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    Matthew 12:15-37
    Lesson 23

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
    ​
    Jesus heals the blind, mute demoniac (12:22-23).​

    What is the unpardonable sin? (12:31-32)

    Jesus heals the multitudes.

    ​By the Russian neoclassical artist     Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov ​(1806-1858).
    Who was - 

    Esaias - 
    Esaias is the Greek name for the Old Testament prophet Isaiah (meaning Jehovah is salvation).  Isaiah died in 681 BC and is considered by many to be the greatest Jewish prophet.  He is quoted over fifty times in the New Testament. 

    Isaiah wrote "The Book of the Prophet Isaiah," which spoke out against hypocrisy (    Isaiah 29:13) and idol worship (Isaiah 2:6-9).  In response to Isaiah's warnings, the Jewish people made insincere religious sacrifices (Isaiah 1:10-17; 29:13) and refused to repent.  Isaiah warned Israel that God would punish them for their disobedience (Isaiah 3:1-26).  Sure enough, Babylon destroyed Israel and carried many of its citizens away as slaves.  Isaiah prophesized that King Cyrus of Persia would free the abducted Jewish people and allow them to return to Jerusalem 80 years before they were taken captive and over 100 years before Cyrus was born.  He also predicted that Cyrus would allow the rebuilding of the Temple before it had been destroyed.  Isaiah prophesied the fall of Babylon 100 years before it rose and the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 6:1-5; 7:14) 700 years before Christ's birth.
     
    The Bible does not tell us how Isaiah died, but Jewish historians report that King Manasseh of Judah condemned Isaiah to death.  Allegedly, he was found hiding in a hollow cedar tree and sawed in half with the tree.  If this is true, then perhaps Hebrews 11:37 is referring to Isaiah.
    Study Tip:
     
    Take a few minutes to ask God to open your heart to His teachings.     ​​

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 12:15-37
    Is Jesus from Beelzebub?

    15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

    16 And charged them that they should not make him known:
     
    17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
     
    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.
     
    19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
     
    20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
     
    21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
     
    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.
     
    23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
     
    24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
     
    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:
     
    26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
     
    27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
     
    28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
     
    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.
     
    30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
     
    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.
     
    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.
     
    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.
     
    34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
     
    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.
     
    36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
     
    37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.                         ​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "When Jesus knew it." (12:15) - As reported in lesson 22 (Matthew 12:14), the Pharisees were plotting to kill Jesus.
     
    "Charged them that they should not make him known." (12:16) - Jesus asked those He healed not to tell who He was.  It was too early to reveal His divine nature. 
      
    "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen..." (12:18-21) - These four verses are a prophecy of the coming Messiah taken from Isaiah 42:1.  It was written 700 years before the birth of Christ.
     
    "He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles." (12:18) - "He will bring justice to the Gentiles."  This is taken from the second half of Isaiah 42:1.  Jesus first offered salvation to Jews (Matthew 10:5-6).  But after being rejected, He reached out to Gentiles (non-Jews).  Remember, this was written centuries before Jesus was born.

    "He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets." (12:19) - The prophecy of Jesus continues from Isaiah 42:2. 
     
    "Smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory." (12:20) - "A flickering candle will not go out until justice and victory."  This is paraphrased from Isaiah 2:3.  It tells us that Jesus, the promised Messiah, would be a judge and not the military/political leader many expected.
     
    "And dumb." (12:22) - "And mute."

    "The son of David." (12:23) - This was a common name for the Messiah (Matthew 15:22; 20:30; 21:9; John 7:42).  It shows that the people who witnessed Jesus' miracles believed He was the Christ.   
     
    "This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub." (12:24) - This is not the first time the Pharisees accused Jesus of being in league with devils (Matthew 9:34).
     
    "Jesus knew their thoughts." (12:25) - Another miracle.
     
    "By whom do your children cast them out?" (12:27) - "By whom do your exorcists cast them (devils) out?"
     
    "The kingdom of God is come unto you." (12:28) - Jesus is telling us that the Messiah has arrived, and it's Him.
     
    "He that is not with me is against me." (12:30) - There is no neutrality when it comes to Jesus.  You either believe or you don't.  Jesus repeats this message in Mark 9:40, Luke 9:50 and 11:23.
     
    "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven." (12:31) - God is willing to forgive.   
     
    "Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven." (12:31) - See the "Application thought for the day" below. 
     
    "The tree is known by his fruit." (12:33) - The tree is a metaphor for people.  Jesus considered this teaching so important that He repeated it three other times (Matthew 7:16-17; 7:20; Luke 6:43).

    "Generation of vipers." (12:34) - "Children of snakes."

    "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." (12:34) - Our words, good or bad, show what is in our heart.
     
    "They shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." (12:36) - Jesus is telling us that we will all be judged for what we do and say. ​
    You can read Luke's account of Jesus casting out this demon in Luke 11:14-20.
                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew 12:15-37           
    Jesus, God's Chosen Servant
     
    15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them,

    16 but he warned them not to reveal who he was.

    17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:
     
    18 "Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen.
          He is my Beloved, who pleases me.
       I will put my Spirit upon him,
          and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

    19 He will not fight or shout
          or raise his voice in public.

    20 He will not crush the weakest reed
          or put out a flickering candle.
          Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.

    21 And his name will be the hope
          of all the world."
     
    Jesus and the Prince of Demons
     
    22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn't speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.

    23 The crowd was amazed and asked, "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?"
     
    24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, "No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons."
     
    25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

    26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.

    27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.

    28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.

    29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger-someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.
     
    30 "Anyone who isn't with me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me.
     
    31 "So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven-except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven.

    32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.
     
    33 "A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.

    34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.

    35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

    36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.

    ​37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you."

    The "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

    ​Today's questions:
     
    1. Can our sins be forgiven after we die? (12:32)
     
    2. What is the harm in "idle" words? (12:36-37)



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    ​Answers: (Do you agree?) ​
    ​
    1. No, Jesus isn't saying our sins can be forgiven after we die.  If that were the case, we could all live a life of sin and ask for forgiveness after we die.  Everyone will believe in God and ask for forgiveness after death.  The time to seek forgiveness is now.  The phrase "Neither in this world, neither in the world to come" was simply a well-known Jewish expression, meaning that a particular thing would never happen, not now, not ever.
     
    2. Words show what is in our hearts.  Just like blasphemous or profane words, careless, idle words can also hurt because
    they come from a heart without faith.  Our words will either acquit or condemn us when we are judged.  See also James 3:6.



    ​     Application thought for the day: 
     
    What is blasphemy (12:31)?  
    Blasphemy is to slander, insult (through words, thoughts, or actions), or speak irreverently of God, His authority, or 
    grandeur.      The Old Testament called blasphemy one of the worst sins, punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16).      The New Testament calls blasphemy against God the unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-29; Luke 12:10).  Unforgiveable because the sinner will not ask for forgiveness.  Unforgivable blasphemy is not a one-time mistake made in a time of spiritual uncertainty; it is the unrelenting disavowal, insulting, and rejection of God.
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    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke.  Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen, published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur, published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham, published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Atlas of the Bible" edited by Joseph L. Gardner, published by Readers Digest, Pleasantville, New York; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The New Testament" Recovery Version published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The New Scofield Reference Bible" published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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