Matthew12
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1At that season Jesus went on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck ears and to eat.
2But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do upon the sabbath.
3But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him;
4how he entered into the house of God, and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them that were with him, but only for the priests?
5Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless?
6But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here.
7But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
8For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath.
9And he departed thence, and went into their synagogue:
10and behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? that they might accuse him.
11And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day.
13Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, as the other.
14But the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.
15And Jesus perceiving it withdrew from thence: and many followed him; and he healed them all,
16and charged them that they should not make him known:
17that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
18Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles.
19He shall not strive, nor cry aloud; Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets.
20A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax shall he not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory.
21And in his name shall the Gentiles hope.
22Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw.
23And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David?
24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons.
25And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?
27And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
28But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
29Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
31Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.
33Either 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.
34Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
38Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee.
39But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet:
40for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.
42The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
43But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not.
44Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation.
46While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him.
47And one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak to thee.
48But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren!
50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Matthew 12.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Jesus defends his disciples for plucking corn on the sabbath day. (1–8). Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the sabbath. (9–13). The malice of the Pharisees. (14–21). Jesus heals a demoniac. (22–30). Blasphemy of the Pharisees. (31, 32). Evil words proceed from an evil heart. (33–37). The scribes and Pharisees reproved for seeking a sign. (38–45). The disciples of Christ are his nearest relations. (46–50).
vv1-8
Being in the corn-fields, the disciples began to pluck the ears of corn: the law of God allowed it, De 23:25. This was slender provision for Christ and his disciples; but they were content with it. The Pharisees did not quarrel with them for taking another man's corn, but for doing it on the sabbath day. Christ came to free his followers, not only from the corruptions of the Pharisees, but from their unscriptural rules, and justified what they did. The greatest shall not have their lusts indulged, but the meanest shall have their wants considered. Those labours are lawful on the sabbath day which are necessary, and sabbath rest is to froward, not to hinder sabbath worship. Needful provision for health and food is to be made; but when servants are kept at home, and families become a scene of hurry and confusion on the Lord's day, to furnish a feast for visitors, or for indulgence, the case is very different. Such things as these, and many others common among professors, are to be blamed. The resting on the sabbath was ordained for man's good, De 5:14. No law must be understood so as to contradict its own end. And as Christ is the Lord of the sabbath, it is fit the day and the work of it should be dedicated to him.
vv9-13
Christ shows that works of mercy are lawful and proper to be done on the Lord's day. There are more ways of doing well upon sabbath days, than by the duties of worship: attending the sick, relieving the poor, helping those who need speedy relief, teaching the young to care for their souls; these are doing good: and these must be done from love and charity, with humility and self-denial, and shall be accepted, Ge 4:7. This, like other cures which Christ wrought, had a spiritual meaning. By nature our hands are withered, and we are unable of ourselves to do any thing that is good. Christ only, by the power of his grace, cures us; he heals the withered hand by putting life into the dead soul, works in us both to will and to do: for, with the command, there is a promise of grace given by the word.
vv14-21
The Pharisees took counsel to find some accusation, that Jesus might be condemned to death. Aware of their design, as his time was not come, he retired from that place. Face does not more exactly answer to face in water, than the character of Christ drawn by the prophet, to his temper and conduct as described by the evangelists. Let us with cheerful confidence commit our souls to so kind and faithful a Friend. Far from breaking, he will strengthen the bruised reed; far from quenching the smoking flax, or wick nearly out, he will rather blow it up into a flame. Let us lay aside contentious and angry debates; let us receive one another as Christ receives us. And while encouraged by the gracious kindness of our Lord, we should pray that his Spirit may rest upon us, and make us able to copy his example.
Key Words
ἐν (en): "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.
ἐκεῖνος (ekeînos): that one (or (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed
καιρός (kairós): an occasion, i.e. set or proper time
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs): Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites
πορεύομαι (poreúomai): to traverse, i.e. travel (literally or figuratively; especially to remove (figuratively, die), live, etc.);
διά (diá): through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional)
σπόριμος (spórimos): sown, i.e. (neuter plural) a planted field
σάββατον (sábbaton): the Sabbath (i.e. Shabbath), or day of weekly repose from secular avocations (also the observance or institution itself); by extension, a se'nnight, i.e. the interval between two Sabbaths; likewise the plural in all the above applications
μαθητής (mathētḗs): a learner, i.e. pupil
πεινάω (peináō): "pine"); to famish (absolutely or comparatively); figuratively, to crave
Cross References
Matthew 12David eating the consecrated shewbread when in need justifies Christ's disciples plucking corn on the Sabbath.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Matthew explicitly cites this passage as fulfilled in Jesus' quiet, merciful, and non-contentious messianic ministry.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The precise type of Jonah's three days in the fish foreshadows Christ's burial and resurrection.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The Mosaic law explicitly permitted plucking standing corn by hand, proving the disciples' act wasn't theft.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
The Levitical law regulating the preparation and consumption of the sacred shewbread exclusively by the priests.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The prescription of double offerings on the Sabbath, illustrating the priests' required temple work.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Luke's parallel replaces 'Spirit of God' with 'finger of God', confirming the arrival of God's kingdom.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Parallel account of the Queen of the South rising in judgment against this generation.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The historical account of the Queen of Sheba seeking Solomon's wisdom, contrasting with Pharisaic rejection.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Jesus references Sabbath circumcision to prove certain ritual laws yield to higher divine commands.
Supported by JFB
Jesus uses a similar Sabbath argument regarding rescuing an ox or donkey fallen into a pit.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel teaching that the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart's treasure.
Supported by John Calvin
Parallel discourse regarding the return of an unclean spirit to an empty, swept house.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel account of Jesus defining his true spiritual family as those who do God's will.
Supported by Matthew Henry