Sabbath Questions
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the headsof grainand eat.
2 But when the Pharisees sawthis,they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”
3 But He said to them,”Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions,
4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?
5 Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?
6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.
7 But if you had known what this means, ‘Idesirecompassion,and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
Lord of the Sabbath
8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue.
10 And a manwas therewhose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”-so that they might accuse Him.
11 And He said to them,”What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then He said to the man,”Stretch out your hand!”He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.
14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him,as tohow they might destroy Him.
15 But Jesus, aware ofthis,withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all,
16 and warned them not to tell who He was.
17 This wasto fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
18 “Behold, MyServant whomIhave chosen;
MyBeloved in whomMy souliswell-pleased;
Iwill putMySpirit uponHim,
AndHe shall proclaimjustice to theGentiles.
19 “He will not quarrel,nor cry out;
Nor will anyone hearHis voice in the streets.
20 “Abattered reedHe will not break off,
And a smoldering wickHe will not put out,
UntilHeleadsjustice to victory.
21 “And inHis name theGentileswill hope.”
The Pharisees Rebuked
22 Then a demon-possessed manwho wasblind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.
23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?”
24 But when the Pharisees heardthis,they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”
25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them,”Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any 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 If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons castthemout? For this reason they will be your judges.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strongman?And then he will plunder his house.
The Unpardonable Sin
30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in theageto come.
Words Reveal Character
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
35 The good man brings out ofhisgood treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out ofhisevil treasure what is evil.
36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Desire for Signs
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
39 But He answered and said to them,”An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; andyetno sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;
40 for just as Jonah was three days and threenights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
42 TheQueen oftheSouth will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
43 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not findit.
44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it findsitunoccupied, swept, and put in order.
45 Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”
Changed Relationships
46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.
47 Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.”
48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said,”Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”
49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said,”Behold My mother and My brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/MAT/12-303f118460462bbdc1e28b2edb073ba5.mp3?version_id=100—