An exposition of The Gospel According to Matthew
\nby David L. Cooper, Th.M., Ph.D., Litt. D.
\nInstallment twelve<\/p>\n
DETERMINED OPPOSITION AGAINST JESUS<\/p>\n
When we read chapter 12 of the Gospel according to Matthew, we come to a group of incidences in which a determined opposition to Jesus is set forth. As has been noted heretofore, Matthew is topical in his arrangement of the material which he presents. He therefore, in chapters 5-13, does not follow the chronological order, which is found in Mark and in Luke. On the contrary, he assembles his material according to subject matter.<\/p>\n
When the four records of the Gospel are studied together, it is seen that the material which appears in Matthew, chapter 12, occurred both at the beginning of our Lord’s second tour of Galilee and at the close of the same. This tour covered the first six months (roughly speaking) of the second full year of His ministry. The incidences that are mentioned in the first 21 verses occurred near the beginning of this second tour, whereas the events of verses 22-50 were connected with the very closing of this tour.<\/p>\n
As we study the harmony of the Four Gospels, we see that the events recorded in John, chapter 5, occurred immediately before those appearing in Matthew 12:1-21. An examination of the former passage, in the light of all the facts, leads one to the conclusion that the feast of the Jews mentioned in verse 1 was in all probability the second of the four passovers of our Lord’s ministry, which are given in John. In this chapter we see that our Lord healed a crippled man in Jerusalem on the Sabbath. This precipitated the first great controversy concerning working on the Sabbath. He left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee immediately. A year earlier when He visited Jerusalem\u2014at the first recorded passover during His ministry\u2014He launched the early Judean ministry which continued for something like six months. The occasion for His leaving on that occasion was that great opposition developed on the part of the Pharisees and He could no longer do any good in Judea. He therefore left that section of the country and went northward to Galilee, going through Samaria (John 4:1-4). And immediately after His visit to Jerusalem at the second passover (John, chapter 5) He also on account of opposition immediately left and returned to Galilee.<\/p>\n
The opposition which began at Jerusalem by His healing the crippled man on the Sabbath continued. It seems that the enraged Jerusalem authorities sent their representatives wherever He went to keep their eyes upon Jesus and to stir up trouble on every occasion when it was possible. A vivid picture of this hostility to our Lord, Matthew presents in chapter 12.<\/p>\n
Jesus And The Disciples Passing Through The Grainfields<\/p>\n
Matthew presents the first instance of opposition in Galilee by saying, „At that season Jesus went on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck ears and to eat“ (12:1). The expression, „at that season,“ simply is speaking of the time of this opposition in general terms. The grain was ripening, which shows that the time was between passover and Pentecost. The disciples being hungry pulled some of the heads of wheat, crushed the grain out of the heads in the palms of their hands, and then blew the chaff with their breath from the wheat; then they ate the grain. To the carping, critical Pharisees, this was a violation of the Sabbath law prohibiting work on that day. This is an instance of their straining at gnats and swallowing camels.<\/p>\n
In reply our Lord called attention to what David and those who were with him did on the Sabbath. As we see in the historical account, the king entered into the house of God and ate the showbread, a thing which was prohibited by the law. The showbread was for the priests alone. Yet David, in an emergency, did that which was strictly forbidden by law. Nevertheless, he was not punished by the Lord for this act. An emergency existed. The life of the people of God and their blood are precious in His sight. Things that are not lawful under ordinary conditions are permissible in times of a crisis.<\/p>\n
Again our Lord cited the incident of the priests who offered more sacrifices on the Sabbath than on other days. In their doing this, they were laboring more on the Sabbath. Thus Jesus declared that in their doing this, they profaned the Sabbath, yet were guiltless. In discussing this same incident, Mark informs us that Jesus summed up the situation by saying, „The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: so that the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.“ The laws regulating the amount of work to be done on the Sabbath were enacted by the Lord in the interest of man’s welfare. If, therefore, an emergency arises in which one’s welfare is at stake, God prefers the meeting of the actual needs of the individual rather than making man a slave to some arbitrary interpretation concerning the fundamentals of the Sabbath law. The Lord desires mercy rather than sacrifice. Our Lord thus from the Scriptures silenced His critics on this occasion.<\/p>\n
Jesus‘ Healing The Man With The Withered Hand<\/p>\n
According to verses 9-14 our Lord went from His encounter with the Pharisees, as just described, into the synagogue. There He found a man with a withered hand. Some of those present, were antagonistic to Jesus. They therefore asked Him, „Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?“ This they did „that they might accuse him.“ In reply the Lord Jesus asked them, „What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day.“ The critics of Jesus were absolutely silenced by His incisive logic. All of them knew that they would, on the Sabbath, pull a sheep or an ox out of a pit in order to save the life of an animal. Of course, they would do this in the interest of preserving their own property. If they thus could work on the Sabbath and save the life of a sheep, certainly Jesus could heal a man with a withered hand on that sacred day\u2014and at the same time be guiltless. This is especially obvious, because man is of more value than a sheep. It is therefore lawful to do good on the sabbath.<\/p>\n
When our Lord had thus answered the critics, He turned to the man and said, „Stretch forth thy hand.“ He did this and instantly it was restored as the other. The healing of this withered hand was the result of the exercise of the mighty power of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was and is master of all disease, and all situations as far as that is concerned.<\/p>\n
Since our Lord’s enemies could not answer His arguments, neither could they condemn Him for restoring the man’s withered hand, they went out and took counsel how they might destroy Him. Think of it!\u2014pious, religious people allowing their prejudices to drive them to such lengths that they would, when they lost their argument in the controversy, resort to plotting a cold-blooded murder. But this is what prejudice will do for people who have not a burning desire for truth above everything else.<\/p>\n
Jesus‘ Teaching And Healing Ministry Beside The Sea<\/p>\n
Perceiving the plot to destroy Him, our Lord withdrew from that place. When He did that, vast multitudes followed Him and He healed all of them. He charged them that they should not make Him known. From all the circumstances it appears that the excitement was running very high. The country was aglow with high, messianic expectations. A misunderstanding of the mission of Jesus and an ardent desire on the part of many for the starting of a revolutionary movement against the Romans would have injured the cause of the Lord Jesus. Knowing this fact, He sternly charged the people to be quiet\u2014neither start nor pass on any rumors.<\/p>\n
In His doing this, He was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1-4. Our Lord always had in mind that which had been written concerning Himself. All His actions, movements, and declarations were directed to the fulfillment of the ancient predictions.<\/p>\n
An examination of this quotation in the original and in its setting in the Book of Isaiah shows that the entire redemptive career of King Messiah is set forth in the original prediction. According to verse 1 Messiah appears upon the scene, and, having been anointed with the Holy Spirit at the time of His baptism (Matt. 3:13-17), He faces the future with a definite objective in mind, namely, that of establishing a regime of righteousness and justice in the earth; but, unlike dictators and earthly rulers, He is not to be, according to Isaiah, a rabble-rouser, appealing to the masses for a following. On the contrary, He refrains from inflaming the populace in public places by appealing to their prejudices. The prophet therefore foretold that He would not strive nor cry aloud, nor harangue the multitudes.<\/p>\n
Moreover, He is unlike dictators in another respect\u2014“A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax shall he not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory.“ He is to be kind and considerate of the unfortunate and oppressed\u2014something that dictators do not do. Whenever anyone gets in the way of an ambitious ruler, he is liquidated at once. Then the ruthless monarch goes on, marching frequently through rivers of blood, in order to attain his goal. On the contrary, Messiah is considerate and helpful to the downtrodden and the oppressed.<\/p>\n
A glance at the original passage in Isaiah 42:1-4 shows that the prophet saw the present Christian Dispensation, during which the preaching ministry begun by the Master continues through the centuries while the nations await the time for Him to bring His laws and proclaim them to a submissive world. In view of these facts we see in this passage a prediction of our Lord’s beginning His personal ministry after receiving the Spirit at His baptism, of His launching this preaching ministry which continues during the period of His absence\u2014the Christian Dispensation\u2014and, finally, of His second advent when He brings His laws and establishes His reign upon the earth.<\/p>\n
By quoting this passage from Isaiah, chapter 42, Matthew shows that our Lord was guided by the principles set forth in this prediction. Of course, He was also governed by principles given in other forecasts relative to His redemptive work.<\/p>\n
A Blasphemous Accusation Launched Against Jesus<\/p>\n
The three incidents mentioned in the first twenty-one verses of this chapter occurred shortly after the passover season, two years prior to our Lord’s crucifixion. During the six months prior to this passover Jesus had engaged in His first general tour of Galilee. Capernaum was His headquarters. Between the first and second tours, He chose twelve Apostles after a night of prayer and then delivered His manifesto\u2014the Sermon on the Mount. In this He set forth the principles for which He stands\u2014now and always. When we compare the records of the Gospel, we see that this masterful sermon (Matt., chaps. 5,6,7; Luke 6:20-7:1) actually comes between verses 21 and 22 of Matthew 12. Also the labors for the next six months, following the preaching of the Sermon on the Mount, likewise come in between these two verses. The events recorded in the rest of this chapter occurred at the conclusion of the second preaching tour of Galilee. It is very important that we understand these facts, especially so since some excellent brethren have thought that our Lord’s teaching in the parables of the kingdom (Matt. chap. 13) was occasioned by the active opposition mentioned in Matthew 12:14. The historical facts show that the six months of this second tour intervened, as stated above, between the time of the Pharisees taking counsel against Jesus and His giving the parables of the kingdom.<\/p>\n
On another occasion (later in the ministry of Christ and in Judaea), within six months of our Lord’s crucifixion, this same blasphemous accusation was hurled against Jesus of being in league with Beelzebub (Luke 11:14-16). An examination of this latter passage shows that the circumstances connected with it were entirely different. These two accounts must not be confounded.<\/p>\n
The Pharisees and the other opponents of Jesus knew that He had performed a superhuman feat. This they could not deny. But, being prejudiced and refusing to see truth and acknowledge facts, they attributed His mighty miracles to the power of Satan. In reply our Lord showed the inconsistency of such a position. If Satan were casting out Satan, or demons were warring against demons, then his kingdom is divided\u2014so are his subjects. Under such conditions there is but one result, namely, the destruction of his kingdom. The force of this argument silenced the opponents of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Moreover He showed His opponents that, if He by the Spirit of God was performing the miracles which He was working, then was the kingdom of God come upon them. Our Lord was exerting His powers against evil spirits as the occasion demanded. What He did, when He was here upon earth, was but a sample of that which He will do eventually when He returns. This work of putting Satan and his hosts out of commission and incarcerating them in the pit of the abyss are necessary or preliminary to the taking over of the world and the establishment of the kingdom of God upon earth. Such in substance is the argument of our Lord set forth in verses 28 and 29 of this chapter.<\/p>\n
Doubtless there were some in our Lord’s audience who endeavored to be neutral, desiring not to be involved in a controversy that would in anywise be injurious to their own personal interests. Our Lord therefore declared, „He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathered not with me scattereth.“ When it comes to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, men must take a positive stand either for or against Him. There is no neutral ground which one may occupy. If one will not step over on the side of the Lord, one naturally is against Him and of course will have to suffer the consequences.<\/p>\n
The circumstances of this occasion caused our Lord to warn His auditors against blasphemy against the Spirit of God\u2014the unpardonable sin. To them He declared that all blasphemy and sin that people might commit against Him as a man could be forgiven. The reason for this doubtless was the fact that His divine nature was shrouded by His humanity. Under such conditions only the spiritually-minded had vision enough to look behind the veil of flesh and to sense the presence of His divine nature. That men could thus see and recognize Him as the God-man is evident from the case of Nathanael who, as soon as He came face to face with Jesus of Nazareth, declared „Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel“ (John 1:49). But there were very few Nathanaels in the first century. Comparatively speaking, there are very few Nathanaels today. In fact, there have been very few through the centuries. In view, then of the fact that His divine nature was veiled behind His humanity, our Lord declared that, all sin and blasphemy committed against Him could be forgiven\u2014when men repented of their attitude and actions and accepted Him by faith.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the work of the Spirit of God was not thus veiled, as was the work of the Son of God. There were those in His day, as there had been before and have been since, who, by the power of Satan, did perform miracles; but their works were on a very low plane in comparison with those wrought by the Spirit of God through some servants of His or through the Son of God himself. There was therefore no excuse for anyone’s mistaking the work of the Spirit of God and attributing it to the power of demons or to Satan himself. Our Lord therefore declared that the blasphemy against the Spirit of God could not be forgiven\u2014neither in this age nor in the one to come.<\/p>\n
Jesus, seeing the situation and knowing the corruption of the human heart, declared that the tree must be made good first in order that its fruits might be good. In this utterance He was speaking of the doctrine of the regeneration of the heart by the Spirit of God, which is accomplished when one in faith, doubting nothing, accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. The heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately wicked. It must therefore be regenerated\u2014the tree must be made good.<\/p>\n
In verses 36,37, our Lord declared that men shall have to give an account for every idle word which they utter, for „… by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.“ We must understand this language in the light of subsequent revelations. When one accepts the Lord Jesus Christ and is regenerated, his sins are forgiven, for time and for eternity. Men are justified by the grace of God through faith. Men are not saved by their good words or deeds. When God forgives, He forgets. In view of these great fundamental principles of the truth, we can be certain that our Lord in these verses was not speaking about saved people, but was talking about men of the world\u2014who are never saved. At the same time we must remember this further teaching that the saved will be rewarded according to their deeds and the spirit in which they serve.<\/p>\n
The Craving For Signs Rebuked<\/p>\n
At this season the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus to perform a miracle, to give them a sign as proof of His claims. He had just cast out a demon from a man who was blind and dumb and had restored him to perfect soundness. They would not accept this evidence, but wanted Him to perform some more spectacular feat. Evidence was not what they wanted; for, as we see from all the facts, they were present to criticize and to find fault. The craving for a sign\u2014an abnormal spiritual condition\u2014is, declared our Lord, an indication of „an evil and adulterous generation.“ Those who are living upon a high moral plane and walking by faith with God do not crave the performance of miracles in order to believe. The continual performance of miracles will not sustain faith. This is seen in the fact that God performed daily miracles in behalf of Israel at the time of the Exodus and during the wilderness wanderings. Nevertheless she disbelieved (Num. 14:11,12).<\/p>\n
Although Jesus on this occasion refused to perform a miracle to satisfy the depraved cravings for signs on the part of the Pharisees and Sadducees, He did indicate that there would be one great miracle, the miracle of miracles, which He would work in behalf, not only of Israel, but of all men. This miracle would be sufficient to convince any man of the truthfulness of His claims of being the Messiah of Israel and the Saviour of the world. This sign to which He referred was His resurrection from the dead. In speaking of it, He declared that „… as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale [Gr. Sea monster]; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth“ (Matt. 12:40). In Psalm 16:8-11 appears a prediction of the resurrection of the Messiah. His being restored to life is likewise set forth in Psalm 22 and in Isaiah, chapter 53.<\/p>\n
On this occasion, which was, as the facts indicate, about eighteen months before the crucifixion, our Lord did not intimate anything as to how He would descend to the heart of the earth. He simply made the categorical statement that He would go there as Jonah had gone and would come back to life again as Jonah had.<\/p>\n
That Jonah was drowned, that his body sank to the bottom of the sea, that his spirit went to Sheol and that it, after three days and three nights, was released and came back and re-entered his body, are set forth clearly in Jonah, chapter 2. When Jonah was drowned, upon being thrown out into the water, his spirit descended to Sheol. His body sank to the bottom of the ocean and was swallowed up by a fish that was especially prepared for the purpose. It remained in the belly of this sea monster during the three days and three nights that Jonah’s spirit was in Sheol. At the expiration of that time, his spirit was released from Sheol and came and re-entered his body. Then he prayed the petition found in Jonah, chapter 2. When Jonah thus promised the Lord that he would pay his vows which he had made, the fish which by this time had come to the shore, vomited him out upon the land. Jonah then went and did the preaching which God had commanded him. Jonah actually died. Jonah was really brought back to life again. Our Lord declared that just as that miracle had been performed in the case of Jonah, so one would be wrought in His case\u2014He would be killed; His body would be laid in the tomb; His spirit would go to Hades and would return, re-entering His body; and He would come forth a triumphant victor over the forces of Satan. This thing He did, bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel.<\/p>\n
Our Lord declared that the men of Nineveh and also the queen of the south would rise up in the judgment against the people of His generation because they had sought truth as the people of His day and time were not.<\/p>\n
In verses 43-45 our Lord spoke of the condition of a man from whose body a demon had been cast. If such a person who is thus liberated does not fill his heart and life with the spiritual things, that demon, declared our Lord, will return, bringing other evil spirits with him. There can be no such thing as a vacuum, either in the natural realm or in the spiritual sphere. What is true of the individual is likewise true of the Jewish race. It is clear from all the circumstances that our Lord in this description went beyond relating the facts concerning an individual and was speaking of the condition of the nation to which He came and ministered. Their latter condition would be worse than their first state if, after having enjoyed the light of His presence and His truth\u2014and having Satan, relatively speaking, banished from the nation\u2014they did not fill up the vacuum that was left by accepting Him and His truth. Then the spirit cast out, under those conditions, would come back into its former residence, bringing seven others worse than himself. Thus the latter end of the people of that generation would be worse than in the beginning.<\/p>\n
Spiritual Ties Stronger Than Fleshly<\/p>\n
According to the last paragraph of this chapter, verses 46-50, our Lord’s mother and brothers on this occasion were seeking to speak with Jesus. From other passages we conclude that they were uneasy about His mental condition and they seemed to want to take Him home\u2014at least that suggestion has been made by some scholars; Our Lord’s attention was called to the fact that they were present and were desiring to see Him. Immediately He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples and declared, „Behold, my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall, do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.“ Of course this language is a play upon ideas, a pun upon words. Nevertheless there is set forth clear, positive teaching concerning fleshly ties and those of a spiritual nature.<\/p>\n
Although our Lord from the standpoint of the flesh did sustain personal relationship to His mother and His own brothers, in the light of eternal verities those fleshly ties had been dissolved and only the spiritual ones have lasted.<\/p>\n
I am wondering if my reader has actually and really accepted the Lord Jesus Christ personally as his Saviour and has thus entered into spiritual communication with Him. If so, there has been created a bond between the Lord and himself which is so strong that it can never be broken througout time or eternity. If the reader has not thus accepted Him, my plea is that he do it immediately. The Lord bless each of us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An exposition of The Gospel According to Matthew by David L. Cooper, Th.M., Ph.D., Litt. D. Installment twelve DETERMINED OPPOSITION AGAINST JESUS When we read chapter 12 of the Gospel according to Matthew, we come to a group of incidences in which a determined opposition to Jesus is set forth. As has been noted heretofore, … <\/p>\n