MAT 12
12
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath
Mk. 2:23-28; Lk. 6:1-5
1 At that time, Jesus was walking through the cornfields on the Sabbath day. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat the kernels.
2 When the Pharisees observed this, they said to Him accusingly, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath according to our traditions."
3 But He replied to them, "Have you not read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?
4 He entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread—the bread of the Presence that was set before the Lord—which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests who served in the tabernacle.
5 Or have you not read in the Law of Moses that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath rest by performing their duties and working, yet they remain innocent and guiltless before God?
6 But I tell you that something greater and more significant than the temple is here in your presence!
7 If you had truly understood what this Scripture means when it says: 'I desire mercy and compassion, not mere sacrifice and ritual observance,'* you would not have condemned the innocent who have done no wrong.
8 For the Son of Man is Lord and Master even of the Sabbath, having authority to determine its proper observance."
The Healing of a Man with a Shrivelled Hand
Mk. 3:1-6; Lk. 6:6-11
9 Moving on from that place, Jesus entered their synagogue for worship and teaching.
10 A man was there who had a shrivelled hand that was paralysed and useless. Looking for grounds to accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath, they asked Him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?"
11 He said to them in response, "What man among you, if he owns a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out to save it?
12 How much more precious is a human being than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful and right to do good deeds and acts of mercy on the Sabbath."
13 Then He said to the man with the shrivelled hand, "Stretch out your hand toward Me." He stretched it out in faith, and it was completely restored, as healthy and functional as the other one.
14 But the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted together against Him, conspiring how they might destroy Him.
Jesus is God's Chosen Servant
15 Aware of their murderous plot through divine knowledge, Jesus withdrew from that place to avoid premature confrontation. Large crowds followed Him seeking healing, and He healed all their sick without exception.
16 He warned them sternly and commanded them not to make Him known publicly or proclaim His identity widely,
17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled and brought to completion:
18 "Behold My Servant whom I have chosen and appointed,
My Beloved in whom My soul takes great pleasure.
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
and He will proclaim justice to the Gentile nations.
19 He will not quarrel contentiously or cry out loudly,
nor will anyone hear His voice shouting in the streets in self-promotion.
20 A bruised reed—a broken and damaged person—He will not break,
and a smoldering wick—a faintly burning flame of faith—He will not snuff out and extinguish,
until He brings justice to ultimate victory and fulfilment.
21 And in His name the Gentiles will place their hope of salvation."*
Jesus and Beelzebul
Mk. 3:20-30; Lk. 11:14-23; 12:10
22 Then a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him completely, so that the man who had been mute could both speak and see.
23 All the crowds were astonished, and kept asking one another, "Could this possibly be the Son of David—the promised Messiah who would perform such signs?"
24 But when the Pharisees heard the crowd's speculation, they said with hardened hearts, "This man does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons—He is in league with Satan."
25 Knowing their thoughts by divine insight, Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself through internal conflict is brought to ruin and desolation, and every city or household divided against itself cannot stand but will collapse.
26 If Satan casts out Satan and wars against his own forces, he is divided against himself and fighting his own kingdom. How then can his kingdom stand and maintain its power?
27 And if I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebul as you claim, by whose power do your own followers and exorcists cast them out? Therefore, they themselves will be your judges and will testify against your inconsistent logic.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God working through Me, then the kingdom of God has come upon you and invaded Satan's domain—this is proof of God's presence and power.
29 How can anyone enter a strong man's house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man and overpowers him? Only then can he thoroughly ransack and rob his house.
30 The one who is not with Me in allegiance is against Me in opposition, and the one who does not gather souls with Me scatters them away from the kingdom.
31 Therefore, I tell you with solemn warning: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people when they repent, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—the persistent, willful rejection of His testimony—will not be forgiven.
32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man in His humiliation will be forgiven when he repents, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit in deliberate rejection of divine truth will not be forgiven, either in this present age or in the age to come—this is an eternal sin.
A Tree and Its Fruit
Lk. 6:43-45
33 "Either make the tree good and recognise that its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad and recognise that its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognised by the quality of fruit it produces.
34 You brood of vipers and offspring of serpents! How can you who are evil by nature say anything good? For the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart—what fills the heart comes out through the lips.
35 The good person from his good treasure stored within brings out good things and wholesome words, and the evil person from his evil treasure stored within brings out evil things and corrupt speech.
36 But I tell you that people will give an account to God on the day of judgment for every careless, worthless word they have spoken thoughtlessly.
37 For by your words you will be justified—declared righteous—and by your words you will be condemned."
The Sign of Jonah
Lk. 8:11-12; Lk. 11:29-32
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees responded to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from heaven to authenticate Your claims and prove Your authority."
39 But He answered them sternly, "An evil and spiritually adulterous generation craves and demands a sign for their unbelief, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet and his experience.
40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights in apparent death, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights in the tomb.
41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the final judgment with this generation and condemn it for its unbelief, because they repented at Jonah's preaching when he was merely a prophet—and look, something infinitely greater than Jonah is here in your presence!
42 The Queen of the South—the Queen of Sheba—will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom—and look, something infinitely greater than Solomon is here teaching you!
Return of an Unclean Spirit
Lk. 11:24-26
43 "When an unclean spirit comes out of a person through exorcism, it wanders through waterless, desolate places searching for rest and a new dwelling but finds none.
44 Then it says to itself, 'I will return to my house—the person I came out of—and reclaim my territory.' When it arrives, it finds the house vacant, swept clean of demonic presence, and put in order but not filled with God's Spirit.
45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil and powerful than itself, and they enter and live there together. The final condition of that person becomes far worse than the first condition before deliverance. That is how it will be for this evil generation that rejects Me after witnessing My works."
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
Mk. 3:31-35; Lk. 8:19-21
46 While Jesus was still speaking these words to the crowds, His mother Mary and His brothers were standing outside the building, seeking and desiring to speak with Him.
47 Someone said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak with You about some matter."
48 But He replied to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother, and who are My brothers in the truest spiritual sense?"
49 Stretching out His hand towards His disciples in a gesture of identification, He said, "Look—here are My mother and My brothers in the family of faith!
50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven with obedient faith, this person is My brother and sister and mother—a true member of My spiritual family."
Notes
7 Quoted from Hos. 6:6
18-21 Quoted from Is. 42:1-4
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
MAT 12
12
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath
Mk. 2:23-28; Lk. 6:1-5
1 At that time, Jesus was walking through the cornfields on the Sabbath day. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat the kernels.
2 When the Pharisees observed this, they said to Him accusingly, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath according to our traditions."
3 But He replied to them, "Have you not read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?
4 He entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread—the bread of the Presence that was set before the Lord—which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests who served in the tabernacle.
5 Or have you not read in the Law of Moses that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath rest by performing their duties and working, yet they remain innocent and guiltless before God?
6 But I tell you that something greater and more significant than the temple is here in your presence!
7 If you had truly understood what this Scripture means when it says: 'I desire mercy and compassion, not mere sacrifice and ritual observance,'* you would not have condemned the innocent who have done no wrong.
8 For the Son of Man is Lord and Master even of the Sabbath, having authority to determine its proper observance."
The Healing of a Man with a Shrivelled Hand
Mk. 3:1-6; Lk. 6:6-11
9 Moving on from that place, Jesus entered their synagogue for worship and teaching.
10 A man was there who had a shrivelled hand that was paralysed and useless. Looking for grounds to accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath, they asked Him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?"
11 He said to them in response, "What man among you, if he owns a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out to save it?
12 How much more precious is a human being than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful and right to do good deeds and acts of mercy on the Sabbath."
13 Then He said to the man with the shrivelled hand, "Stretch out your hand toward Me." He stretched it out in faith, and it was completely restored, as healthy and functional as the other one.
14 But the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted together against Him, conspiring how they might destroy Him.
Jesus is God's Chosen Servant
15 Aware of their murderous plot through divine knowledge, Jesus withdrew from that place to avoid premature confrontation. Large crowds followed Him seeking healing, and He healed all their sick without exception.
16 He warned them sternly and commanded them not to make Him known publicly or proclaim His identity widely,
17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled and brought to completion:
18 "Behold My Servant whom I have chosen and appointed,
My Beloved in whom My soul takes great pleasure.
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
and He will proclaim justice to the Gentile nations.
19 He will not quarrel contentiously or cry out loudly,
nor will anyone hear His voice shouting in the streets in self-promotion.
20 A bruised reed—a broken and damaged person—He will not break,
and a smoldering wick—a faintly burning flame of faith—He will not snuff out and extinguish,
until He brings justice to ultimate victory and fulfilment.
21 And in His name the Gentiles will place their hope of salvation."*
Jesus and Beelzebul
Mk. 3:20-30; Lk. 11:14-23; 12:10
22 Then a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him completely, so that the man who had been mute could both speak and see.
23 All the crowds were astonished, and kept asking one another, "Could this possibly be the Son of David—the promised Messiah who would perform such signs?"
24 But when the Pharisees heard the crowd's speculation, they said with hardened hearts, "This man does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons—He is in league with Satan."
25 Knowing their thoughts by divine insight, Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself through internal conflict is brought to ruin and desolation, and every city or household divided against itself cannot stand but will collapse.
26 If Satan casts out Satan and wars against his own forces, he is divided against himself and fighting his own kingdom. How then can his kingdom stand and maintain its power?
27 And if I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebul as you claim, by whose power do your own followers and exorcists cast them out? Therefore, they themselves will be your judges and will testify against your inconsistent logic.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God working through Me, then the kingdom of God has come upon you and invaded Satan's domain—this is proof of God's presence and power.
29 How can anyone enter a strong man's house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man and overpowers him? Only then can he thoroughly ransack and rob his house.
30 The one who is not with Me in allegiance is against Me in opposition, and the one who does not gather souls with Me scatters them away from the kingdom.
31 Therefore, I tell you with solemn warning: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people when they repent, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—the persistent, willful rejection of His testimony—will not be forgiven.
32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man in His humiliation will be forgiven when he repents, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit in deliberate rejection of divine truth will not be forgiven, either in this present age or in the age to come—this is an eternal sin.
A Tree and Its Fruit
Lk. 6:43-45
33 "Either make the tree good and recognise that its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad and recognise that its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognised by the quality of fruit it produces.
34 You brood of vipers and offspring of serpents! How can you who are evil by nature say anything good? For the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart—what fills the heart comes out through the lips.
35 The good person from his good treasure stored within brings out good things and wholesome words, and the evil person from his evil treasure stored within brings out evil things and corrupt speech.
36 But I tell you that people will give an account to God on the day of judgment for every careless, worthless word they have spoken thoughtlessly.
37 For by your words you will be justified—declared righteous—and by your words you will be condemned."
The Sign of Jonah
Lk. 8:11-12; Lk. 11:29-32
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees responded to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from heaven to authenticate Your claims and prove Your authority."
39 But He answered them sternly, "An evil and spiritually adulterous generation craves and demands a sign for their unbelief, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet and his experience.
40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights in apparent death, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights in the tomb.
41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the final judgment with this generation and condemn it for its unbelief, because they repented at Jonah's preaching when he was merely a prophet—and look, something infinitely greater than Jonah is here in your presence!
42 The Queen of the South—the Queen of Sheba—will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom—and look, something infinitely greater than Solomon is here teaching you!
Return of an Unclean Spirit
Lk. 11:24-26
43 "When an unclean spirit comes out of a person through exorcism, it wanders through waterless, desolate places searching for rest and a new dwelling but finds none.
44 Then it says to itself, 'I will return to my house—the person I came out of—and reclaim my territory.' When it arrives, it finds the house vacant, swept clean of demonic presence, and put in order but not filled with God's Spirit.
45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil and powerful than itself, and they enter and live there together. The final condition of that person becomes far worse than the first condition before deliverance. That is how it will be for this evil generation that rejects Me after witnessing My works."
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
Mk. 3:31-35; Lk. 8:19-21
46 While Jesus was still speaking these words to the crowds, His mother Mary and His brothers were standing outside the building, seeking and desiring to speak with Him.
47 Someone said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak with You about some matter."
48 But He replied to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother, and who are My brothers in the truest spiritual sense?"
49 Stretching out His hand towards His disciples in a gesture of identification, He said, "Look—here are My mother and My brothers in the family of faith!
50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven with obedient faith, this person is My brother and sister and mother—a true member of My spiritual family."
Notes
7 Quoted from Hos. 6:6
18-21 Quoted from Is. 42:1-4
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).