THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW ~ Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Once, as Yeshua was going
through a grain field on a Sabbath, His disciples, being hungry, began to pluck
the heads of grain and to eat them. The Pharisees observed this and they spoke
to Him. ‘Look! Your disciples are doing something not lawful to do on the Sabbath.’
He replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his men were hungry?
How he entered the house of Elohei and there ate the holy bread which was not
lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? And have you
not also read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests, too, break the Sabbath
in the Temple and are yet held guiltless? I want to tell you that One greater than
the Temple is here. And if you had understood what is meant by the saying, ‘it
is mercy, not offerings, that I want’ (Hosea 6:6), you would not have
condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Yeshua – Lord of the Sabbath; not only was Yeshua Lord (creator and owner) of the Sabbath, but HE KEPT Sabbath as required of ALL who claim the Name and call themselves children of Elohim. Luke 4:16 says keeping Sabbath was His custom!
So Yeshua left them and went into their synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand, so, to get something against Him
they asked Him, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’ To this He answered, “If
one of you has a sheep which happens to fall into a pit on the Sabbath, will
you not lay hold of it and pull it out? A man is surely worth far more than a
sheep. So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Hold
out your hand.” And the man held out his hand and it became as well as the
other. The Pharisees then went out and met in council against Him, plotting as
to how they might destroy Him.
Yeshua heals a withered hand
Pharisees meet in council to plot ways to discredit Yeshua
Yeshua knew this and left that place,
followed by great crowds; and he healed them all. But He gave strict orders
that they should not advertise Him in public. This was in fulfillment of what
the prophet Isaiah had said might come true, namely, ‘See My Servant, the Man
of My choice, My Beloved, in Whom My soul has found delight! I will endow Him
with My Ruach and He will proclaim judgment among the nations. He will not
wrangle nor make noise; in the streets no one will hear His voice. He will not
break a bruised reed, nor will He put out a struggling flame until His
judgments have been crowned with victory. And the nations will put their hope
in His Name’ (Isaiah 42:1-4). Then they brought to Him a man possessed by a
demon. He was also blind and dumb, but He healed him, so that the dumb and
blind man, could both speak and see. The people were all astounded, and said, ‘Can
this be the Son of David?’
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘This
Man casts out demons only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.’ Yeshua knew their
thoughts and made reply, “Every kingdom divided against itself faces ruin, and
every city or family divided against itself will not stand. Then, if Lucifer
casts out Lucifer, he is divided against himself. How, then, will his kingdom
stand? Again, if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whose help are your own
sons casting them out? Let them be your judges! But if the Ruach of Elohei
helps Me to cast out demons, then the kingdom of Elohei has come to you. How,
indeed, can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his goods unless
the strong man is first bound? Only then can he plunder the house.”
Pharisees call Jesus a blasphemer
“Whoever is not with Me is against me, and
whoever does not gather with Me, scatters. For that reason I warn you that every
sin and blasphemy can be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Holy Ruach
cannot be forgiven, either in this world or in the next. Whoever will speak a
word against the Son of Man may get forgiveness, but whoever shall speak against
the Holy Ruach shall not be forgiven either in this world or in the world to
come.”
“You must either make the tree good and the
fruit good or make the tree bad and the fruit bad, for a tree is known by its
fruit. You offspring of vipers, how can you say good things, wicked as you are?
For the mouth speaks what the heart contains. A good man, out of the good
treasure in his heart, says good things; and a wicked man, out of the wicked things
in his heart, says wicked things. I tell you, therefore, that on the Day of
Judgment men will have to give an account for every thoughtless word they have
spoken. For it is by your words that you will be acquitted, and it is by your
words that you will be condemned.”
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said
to Him, ‘Rabbi, we wish to see a sign from You.’ He replied, “Only a wicked and
adulterous age looks for a sign, but it shall get no other sign than that of
Jonah, the prophet. Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the stomach of the sea
monster, so likewise shall the Son of Man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart
if the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up in judgment against this
generation and will condemn it, for they turned from their sins when Jonah preached
to them, and see! A greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South (Sheba) also will rise up in judgment
against this generation and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and see! A greater than Solomon is here. When
an evil spirit has left a man, it wonders about in dry places seeking rest, but
not finding it. Then it says to itself, ‘I will return to the house from which
I came; and when it comes back, it finds that there is no one there, but that
it has been swept clean and put in order. Out it goes again, then, returns with
7 other evil spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there.
Thus, the last condition of that man is worse than the first. Just so will this
wicked generation fare also.”
While He was still addressing the crowds, His
mother and his brothers came up, but stood outside the throng, wanting to speak
to Him. Then someone said to Him, ‘Your mother and brothers are here outside,
and want to talk to You.’ But Yeshua answered the man who spoke to him, “Who is
My mother? And who are My brothers?” And pointing to His disciples, He said, “These
are My mother and brothers! For whosoever does the Will of Elohim in Heaven is
My brother and sister and mother.”
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