Mathew
Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath
30(Mk 2:23; 3:1; Lk 6:1; 14:1)
12
1 It happened that Jesus walked through the wheat fields on a Sab bath. His disciples were hungry, and began to pick some heads of wheat and crush them to eat the grain. 2 When the Pharisees noticed this, they said to Jesus, “Look at your disciples; they are doing what is prohibited on the Sabbath!” 3 Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and his men were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and they ate the bread offered to God, although neither he nor his men had the right to eat it, but only the priests. 5 And have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath rest, yet they are not guilty? 6 I tell you, there is greater than the Temple here. 7 If you really knew the meaning of the words: It is mercy I want, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent.
7 If you really knew the meaning of the words: It is mercy I want, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. 9 Jesus then left that place and went into one of their syna gogues. 10 A man was there with a paralyzed hand, and people who wanted to bring a charge against Jesus asked him, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sab bath?” 11 But he said to them, “What if one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath? Will you not take hold of your sheep and lift it out? 12 But a human person is much more valuable than a sheep! It is therefore permitted to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your arm.” He stretched it out and it was completely restored, as sound as the other one. 14 Then the Pharisees went out and made plans to get rid of him. 15 As Jesus was aware of the plot, he went away from that place. Many people followed him and he cured all who were sick. 16 Then he gave them strict orders not to make him known. 17 In this way Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled:
18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, and with whom I am pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him and he will an nounce my judgment to the nations. 19 He will not argue or shout, nor will his voice be heard in the streets. 20 The bruised reed he will not crush, nor snuff out the smoldering wick. He will persist until justice is made victorious 21 and in him all the na tions will put their hope.”
The unforgivable sin
21(Mk 3:22; Lk 11:15)
22 Then some people brought to him a possessed man who was blind and who could not talk. Jesus healed the man, who was then able to speak and see. 23 All in the crowd were amazed and wondered, “Could he be the Son of David?” 24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is by Beelzebul, prince of the devils, that this man drives out devils.” 25 Jesus knew their thinking, so he said to them, “Every kingdom that is divided by civil war will fall apart, and every dynasty that is divided cannot last. 26 So if Satan drives out Satan, he is divided: how then can his reign stand? 27 And if it is by Beelzebul that I drive out devils, by whom do your own people drive them out? They themselves will give you the answer.
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out devils, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you. 29 How can anyone break into the strong man’s house and make off with his belongings, unless he first ties him up? Only then can he plunder his house. 30 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you this: people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say against God, but whoever says evil words against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 The one who speaks against the Son of Man, will be forgiven; but the one who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
32 The one who speaks against the Son of Man, will be forgiven; but the one who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 If you have a sound tree, its fruit will be sound; if you have a rotten tree, its fruit will be rotten. For you can know a tree by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you say anything good, when you are so evil? For the mouth speaks of what fills the heart. 35 A good person produces good things from his good store, and an evil person produces evil from his evil store. 36 I tell you this; on the judgment day people will have to give an account of any unjustified word they have spoken. 37 Your own words will declare you either innocent or guilty.” Jesus criticizes his own generation
37(Mk 8:11; Lk 11:16)
38 Then some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up, “Teach er, we want to see a sign from you.” 39 Jesus answered them, “An evil and unfaithful people want a sign, but no sign will be given them except the sign of the pro phet Jonah. 40 In the same way that Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the monster fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and three nights in the depths of the earth. 41 At the judgment, the people of Nineveh will rise with this generation and condemn it, because they reformed their lives at the preaching of Jonah, and here there is greater than Jonah. 42 At the judgment, the Queen of the South will stand up and condemn you. She came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and here there is greater than Solomon.
42 At the judgment, the Queen of the South will stand up and condemn you. She came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and here there is greater than Solomon. 43 When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it wanders over arid wastelands looking for a place to rest but it cannot find one. 44 Then it says to itself: ‘I will go back to my house which I had to leave.’ So it goes back and finds the house empty, clean, and in order. 45 Off it goes again to bring back with it, this time, seven spirits, more evil than itself. They move in and settle there, so that this person is finally in a worse state than he was at the beginning. This is what will happen to this evil generation.” 46 While Jesus was still talking to the peo ple, his mother and his brothers wanted to speak to him and they waited outside. 47 So someone said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are just outside; they want to speak with you.” 48 Jesus answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look! Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is for me brother, sister, or mother.”
50 Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is for me brother, sister, or mother.”