Matthew 12
-The beginning account in this chapter finds the disciples
hungry on a Sabbath in grainfields, where they decide it to be appropriate to
pick the heads of grain and eat. The Pharisees observed this and began to
question the Christ on matters of the traditional law of the Jews pertaining to
working on the Sabbath. Jesus makes a theological point with them as to Who the
Lord of the Sabbath is from the Old Testament Scriptures concerning David of
his episode in the eating the consecrated bread in the House of God (1 Samuel
21:6), as well as the custom of the priests in the Temple. He proclaimed that
something greater than the Temple was amongst them, and then scolded them to
know what it means concerning the fact that God desires “compassion, and not
sacrifice” pertaining to innocence (Hosea 6:6). Then He declared the Son of Man
(referring to Himself) as the “Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-8).” He then
proceeded to heal a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath with the point of
doing good is always lawful no matter what day of the week it is (Matthew 12:9-13).
At this point the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him for destruction
(Matthew 12:14).
-*Application*
While we are to honor the Sabbath and keep it a holy, set-apart day for the
LORD, the fact that we can do things out of the ordinary and routine to be a
blessing and take care of essential needs is also acceptable unto the LORD. The
problem with the Pharisees, and can be us as well, was the fact that they had substituted
religious ritual for doing the compassionate work of the Kingdom as the need
presented itself. Do the righteous work of the Savior no matter what day of the
week it is.
-After the warning that Jesus made to fulfill the prophecy
of Isaiah and His public withdraw from any perception of worldly power, the
Lord healed a demon-possessed man that was blind and mute when he was brought
before Him. The Pharisees and pious Jews were denouncing that He could possibly
be the Son of David (i.e.-the All-powerful Messiah of the LORD) calling Jesus
Beelzebul (literally lord of the flies, dunghill god, a derogatory term to
Jewish people) trying to say that He was demonic and satanic. Jesus knew their
thoughts (proof of His deity, wisdom, and observation skills) and refuted their
false claims. A house divided against itself will fail and fall. It is only by
a stronger force, the Strong Man, that evil is conquered and vanquished. It
makes no logical sense for Satan to fight against his own schemes and devices.
Jesus says if He casts out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God
has come upon them (Matthew 12:15-28, Luke 11:20).
-*Application*
The Pharisees and unbelievers will make every excuse not to accept the things
of God even when they are presented in factual and rational form. Keep using
wisdom in our own contention for the faith that the Lord by His Spirit will
give us even as Christ did. He will give us the answers to every critic, so
don’t ever be anxious (Luke 12:11-12, 2 Corinthians 5:12, Jude 1:3). If they
accused Jesus, they will also accuse us. Prepare in prayer, then walk by the
Spirit.
-The Lord tells them that if they are not for Him, they are
against Him making them enemies of God and scattering His flock. He then
proceeded to give them instruction of the concept of blasphemy of the Holy
Spirit. They could speak against Him all they wanted to, but the real issue was
the spirit they were speaking with. If they denied the Holy Spirit, Who was
sent by the Father as a testimony on behalf of the Son, there was no eternal
hope for people that chose in this manner. Jesus was getting to the root of
their faith as they rejected what the LORD was doing right before their eyes
through His Messiah. They were obviously bad fruit as they spoke from their
hearts. In fact, “every careless word that people speak, they shall give an
accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be
justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:30-37).”
-*Application* There
is incredible power in the spoken word. God has the power to speak everything
into existence and make nature obey. We see this displayed all through the
Scriptures. We also have power in the tongue and cannot hope to contain it when
our hearts are full of evil (James 3:5-12). Literally, the power of life and
death are in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Therefore, the questions ensue: What
kind of heart do we have? Is life springing from our heart to our mouth because
God has control? Are we using God’s abiding wisdom? Or, are we blaspheming
(denying, slandering, saying He is not what He actually is) the Holy Spirit?
There remains no hope for us when we argue against God’s truth. Confession of
the Christ is essential to salvation, which can only come through our obedience
to the work of the Holy Spirit as He draws us into truthful faith (John 14:6;
15:26; 16:13, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9).
-More than once Jesus gives the wicked and adulterous
generation of scribes and Pharisees, who will be condemned at the judgment, a peak
into His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. He compares them with Gentiles
from Nineveh in the North and Sheba in the South, who believed when they saw
lesser workings and preachings of the LORD and His glory, even seeking it out
with long journeys (Luke 11:31-32). Something greater was among them in Jesus
Christ the Messiah, yet they could not see His truth because of their hardened
hearts drenched in unbelief. They were simply there to test Him and had no
intentions of becoming converts to the Kingdom of God (Mark 8:11). They were
argumentative and skeptical in His presence rather than reverent and receptive.
This had to agitate the King of Glory as He gave His only sign to them with a
deep sigh in His Spirit (Matthew 12:38-42, Mark 8:12).
-*Application*
God knows our hearts and desperately wants us to know Him intimately. The irony
here is that Jesus is giving them the greatest sign the world has ever seen in
His miraculous resurrection, yet they totally missed it. Make sure we don’t
miss it. God is calling for us to redemption. Please respond by believing in
what He has done. He has given us the sign that He is eternal and can give us
eternal life with Him.
-An interesting look into the spiritual world occurs in next
three verses. The Lord teaches here that when an unclean spirit goes out of a
person, it goes through arid-dry-waterless places (the dessert is always a
symbolic place of suffering because of evil and temptation in the Bible,
compare this to the Living Water of Christ Jesus, John 4:13-15;7:37-39) seeking
a place to rest but not finding anywhere to do that. Upon the realization of this
quandary, the unclean spirit will attempt to come back to its original host
with seven other, and more wicked, spirits to “go in and live” making the last
state of that person worse than they began. Jesus makes this comparison to
“this evil generation (Matthew 12:43-45).”
-*Application* Key
words here to interpret the passage are “unoccupied (scholazō- empty, vacant), swept (saroō- brushed off), and put
in order (kosmeō- adorned, decorated, trimmed,
ornamented),” when considering the condition of the person who is
susceptible to having more problems than they started with regards to demonic
activity. There is a fake-façade because of pride to the faux cleaning going on
here with the religious people that Jesus was speaking to, and this can be the
same with us in our culture. Times have not changed in the way that the
spiritual world works. Any of us who struggle with addictions, strongholds, and
perpetual problems can identify. If we do not turn the entire situation over to
God for His cleansing, the demons may leave for a bit but return with more
vigor, power, and sheer numbers. In other words, we cannot clean ourselves up
without the redeeming power and filling of the Holy Spirit. Self-help does not
work long-term. Transformation is the key ingredient to overcoming permanently.
This is why no drug, meditation on false doctrine or religions, or any other
self-motivated system is going to work. The cross draws us to die to ourselves.
Only then can God resurrect us and make us brand new as a spiritual creation in
His image with total victory (Romans 8:1-4, 2 Corinthians 5:17). This is the
message of the gospel, the good news. Anyone trying to do it themselves are
doomed. Just because we clean up the outside appearances and seemingly have
things put in order, does not make us filled. Demons that move around the earth
know where they can land and where they can’t. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Don’t have a vacant soul that is susceptible.
-As this lengthy chapter wraps up, Jesus remarks on true
family to those who had gathered to listen to Him speak the words of God,
probably in Capernaum. This was not a put-off of His earthly mother and
brothers. It was a statement of instruction about the true family of God and
how to be a part of that family. Matthew and Mark give us that it requires
doing the will of God (Matthew 7:21; 12:46-50, Mark 3:35), while Luke adds that
we must hear it and do it (Luke 8:21).
-*Application* We
are called the children of God in the Scriptures (1 John 3:1-3). Being a part
of this family is a special privilege that changes everything that we are
about. This relationship that God graciously bestows upon us purifies,
sanctifies, and in the end glorifies us as redeemed of the LORD. We should count
our many blessings if we are a part of His Kingdom and then live like the saints
we are.
Verse to Memorize:
Matthew 12:28, 34, 37
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