Matthew 12
1. At that time, Jesus was going around [some] farmlands on the Sabbath, and his disciples got hungry and began to squeeze the heads of grain and eat. 2. The Pharisees, however, seeing them, said to him, "Behold, your disciples are doing that which is not Lawful on the Sabbath." 3. He told them, "Did you not read what David did when he became hungry, and those that were with him, 4. "How he entered the house of God and ate the Lord's bread of offering (Showbread), that which was neither Lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him? 5. "Or did you not read in Scriptures, that the high priests in the temple absolve the Sabbath and they are not cheating? 6. "However, I am telling you, there is someone greater than the temple here. 7. "Or if you knew what it meant, 'Mercy I desire, and not sacrifice,' you would not have held accountable those who were not cheating (blameless). 8. "For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath." 9. And Jesus left there and came to their synagogue 10. And there was a man whose hand was withered. And they asked him, saying, "Is it Lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" -- to accuse him. 11. However, he told them, "Which one of you that has a sheep and if it falls in a well on the Sabbath day, who will not get it out? 12. "And yet, how much more is a human being valuable than a sheep? Therefore, it is Lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 13. Then he said to the man, "Extend your hand." And he extended his hand, and it was restored as he said. 14. And the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, so as to destroy him. 15. However, Jesus knew, and so he left from there, and great crowds followed him, and he healed them all. 16. And he admonished them not to reveal him, 17. So that what was told by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said, (Is. 42:1-4), the servant whom I confirm, My beloved, through whose Spirit I am resurrected.* I consecrate my Spirit over him, and he shall preach about Judgment to the nations. 19. "He shall neither malign, nor shout and no one shall hear his voice in the market place.* 20. He shall not crush the delicate reed, nor extinguish the flickering lamp, until he pronounces* judgment in victory. 21. "And in his name shall the nations find hope." 22. Then they brought him someone who was mute and blind, and he healed him, so that the mute and blind spoke and saw. 23. All the crowds were amazed, saying that, "Why, is this not the son of David?" 24. The Pharisees who heard this, said then, "This one is not casting out demons, except it is Beelzevow, head of the demons." 25. Jesus, however, knew their thoughts, and said to them, "Every kingdom that divides against itself, becomes ruined. And every house and town that divides against themselves, shall not rise. 26. "And if Satan casts out satan, he becomes divided against himself. Then, how will his kingdom stand? 27. "And if I am casting demons by Beelzevow, by whom will they cast out your children's [demons]? Because of this they will become your judges. 28. "And if by the Spirit of God I am casting out demons, the Kingdom of God has approached you. 29. "Or else, can a man enter the house of a swordsman and steal his clothes, unless they tie up the swordsman beforehand and then rob his house? 30. "Whoever is not with me, is against me. And whoever does not congregate with me, will be utterly scattered.* 31. "Because of this I am telling you, that all sins and blasphemies may be forgiven to mankind; however, blasphemies against the Spirit shall not be forgiven to mankind. 32. "And whoever says a word against the Son of Man, may be forgiven. However, whoever speaks against the Spirit, shall never be forgiven, neither in this realm*, nor in the realm* that is destined [to come.] 33. "Either you are a beautiful tree and produce good fruit, or you are a bad tree and produce bad fruit. For a tree is known by its fruits. 34. "O, offspring of vipers, how can you speak of blessings when you are evil? For the mouth utters what the heart exudes. 35. "The good man produces blessings from a foundation of blessings, and the evil man produces evil from an evil foundation. 36. "For I am telling you, that for every idle word spoken by human beings, they will be answerable on the Day of Judgment. 37. "For according to your words you shall be blessed and according to your words you shall be held responsible." 38. Then, some of the scribes and Pharisees replied and said to him, "Educator, we would like you to show us signs." 39. He replied and told them, however, "A wicked and adulterous generation wants signs, and no signs will be given it. Except for the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40. "For just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41. "The men of Nineveh will rise at Judgment with this generation and hold it accountable, for they repented by the preaching of Jonah, and behold one greater than Jonah is here now. 42. "The queen of the south will rise at Judgment with this generation and find it accountable, for she came from the ends* of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold one greater than Solomon is here. 43. "When a demonic* spirit leaves a human being, it goes around the
places* where there are no waters, in search of rest, but it finds it not. 44. "Then it says, 'I will return to the house from where I left.' And as it comes [back] it finds it swept and warm and secure. 45. "Then it goes and fetches seven spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and reside there, and the end of that man becomes more evil than before.*" 46. While he spoke to the crowds, there came his mother and brethren, standing outside, and wishing to speak to him. 47. Someone said to him,* "Behold, your mother and brethren are standing outside, and they wish to speak with you." 48. However, he replied and said to the one who told him that, "Who is she my mother and who are they my brethren?" 49. And he pointed his hand toward his disciples and he said, "Behold, my mother and behold my brethren. 50. "Whoever does the will of my Heavenly Father becomes my brother and my sister and my mother."
*12:18 Lit. Ar. idiomatic construction: "...that sunshined by him my being."
*12:19 Lit. Ar. expression retained: He will not engage in business.
*12:20 Lit. Ar. id.: "Produces."
*12:30 Lit. Ar. idiomatic expression: "He will scatter his scattering."
*12:32 Lit. Ar. id.: "Universe."
*12:42 Lit. Ar. name: "Arabia."
*12:43.1 Lit. Ar. id.: "Corrupt" or "evil."
*12:43.2 Lit. Ar. id.: "Countries."
*12:45 Lit. Ar. idiomatic construction retained: "That person ends up worse than before."
*12:47 Lit. Ar. idiomatic expression "[There] told him a human being."
12:1-4 Sabbath
The Essenes were the strictest of any sect of Judaism. Josephus wrote that “they are sticter than any other of the Jews in resting from their labors on the seventh day; for they not only get their food ready the day before, that they not be obliged to kindle a fire on that day, but they will not remove any vessel out of its place….. (Wars 2:8:9).
The Damascus Document 10:14-11:18) No man shall eat on the Sabbath day aught save that which is prepared or perishing (in the field). Nor shall one eat or drink unless in the camp. No man shall walk after the animal to pasture it outside his city more than two thousand cubits. No man shall carry anything from the house to the outside or from the outside into the house,…. No man shall help an animal in its delivery on the Sabbath day. And if it falls into a pit or ditch, he shall not raise it on the Sabbath. And if any person falls into a place of water or into a place of…. He shall not bring him up by a ladder or a cord or instrument. The Essenes placed Sabbath observance above human life.
The Pharisaic Halacha (laws, teachings, traditions) placed human life above the Sabbath. “Rabbi Mattiah ben Harash said, “He who has a pain in his throat, they drop medicine into his mouth on the Sabbath, because it is a matter of doubt as to danger to life. Any matter of doubt as to danger to life overrides the prohibitions of the Sabbath. (m. Yoma 8:6). The Pharisaic Halacha relaxed the Sabbath in matters where human life are in doubt:
· He interrupts the service in the Temple and suspends the Sabbath, how much more should the saving of human life suspend the Sabbath laws.
· If circumcision, which attaches to one only of the two hundred and fourty-eight members of the human body, suspends the Sabbath, how much more shall the saving of the whole body suspend the Sabbath. (b.Yoma a85b)
· For it is holy unto you; i.e., it (the Sabbath) is committed to your hands, not you to its hands.” (n. Yoma 85b)
Jesus argues that healing on Shabbat must be permitted since the following items of lesser weight are permitted:
· The priests profane the Sabbath and are blameless (Mt. 12) that is, the Priests perform the offerings on the Sabbath, thus the offerings outweight the Sabbath.
· “If a man is circumcised on the day of the Sabbath that the Torah of Moshe be not loosed (8th day), do you murmur against me because I have healed a whole man on the Sabbath day?” (Jn. 7:23)
· The Sabbath was created for man and not man for the Sabbath (Mk. 2:27-28).
· It is permitted to water an animal (Lk 13:14-17). Even the Qumran Community allowed leading an animal to graze on the Shabbat.
· It is permitted to rescue an animal from a pit. (Mt. 12:11 and Lk. 14:3-6. This was in direct conflict with the Qumran Halachah.
12:1-8 For the Son of Man is Adonai (Lord) even of the Shabbat
Yeshua is not teaching that anyone may pluck and harvest anytime. By comparison under normal circumstances the show-bread may not be eaten by a non-priest (Cohan). Teeshua’s parallel in the argument seems to be that both Yeshua and his students and David and his mighty men were on a special mission that was of greater weight than the show bread halacha.
12:9-14 Healing the Withered Hand on Shabbat
This man’s life was not in doubt which is one medical reason to put aside the Sabbath laws. Yeshua argues that healing on Shabbat must be permitted since the following items of lesser weight are permitted:
· It is permitted to water an animal (Lk 13:14-17).
· It is permitted to rescue an animal from a pit (Mt. 12:11 and Lk. 14:3-6) (in direct conflict with the Qumran Halachah (laws).
· Circumcision is permitted on Shabbat (Jn. 7:21-24).
Yeshua also applies this whole concept to “good deeds in general (Mt. 12:12).
Healing and good deeds are permitted on the Sabbath per Yeshua if the matter is of at least as great of halachic weight as “watering an animal; rescuing an animal from a pit or circumcision. Illnesses Yeshua especially includes in that category are: withered hand, blindness, lameness, issue of blood and epilepsy. By making clay on the Sabbath (Jn. 9) to heal the blind man, Yeshua gives Halachic information to the other side of the matter as well, Matters of at least as low of a halachic weight as making clay may be loosed to heal or for good deeds.
Conclusion: Yeshua (Jesus) did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill. He was a serious legal observant Jew but did differ in the interpretation of how to observe and keep the law.
12:25 Yeshua knew their thoughts
By saying these words, Matthew was revealing Yeshua’s identity to them as both Messiah and as the incarnation of YHWH (God).
12:34 brood of vipers
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks What is in the heart, is in the mouth (Midrash Tehillim 28:4)
12:36 every idle word
This concern s the sin of the evil tongue. It is the sin of harming another person with words, even when they are true. The Torah tells us: “You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people; neither shall you stand idly by the blood of your neighbor: I am YHWH. (Lev. 19:16).
12:46-50 Every man that does the will of my Father which is in heaven, they are my brothers, my sisters and my mother.
Yeshua is saying that his true mother and brothers are those who hear and do the Torah, and that by rejecting him and deeming him as being out of his mind, his physical mother and brothers were placing themselves outside of the Torah covenant. (Mark 3:21 – And his kinsmen heard and went out to seize him, for they were saying that he was out of his mind.)