Matthew 12:38-42 An Evil and Adulterous Generation

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the Wisdom of Solomon; and behold something greater than Solomon is here.

In the Bible, faith is the indicator of righteousness and human wisdom the sign of falseness. Jesus’ adversaries were demanding a “sign” that he is the One sent from God. This meant that they did not either recognize or believe he was the Redeemer. For this reason he calls them an evil and adulterous generation. That generation extends even until today. Since the demanded a sign in addition to his many great works, he told them the only sign given them is the Sign of Jonah, which is the crucifixion and his resurrection from the dead, yet another sign many of them will fail to believe.

Daily Prayer: Lord, let me be filled with the Holy Spirit. Then when trouble comes, I will be equipped for the lack of faith found in the world and will have an answer for my faith in you. In your holy name I pray Amen.

Matthew 12:33-37 Words Reveal Character

“Either makes the tree good and its fruit good, or makes the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. One cannot sow corruption and harvest righteousness. Neither can a man plant godliness and harvest corruption. You may ask, how do I know what is sown in the depth of my heart? You will know by the words spoken by the mouth. The words a person chooses reveal the condition of the heart. If you speak contempt, you surely have sown contempt. But you may ask, “What if I have been sown in dishonor, how can that be changed?” You must be born again, this time not of the flesh which yields selfishness, but of the Spirit which produces yielders to Christ Jesus and to God the Father.

Daily Prayer: Father, if I have not been born of the Spirit, regenerate my heart so that I can put to death the deeds of the flesh. Let me no longer live for myself, but to live for Jesus who loves me and suffered on the Cross for me. In His precious name I pray Amen.

Matthew 12:31-33 the Unpardonable Sin

In today’s text, Jesus has moved past telling the religious leaders in Israel that their accusation of him deriving his power from Satan or satanic forces in folly. He replied that no kingdom is a divided house and that his power is the evidence that he has been sent by God. Now today Jesus gives a stern warning that is not only for the people of his day, but for people of every generation. He states that any sin against him can be forgiven, because his mission is to go to the cross for the forgiveness of sins. Any sin against the Holy Ghost, however, will never be forgiven and this person is going to be damned because he or she cannot receive forgiveness by the only manner offered by God. Jesus says, “I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” Therefore take inventory of those you love and be sure that they are not God haters, because they will suffer for all of time unless they come to their senses.

Daily Prayer: Father, remove the spiritual blindness for those I love. I specifically pray for ___________, ___________, and __________ as they are known by you and need for you to draw near so that they might believe. Spare them because of your great mercy and by your unsurpassed grace. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Matthew 12: 24-30 Recognizing God's Hand in all Circumstances

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons. And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against it is laid waste; and any city or house divided against it will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Revelation and discernment is the ability to see the work of God and attribute it to Him. Failure to have revelation or discernment is seeing the work of God and attributing it to him, but instead labeling it as counterfeit. God has obviously blinded the religious Jewish leaders as in this episode the pit their faces against God himself. Later on we will see that they will be excluded from the Kingdom of God, because they nether know him or love him.

Daily Prayer: Father all things work according to your good hand. I should not become upset when things that I see and unpleasing to me, but instead I should know that all things work together for good to those who love you and are called by you. Amen.

Matthew 12:9-13 the Purpose of the Sabbath Day

Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? “And he felt that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, “What man is there among you who have a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable than is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. There were many in Israel in Jesus’ time that sorely needed a miracle to be made whole. Jesus only healed a few of them so that when he performed miracles that they would be used for a teaching lesson. Jesus recently said that He is Lord of the Sabbath. Now the religious leaders are seeking to snare him in his own good works by tempting him to heal on the Sabbath Day. He makes the man with a withered hand well and then states it is His Father’s will to do good on the Sabbath, and this is what His heart desires. He compares his good works with the work of a Good Shepherd, and nobody questioned him after that.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, let me learn from your good works that were done before us. Let me inherit the father’s heart so that I may be wise and do my father’s will. In your holy name I pray Amen.