Monday, August 29, 2016
Matthew 11-12
III. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee (4:12 -- 14:12)
- The Beginning of the Galilean Campaign (4:12-25)
- The Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5-7)
- A Collection of Miracles (chs. 8-9)
- The Commissioning of the 12 Apostles (ch. 10)
- Ministry throughout Galilee (chs. 11-12)
Matthew 11
1 When Jesus had finished giving these
instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns
throughout the region.
2 John the Baptist, who was in prison,
heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to
ask Jesus,
3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been
expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and
tell him what you have heard and seen—
5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers
are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is
being preached to the poor.
6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do
not turn away because of me. ’”
7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus
began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the
wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind?
8 Or were you expecting to see a man
dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in
palaces.
9 Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and
he is more than a prophet.
10 John is the man to whom the Scriptures
refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will
prepare your way before you.’
11 “I tell you the truth, of all who have
ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in
the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!
12 And from the time John the Baptist began
preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and
violent people are attacking it.
13 For before John came, all the prophets
and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time.
14 And if you are willing to accept what I
say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.
15 Anyone with ears to hear should listen
and understand!
16 “To what can I compare this generation?
It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their
friends,
17 ‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t
dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’
18 For John didn’t spend his time eating
and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’
19 The Son of Man, on the other hand,
feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of
tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its
results.”
20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns
where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of
their sins and turned to God.
21 “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and
Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon,
their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in
burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse.
22 I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be
better off on judgment day than you.
23 “And you people of Capernaum, will you
be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the
miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here
today.
24 I tell you, even Sodom will be better
off on judgment day than you.”
25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer:
“O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things
from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the
childlike.
26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it
this way!
27 “My Father has entrusted everything to
me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the
Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you
who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you,
because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the
burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 12
1 At about that time Jesus was walking
through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they
began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them.
2 But some Pharisees saw them do it and
protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on
the Sabbath.”
3 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in
the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
4 He went into the house of God, and he
and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only
the priests are allowed to eat.
5 And haven’t you read in the law of Moses
that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath?
6 I tell you, there is one here who is
even greater than the Temple!
7 But you would not have condemned my
innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to
show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’
8 For the Son of Man is Lord, even over
the Sabbath!”
9 Then Jesus went over to their synagogue,
10 where he noticed a man with a deformed
hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the law permit a person to work by
healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could
bring charges against him.)
11 And he answered, “If you had a sheep
that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of
course you would.
12 And how much more valuable is a person
than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man, “Hold out your
hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other
one!
14 Then the Pharisees called a meeting to
plot how to kill Jesus.
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.”
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.”
38 One day some teachers of religious law
and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a
miraculous sign to prove your authority.”
39 But Jesus replied, “Only an evil,
adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will
give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the
great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the
heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
41 “The people of Nineveh will stand up
against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of
their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is
here—but you refuse to repent.
42 The queen of Sheba will also stand up
against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a
distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is
here—but you refuse to listen.
43 “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it
goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none.
44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the
person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and
in order.
45 Then the spirit finds seven other
spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there.
And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of
this evil generation.”
46 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his
mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.
47 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and
your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.”
48 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are
my brothers?”
49 Then he pointed to his disciples and
said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers.
50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in
heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”
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