Matthew 12:11 - Prayer Tents

The Question about the Sabbath

12Not long afterward Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began to pick heads of wheat and eat the grain.G1722G1565G2540G2424G4198G4521G1223G4702G1161G846G3101G3983G2532G756G5089G4719G2532G2068

2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do this on the Sabbath!"G1161G5330G1492G2036G846G2400G4675G3101G4160G3739G1832G3756G1832G4160G1722G4521

3Jesus answered, "Have you never read what David did that time when he and his men were hungry?G1161G2036G846G314G3756G314G5101G1138G4160G3753G846G3983G2532G3326G846

4He went into the house of God, and he and his men ate the bread offered to God, even though it was against the Law for them to eat it - -only the priests were allowed to eat that bread.G4459G1525G1519G3624G2316G2532G5315G740G4286G3739G2258G3756G1832G846G5315G3761G3326G846G1508G3441G2409

5Or have you not read in the Law of Moses that every Sabbath the priests in the Temple actually break the Sabbath law, yet they are not guilty?G2228G314G3756G314G1722G3551G3754G4521G2409G1722G2411G953G4521G2532G1526G338

6I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple.G1161G3004G5213G3754G5602G2076G3187G2411

7The scripture says, 'It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.' If you really knew what this means, you would not condemn people who are not guilty;G1161G1487G1097G5101G2076G2309G1656G2532G3756G2378G302G3756G2613G338

8for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."G1063G5207G444G2076G2962G2532G4521

The Man with a Paralyzed Hand

9Jesus left that place and went to a synagogue,G2532G3327G1564G2064G1519G846G4864

10where there was a man who had a paralyzed hand. Some people were there who wanted to accuse Jesus of doing wrong, so they asked him, "Is it against our Law to heal on the Sabbath?"G2532G2400G2258G444G2192G5495G3584G2532G1905G846G3004G1487G1832G2323G4521G2443G2723G846

11Jesus answered, "What if one of you has a sheep and it falls into a deep hole on the Sabbath? Will you not take hold of it and lift it out?G1161G2036G846G5101G444G2071G1537G5216G3739G2192G1520G4263G2532G1437G5124G1706G1519G999G4521G2902G3780G2902G846G2532G1453

12And a human being is worth much more than a sheep! So then, our Law does allow us to help someone on the Sabbath."G4214G3767G444G1308G4263G5620G1832G4160G2573G4521

13Then he said to the man with the paralyzed hand, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it became well again, just like the other one.G5119G3004G444G1614G4675G5495G2532G1614G2532G600G5199G5613G243

14Then the Pharisees left and made plans to kill Jesus.G1161G5330G1831G2983G4824G2596G846G3704G622G846

God’s Chosen Servant

15When Jesus heard about the plot against him, he went away from that place; and large crowds followed him. He healed all the sickG1161G2424G1097G402G1564G2532G4183G3793G190G846G2532G2323G846G3956

16and gave them orders not to tell others about him.G2532G2008G846G3363G4160G3363G4160G846G5318

17He did this so as to make come true what God had said through the prophet Isaiah:G3704G4137G3588G4483G1223G2268G4396G3004

18"Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, the one I love, and with whom I am pleased. I will send my Spirit upon him, and he will announce my judgment to the nations.G2400G3450G3816G3739G140G3450G27G1519G3739G3450G5590G2106G5087G3450G4151G1909G846G2532G518G2920G1484

19He will not argue or shout, or make loud speeches in the streets.G2051G3756G2051G3761G2905G3761G5100G191G846G5456G1722G4113

20He will not break off a bent reed, nor put out a flickering lamp. He will persist until he causes justice to triumph,G4937G2563G2608G3756G2608G2532G5188G3043G4570G3756G4570G2193G302G1544G2920G1519G3534

21and on him all peoples will put their hope."G2532G1722G846G3686G1679G1484G1679

Jesus and Beelzebul

22Then some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon. Jesus healed the man, so that he was able to talk and see.G5119G4374G846G1139G5185G2532G2974G2532G2323G846G5620G5185G2532G2974G2532G2980G2532G991

23The crowds were all amazed at what Jesus had done. "Could he be the Son of David?" they asked.G2532G3956G3793G1839G2532G3004G2076G3385G3778G5207G1138

24When the Pharisees heard this, they replied, "He drives out demons only because their ruler Beelzebul gives him power to do so."G1161G5330G191G2036G3778G1544G3756G1544G1140G1508G1722G954G758G1140

25Jesus knew what they were thinking, and so he said to them, "Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long. And any town or family that divides itself into groups which fight each other will fall apart.G1161G2424G1492G846G1761G2036G846G3956G932G3307G2596G1438G2049G2532G3956G4172G2228G3614G3307G2596G1438G2476G3756G2476

26So if one group is fighting another in Satan's kingdom, this means that it is already divided into groups and will soon fall apart!G2532G1487G4567G1544G4567G3307G1909G1438G4459G2476G3767G846G932G2476

27You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. Well, then, who gives your followers the power to drive them out? What your own followers do proves that you are wrong!G2532G1487G1473G1722G954G1544G1140G1722G5101G5216G5207G1544G5124G1223G846G2071G5216G2923

28No, it is not Beelzebul, but God's Spirit, who gives me the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you.G1161G1487G1473G1544G1140G1722G4151G2316G686G932G2316G5348G1909G5209

29"No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house.G2228G4459G1410G5100G1525G1519G2478G3614G2532G1283G846G4632G3362G4412G1210G2478G2532G5119G1283G846G3614

30"Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering.G5607G3361G3326G1700G2076G2596G1700G2532G4863G3361G3326G1700G4650

31For this reason I tell you: people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.G1223G5124G3004G5213G3956G266G2532G988G863G444G1161G988G4151G863G3756G863G444

32Anyone who says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven - -now or ever.G2532G3739G302G2036G3056G2596G5207G444G863G846G3739G1161G302G2036G2596G40G4151G863G3756G863G846G3777G1722G5129G165G3777G1722G3195

A Tree and Its Fruit

33"To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree; if you have a poor tree, you will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears.G2228G4160G1186G2570G2532G846G2590G2570G2228G4160G1186G4550G2532G846G2590G4550G1063G1186G1097G1537G2590

34You snakes - -how can you say good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.G1081G2191G4459G1410G5607G4190G2980G18G1063G1537G4051G2588G4750G2980

35A good person brings good things out of a treasure of good things; a bad person brings bad things out of a treasure of bad things.G18G444G1537G18G2344G2588G1544G18G2532G4190G444G1537G4190G2344G1544G4190

36"You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken.G1161G3004G5213G3754G3956G692G4487G3739G1437G444G2980G591G3056G4012G846G1722G2250G2920

37Your words will be used to judge you - -to declare you either innocent or guilty."G1063G1537G4675G3056G1344G2532G1537G4675G3056G2613

The Demand for a Miracle

38Then some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up. "Teacher," they said, "we want to see you perform a miracle."G5119G5100G1122G2532G5330G611G3004G1320G2309G1492G4592G575G4675

39"How evil and godless are the people of this day!" Jesus exclaimed. "You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah.G1161G611G2036G846G4190G2532G3428G1074G1934G4592G2532G3756G4592G1325G846G1508G4592G4396G2495

40In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth.G1063G5618G2495G2258G5140G2250G2532G5140G3571G1722G2785G2836G3779G5207G444G2071G5140G2250G2532G5140G3571G1722G2588G1093

41On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I tell you that there is something here greater than Jonah!G435G3536G450G1722G2920G3326G5026G1074G2532G2632G846G3754G3340G1519G2782G2495G2532G2400G4119G2495G5602

42On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse you, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Solomon!G938G3558G1453G1722G2920G3326G5026G1074G2532G2632G846G3754G2064G1537G4009G1093G191G4678G4672G2532G2400G4119G4672G5602

The Return of the Evil Spirit

43"When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it travels over dry country looking for a place to rest. If it can't find one,G1161G3752G169G4151G1831G575G444G1330G1223G504G5117G2212G372G2532G2147G3756

44it says to itself, 'I will go back to my house.' So it goes back and finds the house empty, clean, and all fixed up.G5119G3004G1994G1519G3450G3624G3606G1831G2532G2064G2147G4980G4563G2532G2885

45Then it goes out and brings along seven other spirits even worse than itself, and they come and live there. So when it is all over, that person is in worse shape than at the beginning. This is what will happen to the evil people of this day."G5119G4198G2532G3880G3326G1438G2033G2087G4151G4191G1438G2532G1525G2730G1563G2532G2078G1565G444G1096G5501G4413G3779G2071G2532G5026G4190G1074

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46Jesus was still talking to the people when his mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside, asking to speak with him.G2089G846G1161G2980G3793G2400G3384G2532G846G80G2476G1854G2212G2980G846

47So one of the people there said to him, "Look, your mother and brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak with you."G1161G5100G2036G846G2400G4675G3384G2532G4675G80G2476G1854G2212G2980G4671

48Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"G1161G611G2036G2036G846G5101G2076G3450G3384G2532G5101G1526G3450G80

49Then he pointed to his disciples and said, "Look! Here are my mother and my brothers!G2532G1614G846G5495G1909G846G3101G2036G2400G3450G3384G2532G3450G80

50Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother, my sister, and my mother."G1063G3748G302G4160G2307G3450G3962G3588G1722G3772G846G2076G3450G80G2532G79G2532G3384