Matthew

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Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Mat 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
Mat 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Mat 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

Jesus represented the spirit of the law rather than the letter. He teaches first of all that He is greater than the temple. He is founder of the temple. The law is all about Jesus for He came to fulfill the legal requirements of the law which condemned the sinner to eternal death. What is better, that the poor starve to death and famish from hunger or that he pick a few ears of corn and eat.

Its one thing to have no respect for God's law, have no respect for the Sabbath day nor regard for worshipping God but its quite another to nit pick at seeing a blind man healed on the Sabbath day or the hungry fed. Jesus came to save people from the condemnation of the law not condemn them. He wanted to set the captives free and help people, not condemn them. Yet Jesus would speak out against things that were wrong. We must accept the kindness of Jesus but also His warnings. Setting free those that were bound seemed more important to Him than strict observance of observing days yet there are places where He tells people that are recipients of his healing, to go and sin no more.

Mat 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Sometimes our religious sacrifices can be done as routine, as a show or just a sense of duty rather than from the depths of our heart. Remember the story of Cain and Abel. Both brought an offering to God but one was rejected.

Mercy is something we can't make a religion out of. It is not a ritual, a show or entertainment. Mercy forgives sin, seeks to deliver one out of sin, out of sickness, out of poverty and bring them into a right relationship with God. Religion wants to widen the separation between God and man. Mercy desires to bring them together. This is what God wants. Yet we must not forget, part of obtaining mercy from God is repenting of sin. Sometimes we tend to leave that out so that our message of Jesus is more user friendly but "Repent the kingdom of God is at hand" is still part of the gospel. Mercy it not just forgiving sin but bringing the sinner out of sin so that He is back to a one on one relationship with God that was lost in the garden of Eden. Remember Adam use to walk with God in the evenings. That was lost when sin came into the human race.

Mat 12:9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
Mat 12:10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
Mat 12:11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

Here we see another example given of mercy rather than sacrifice. Religion says to make the man wait another day until the Sabbath is over. Mercy says to make him well as soon as possible having compassion because of his inability to use his hand. God teach us mercy and to remember the poor.

Mat 12:12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
Mat 12:13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

Jesus chose not to please the religious crowd but to have compassion on the suffering. We must do the same. We must not try to please the crowds but stay true to the living word.

Mat 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

Never mind that He healed the sick, relieved the suffering, raised the dead and fed the hungry, this man broke their religious rules so they wanted to destroy Him.

Mat 12:15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
Mat 12:16 And charged them that they should not make him known:

Two reasons for this come to my mind:

One: His time had not yet come for Him to be taken by wicked hands and crucified so He needed to avoid being taken ahead of time. Another reason is that He may not have wanted His followers to fight against those against him and forcibly make Him king of Israel. That comes at His second coming. At the first coming He was to die for sins.

Mat 12:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Mat 12:19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
Mat 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
Mat 12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

What an example for us to follow. He did not come to draw attention to His own greatness as far as Jesus the man is concerned. He did not come at least the first time to become king although He earned that right. He did not come to put on a show according to the flesh sort of like a magician or entertainer would do. His coming was holy. It was to bring fallen mankind back to God. He came to take away the sin that was destroying all of us and sending us to a destiny of no return that we call hell. He did come to make the way of salvation available to any who would believe.

Even though people followed Him, He knew this was not the time to get a large crowd and start a big organization of followers. He knew that He had to leave them and they would have to depend upon the Holy Spirit to guide them.

The reason we need to learn by His example is this. Our goal should be to seek first our own salvation and reconciliation to God but then to bring others to this way of salvation. We never should seek to draw followers after ourselves or build big organizations with ourselves as the head. Christ is to be the head of the church. The church or congregation is built by bringing souls to Jesus Christ. That is our mission and our goal. We are to bring souls to Jesus and then disciple them and teach them the words of Jesus. In doing so we are to make sure the ones coming to Christ are baptized in the Holy Ghost and that they begin to seek to obey the call that God puts upon their own lives. They are not to follow us exactly but to follow Christ. I do not believe the church was ever meant to be a big organized religion with one head and a hierarchy above the laity. There should be no such thing as a laity. We have to have godly leaders that follow Christ. People do need to be taught until they too become teachers if that is their calling but we are not to be lords over the flock and have a big separation between a clergy and a laity. Until Jesus returns the second time, we are to minister, to serve and to lead souls to the Lord. The church was never meant to run governments, force a religion we call Christianity on anyone or dominate any group of people. The church or called out believers were to spread the gospel of the kingdom which simply means to good news of being born again by the spirit when we repent of sin and believe upon the name of Jesus.

Here are the words of Jesus about this:
Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Peter said this:
1Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
1Pe 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
1Pe 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
1Pe 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

This is the way we are to conduct ourselves. Walking in love in godly submission and in truth.

Mat 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
Mat 12:23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

Many knew from the word of the prophets that a descendent of David was to be the Messiah who would set up an everlasting kingdom and rule the world. That is why many thought Jesus was here for that purpose not realizing that the sin problem had to be dealt with first. Unless Jesus provided the final sacrifice for sins there would be no one worthy to enter into the kingdom He is coming to set up. At that moment in time the only Kingdom to be concerned with was the kingdom of God that came within those that repent of sin and believe in Jesus as savior.

Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
Mat 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
Mat 12:26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
Mat 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
Mat 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Mat 12:29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Mat 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

If Satan cast out himself, he would not profit anything. Imagine Jesus doing good works upon people and those same people were not only saved from sin but healed of diseases, set free from Satan and on their way to eternal life. Yet people accused Him of being "of the devil."

The accuser of the brethren is still at work today. We have to be careful. I hear of people that pray for the sick today that are accused of being "of the devil." I read of non Pentecostals making that accusation against those that speak in tongues. Lets be very careful.

I know Jesus warns of those that do miracles in his name and still He doesn't know them. We need to take heed. The bible says that we shall know them by their fruits. Their lives need to reflect the word they preach. We do not have to follow everyone that comes along and does miracles but we must be careful not to falsely accuse them. If they preach a false doctrine, then attack the doctrine but making sure first that we are not the one that is wrong.

Mat 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
Mat 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

I've heard many explanations for the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. However, Jesus mentions this passage just after He is accused of doing miracles by the power of Satan. So it would seem to me that blasphemy of the Spirit has to do with knowingly attributing the works of the Holy Spirit as being Satanic or of the devil.

Think for a minute. The Holy Spirit is given to common man (women as well). In the Old Testament we see that the Holy Spirit was only given to one here and one there. Usually it was a prophet or someone especially called of God.

Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a way was made for all who would believe in Him to be saved from sin and receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. A big price was paid to allow God's spirit to come and dwell within each and every believer on a personal one on one level. It is an individual gift and is for any who would believe.

Remember that to believe in Jesus is to believe in and partake of His word and all He represents. We can't have a one time experience where we publically repeated some words and say we accept Jesus in our hearts, then go about our own business forgetting about what just occurred. To believe in Jesus is to partake of Jesus and all that He represents. He is Holy, He is God and He is the only way of salvation. To partake of Jesus is to keep His word and have His word abiding within us. It is not a one time salvation experience ten years ago. Its an everyday continual life in for the Lord.

To help us live and walk in the word, God sent us the Holy Spirit to abide within us. Evidence of this is the fruits of the spirit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness faith, meekness and temperance. One will probably immediately or soon afterward speak in an unknown tongue. It is a definite sign that the Holy Spirit has come to dwell within a believer. Some may prophesy which is a define utterance by the Holy Spirit like tongues is but it is in a language that is spoken by the speaker and can be understood by those that hear. All these beautiful gifts are freely given to those that obey the Lord and believe in the word. A big price was paid by our savior to provide all those holy gifts from God.

To downplay, criticize, mock, belittle and speak evil of any gift of the Spirit of God is very dangerous. It is the gift of God.

Tongues is the one that is attacked the most. Even people who believe in speaking in tongues are capable of taking that gift lightly and calling it a lesser gift. To me it is just the opposite than less. It is the one gift that any believer can receive whether or not He is in the ministry of teaching or preaching. It is for all. It is more not less. Healing is usually given to those who can handle the gift and to whom God calls. The gift of prophecy, interpretation, wisdom and knowledge is also not given to everyone at all times. Tongues though is for anyone and everybody who receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I know Paul said that not everyone speaks in tongues but that doesn't mean that it is not available for everyone.

Let us be careful of accusations against something God gives to us. The Holy Spirit is given to abide within us. Let us not take this lightly. If we do not understand this, then at least keep it to ourselves and speak to God about it. We must be careful.

Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Mat 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

We must be careful then how we speak. Idle words are words said without thinking, without considering the effect they will have on the listener. Foolish talking and jesting are idle words. Lying, backbiting and false accusations are idle words. God forgive us because we all have been guilty of this at one time or another.
These men that spoke to Jesus were using idle words to falsely accuse Him.

Colosions 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Mat 12:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
Mat 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The sign of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only sign for that generation. The sign of speaking in tongues was for those who had come to Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. They were coming for the purpose of that particular feast. That was a sign that God had come to dwell with men who would believe in His Son sent to save us from sin. Tongues were another proof of the supernatural power of God and proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should never take that sign gift lightly. This sign was given to the visitors gathered together to celebrate the feast of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit Himself was given only to those that believed in the Son, Jesus Christ by obedience to His word.

Here is where departed spirits went before the death of Jesus.

Luke 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
Luk 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luk 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luk 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Luk 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
Luk 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Luk 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Luk 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Luk 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

The sign of Jonah being three days and three nights in the belly of a fish was similar to Jesus being in a grave bodily but in the soul and spirit he went to hell to preach to spirits in prison and bring the righteous to heaven. Some think Jonah died and was raised but I really do not think so myself.

Jesus went into the lower parts of the earth while His body was in the grave to bring out those in captivity so that they no longer abide in Abraham's bosom but in heaven. Now when a believer dies he goes to heaven with God while the unbeliever goes to hell.

Ephesians 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Here is what Peter says about Jesus:

1Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

I use to wander about those that died before Christ came but it looks like Jesus died for those too, and went and preached to them while His body was dead 3 days. Some believe though that he only went to preach to the ones in Abraham's bosom, not the wicked dead and then some believe He went to preach to the fallen angels. So some of this is open to speculation. We got to remember though that those who are dead have souls and a spirit that is alive in some place.

Those that obeyed the law in the Old Testament and followed the sacrificial offerings for sin are saved also by Christ because those sacrifices pointed toward the permanent sacrifice that was to come through Jesus.

So we see the resurrection of Jesus is a definite sign to that generation and the only sign given to them as unbelievers. They didn't believe it of course or they would have been saved.

Mat 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

Repentance is always the key to getting right with God. We must recognize that we have sinned and need a savior. Nineveh at one time repented at the preaching of Jonah. Even though Jonah was a reluctant preacher. He did not want Nineveh to be saved. Still God used that reluctant preacher to save a whole city. Jonah pouted about it later but it shows the mercy of God in spite or our lack of mercy.

In defense of Jonah we must remember that the Assyrian Kingdom was very evil. They were fierce enemies of Israel. They used torture and did horrible things to their enemies. It was perfectly understandable and natural for Jonah to feel like he did about the city of Nineveh. God however, would rather see sinners repent and be saved rather than destroy a whole city. That is why He sent Jesus to save us from sin. So if we neglect this last final way of salvation sent to us by a merciful God, then there remains no other way of salvation. Judgment has to come and the wrath of God will be poured out in the end. That is why now is the day of salvation. The door of mercy is still open but it will close one day.

Mat 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

The wisdom of Solomon that she wanted to hear was the part about God and our relationship with Him. Solomon lost that in the end when he allowed his wives to worship false gods but while he was still right with God the Queen of the south came to hear what he had to say about the wisdom that came from God. That was a preview of what the people who sat at the feet of Jesus must have heard. Awesome.

Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Mat 12:44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Mat 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

That is a scary thought. The generation that saw Christ in person and heard His voice in their streets, yet rejected Him, is the same as a person who had unclean spirits cast out yet does not receive God's spirit in their place but remains empty and then allows those evil spirits to return and occupy him again. His last state is worse than the first one. So we can't just come to an altar of prayer and be forgiven of sins, we must receive Jesus Christ into our lives and be born again or changed by the Spirit of God.

This also may describe a backslider who returns to the sin that Jesus saved him from. If we does not continue in Christ and walk in obedience to the word, he is in danger of being in a worse condition than he was before he met the Lord. More is required of him because he knows to do good and does it not.

Mat 12:46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
Mat 12:47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
Mat 12:48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
Mat 12:49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
Mat 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

I never hear this part spoken of too much but if we believe in Jesus and do the will of our Heavenly Father, we become the same to Jesus as His own mother, sister and brothers.

This proves a lot. Even though Mary was considered blessed of God to have been chosen to bear the child that was to save the world from sin, she is not exalted above any other believer. She definitely is not to be worshipped. We definitely are not to make an image of her to worship. Mary worship is not scriptural. This scripture also proves that Jesus had natural brothers and maybe sisters that Mary and Joseph had after the birth of Jesus. Remember they were ordinary folks. There is nothing in scripture that says Mary and Joseph did not have a normal married life after the birth of Jesus. Of course they had other children. This scripture proves it. Why they tried to make Mary into an icon to worship is beyond my understanding. At the time the Roman church mixed with the pagan worshippers, it could be that they mixed Mary with some pagan goddess and go into Mary worship just changing the name of the pagan goddess that was previously worshipped by the Romans or former Babylonians. There was a Queen of Heaven that was worshipped in pagan times and that could have been where the worship of Mary originated.

Scripture does not back any worship of Mary or making idols to represent Christ, Mary or any apostle. We all could be delivered from false doctrine if we would only just study the bible.

We need to be careful not to add to scripture and make the gospel complicated or make it only obtainable by rituals, ordinances and other commandments of men. The blood of Jesus was shed to pay for our sins. Faith in that atoning blood of Jesus to cleanse us from sin is what makes us children of God, born again by God's spirit and recipients of eternal life. To make it simple, we turn away from sin and turn to Christ by faith. To complicate it with a bunch of manmade rules will hide the gospel from those that need to be saved.

Chapter 13