Matthew 12

Matthew 12:1

We have piped unto you . . . we have mourned unto you. One set of children is represented as having invited another set to play, first in a mock wedding, then in a mock funeral, but the dissatisfied children were pleased with neither, and would neither dance nor lament.

Matthew 12:2

John came neither eating nor drinking. At feasts. He lived abstemiously and austerely. He hath a demon. They accused him of being under the influence of evil spirits; of being a crank, or fanatic.

Matthew 12:3

The Son of man came eating. Like other men. He was at the wedding feast of Cana (John 2:2); at Matthew’s feast, (Matthew 9:10), etc. A winebibber. There was nothing singular about his social habits. Like all the people, he drank the light, harmless wine of Palestine, either free from, or with a very slight percentage of, alcohol. Our modern wines are very different. A friend of tax collectors and sinners. See notes on Matthew 9:12,13. Wisdom is justified of her children. Those who are wise will approve both the course of John and his Lord.

Matthew 12:4

Then he began to upbraid the cities, etc. Compare Lu 10:12-15. The cities in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee had, thus far, heard and seen the most of the Lord and had the least excuse for rejecting him. In all the reproofs of Jesus there is sadness in the severity. The very denunciations seem to mourn. In which most of his mighty works were done. We know of a number of miracles which had been wrought in these cities, the healing of the centurion’s servant, of the son of nobleman, of the diseased woman, of two blind men, and the raising of the daughter of Jairus. The Scriptures assure us that these were only a very small part of the mighty works he did. See Matthew 9:35. Because they repented not. The great end proposed by the gospel is repentance and a new life.

Matthew 12:5

Woe to thee, Chorazin! Chorazin has long been extinct, and its site is not certainly known. It is named only here and in Lu 10:13. Situated about two miles from the ruins of Tell-Hum, thought to be Capernaum, there are ruins now called Kerazeh, including a synagogue, columns and walls of buildings, supposed to mark the site of Chorazin. Woe to thee, Bethsaida! The word means “House of fish”, and the name would imply that it was a fishing town, and it was the home of the fishermen, Peter, Andrew and Philip (John 1:44). Its locality is in dispute. It was probably situated on both sides of the Jordan, where it emptied into the Sea of Galilee. The ruins of a city lie there, mostly on the east side of the river. For if the mighty works . . . had been done in Tyre and Sidon. These were rich Phoenician trading cities on the east shore of the Mediterranean. Tyre was long the chief commercial city of the world; it still exists as a wretched town. In sackcloth and ashes. The symbols of mourning and repentance. See Jonah 3:5 on the repentance of Nineveh. Sackcloth was a kind of coarse cloth, woven of camel’s hair.

Matthew 12:6

It shall be more tolerable, etc. These solemn words teach: (1) That there will be a day of judgment for all cities, nations and men. (2) That men will be judged according to their opportunities; that those who have had and neglected opportunities will be held most guilty. (3) That there will be different degrees of future punishment, according to guilt and opportunities; that those whose opportunities have been greatest will receive the greater punishment, if these are neglected. Every man will be judged and punished according to his opportunities and works. The idea of a hell of the same severity for all the unsaved is nowhere taught by Christ.

Matthew 12:7

And thou, Capernaum. Capernaum was at that time a city of 30,000 inhabitants. Its site also is disputed. Most locate it on the lake shore, at the ruins called Tell-Hum, but others locate it about three miles north of the ruins of Tell-Hum. It enjoyed signal advantages as being the Galilean home of Christ, who taught in its streets, houses and synagogue, and worked many miracles there. Art exalted to heaven. By the privilege of having Christ as an inhabitant. Shalt be brought down to hell. Not hell, but “hades”, the unseen. Capernaum shall disappear from human view. Within less than forty years Capernaum was destroyed by the Romans, and for many centuries has not had an existence. Would have remained until this day. Note the inference: (1) Sodom was destroyed for its sins. (2) Had it not been sinful it would have “remained”. (3) Therefore it is sins that destroy cities and nations. Jerusalem, Babylon, Sodom, Capernaum, and other extinct ancient cities have perished on account of their sins. (4) Modern cities which scoff at God and revel in iniquity will “be brought down to hades” also. Permanent temporal prosperity depends on righteousness.

Matthew 12:8

More tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment. Because it had poor opportunities. Sodom had fallen two thousand years before Christ, and had been extinct ever since, yet the Lord speaks of a “future” day of judgment for both Sodom and Capernaum. Therefore, (1) There is a judgment after death. (2) Temporal punishment for wickedness does not satisfy eternal justice. The Sodomites were held to a future judgment. (3) The inhabitants of Sodom had not been annihilated, but were alive, waiting for the judgment.

Matthew 12:9

At that time. Immediately after this judgment upon the impenitent cities was denounced. O Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Christ addresses God as his Father, not as his Lord. The obedience he yields is that of a Son, not of a subject. Four more times, in deep emotion, Christ thus addresses the Father (John 11:41 12:28 17:1 Lu 23:34). Thou hadst hid these things from the wise and prudent. From the worldly wise Pharisees and Jews. God had hid these things from this latter class through the natural operation of their own corrupted hearts and perverted minds. Babes. The simple and believing.

Matthew 12:10

Even so, Father, etc. “Even so” is better rendered “Yea”, as in the Revised Version.

Matthew 12:11

All things are delivered unto me of my Father. The Lord speaks, in part, in anticipation. It was the divine purpose, in sending the Son, to deliver “all things”, the gospel, salvation, judgment, the rule of heaven and earth, to him. Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son. He only is in the secret of the Divine counsels. And [he] to whomever the Son will reveal [him]. Christ is the revelation of God to man. “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). Those who “know” Christ by humble obedience and docility learn to know the Father also.

Matthew 12:12

Come unto me. This is one of the sweetest passages in the New Testament. It shows the willingness of the Lord. The kings and earth and the great are usually difficult of access, while Jesus is not only willing, but invites us, to come to him. Note how gracious is the invitation! (1) It is the Lord who speaks. (2) He invites to come to him. (3) The invitation is to those who labor and are heavy laden. (4) He promises, to all these weary ones who come, rest. The offer is not that of a man, but of the Divine Savior. Millions in all ages since can bear witness that the promise is sure. That labour and are heavy laden. Feel heavily the burdens of life, of sin and sorrow. Rest. Peace of soul.

Matthew 12:13

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me. He has first asked us to come, and made a gracious promise. He next shows us how to come. We are to come by taking HIS yoke upon us. Taking on the yoke is a symbol of submission. The two steps by which we come, and secure the promise of “rest unto our souls” are then (1) Submission to Christ, (2) Becoming his disciples.

Matthew 12:14

For my yoke [is] easy. The yoke that sin imposes is heavy, and bearing it brings no rest. So, too, the yoke of false or corrupted religion is burdensome; but Christ’s yoke is easy. It is not hard to bear it because it is borne in love. My burden is light. His burden, even if it be the cross, is light, because he helps us to bear it. Note: That one rejecting Christ in the midst of light is worse than a heathen. Christ graciously invites all to come to him. He is the rest of the soul.

Matthew 12:16

The Pharisees Take Counsel Against and Seek to Destroy Jesus SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 12: Jesus Accused of Sabbath Breaking. The Son of Man Lord of the Sabbath. Healing the Withered Hand. The Pharisees Take Counsel to Destroy Jesus. The Tenderness of Christ. A Dumb and Blind Demoniac Healed. Accused of Help from the Devil to Cast Out Demons. A Divided Kingdom. Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit. Shall Give Account for Idle Words. The Sign of Jonah. The Queen of the South. His Mother and Brethren. Who Are My Mother and Brethren?. At that time. Compare Mr 2:23-28 Lu 6:1. About the time when grain begins to ripen in Judea, that is, not far from the first of May. Through the corn fields. Wheat or barley. The paths, the only roads, led and still lead through the grain fields in Palestine. Began to pluck. Permitted by Moses (Deuteronomy 23:25).

Matthew 12:17

But when the Pharisees saw [it]. See PNT Matthew 3:7. Some of the sect were in attendance on the watch for a ground of accusation. Not lawful to do upon the sabbath. They did not object to taking the ears of corn, but to gathering, rubbing out the grains of wheat in the hand, and eating them on the sabbath. To understand their position, it must be noticed that after the Law had said that the Jews were “to do no manner of work” on the Sabbath, the “Tradition of the Elders” had laid down thirty-nine principal prohibitions, which were ascribed to the authority of the Great Synagogue, and which were called “abhoth”, “fathers”, or chief rules. From these were deduced a vast multitude of “toldoth”, “descendants”, or derivative rules. Now, “reaping” and “threshing” on the Sabbath day were forbidden by “abhoth”; and by the “toldoth” it was asserted that plucking corn-ears was “a kind of” reaping, and rubbing them “a kind of” threshing. The vitality of these artificial notions among the Jews is extraordinary.

Abarbanel relates that when, in 1492, the Jews were expelled from Spain, and were forbidden to enter the city of Fez lest they should cause a famine, they lived on grass; yet even in this state religiously avoided the violation of their Sabbath by plucking the grass with their hands.'' To avoid this they took the much more laborious method of groveling on their knees, and cropping it with their teeth. We give one more example of their Sabbath requirements from "Milman's Jews" (Vol. 2, p. 480): If on the Sabbath a Jew put out a lamp from fear of the Gentiles, or robbers, or on account of an evil spirit, he was guiltless; if to save oil, he was guilty.''

Matthew 12:18

Have ye not read. The Lord answers them by citing the case of David, who, under necessity, took, ate, and gave to his followers the show bread which it was lawful for priests only to eat. Necessity rose higher than ceremonial. See 1 Samuel 21:1-6.

Matthew 12:19

Entered into the house of God. The tabernacle at Nob (1 Samuel 21:1). The temple had not been built. The shewbread. Twelve loaves placed upon a table in the holy place as a symbol of the communion of the twelve tribes, and a type of the Bread of Life to be given to the whole world. They were kept a week, renewed, and the old loaves eaten by the priests. If David could take these under necessity, so could Christ’s disciples pluck corn under necessity.

Matthew 12:20

The priests . . . profane the sabbath. The Sabbath was the busiest day of the week for the priests in the temple service. In this they rightly broke the ordinary Sabbath law, because the temple service set aside the law. Compare John 7:22,23.

Matthew 12:21

But I say unto you, etc. The thought is: If priests in the service of the temple can break the letter of the law and be blameless, how much more can the disciples of him who is the Lord of the temple do so in his service and by his authority?

Matthew 12:22

But if ye had known what [this] meaneth. They ought to have known, for they professed to be interpreters of the law. I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. The argument is that mercy toward these hungering disciples was more acceptable to God than sacrifices at the altar, though sacrifice was the crown of the Jewish rites. The quotation is from Hosea 6:6, and is also quoted in Matthew 9:13. It shows that all our forms, rites and ceremonies are worthless before God unless we have kind and merciful hearts.

Matthew 12:23

For the Son of man is the Lord even of the Sabbath day. Because the Sabbath is made for humanity, the Lord of humanity is the Lord of the Sabbath. Observe, “is” the Lord of the Sabbath. He does not, then, abolish it, but has the right to make any change in it, in the interest of mankind, that seems to him wise. Neither Moses, nor any other mortal, ever claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath. This is a declaration of Divinity.

Matthew 12:24

He went into their synagogue. Evidently he, his disciples and these Pharisees, were on the way to it when the conversation took place. It was probably at Capernaum.

Matthew 12:25

A man which had [his] hand withered. That is, dried up from a deficient absorption of the nutriment. Luke says his “right hand” (Lu 6:6). The disease here indicated results in a loss both in size and in power of the arm; for it there is no remedy known to man. Compare Mr 3:1-6 Lu 6:6-11. And they asked him. Luke says it was the scribes and Pharisees. Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? In the opinion of the Pharisees, to kindle or extinguish a fire on the Sabbath was a great desecration of the day, nor was even sickness allowed to violate rabbinical rules. It was forbidden to give an emetic on the Sabbath, to set a broken bone, or put back a dislocated joint. Of course, they had added all this to the law of Moses. That they might accuse him. Not in the conversation merely, but before the local judge, the officers of the synagogue, or the council.

Matthew 12:26

What man . . . shall have one sheep? etc. Such an act of mercy to a beast was allowed and usual then.

Matthew 12:27

How much then is a man better than a sheep? If sheep can be lifted out of its suffering on the Sabbath, why not much more a man? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. If the Sabbath day would preclude one from doing good, then it would be an evil.

Matthew 12:28

Stretch forth thine hand. As the cure is wrought only by a word, the Pharisees have no ground of accusation.

Matthew 12:29

Then the Pharisees went out, etc. Their real motive was hatred of the Lord, while their pretext was that he had broken the Sabbath. While professing to be very religious, they were really the servants of the evil one.

Matthew 12:30

Jesus . . . withdrew himself from thence. Left Capernaum for the time. He avoided needless danger until his earthly ministry was accomplished, and the bitter opposition of the Pharisees admonished him to temporarily withdraw.

Matthew 12:31

Charged them. Those healed. To note about his cures now would intensify the hate of his enemies.

Matthew 12:32

That it might be fulfilled. Thus it was fulfilled. Esaias the prophet. See Isaiah 42:1-4.

Matthew 12:33

Behold my servant. Christ took the form of a servant. I will put my spirit upon him. Compare Matthew 3:17. He shall shew justice to the Gentiles. Announce himself as judge of the Gentiles. Compare Mr 3:8.

Matthew 12:34

He shall not strive, nor cry. He shall be modest, retiring, and not a brazen, noisy declaimer.

Matthew 12:35

A bruised reed shall he not break. The reed, a hollow cylinder, if bruised has its strength destroyed. It thus becomes the symbol of the bruised spirit. The tender Savior will not break, but heal. Smoking flax. The wick of the lamp that had ceased to burn clearly. The violent would put it out and fling it away. The Lord does not use such violence with those disciples who give forth some light, even if it is imperfect. Till he send forth judgment. Till he shall sit in power and triumph on the throne of judgment.

Matthew 12:36

In his name. In him as the Messiah. Shall the Gentiles trust. He shall be the “Christ of the world”, and not of the Jews alone. Compare John 4:42. The prophets clearly and many times declare that the Messiah shall be, not a Jewish, but a world’s Savior. The Jews strangely overlooked this.

Matthew 12:37

One possessed with a devil. See PNT Matthew 8:28. Compare Lu 11:14.

Matthew 12:38

Is not this the Son of David? The promised Messiah King who was to be the Son of David, according to the prophets (Isaiah 11:10 2 Samuel 23:5).

Matthew 12:39

The Pharisees heard [it]. Compare Mr 3:22-27. Mark says that some of these Pharisees were scribes who had come from Jerusalem. The ecclesiastical authorities at Jerusalem were now keeping their watch on Jesus. Doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub. See PNT Matthew 10:25. Beelzebub, the prince of devils, meant the same as Satan. The Pharisees assert that the Lord’s miraculous power is due to the aid of the devil.

Matthew 12:40

Knew their thoughts. They had not made this charge to Christ, but to the multitudes. Every city or house divided against itself. A general truth is stated. Most states and kingdoms fall, not by the power of foreign enemies, but by the weakness due to divisions.

Matthew 12:41

If Satan cast out Satan. If demons were cast out by the aid of Satan, then Satan was fighting against his own servants. His kingdom was divided against itself.

Matthew 12:42

By whom do your children cast [them] out? There were Jewish exorcists who professed to cast out demons. Josephus tells of one named Eleazar, whom he says did cast them out. Christ does not say whether they did or not, but argues: “If I, by Satan, cast out demons, by whom do your own exorcists, whom you assert have this power, cast them out”? Compare Acts 19:13.

Matthew 12:43

If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, etc. If it is the power of God manifest in me, then it demonstrates that I am the expected Messiah King, the Son of David, of whom the multitude spoke. See Matthew 12:23.

Matthew 12:44

How can one . . . spoil his goods, etc.? No one can enter a man’s house and take his goods unless he has first conquered him. If I am not the Messiah, stronger than Satan, how could I spoil him?

Matthew 12:45

He that is not for me, etc. The two kingdoms of Satan and of Christ are opposed. No neutrality is possible. He that is not for me is against me.

Matthew 12:46

The blasphemy [against] the [Holy] Ghost shall not be forgiven. Compare Mr 3:28 Lu 12:10. Much discussion has arisen concerning the nature of sin against the Holy Spirit, and nothing is plainer. Mr 3:30 explains it. It was ascribing Christ’s works to demoniac influence. These works were wrought by the power of the Spirit.

Matthew 12:47

Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man. Personal injuries will be forgiven on repentance. Christ prayed for his persecutors. Every sin can be forgiven but that against the Holy Spirit. Speaketh against the Holy Ghost. Perversely ascribe the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come. Judgment shall overtake him both her and hereafter. The Jews divided the two worlds, or, rather, “ages” of the world, by the coming of Christ. This would then mean that there is forgiveness to such a sin under neither dispensation. No passage in the Bible affirms more emphatically the doctrine of eternal punishment. There is a sin that hath no forgiveness.

Matthew 12:48

Either make the tree good, and its fruit good. The principle is announced in Matthew 7:20 that the tree is known by its fruits. If his own life and works were evil, then he might be evil and aided by Satan, but if good, then his power was from God.

Matthew 12:49

Generation of vipers. Poisonous, evil and dangerous, like vipers. How can ye, etc.? Their hearts were thoroughly evil, hence they could only speak and do evil, for “out of the good treasure of the heart the mouth speaketh”. On the other hand, the “good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things”.