Matthew 12
v.6
I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.
v.11-12
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
The Father’s heart; as swift as our fall is His grasp of the outreached hand. Notice it is when the sheep is in a pit - not when it is walking up a tough hill to follow its Shepherd. Jesus does not lift us out of situations uphill that train our spiritual muscles and build character. Rather, He’s the one who leads us down such paths but He is mighty to save whenever we fall into a pit and become once again for a Savior to deliver us.
v.28-29
But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.”
See also 2022-07-15 22 02 Pages 540-560.
v.30
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
See comment on Mark 9:40.
v.31-32
And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Does this mean we can sin in heaven? Cannot be forgiven in the age to come?
v.34
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
v.36
But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken.
v.41-42
The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. 42The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.
v.45
Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
v.49-50
Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Spiritual family.
Yet we do not make ourselves Jesus’ close relatives by doing the will of his heavenly Father; rather, doing that will identify us as his mother and sisters and brothers (cf. 7:21).