Matthew 12

Study Guide 86: Matthew 12:1-15:20 HARDENING OPPOSITION Overview Matthew now comes to his initial explanation of what happened to the promised messianic kingdom. Matthew’ s Gospel flows logically from his theme: that Jesus is the Messiah of the Old Testament. Matthew 1:1-25 and Matthew 2:1-23 reported the birth of Jesus, and demonstrated its harmony with Old Testament messianic prophecy. Matthew 3:1-17 and Matthew 4:1-25 affirmed Jesus’ full identity with humanity — and His victory over every human weakness. Surely this Person can lead us to victory too. Chapters 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount, contained Jesus’ explanation of the lifestyle appropriate for those who choose to live in His kingdom. Chapters 8-11 proved Jesus’ authority over all that binds human beings. And it also shows that in Jesus, authority is expressed through servanthood — in both Master and disciples. Now, in chapters 12-15, we learn of the response of the nation to Jesus and His message. That response is one of growing opposition, spearheaded by the Pharisees. The Jewish leaders rejected the Lord — and in a series of parables Jesus introduced a modification of the kingdom. If the nation will not welcome the King, individuals who do welcome Him into their lives will live in an unexpected, a mystery form, of Jesus’ kingdom. How wonderful that Jesus is still willing to welcome individuals. How wonderful that His hidden kingdom still exists today!

Commentary The other night I listened to a late night talk show on which two well-known radio personalities were talking about visits each had made to the South American land of the Aucas. These were the jungle peoples who in the late ’ 50s speared five missionaries — some of whose wives and children later went to live among them and won them to Christ. One of the radio personalities told how impressed he had been with the translated testimony of a converted chief, who had earlier taken 35 human heads, and by the fact that the actual killers of the five missionaries had not only become Christians but were now themselves missionaries to other jungle tribes. Both men were tremendously impressed by their trips and these jungle peoples. Their interest and curiosity had been challenged — but not their commitment. Faced with the necessity of making a personal choice, neither had responded. And one was clearly hostile. It must have been something like this in Jesus’ day. When Christ first came on the scene, teaching and healing, many were drawn to Him. He was a curiosity, Someone to be impressed with and to talk about. Even the leaders of the people viewed Jesus as God’ s messenger (John 3:2). But as Jesus’ message became more clear, and as He confronted each hearer with the challenge to choose, attitudes began to change. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount spoke of the kingdom in unexpected ways. Jesus’ own behavior did not fit the popular notion of the coming King. His authenticating miracles could not be denied. But as Jesus continued teaching, He exposed more and more clearly the sinfulness of current attitudes and ways. The leaders particularly became hostile. Jesus was no longer a curiosity. He had become a threat, demanding that they choose between His revelation of God and His ways, and their own dearly held beliefs. Jesus’ authority had clearly been demonstrated in His miracles; He exercised authority over all the powers that hold men in bondage. It was clear that no Pharisee or Sadducee had similar authority. Yet their resistance grew. They would not believe. In the men of Jesus’ day we see a contemporary issue drawn as well. Rejection of Christ is seldom a choice which hinges on lack of knowledge. Rather, as the issues become more and more clear, our response to truth hinges on our will. We must choose. For the non-Christian it becomes a choice to abandon hope in oneself and trust Jesus alone to bring him or her into a family relationship with God. For the Christian there is also a choice. A choice to follow the servant King and to adopt the lifestyle of the kingdom, or to hold onto the attitudes and values and beliefs and behaviors of the world. In tracing growing opposition in these chapters of Matthew, we see some of the issues facing all men — you and me as well. And we are confronted by our own necessity to choose. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Share with your group the story of the two radio personalities who interviewed Auca converts — were most impressed by their conversions — and refused to believe. Discuss: “ What things are most likely to keep people who understand the Gospel from believing in Jesus?” After sharing, summarize, and then record your group’ s ideas.

Attack: Matthew 12:1-50The men who seem to have spearheaded the growing opposition to Jesus were the Pharisees. Along with the Sadducees, traditionally their rivals, this band of rigid and committed men were quick to see the great gap between Israel’ s present lifestyle and Jesus’ kingdom truth. The Pharisees. The name comes from a root meaning “ separated.” The movement apparently began some two centuries before Christ, and focused on resistance to hellenization of the Jews. The Pharisees were earnestly concerned with the Law and with keeping its minutest detail. But the Pharisees tended to emphasize the “ oral law” of the Torah (Pentateuch). This oral law was composed of a vast number of interpretations and explanations of the Old Testament, which over the years continued to grow and grow. Tragically, the oral law increasingly focused on trifling details. For instance, the command not to work on the Sabbath was expanded and illustrated with hundreds of explanations and exceptions. According to the Pharisees’ oral law, a person was allowed to spit on rocky ground on the Sabbath. But he could not spit on soft or dusty earth; the spittle might move the dirt and that would constitute plowing, for it might make a furrow! Thus the oral law often robbed the written Law of its real message — a message of godly concern for others. Jesus once rebuked the Pharisees for their practice of “ giving” all of their possessions to the temple (to be taken over after their deaths), and then telling poor parents or other relatives that they owned nothing with which to help them. God’ s command to “ honor your father and mother” was thus pushed aside in favor of this merely human tradition. We can see in the New Testament many evidences of the Pharisees’ scrupulous concern for the minor details of legalism (Matthew 9:14; Matthew 23:16-19, Matthew 23:23; Mark 7:1-13; Luke 11:42). What we often miss is that the movement itself did have healthy roots. The Pharisees had separated themselves from the rest of Israel because of a deep concern for righteousness. They yearned for the arrival of the kingdom in which God and His ways would be honored in holiness. Until that time, in search of personal holiness, the Pharisees joined communes of others with the same longing. These Pharisees were neither educated nor upper-class men. Instead, they were characteristically middle class, without formal education in the interpretation of the Law. In their closed communities they lived under the direction of a scribe (an expert in the Law), and they sought to separate themselves in order to find righteousness by keeping the whole Law. This high level of commitment won them the admiration of the common people, and gave this group, which in Jesus’ day numbered about 6,000, great influence. Later Paul would write something about the Jews which was characteristic of the Pharisees: “ For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’ s righteousness” (Romans 10:2-3). In their attempt to find righteousness through legalism, they missed the Old Testament’ s message of righteousness through faith (cf. Genesis 15:6). The Pharisees became so committed to their own notions of what God’ s will must be that when the Son of God appeared to reveal the Law’ s true meaning, they refused to listen. For the Pharisees to respond to Jesus would have meant admitting that the principles on which they had built their lives, and which gave them their distinctive identity, had been wrong. They simply could not and would not abandon themselves, even though it was God who called. We can sympathize with the Pharisees. Some of us too have had an honest concern for the things of God without real understanding. But then Jesus confronts us, and calls us to abandon all that we once held dear and true that we might rebuild our lives on Him, and learn His kingdom lifestyle. Too often we too hold back. Dare we surrender all we thought we had and were in order to become something new, just because the King commands and promises? The Pharisees would not, and could not, make this surrender. They insisted on holding on to their own ideas rather than submitting to the King. Their rebellion against the lordship of Jesus led, not only to their own destruction, but it contributed to the suffering of the nation that they influenced. Attack (Matthew 12:1-24). We see the Pharisees’ mindset in three incidents reported in this chapter. Walking through the grain fields, the disciples plucked and ate wheat kernels. The Pharisees shouted to Jesus, “ Hey! They’ re breaking the Law!” The “ Law” they referred to was the oral law’ s interpretation of that act as “ harvesting.” And the disciples were “ harvesting” on the Sabbath! But the Old Testament itself never interprets Sabbath Law to demand going hungry. A little later Jesus entered a synagogue of the Pharisees (Matthew 12:9). There He was confronted by a man with a withered hand. This confrontation was apparently arranged by the Pharisees so that they “ might accuse” Him (Matthew 12:10). So they challenged Jesus. “ Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Jesus responded by pointing out the value of a man to God, and added, “ It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12). Jesus then healed the man — and the Pharisees went out and began to plot how to kill Him! LINK TO LIFE: CHILDREN What makes Sunday special? The Pharisees tried to keep the Sabbath by restricting what a person could do on that day. Help children avoid this sterile approach to worship. Emphasize the things we do to make Sunday special. Include of course going to Sunday School and church. Let the children add other things as well. Do they have family traditions — visiting relatives, taking family trips, etc. — that bond the Christian family closer together? Later Jesus was seen healing, and the crowds wondered aloud if He was the Messiah. Then the Pharisees, hardened in their rejection of Jesus, began a slander campaign against Him. “ It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons” (Matthew 12:24). Jesus’ response (Matthew 12:25-50). Much of this chapter is devoted to Jesus’ response to the attack of the Pharisees. Responding to the first attack (on the disciples plucking grain to eat as they walked), Jesus pointed out that even God’ s laws (to say nothing of the oral traditions intended to explain them) are not intended to be rigid, unyielding rules. God is concerned with “ mercy and not sacrifice” : His Laws are intended to provide a framework for the expression of love. The disciples were guiltless in this situation, for they acted only to meet real need. Their freedom from guilt was pronounced by He who is “ Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8). The second incident also is revealing. The Pharisees were willing to use a man with a withered hand to trap Jesus. They were totally unconcerned about his personal tragedy and his feelings. Jesus’ response, affirming God’ s valuation of individuals, showed up their hardheartedness for what it was. No wonder these men plotted to kill Jesus. In their pursuit of self-righteousness, the Pharisees had lost the deep concern for others that characterizes God. Their religious zeal had, in fact, led them to become ungodly (un-Godlike) persons! With their ungodliness clearly revealed, in contrast to our Lord’ s own compassion and love, the Pharisees had no choice. They had to either face their sinfulness and abandon the legalistic search for righteousness that had produced it, or to strike out against the One who pierced their pretentions and revealed their lack of love. They chose to strike out. Several important issues were raised by Jesus in the extended response He made to the Pharisees and their followers. *The unforgivable sin. The Pharisees rejected the evidence of Jesus’ miracles and even claimed that Satan’ s power was behind them. This blasphemy was unique in history; never before had God’ s Son, standing among men as a Man, by the power of the God’ s Holy Spirit, performed such obvious authenticating signs. Speaking against the source of Jesus’ power was, first of all, a recognition of its supernatural origin, and second, a hardened rejection of Jesus Himself. Completely hardened now, this desperate attack demonstrated the fact that the Pharisees had made their choice. They no longer hesitated. They were committed against the Son of God. Their choice, made in the face of all the unique evidence which Jesus Himself had presented to them, was irrevocable: they had chosen to step beyond the possibility of repentance. *Idle words. Matthew 12:36 reports Jesus’ warning against “ careless words.” This is not, as some have taken it to be, a reference to chitchat in contrast with “ edifying” talk about God. Actually, Jesus is pointing to what is recorded in these very chapters. The Pharisees, in reacting to the disciples’ plucking of the grain and in challenging Jesus concerning the withered hand, had carelessly exposed their hearts! The Pharisees were so careful to appear pious. But in criticizing the disciples and in using the man with the withered hand, they had spoken unthinkingly words which revealed their hearts. No wonder Matthew 12:34-35 preface the warning about careless words with this statement: Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. Matthew 12:34-35What is in a man’ s heart will be inadvertently expressed in his words, for “ out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). We can hide our bitterness and lack of compassion. We can disguise hostility under a cloak of religiosity. We can even be rigorously “ separated” from all sorts of cultural “ sins.” But when our reactions and our words reveal a Pharisee-like contempt for men and women whom God loves, our ungodliness is revealed. The section of dialogue closes with Jesus’ refusal to give Israel any more miraculous signs as proof of His identity, and with a renewed warning that judgment must surely come. Nineveh, a pagan land, responded to Jonah’ s preaching. The pagan Queen of Sheba responded to Solomon’ s instruction. But Israel had refused to respond to Jesus, though He is greater by far than either Jonah or Solomon. By turning away from the King, Israel opened herself up to emptiness and a terrifying fate. No longer could physical descent from Abraham be considered a mark of standing with God. Each individual had to see that his relationship was personal, and would hinge on doing the will of the Father in heaven (Matthew 12:46-50). LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Give your group members a minilecture on the Pharisees. Then introduce the “ careless word” principle of Matthew 12:36. Ask your group to look at the three incidents in this chapter (disciples gather grain, withered hand, Jesus associated with Beelzebub), to see what they can discern of the Pharisees’ hearts from these incidents.

The Parables: Matthew 13:1-52The same day that Jesus spoke out, warning His hearers of the tragedy which rejection of the King and kingdom was to bring on them, He sat in a boat to teach the gathering crowds. He “ told them many things in parables” (Matthew 13:3). There are a multitude of parables in the Bible. The word itself means to “ set alongside,” and it is a normal pattern of Scripture to illustrate by setting concrete and familiar illustrations alongside abstract concepts (cf. 2 Samuel 12:1-7; Judges 9:8-15; and Isaiah 5:1-7 for Old Testament examples). Sometimes parables are allegories, such as the story of the Good Samaritan through which Jesus answered the man who wondered aloud, “ Who is my neighbor?” But there is something very different about the parables recorded in Matthew 13:1-58. Rather than illuminating what Jesus said, they seem almost to obscure it! Why then did Jesus speak in parables? There are several hints in the text. Asked this question by the disciples, Jesus said, “ Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:13). The crowds, in rejecting Jesus’ clear presentation of Himself as their King, had closed their eyes to truth. Now Jesus would speak less clear words to them, lest they be even more responsible. It is also possible that Jesus adopted parables here to keep His listeners concentrating on the choice they had to make for or against Him. We need to remember that the Israelites had a clear notion of what the kingdom would be like. They would not be shaken from this single conception to accept new truth, which might modify their expectations. Jesus later explained to His disciples that the parables were spoken to them (Matthew 13:16). What they dealt with was a dimension of the kingdom which was not the subject of earlier Old Testament revelation. The parables, Jesus said, fulfill this prophecy: I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the Creation of the world. Matthew 13:35These parables deal with dimensions of the kingdom which Israel did not suspect existed. They deal, in fact, with those dimensions of the kingdom which you and I experience today and will experience until, at the return of Jesus, the Old Testament’ s prophesied kingdom rule is established. No wonder the disciples, themselves steeped in the Old Testament’ s lore, were also puzzled and had to ask Jesus, “ Explain to us the Parable of the Weeds in the Field” (Matthew 13:36). Only later could they look back and see in Jesus’ words the portrait of a time between the Lord’ s resurrection and the establishment of the earthly kingdom in its expected form. These, then, are parables of contrast. By contrast they illuminate key differences between the prophesied kingdom reign and the present servant form of the kingdom over which Jesus now rules. Jesus concluded His seven parables with a question: “ Have you understood all these things?” (Matthew 13:51) Afraid to say no, the Twelve nodded yes. Both the old and the new are elements in the kingdom which Christ came to bring. Only later would they begin to understand the deep implications for the church of the unexpected form of the kingdom which Jesus expressed in His parables. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Duplicate the parables chart to give your group members. Then assign teams two or three parables each. Each team should read its parables in the text, check with the chart, and then list at least three applications of the principle Jesus expressed in a parable to the church today or to Christian life and experience.

Parables of the Kingdom The ParableExpected FormUnexpected Characteristic Sower Matthew 13:3-9, Matthew 18:23Messiah turns Israel and all nations to HimselfIndividuals respond differently to the Word’ s invitation. Wheat/Tares Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:37-43The Kingdom’ s righteous citizens rule over the world with the King.The kingdom’ s citizens are among the men of the world, growing together till God’ s harvest time. Mustard seed Matthew 13:31-32Kingdom begins in majestic glory.Kingdom begins in insignificance; its greatness comes as a surprise Leaven Matthew 13:33Only righteousness enters the kingdom; other “ raw material” is excluded.The kingdom is implanted in a different “ raw material” and grows to fill the whole personality with righteousness. Hidden treasure Matthew 13:44Kingdom is public and for all.Kingdom is hidden and for individual “ purchase.” Priceless pearl Matthew 13:45-46Kingdom brings all valued things to men.Kingdom demands abandonment of all other values (cf. Matthew 6:33). Dragnet Matthew 13:47-50Kingdom begins with initial separation of righteous and unrighteous.Kingdom ends with final separation of the unrighteous from the righteous. Resistance: Matthew 13:53-15:20 The failure to respond to Jesus was becoming open resistance to Him and to His teachings. When Jesus returned to His hometown, He was resented rather than honored (Matthew 13:57). John’ s death at the hands of Herod (John 14:1-12) added its dampening effect. The early mood of expectancy Jesus’ ministry had stimulated was evaporating. The Pharisees had taken sides against Him. Jesus had not acted as the expected King should. The hated Herod had even executed Jesus’ cousin John — and Jesus had done nothing. Instead of mounting a vengeful attack on Herod and Rome, Jesus “ withdrew . . . to a solitary place” (Matthew 14:13). The crowds followed Jesus. Waiting. Though Jesus would no longer perform miracles as authenticating signs to demonstrate the validity of His claim, He continued to be moved by compassion. Thus Jesus continued to heal — because He cared. And, when the crowds around Him were hungry and there was no source of food nearby, Jesus distributed five loaves and two fish — and fed the thousands who had come. Late that night Jesus met His disciples on the sea (Matthew 14:22-32). They’ d taken a boat; He walked across the waters to them. The rejecting Pharisees and doubting crowd would receive no more such proofs of the King’ s authority. But the believing disciples would continue to receive miraculous reassurance. So it is even today. The evidence men seek — and then reject when given — is withheld. But the believer who walks with Jesus sees constant evidence that God is ever near. LINK TO LIFE: CHILDREN The story of feeding thousands and of Peter’ s walk on the water are known by most children. Let older boys and girls work together to write a one-act play. Have them read the story carefully. Have them write down a list of characters (they can include imaginary persons as well as those in the text). Then have them write what each person might say and do. Also have them include a scene in which people who witnessed the event talk about it afterward, expressing what they have learned and thought about Jesus. This section of the story of Jesus closes with the Pharisees returning to Jesus once again. Hating Him as they did, the Pharisees still seemed driven to come and, through confrontation, to find some justification for their stand. Again the Pharisees attacked at a point developed in the oral law. “ Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’ t wash their hands [ceremonially] before they eat!” (Matthew 15:2) Again Jesus bluntly confronted them, seeking to reveal to them the emptiness and hypocrisy of what they had substituted for the heart of God’ s revealed Law. “ Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3) Jesus asked. Their whole approach to life “ invalidated the Word of God” (Matthew 15:6, NASB) for the sake of their tradition; they were setting aside the intent of God for the sake of a legalistic self-righteousness! Lashing out at these religious men, Jesus cried: You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. Matthew 15:7-9Again Jesus focused attention on the heart (Matthew 15:10-20). It is not what a man eats or how he washes that defiles. It is the heart of man that defiles, and it is this with which the King and the kingdom deal. Only Jesus can heal the diseased heart, and His work must be done within. Coming to the kingdom we must abandon all that we have relied on to perfect ourselves. We must abandon all we are into the hands of the King. We may, like Israel, long for the outward pomp and glory of God’ s future power. Yet, we must surrender all this for now. If we recognize Jesus as our King. He must be given our individual personality over which to reign.

Teaching Guide Prepare Read what Jesus says about the heart (Matthew 13:33-37 and Matthew 15:10-20). What is there here that can guide your prayers for your group members?

Explore

1. Tell the Auca story and ask: “ What is most likely to keep people who understand the Gospel from trusting Jesus?” See “ link-to-life” above.
2. Give a minilecture on the Pharisees. Have your group members study Jesus’ confrontations with them, and discover how the “ careless word” principle Jesus stated applied to the Pharisees’ unwitting revelation of their hearts. See “ link-to-life” above.

Expand

1. Distribute copies of the parables chart. Let your group members use it in teams to study two or three of Jesus’ parables, and to develop applications to today’ s church and to Christian life.
2. Or examine carefully what Jesus said in His discussion of the heart, and what this means to us today. Then summarize in a single sentence the major lesson we can draw.

Apply Discuss: “ How can we help each other avoid the perils of Phariseeism in living out our faith in Christ?”