Matthew 12: The Lord and His Family (5)

Pray Psalm 1.6.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Sing Psalm 1.6.
(St. Thomas: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord)
In Jesus’ righteousness, though sinners fail and fall,
His flock He will preserve and bless, who on His favor call.

Read Matthew 12.1-45; meditate on verses 31-45.

Prepare.
1. How is the blindness of the Pharisees apparent in these vignettes?

2. How does Jesus warn us against wickedness?

Meditate.
The common thread uniting these four vignettes is the blinding power of sin. Throughout His ministry, Jesus warns against giving place to sin. Sin is the great enemy of life, and Jesus is the Lord of life, making Him the mortal enemy of sin. That should be our posture as well.

The unpardonable sin of verses 31 and 32 is clear: Anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit – in effect, saying “No!” to every “Yes!” of the Spirit – condemns himself for as long as he continues to remain blind to the Spirit’s revealing powers. If a person won’t see the truth that is in Jesus, that person cannot know the forgiveness Jesus offers.

The proof of being right with God is not in one’s birth or attainments (vv. 33-37). A “tree” must be made good, so that it bears good fruit. Only God and His grace can do that, and only through Jesus. Those who oppose the good works of Jesus oppose Him, and thus, by definition, are evil. Because their hearts are set against Him – loving themselves and their traditions more than the Lord of the Sabbath and Liberator of the demon-possessed – they will find any excuse for not believing Jesus. Their words show them to be opposed to the Righteous One of God, and thus their own words condemn them.

So blind were the scribes and Pharisees that they decided to settle for signs rather than good works (vv. 38-42). They had seen Jesus do many good works, but they wanted magic, not mercy. They tried to manipulate Jesus to satisfy their will and desire – like many of us do from time to time. Jesus pointed to the “resurrection” of Jonah and said that should be sign enough. Then He recalled the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon, and how she extolled his wisdom, and He put Himself above even that (cf. 1 Kgs. 10.1-13). How blind could they be?

Finally, Jesus returned to the demon theme that began in verse 12. He casts them out, but, unless that spiritual void is filled with the Spirit of Jesus, they’ll be back and with more trouble in tow. Those who see in Jesus not Beelzebub but the true and powerful Lord of all spirits will clean up their act and turn to Him, lest, having tasted of His goodness and power, worse evils befall them (Jn. 5.14). Jesus says to the scribes and Pharisees: “Don’t be blind! See me for Who I am, and follow Me!”

Only the spiritually blind will resist that invitation and call.

Reflect.
1. Why were the religious leaders so blind? Do we sometimes make ourselves blind to Jesus?

2. Jesus pointed to Jonah as a sign of His resurrection. Can you think of some other “signs” pointing to Jesus from the Old Testament?

3. Who is guilty of the unpardonable sin? Does this mean that we don’t need to seek forgiveness for every sin? Explain.

By a sevenfold operation the Holy Spirit is committed to our care, so that we may have the “spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and fortitude, knowledge and true godliness, and fear of God.” Arrayed on the opposite side of this sevenfold good is the sevenfold evil: the spirit of stupidity and error, the spirit of foolhardiness and cowardice, the spirit of ignorance and impiety, and the spirit of pride against the fear of God. These are seven evil spirits. Augustine (354-430), Sermon 72A.2

Help me to bear good fruit today Lord, so that I might be a sign of You as I…

Pray Psalm 1.1-3.
What fruit will you bear for the Lord today? How will it be seen that you are His witness and servant?

Sing Psalm 1.1-3.
Psalm 1.1-5 (St. Thomas: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord)
How blessed are they that shun sin’s vain and wicked ways.
For them has Christ salvation won; He loves them all their days.

God’s Word is their delight; they prosper in its truth.
In it they dwell both day and night to flourish and bear fruit.

Firm planted on the banks of God’s great stream of grace,
they raise unending praise and thanks to His great glorious face.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).