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The Gospel of Matthew 12

12 Some time later, Jesus and his apprentices were walking through grain fields during one of the Jewish day of rest. His apprentices became hungry, so they started to pick some grain and eat it. 2 Some Pharisees saw the apprentices picking grain. They said to Jesus, “Look! Your apprentices are working on the Jewish day of rest. Our law forbids us to do that.” 3 Jesus replied, “Consider the story in the Scriptures about what King David did when he and the men who were with him became very hungry. 4 As you know, David entered the sacred tent. He ate some of the bread that had been on display before God, even though the law prohibited him and the men who were with him from doing that. Only priests could eat that bread. 5 Likewise, consider the laws in the Scriptures that permit priests to work during the Jewish days of rest because they are serving in the Jewish sanctuary. 6 However, I want you to know that there is now something even more important than the Jewish sanctuary. 7 Suppose that you truly understood what God has said in the Scriptures: ‘What I most want is that people treat each other mercifully, not that people present offerings to me.’ Then, you would not have declared my apprentices guilty when they have actually not disobeyed the laws about the Jewish day of rest. 8 I say those things because I, the Son of Man, can decide what is right for people to do during the Jewish day of rest!”

9 Then Jesus left the grain fields and visited one of the Jewish meeting places. 10 Now there was a man there who could not move his hand. The Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of disobeying the laws about not working on the Sabbath. So, they asked Jesus, “Does our law allow us to cure people from their diseases during Jewish days of rest?” 11 Jesus replied, “Suppose that one of you had a single sheep. Also suppose that this sheep fell into a deep hole on a Jewish day of rest. You would certainly pull it out of the hole, even though this would be doing work on the Jewish day of rest! 12 Therefore, since people are more important than sheep, you should help others even more than you help sheep on Jewish days of rest. So then, the laws that God gave Moses allow people to do what is good on Jewish days of rest.” 13 After saying that, Jesus commanded the man, “Extend the hand that you cannot move!” The man extended his hand, and he could move it just as well as his other hand. 14 Then the Pharisees left the Jewish meeting place. They started planning how they could kill Jesus.

15 Jesus knew that the Pharisees were planning to kill him. So, he left that area. Many people went with him, and he cured all of them who were sick. 16 Jesus commanded them strongly that they should not tell other people about him. 17 So, what God said by speaking through the prophet Isaiah came true:

18 “Consider the one who serves me, whom I selected.

I love him, and what he does pleases me.

I will empower him with the Holy Spirit.

He will declare to the non-Jews that I do what is right.

19 He will not quarrel with people. He will not shout loudly.

He will not speak to many people in public areas.

He will be gentle with weak people.

He will be kind to feeble people.

He will do those things until he successfully completes doing what is right. 21 Non-Jewish people will confidently trust in him.”

22 After that, some people brought a man to Jesus. A demon was controlling him and keeping him from seeing or speaking. Jesus cured the man, and he was able to speak and see. 23 What Jesus had done impressed all the large groups of people who were nearby. They declared to each other, “Perhaps this man is the special descendant of King David.” 24 However, the Pharisees heard them saying that. They responded, “This man forces out demons only because Beelzebul, who rules the demons, enables him to do so.” 25 Jesus realized what they were thinking. So he said to them, “When the people in one nation fight against each other, they will destroy their nation. When people who live in the same town or household fight against each other, that town or household will not last. 26 Suppose that Satan enabled people to force out his own demons. In that case, he would be fighting against himself. So, he would soon cease to rule over the demons! 27 Further, suppose that Beelzebul is enabling me to force out demons. Then, it must also be true that he is enabling your apprentices to force out demons. But you know that is not true. So your own apprentices prove that you are wrong. 28 Actually, the Holy Spirit enables me to force out demons. That means that God is establishing his kingdom among you.

29 Before thieves can break into the home of a strong man and take his belongings, they must first tie up the strong man. After that, they can take the belongings from his home.

30 Anyone who is not supporting me is opposing me. Anyone who is not bringing people to me is sending them away from me.

31 So then, here is what I want to tell you: God will forgive many people who sin in many ways or say bad things about God or others. However, God will not forgive people who say bad things about the Holy Spirit. 32 Further, God will forgive people who say bad things about me, the Son of Man. However, God will not forgive people who say bad things about the Holy Spirit. He will not forgive them right now or at any later time.

33 You must decide either that both a tree and its fruit are healthy or that both a tree and its fruit are unhealthy. I say that because you can tell if a tree is healthy or unhealthy by what kind of fruit it produces. Similarly, you can tell what people are really like by the things that they do. 34 You people are sneaky and dangerous like poisonous snakes! Because you are wicked, you cannot speak anything good. I say that because people speak based on what they are thinking about. 35 Good people say good things because they think good things. Evil people say evil things because they think evil things. 36 Here is what I want you to know: when God judges everyone, he will hold people responsible for all the useless things that they have said. 37 In fact, God will declare that you are either innocent or guilty based on what you have said.”

38 After Jesus said those things, some teachers of the Jewish law and some Pharisees responded, “Instructor, we want to see you perform a miracle that proves that God sent you.” 39 Then Jesus replied to them, “You people who are alive right now are wicked and faithless. You want me to do a miracle that proves that God sent me. However, the only miracle you will see is a miracle like the one that happened to the prophet Jonah. 40 A huge fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside this fish for three whole days. Then, God had the fish spit him out. Similarly, people will bury me, the Son of Man, and I will be in a tomb for three whole days. Then, I will live again. 41 The people who lived in the ancient city of Nineveh stopped sinning when Jonah preached to them. And now there is something even more important than the prophet Jonah. However, you have not stopped sinning. Therefore, when God judges everyone, the people who lived in Nineveh will stand up and condemn the people who are alive right now. 42 Long ago the Queen of Sheba traveled a great distance to listen to the wise things that King Solomon said. And now there is something even more important than Solomon. However, you have not really listened to what I say. Therefore, when God judges everyone, she will stand up and condemn the people who are alive right now.

43 Listen to this story: an evil spirit leaves someone and wanders around in desolate areas looking for someone else to live in. However, it does not find anyone there. 44 After that, it says to itself, ‘I am going to go back to the person I used to live in!’ So it goes back and finds that the person is like a house that someone has cleaned and organized, but no one is living in it. 45 Then this evil spirit goes and gets seven other spirits that are even more evil than it is. They all enter that person and begin living in him. That person experienced bad things before, but now he will experience worse things. Something like that is what you wicked people who are alive right now will experience.”

46 As Jesus was saying those things to the large groups of people, his mother and his younger brothers arrived and waited outside where he was. They wanted to talk with him. 47 A person told him, “Your mother and your younger brothers are waiting outside. They want to talk with you.” 48 Jesus replied, “I will tell you whom I consider to be my mother and my brothers.” 49 He pointed to his apprentices and said, “These are the people whom I consider to be my mother and my brothers! 50 In fact, when a person does what God my Father, who rules from heaven, wants, I consider that person to be my brother or sister or mother.”

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