Matthew 12

Matthew 12:1-8: The Pharisees cite the 4th commandment in Exodus 20:8-12, as to the disciples picking heads of grain and eating them on the Sabbath being unlawful. Jesus responds with two Old Testament examples that put this commandment in perspective. 

Matthew 12:3-4: Jesus cites 1 Samuel 21:6 in which David and his companions violated Leviticus 24:9 by eating bread that was set aside for the priests. 

Matthew 12:5: Jesus cites Numbers 28:9-10 which also violates the 4th commandment by commanding a burnt offering to be performed on the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:7: Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 to reveal God’s heart for protecting the innocent. In Hosea, God judges Israel for gross sin and not having mercy.  Legalism is here trumped by doing good.

Matthew 12:9-14 Jesus performs another miracle and explains that the purpose of the Sabbath rest is refreshment and getting in touch with God. A person is much more valuable than rules designed to help people, and doing good, helping a person heal, more important than legalistic rule-following.

Matthew 12:15-21 quotes Isaiah 42:1-4, where God promised to send His messenger among false gods who were sowing confusion in Israel.

Matthew 12:22-37 The Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the lord of dung, or lord of the flies (presumably near dung), judging Jesus by invoking the Chaldean dung god. They were deceived by Satan. Jesus’ response was threefold:

• If He was doing this by the spirit of God, this was a demonstration of the presence of God’s kingdom.
• Anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven in eternity. (I would like to dive deeper into this but I don’t dare because some spiritual realities are so transcendent we cannot fathom them. Like, why would the devil, knowing the ultimate consequence of rebellion would be eternal damnation, choose to do so anyway?)
• What comes out of a person reveals what is inside him.

On judgment day they will have to give account for the emptiness of their words in 12:24.

Matthew 12:38-45 The Pharisees ask for a sign. Jesus gives a threefold response.

Matthew 12:39-41 Jesus cites Jonah’s three days and nights in the belly of the whale (pointing forward to His death and resurrection), and the Ninevites subsequent repentance. (Jonah 1:17 & 3:5-9). 

Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south will condemn the Pharisees because she traveled from outside civilization to hear Solomon’s wisdom, and Jesus’ is greater than his. (1 Kings 10:1-9)

Matthew 12:43-45 The observation that a cleansed soul that does not have the Holy Spirit occupying it will be eight times worse off, because the expelled demon will find seven others to move in along with it when it re-occupies the vacant space.

Matthew 12:46-50: In appearing to devalue His mother and siblings, Jesus is simply saying that spiritual truth trumps earthly understanding. 12:50 says that family relationship with Him doesn’t come though natural birth lines; it is simply recognizing the Father’s will and doing it.