The Sabbath Is for Healing
Matthew 12At that time, Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick heads of grain and eat them. But the Pharisees, when they saw this, said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath.”
But he said to them, “Haven’t y’all read what David did when he was hungry? He and his companions entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests.+1 Sam 21:3-6 Or haven’t y’all read in the Law that on the Sabbath day the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and are guiltless? But I tell y’all that something greater than the temple is here. But if y’all had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’+Hos 6:6 y’all wouldn’t have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Humanity is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Departing from that place, he went into their synagogue. And a man with a withered hand was there. They questioned him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” in ordre to they could accuse him.
He said to them, “What human among y’all who has one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath day, wouldn’t grab it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.” Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was completely restored, just like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, as to how they might destroy him.
Jesus Fulfills Isaiah’s Prophecy
Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from there. A large crowd followed him, and he healed them all, and warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet,
“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit on him. He will proclaim justice to the ethnic groups. He will not strive, nor shout, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he won’t break, And a smoldering wick he won’t snuff out, until he leads justice to victory. In his name, the ethnic groups will hope.”+Isa 42:1-4Jesus and Beelzebul
Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to him. Jesus he healed him, so that blind and mute man could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed, saying, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every empire divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his empire stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, then by whom do y’all’s children cast them out? So then, they will be y’all’s judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Empire of God has come upon y’all. Or how can anyone enter the house of the strong person and plunder their goods, unless they first bind the strong one? Then a person can plunder the house.
“Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who doesn’t gather with me, scatters. Therefore I tell y’all, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven of humans, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Humanity will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
“Y’all must either make the tree beautiful and its fruit beautiful, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers, how can y’all, being evil, say anything good? For from what fills the heart, the mouth speaks. The good human brings out of their good treasure what is good, and the evil human brings out of their evil treasure what is evil. I tell y’all that every for idle word that humans speak, they will give account of it on the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the giant fish, so the Son of Humanity will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up in judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. Now look! Something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise up in judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And look! Something greater than Solomon is here.
“When an unclean spirit has gone out of a human, it passes through waterless places seeking rest and doesn’t find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came,’ and when it has come back, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and dwell there. The final state of that human becomes worse than the first. This is the way it will for this evil generation.”
The Widening Family of Jesus
While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers stood outside, wanting to talk to him. Someone said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers stand outside, wanting to talk to you.”
But he answered the one who spoke to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” He stretched out his hand toward his disciples, and said, “Look, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”