< Matthew 12 >
1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. But His disciples became hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
2 And upon seeing it the Pharisees said to Him, “Hey, your disciples are doing 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 those who were with him,
4 how he entered the house of God and ate the loaves of presentation, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?
6 Yet I say to you that a greater than the temple is here.
7 If you had but known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
8 Furthermore, the Son of the Man is Lord of the Sabbath!”
9 Now moving on from there He went into their synagogue.
10 And there was a man with a withered hand! And they asked Him saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him.
11 So He said to them: “What man will there be among you who has one sheep, and should this one fall into a ditch on the Sabbath, will he 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 says to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” And he stretched it out, and it was restored whole like the other.
14 But going out the Pharisees plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
15 So being aware, Jesus withdrew from there. And large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all.
16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known,
17 so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, namely:
18 “Behold my Servant whom I chose, my Beloved in whom my soul is well pleased! I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the nations.
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 a smoldering wick He will not quench, until He sends justice forth to victory.
21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.”
22 Then a demonized man was brought to Him, blind and mute, and He healed him, so that the A blind and B mute B spoke and A saw.
23 And all the crowds were amazed and said, “Might this not be the Christ, the Son of David?”
24 But upon hearing it the Pharisees said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, ruler of the demons.”
25 But knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes desolate, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26 So if Satan casts out Satan he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or how can anyone go into the house of the strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then he can plunder the house.
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, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven people.
32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of the Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in the present age nor in the next. (aiōn )
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by the fruit.
34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being malignant, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 The good man out of the good reservoir brings forth good things, and the malignant man out of the malignant reservoir brings forth malignant things.
36 Furthermore, I say to you that for every useless word whatever that people 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.”
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees reacted saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 But in answer He said to them: “A malignant and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the sea monster, so will the Son of the Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 Ninevite men will arise with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and really, a greater than Jonah is here.
42 The queen of the South will be raised with this generation at the judgment and she will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and really, a greater than Solomon is here.
43 “Now when an unclean spirit [demon] goes out from a man, it goes through arid places looking for rest, but finds none.
44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from where I came.’ And coming it finds it unoccupied, swept and put in order.
45 Then it goes and takes along with itself seven different spirits, more malignant than itself, and going in it dwells there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Just so it will be for this malignant generation also.”
46 But then, while He was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.
47 So someone said to Him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with you.”
48 But in answer He said to the one who told Him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples He said: “Here are my mother and my brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of my Father in the heavens, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
