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Leon Morris · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Morris says their question "makes it clear that this was not so much a genuine search after information as the first shot in a battle." (PNTC) The sequence of events as determined from the synoptic accounts would seem to be that first Jesus asked the man to take "center stage" in the synagogue. You can see the Pharisees jostling, elbowing each other and getting ready like a wild animal to pounch on their prey! Luke tells us that Jesus way not a "prey" Who would be caught off guard and thus surprised by their attack for He knew what they were thinking. (aka omniscience! - Lk 6:8+). Now the frontrow Pharisees sensed what Jesus was about to do and so they spring their question which they think will trap Him once and for all - “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” What they were not prepared for was Jesus' counterattack with an incisive, convicting counterquestion "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?", a question which "shut their mouths" (Mk 3:4+)! And then as to add icing on the cake, Jesus gives a convicting illustration (only found in Matthew's version) in Matthew 12:11-12 (see below) which in effect backed the Pharisees into a corner placing them so to speak on horns of a dilemma! Don't you love Jesus! He is so good, but as Mark's version tells us He is "good and mad," Mark recording looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart (Mk 3:5+). So He was righteously angry and righteously grieved! He was mad and good! Hard hearts break the heart of God! Is your heart hard? Now after the verbal jousting had completed, Jesus completely healed the withered hand with a word, a command "Stretch out" (Mt 12:13, Mk 3:5+, Lk 6:10+)! Lawful (permitted)(1832)(exesti from from ek = out + eimí = to be) is an impersonal verb, signifying "it is permitted, it is lawful" (or interrogatively, "is it lawful?"). Exesti occurs most frequently in the synoptic Gospels and the Acts (see list below) especially in Jesus' conflicts with the Pharisees over His actions (and those of His disciples) on the Sabbath. All uses of exesti - Mt. 12:2; Mt. 12:4; Mt. 12:10; Mt. 12:12; Mt. 14:4; Mt. 19:3; Mt. 20:15; Mt. 22:17; Mt. 27:6; Mk. 2:24; Mk. 2:26; Mk. 3:4; Mk. 6:18; Mk. 10:2; Mk. 12:14; Lk. 6:2; Lk. 6:4; Lk. 6:9; Lk. 14:3; Lk. 20:22; Jn. 5:10; Jn. 18:31; Acts 2:29; Acts 8:37; Acts 16:21; Acts 21:37; Acts 22:25; 1 Co. 6:12; 1 Co. 10:23; 2 Co. 12:4 David Turner - The Pharisees’ question about whether it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath does not stem from a sincere desire to discuss halakah but from their wish to have something with which to accuse Jesus. (BECNT-Mt) Heal (cure)(2323)(therapeuo from therapon = an attendant, servant) means to care for or wait upon and has two main senses in the NT, one speaking of rendering service (Acts 17:25) but more commonly in a medical sense, such as to take care of the sick, to heal, to cure, to heal miraculously (Mt. 4:23, 24; 10:1, 8; Acts 4:14). As noted the rabbis allowed healing on the Sabbath but only if the sick person’s life was in danger. Sabbath (4521)(sabbaton from shabath - 07673 = to cease from work, intermission - see note on shabath) in this context refers to the seventh day of the week, held sacred by the Jews (Mt 12:8; Mk 2:27f; Lk 6:7, 9; Jn 5:9f, 18; Acts 1:12; 13:27, 44). God instituted the Sabbath in Ge 2:3 "Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." Then He set it apart for the Jews in Ex 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." And then He gave them one stipulation in Ex 31:15 "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death." The Jews came up with a plethora of rules and regulations about what constituted "work" and now the Pharisees, the "gatekeepers" of all the legalistic rules, were watching Jesus to see if He did a work on the Sabbath so they could not just accuse Him but kill Him as specified in Exodus 31:15! What is fascinating is that Jesus would in fact heal the man, not with a "work" but with a "Word!" Even from a technical standpoint Jesus was not guilty, but that is not how the legalists interpreted it! (See John MacArthur's discussion of some of these ridiculous rules). John
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Morris notes that "The Jews in general showed great care for their animals and would take whatever action was necessary to deliver them from such a plight as the one Jesus outlines." (PNTC) John
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Morris points out that "It is unusual to have a demoniac described as healed (though cf. Mt 17:18; perhaps also we are meant to see a link with Mt 12:15); more commonly the demon is said to be “cast out.” (PNTC-Mt) Healed (2323)(therapeuo from therapon = an attendant, servant) means primarily to care for, to wait upon, minister to. It never means “to serve” in a secular sense, and only once in Acts 17:25 does it denote worship. The more common use describing medical aspects such as to take care of the sick, to heal, to cure (Matt. 4:24; 12:10; Mark 1:34; Luke 6:7; 10:9), to recover health, to restore. Therapeúō means to heal miraculously in Matt. 4:23, 24; 10:1, 8; Acts 4:14. Providing care to improve a situation. Uses in Matthew - - Matt. 4:23; Matt. 4:24; Matt. 8:7; Matt. 8:16; Matt. 9:35; Matt. 10:1; Matt. 10:8; Matt. 12:10; Matt. 12:15; Matt. 12:22; Matt. 14:14; Matt. 15:30; Matt. 17:16; Matt. 17:18; Matt. 19:2; Matt. 21:14; R T France comments that "The story here is like that already narrated in Mt 9:32–34, repeated in order to introduce Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ accusation, but now with the added complication of blindness It is clear that Jesus was known as an exorcist as well as a physical healer, and Matthew specifically mentions exorcisms in some of his summaries of the ministry of Jesus and his disciples (Mt 4:24; Mt 8:16; Mt 10:1, 8; but not in Mt 9:35; Mt 11:5; Mt 12:15). Specific exorcism stories have been included in Mt 8:28–34 and Mt 9:32–34, and more will follow in Mt 15:21–28 and Mt 17:14–20. The present case is therefore representative of a recognized aspect of Jesus’ ministry." (NICNT-Mt) Matthew 12:23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” NET Matthew 12:23 All the crowds were amazed and said, "Could this one be the Son of David?" GNT Matthew 12:23 καὶ ἐξίσταντο πάντες οἱ ὄχλοι καὶ ἔλεγον, Μήτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς Δαυίδ; NLT Matthew 12:23 The crowd was amazed and asked, "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?" KJV Matthew 12:23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? ESV Matthew 12:23 And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" NIV Matthew 12:23 All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" ASV Matthew 12:23 And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David? CSB Matthew 12:23 And all the crowds were astounded and said, "Perhaps this is the Son of David!" NKJ Matthew 12:23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" NRS Matthew 12:23 All the crowds were amazed and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" YLT Matthew 12:23 And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, 'Is this the Son of David?' NAB Matthew 12:23 All the crowd was astounded, and said, "Could this perhaps be the Son of David?" NJB Matthew 12:23 All the people were astounded and said, 'Can this be the son of David?' GWN Matthew 12:23 The crowds were all amazed and said, "Can this man be the Son of David?" BBE Matthew 12:23 And all the people were surprised and said, Is not this the Son of David? All the crowds Mt 9:33 15:30,31 the Son of David: Mt 9:27 15:22 21:9 22:42,43 Joh 4:29 7:40-42 Matthew 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE FIRST REACTION TO THE MIRACLE All the crowds were amazed - Don't miss the adjective all indicating all without exception were "taken aback!" Were amazed is in the imperfect tense vividly depicting the crowd's continued amazement. Leon Morris makes an interesting comment that "This is the one place in his Gospel where Matthew says that Jesus had this effect on the crowds." (PNTC-MT) Were amazed (astonished, astounded, besides one's self, knocked out of your senses) (1839)(existemi from ek = out + hístemi = to stand) literally means to stand out from or to stand outside oneself (and thus to be beside oneself). It expresses "the feeling of astonishment mingled w[ith] fear, caused by events which are miraculous, extraordinary, or difficult to understand." (BDAG). Existemi used 17x in NT - Matt. 12:23; Mk. 2:12; Mk. 3:21; Mk. 5:42; Mk. 6:51; Lk. 2:47; Lk. 8:56; Lk. 24:22; Acts 2:7; Acts 2:12; Acts 8:9; Acts 8:11; Acts 8:13; Acts 9:21; Acts 10:45; Acts 12:16; 2 Co. 5:13 And were saying - Were amazed is in the imperfect tense vividly picturing this question circulation from one person to another in the crowd. You can see the crowd buzzing! It is worth noting that healing of blindness was one of the signs of the Messiah - Isaiah 29:18 On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Isaiah 42:7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison. This man cannot be the Son of David, can he? - NLT paraphrases it "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?" The Greek (interrogative particle "meti") expects the answer "No." (cf similar passages Mt 7:16; Mt 11:23) They are ‘in doubt concerning the answer. "The question is worded in such a way as to indicate a measure of perplexity, but also to open the door to an interesting possibility." (Morris) The crowd was not sure (which in a sense speaks to their unbelief), but even that they asked such a question was enough to worry the Pharisees! When the leaders head about the crowds asking if Jesus was the Son of David (cf 2 Sa 7:12–16; Ps. 89:3; Isa. 9:6–7), it called for an immediate response to squelch the "Messianic murmurings." They could not refute what the people had seen, so they sought to refute Jesus by attributing the power to Satan! Son of David was the cry of the crowd when Jesus' entered Jerusalem in His so-called "Triumphal Entry" - "The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!” (Mt. 21:9) Son of David - Matt. 1:1; Matt. 1:20; Matt. 9:27+; Matt. 12:23; Matt. 15:22; Matt. 20:30; Matt. 20:31; Matt. 21:9; Matt. 21:15; Matt. 22:42; Mk. 10:47; Mk. 10:48; Mk. 12:35; Lk. 3:31; Lk. 18:38; Lk. 18:39 Broadus has an interesting comment - Observe that the miracle suggested the possibility that he was the Messiah; and in Mt 12:38, some of the Pharisees express their wish to see a ‘sign’ from him, after it had been intimated (Mt 12:28) that he was the Messiah. So the Jews did expect the Messiah to work miracles, though Maimonides (twelfth century) declares that no miracles are to be expected from the Messiah, perhaps departing from the older view in order to secure an argument against Jesus. (Matthew 12 Commentary)
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Morris - The unforgivable sin of speaking against the Holy Spirit has been interpreted in various ways, but the true meaning cannot contradict other Scripture. It is unequivocally clear that the one unforgivable sin is permanently rejecting Christ (John 3:18; 3:36). Thus, speaking against the Holy Spirit is equivalent to rejecting Christ with such finality that no future repentance is possible. "My spirit shall not always strive with man," God said long ago (Genesis 6:3). Jesus added: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). In the context of this particular passage (Matthew 12:22-32), Jesus had performed a great miracle of creation, involving both healing and casting out a demon, but the Pharisees rejected this clear witness of the Holy Spirit. Instead they attributed His powers to Satan, thus demonstrating an attitude permanently resistant to the Spirit, and to the deity and saving Gospel of Christ. W A Criswell - The unpardonable sin is a knowledgeable, verbal, and continuous attributing of the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (cf. Mark 3:22). Jesus' miracles were authentications of His Person and mission as the Son of God. Rather than admitting that His supernatural power was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit in Him, they ascribed it to hell (cf. 23:13-36; Luke 11:52). Thus the fatal sin is the denial of the Holy Spirit's testimony to Jesus as Savior and Lord, and results ultimately in rejection of the Son of God. (BSB) Stuart Weber - The essence of the “unforgivable sin” is a refusal to accept forgiveness from Christ in the face of evidence that Jesus is the Christ. The unforgivable sin is deliberately and knowingly attributing the works of the Holy Spirit in the Messiah-Christ to Satan. The unrepentant person actually condemns himself, and God only confirms what that person has already determined. It also follows that the unforgivable sin exists only for the person who maintains his refusal of God’s forgiveness throughout his lifetime. If at any time he changes his mind and desires forgiveness, Jesus’ warning no longer applies to him. The sin that can actually never be forgiven is the consistent, lifelong refusal to bow to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin and to accept the forgiveness that Christ offers. These religious leaders, like so many people today, refused to take an open-minded look at the evidence regarding Jesus as Messiah. They refused an honest consideration of the Christ and insisted on their own works-righteousness to justify them before God. (Holman NT Commentary) Bruce Barton - There is one sin that cannot be forgiven—blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. “Blasphemy against the Spirit” refers not so much to a single action or word as to an attitude. Those who defiantly deny Jesus’ power and persistently refuse to believe that he is the Messiah are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not talking about rejecting him, but of rejecting the power behind him. Jesus’ words were addressed directly to the Pharisees. They had blasphemed the Spirit by attributing the power by which Christ did miracles to Satan instead of to the Holy Spirit. This is the unforgivable sin—the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God’s power in Christ. It indicates an irreversible hardness of heart. Deliberate, ongoing rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit is blasphemy because it rejects God himself. The Pharisees’ stubborn refusal to believe demonstrated an impenetrable hardness of heart; thus, forgiveness would not be possible because it never would be sought. The religious leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy (see Luke 5:21; John 10:33–36), but ironically they were the guilty ones because they looked Jesus in the face and accused him of being possessed by Satan. (Life Application Commentary) David Turner - The solemn words of Mt 12:31–32 ought to be taken to heart by all readers of Matthew. But the question remains as to the precise nature of “the unpardonable sin.” Well-meaning but over-zealous preachers have at times used this verse to threaten their listeners that to disbelieve the gospel message is to commit the unpardonable sin. In ministry, one may encounter individuals who are under the impression that there is no hope for them because they have “sinned away their day of grace.” Theologians tend to interpret the unpardonable sin as the generic sin of unbelief, linking this Matthean passage to such texts as John 3:18; 16:9; 1 John 5:16. But as serious as general disbelief in Jesus is, those who take this passage as a reference to it are mistaken. The specific situation in Matthew 12 involves the Spirit-empowered miracles of Jesus, which ought to have been viewed as evidence of his messianic status (12:23) and his authority to forgive sins on earth (9:6). Far from simply disbelieving this, the Pharisees slandered the ministry of the Spirit through the Messiah by accusing Jesus of collaborating with the very forces his ministry was overpowering (12:29). Therefore, it would be wise for expositors to exercise caution in the broad application of this text to unbelief in general. To be sure, ultimate unbelief in Jesus is unforgivable, but the point of this text is to underline not only unbelief in the face of clear evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, but also the slanderous perversion of this messianic evidence into demonic evidence. Today people are accountable to believe the gospel when they hear it, but this hardly warrants the notion that those who do not immediately accept Jesus have entered an unalterable state of unforgivable doom. (Cornerstone Bible Commentary) J C
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Morris - the words men speak will have a bearing on their degrees of reward in heaven, or degrees of suffering in hell. (The Defender's Study Bible) Expositor's Bible Commentary - Jesus is saying that every spoken word reflects the heart's overflow and is known to God. Therefore words are of critical importance (cf. Eph 5:3-4, 12; Col 3:17; James 1:19; 3:1-12). Zodhiates - Most people think that God is not interested in details, particularly idle chatter, which, they assume, He overlooks. Yet here we learn not only that such useless words exist but they also are being recorded for review on the day of judgment. The Lord wants us to measure our words before we speak. He wants us to speak valuable words that justify His presence in our lives and advance His kingdom. (Exegetical Commentary on Matthew.) Disciple's Study Bible - A sin-dominated person will utter evil; the good person devoted to and saved by God will utter good. On judgment day our words spoken in our lifetime will truly reflect who we are. A great prayer to utter frequently... Ps 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Comment - Both verbs in red are commands, not that we are commanding God, but more like we are pleading with Him, beggin Him to do these things. Great wisdom regarding words... Pr 10:19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise. Pr 21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles. WORD(s) IN PROVERBS - Prov. 1:6; Prov. 1:23; Prov. 2:1; Prov. 2:16; Prov. 4:4; Prov. 4:5; Prov. 4:20; Prov. 5:7; Prov. 6:2; Prov. 7:1; Prov. 7:5; Prov. 7:24; Prov. 10:19; Prov. 12:6; Prov. 12:14; Prov. 12:25; Prov. 13:13; Prov. 14:7; Prov. 15:1; Prov. 15:23; Prov. 15:26; Prov. 16:20; Prov. 16:24; Prov. 16:27; Prov. 17:27; Prov. 18:4; Prov. 18:8; Prov. 19:7; Prov. 19:27; Prov. 22:12; Prov. 22:17; Prov. 22:21; Prov. 23:9; Prov. 23:12; Prov. 25:11; Prov. 26:22; Prov. 29:19; Prov. 29:20; Prov. 30:1; Prov. 30:5; Prov. 30:6; Prov. 31:1; They shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment - Accounting is the Greek logos which is almost like a play on "words," -- we shall give a word on our words! They would refer to both believers and unbelievers. There is day of reckoning, a day of retribution regarding the words we have spoken in our lifetime! In fact Jesus says this accounting will be for every careless word. That means God has a "word bank" in Heaven and every worthless word will be duly recompensed! For believers our words are covered by the blood of Jesus so we will not be punished for our worthless words. But Paul speaking to believers states "we MUST (dei = SPEAKS OF COMPULSION, NECESSITY! IT IS NOT A POSSIBILITY BUT A CERTAINTY!) all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that (PURPOSE) each one (EACH INDIVIDUALLY) may be recompensed (RECEIVE BACK) for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (phaulos = worthless, "pertaining to being low-grade or morally substandard!" = BDAG). " (2 Cor 5:10+) And some of the "bad" may be (probably will be) EVERY CARELESS WORD! And for those we may lose some of our eternal reward! Woe! Unbelievers of course will give an account before Almighty God at the Great White Throne Judgment for such words (see notes below). "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." (Heb 9:27+) Zodhiates adds that in addition to judgment for every careless word "There will also be a scaled judgment of works (Mt. 11:20-24). For believers, heaven is our reward for justification in Christ by faith, but we will also receive gradational rewards for service and faithfulness (2 Cor. 5:10). (Exegetical Commentary on Matthew) There are few of our Lord's sayings which are so heart-searching as this. J C
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Morris says " The impression Matthew gives is that the family felt that they had prior rights; they could interrupt him in the middle of a teaching session, and he should stop what he was doing and come to them." (PNTC-Mt) 🙏 THOUGHT - John
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Morris comments "In the light of the ministry he is exercising in the name of God, what do ordinary family ties mean? Must Jesus forsake the service of the heavenly Father in order that he may please his earthly family?" (PNTC-Mt) Matthew 12:49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! NET Matthew 12:49 And pointing toward his disciples he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! GNT Matthew 12:49 καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν, Ἰδοὺ ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου. NLT Matthew 12:49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, "Look, these are my mother and brothers. KJV Matthew 12:49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! ESV Matthew 12:49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! NIV Matthew 12:49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. ASV Matthew 12:49 And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren! CSB Matthew 12:49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! NKJ Matthew 12:49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! NRS Matthew 12:49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! YLT Matthew 12:49 And having stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, he said, 'Lo, my mother and my brethren! NAB Matthew 12:49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. NJB Matthew 12:49 And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. GWN Matthew 12:49 Pointing with his hand at his disciples, he said, "Look, here are my mother and my brothers. BBE Matthew 12:49 And he put out his hand to his disciples and said, See, my mother and my brothers! His disciples: Mt 28:7 Mk 3:34 Joh 17:8,9,20 20:17-20 Matthew 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passage: Mark 3:34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! THE FAMILY OF GOD And stretching out His hand toward His disciples - While Mark depicts Jesus looking around the room, Matthew adds that He pointed to His twelve disciples. Presumably His twelve disciples were seated around Him in close proximity, probably in a circle or semi-circle. It is to them that He points. Stretching (1614)(ekteino from ek = out + teino = to stretch) means stretch out literally, as a gesture with one's hand stretched out. Here Jesus stretched His hands out "toward His disciples" (Mt 12:49), later He stretched out His hand to Peter who was drowning (Mt 14:31), and He also stretched out His hand to touch the untouchable leper (Mk 1:41, Mt 8:3, Lk 5:13). He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! - Jesus had just asked a question to pique the interest of the crowd and now proceeds to answer His own question. He is saying that spiritual relation supersedes physical relationship. In this new family the ties are spiritual, not natural! He is singling the disciples out of the large crowd as those who while not physically related to Him, were more importantly spiritually related to Him. Jesus defines in essence the New Family of God! One is reminded of the old song "We Are Family." (the lyrics are not a bad "Christian song") Alfred Edersheim points out that Jesus' declaration did not demean Mary or His family "“For, had He not entered into earthly kinship solely for the sake of the higher spiritual relationship which He was about to found…? Thus, it was not that Christ set lightly by His Mother, but that He confounded not the means with the end." Matthew 12:50 “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” NET Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." GNT Matthew 12:50 ὅστις γὰρ ἂν ποιήσῃ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς αὐτός μου ἀδελφὸς καὶ ἀδελφὴ καὶ μήτηρ ἐστίν. NLT Matthew 12:50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!" KJV Matthew 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. ESV Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." NIV Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." ASV Matthew 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. CSB Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, that person is My brother and sister and mother." NKJ Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." NRS Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." YLT Matthew 12:50 for whoever may do the will of my Father who is in the heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.' NAB Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." NJB Matthew 12:50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.' GWN Matthew 12:50 Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother and sister and mother." BBE Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the pleasure of my Father in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. Does: Mt 7:20-23 17:5 Mk 3:35 Lu 8:21 11:27,28 Joh 6:29,40 15:14 Ac 3:22,23 16:30,31 17:30 26:20 Ga 5:6 6:15 Col 3:11 Heb 5:9 Jas 1:21,22 1Pe 4:2 1Jn 2:17 3:23,24 Rev 22:14 he is My brother: Mt 25:40,45 28:10 Ps 22:22 Joh 20:17 Ro 8:29 Heb 2:11-17 and sister: Song 4:9,10,12 5:1,2 1Co 9:5 2Co 11:2 Eph 5:25-27 and mother: Joh 19:26,27 1Ti 5:2 Matthew 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE WONDERFUL WORD "WHOEVER" For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven - One could misuse this passage to teach "works based" salvation, but from many other NT passages, the only one who can do the will of His Father is the one who has been born again. The key in this passage is does the will of God. In other words Jesus is saying that it is not profession of being His disciple that identifies one who is truly spiritually related to Him, but it is active obedience. Notice the pronoun whoever (KJV - whosoever) which means "anyone at all" which flings open wide the Gospel gates to any and all who would come by grace through faith and enter through those glorious gates into the Kingdom of God! Romans gives a similar invitation, Paul writing "for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” (Ro 10:13+) Jesus' invitation given almost 2000 years ago is still open to all who what to experience true life in Him “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30+) THOUGHT - The antithesis of doing the will of God is committing sins! Practitioners of sin are not of God! They are not regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit as indicated by their unholy lives! They are not born from above as shown by their pattern of living like those from below! A W Tozer said "The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are at opposite sides of the same coin." Will is the whole man active. I cannot give up my will; I must exercise it. I must will to obey. When God gives a command or a vision of truth, it is never a question of what He will do, but what we will do. To be successful in God's work is to fall in line with His will and to do it His way. All that is pleasing to Him is a success. —Henrietta Mears (COMMENT - Praise God we are not left on our own, but the indwelling Spirit continually energizes us giving us the desire and the power to actively obey God's will - see Php 2:13NLT+) D A Carson points out "We do not make ourselves Jesus’ close relatives by doing the will of His heavenly Father. Rather, doing the Father’s will identifies us as his mother and sisters and brothers (cf. Mt 7:21)." (EBC) Leon Morris - Jesus is not saying that earthly familial ties are unimportant, only that they are not all-important. Doing the will of God is all-important. (Ibid) As alluded to above, in declaring this profound principle Jesus obliterated the Jewish belief that they were spiritually "safe" because Abraham was their father. John records "They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, DO THE DEEDS of Abraham." (Jn 8:39) Do you see the same principle Jesus taught here in Matthew 12? He qualified their claim to be in Abraham's family, by stating if that were true then they must "DO" (imperfect tense) the deeds which Abraham did. Their deeds would not save them, but they would demonstrate that they were spiritual children of Abraham. James echoed this same truth writing "Was not Abraham our father justified (IN CONTEXT THE MEANING IS SHOWN TO BE JUSTIFIED) by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” (ABRAHAM'S FAITH RESULTED IN HIS JUSTIFICATION, HIS DECLARATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS) and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified (AGAIN THE SENSE IS THAT ONE IS SHOWN TO BE TRULY JUSTIFIED) by works and not by faith alone." (James 2:21-24+) Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone! Speaking to His disciples in the Upper Room Jesus declared “You are My friends (philos) if you do what I command you." (John 15:14) Do is in the present tense which speaks of their obedient behavior as a lifestyle, not a passing fancy. Such a lifestyle is not possible by relying on one's old nature, but is made possible only as we rely on the Holy Spirit to obey Jesus' commands! Trying to obey in our own power can lead to legalism and will result in failure and a sense of futility in our Christian life. The secret to an obedient life is wholehearted reliance on the Holy Spirit of Christ. None of us will ever achieve this goal perfectly in this lifetime, but as the present tense indicates such obedient behavior should be the general direction (as opposed to complete perfection) of our life and lifestyle. We see the critical importance of doing the will of God the Father in Jesus' closing words of warning in His famous Sermon on the Mount... So then, you will know them by their fruits (= "Fruit is evidence of the root") 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ (PROFESSION OF JESUS) will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does (present tense - not perfectly but habitually a habit which is enabled by the Holy Spirit) the will of My Father Who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many (NOTE THIS FRIGHTENING ADJECTIVE) will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ (HE DOES NOT DENY THEY DID THOSE WORKS - E.G., JUDAS ISCARIOT LIKELY DID THOSE WORKS - cf Mt 10:7,8) 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART (COMMAND CALLING FOR IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE - PROBABLY SPOKEN TO THEM IN Rev 20:11-15, 12+) FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE (present tense-habitually) LAWLESSNESS.’ (Mt 7:20-23+) He is My brother and sister and mother - Clarke has called this "the adoption of the obedient." Henry Morris has an interesting comment - This mild rebuke to Mary did not indicate a lack of love or filial respect on Jesus' part (John 19:27), but does show that she does not hold priority with Him over other believers in the family of God. (Defender's Study Bible) In the book of Hebrews we read of this new spiritual family - "For both He who sanctifies (CHRIST AND HIS SPIRIT) and those who are sanctified (ALL WHO BELIEVE) are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying, “I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” 13 And again, “I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.” And again, “BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.” (Heb 2:11-13+) Knox Chamblin - These words call for several comments. 1. To become a disciple of Jesus is to enter a genuine family. Given the arrival of Jesus’ mētēr and adelphoi (Mt 12:46), the accent on these terms in Mt 12:47–50 is especially noteworthy. Conspicuous by its absence from these references to human beings is the term patēr: Joseph has apparently died; and within the family of Jesus’ followers, the heavenly Father is the only one to whom this name is rightly applied (Mt 23:9). Jesus here speaks of ‘my Father [tou patros mou],’ which makes it plain that the only others permitted to address God in this way are those who belong to Jesus (Mt 6:9). 2. While Jesus teaches love for the neighbors within one’s own family (Mt 15:4–9; 19:19), he also insists that commitment to him and his mission must exceed all others (see comments on Mt 8:21–22; 10:34–39). 3. This passage, far from excluding Jesus’ mother and brothers from the circle of his disciples, invites them to join it: ‘whoever does the will of my Father’ (Mt 12:50). On this occasion, his mother and brothers show a lack of faith (Mark 3:21); and John 7:5 reports that ‘his brothers did not believe in him.’ But Mary is at the cross (John 19:25–27); and both she and Jesus’ brothers gather with other believers in the upper room to await the coming of the Spirit (Acts 1:14). 4. The mark of the true disciple, and the one escape from this generation’s rampant evil, is doing the heavenly Father’s will (Matt. 12:50)—which especially means loving him and loving one’s neighbors (Mt 22:37–40), by which means good conquers evil (Rom. 12:21), the very point of Mt 12:43–45. (Matthew-Mentor Commentary) Counterfeit Reality - When people see a photograph or video today, they often ask, "Is it real?" A home computer can manipulate images to create a picture of an event that never happened. Images can be inserted into or removed from photographs. A video can be doctored to make it appear that a person was caught committing a crime or performing an act of heroism. The camera may not lie, but the computer can. Centuries before such modern technology, the apostle Paul warned Timothy about counterfeit reality in the church. He said that in the last days people would be self-absorbed, "having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2Ti 3:5+). He repeatedly emphasized the need to live a godly life, warning that "evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2Ti 3:13+). Paul charged Timothy to "continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of" (2Ti 3:14+). True godliness honors and obeys God while its counterfeit seeks pleasure and personal gain. One pleases the Lord; the other gratifies natural desire. Both are identified by their actions. Dear Heavenly Father, Help me, I pray, to honor You with all that I do today. By Your Holy Spirit's power, may my words and actions cause others to glorify Your Name. Amen. Question: "Is Jesus our brother?" (from Got Questions - highly recommended conservative resource). Answer: The Bible clearly presents Jesus Christ as being one with the Father (John 10:30), a Member of the triune Godhead who set aside His rights as God and took on human flesh to dwell among us (Philippians 2:5–11+; Galatians 4:4–5). Therefore, it is right to call Him Savior and Lord (Luke 2:11+; 2 Peter 3:18+; Jude 1:25+). However, a few passages also refer to Jesus as our brother (Hebrews 2:11+; Romans 8:29+; Mark 3:34). In order to fully understand the concept of Jesus as our brother, let’s look more closely at each of those passages: Hebrews 2:11+ says, “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers” (ESV). The word translated “brothers” is the word used for blood relatives, but it also refers to Christians. The generic term brother in Scripture usually also includes sisters. In this passage, the writer of Hebrews is explaining how the perfect God-Man, Jesus, could call imperfect humans His brothers and sisters. This is more easily understood in terms of physical relationships. Jesus explained spiritual realities by telling Nicodemus that he must be “born again” (John 3:3+). He used this physical term because we all understand birth. When two babies have shared the same womb or the same father, they are of the same family. They carry similar DNA, inherited traits, and rights to claim parentage. When a human being is born into the family of God, through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, God becomes our Father (Romans 8:15+; Galatians 4:4–6+). This happens through an act of the Holy Spirit who moves into our spirits and begins to change us (2 Corinthians 5:17+). God is also the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we share in that relationship as adopted children. Jesus, our brother, purchased with His blood the right for us to call His Father our Father. He is not ashamed to call us brothers because His righteousness is imputed to us, making us blameless as He is blameless (2 Corinthians 5:21+). Romans 8:29+ says, “Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Some cults have misinterpreted this verse to mean that Jesus was only the first of God’s many adopted children. However, in the Bible, the word firstborn does not always refer to physical or even spiritual birth; rather, being “firstborn” implies preeminence and position, as it is used in Psalm 89:27: “I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.” In Jeremiah 31:9+, God calls the nation of Israel His “firstborn son.” So when Paul uses the term firstborn in Romans 8:29+, he means that Jesus holds the preeminent position of “only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16+) and that, through His obedience to the Father, Christ made it possible for His holy Father to adopt unholy human beings as His own children. The resurrection of Christ was the first of many to follow, as God gathers His children home (1 Corinthians 15:20–23). In Mark 3:34–35, Jesus declares that those who follow Him are His brothers: “He looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’” The setting for this statement is a house where Jesus was teaching. His physical family had begun to worry about Him, and they had come to take Him home with them. As they waited outside the packed house, messengers informed Jesus of their presence. Seated around Jesus were the disciples. His statement told everyone that, while earthly relationships are important, spiritual relationships are those that last. From then on, He would be focused upon establishing those eternal relationships with everyone who trusted in Him. It is important to note that the qualifier for being considered Jesus’ brother or sister is not the mental exercise of “believing,” since many in the room with Jesus in Mark 3 would have considered themselves believers in Him. The qualifier for being a brother or sister of Christ is “doing the will of the Father.” The ultimate will of the Father is that we love, trust, and obey His Son (John 3:36+; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Romans 2:7–8+). When we believe in our hearts the gospel of Jesus Christ and surrender our lives to His lordship, God adopts us into His family and considers us “joint heirs” with His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:17+; Ro 10:9–10+). Our heavenly Father wants His children to bear a family resemblance, and He gave us the perfect example in our big Brother, Jesus Christ.