Pharisees Plan to Destroy Christ

Mark 3:6–12; Luke 6:11 (Parallel)

¹⁴ Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.¹⁵ 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:¹⁸ “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.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 12:14–21.

Points to Ponder:

• After the Phariseess observed Jesus’ two acts of work on the Sabbath, they began to plot how they could stop Him, even kill Him. Jesus knew their plan and left there.
• Great groups of people followed Jesus, and He healed them all (Yes, on the Sabbath)! He warned them to not tell of it. This lack of desire for personal notoriety was a fulfillment of the prophecy from Isaiah that He would not seek to be heard, not reject any in need, and not discriminate.

Pharisees Blaspheme the Holy Spirit

Mark 3:22–27; Luke 11:17–23

²² 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.”²⁵ 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.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 12:22–30.

Points to Ponder:

• So, the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus in verse fourteen.
• In verse twenty-four, they blaspheme the Holy Spirit by attributing Jesus’ work of healing the demon-possessed blind and mute man (v. 22) to the power of a demon.
• Jesus knew their thoughts (read their minds) and warned them about the weakness of a house divided. He then says that it would be illogical for a demon to cast out another demon.
• Therefore, if He is casting out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit, then the kingdom of God has come.
• Finally, He warns them not to oppose Him, because they will be opposing and even hindering the plan and purpose of God.

Pharisees Commit the Unpardonable Sin

Mark 3:28, 29 (Parallel)

³¹ “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.³³ “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.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 12:31–37.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus goes on the actually call out the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, even equating it to being the only unpardonable sin.
• What the Pharisees did by opposing Jesus was unforgivable, for they called what was of God evil, and determined in their hearts to oppose it until their death.
• Jesus then encourages them to “make the tree good,” because they were producing bad fruit.
• Their words were produced by the attitudes of their hearts. But one day their words would condemn them, and only good, holy, righteous words could justify.

Pharisees Demand a Sign

Luke 11:24–26, 29–32

³⁸ 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. ⁴¹ 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.⁴³ “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.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 12:38–45.

Points to Ponder:

• The conflict escalated, and the Pharisees demanded a sign from Jesus to prove His deity.
• Jesus calls their voyeurism adulterous, and says the only sign they will receive is when Jesus is in the tomb three days and then rises again.
• He compares them (judgmentally) to the Queen of Sheba and the city of Nineveh, saying that they repented and sought righteous wisdom.
• He then offers a sidenote about an unclean spirit going out of a man, and then returning to bring seven more with him and making things worse.
• The thought process here could be that when people live what they think to be a righteous, pious life, they really just open the door for demonic action, because they have not filled their souls with true righteousness. Jesus was here to offer true gospel and righteous wisdom, but they rejected Him. Therefore, the devil was at the door.

Jesus and the True Brethren

Mark 3:31–35

⁴⁶ 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.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 12:46–50.

Points to Ponder:

• Finally, in this chapter, Jesus mother and brothers were at the door seeking audience with Jesus. He took this as an opportunity to discuss the cost of following Christ.
• He asked the rhetorical question of who was His family (mother and brothers). His answer was pointing to those who does the will of the Father, while His hand pointed to His disciples.
• This was not necessarily and indictment of His earthly family, but an opportunity to show the Pharisees that they were not truly the family of the Messiah, but rather those who followed the Messiah (Jesus) and kept His teachings.
• Lord help us to keep your teachings and lay our traditions down. Help us to lay our lives at your feet and invite Your will to take place within us.

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page.