Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWELVE

Part IV (Con’t)

Verse 34: You snakes! You are so evil-minded. You are incapable of saying anything good. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.

It is not surprising, that with what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, that Jesus would refer to those who opposed His words as serpents. Early church theologian Bishop Hilary put it this way: “Jesus taught that a corrupt outlook on life arises out of a corrupted nature. He taught that from an evil storehouse nothing can come but what is evil. An account must be rendered to God for every idle, careless and useless word. We are to be condemned or justified by the words we speak. The mercy or the judgment we receive shall depend on the inward conviction we have about the Lord of heavenly glory.”¹

Again we must keep in mind who Jesus was talking to. These were those who ranted against Him, called Him an impostor, and denied His claims as being sent by God with the message of salvation by grace, and they also claimed that the power He had to heal the sick and cast out evil spirits came from the prince of demons. So how could they, who rejected the way, the truth, and the life, then go around telling everyone that what they had to say was the authentic message of salvation under the Law. If their hearts were pure within, they would have accepted the Anointed One from on high. But by their rejection of Him they identified the real fruit they were producing, and such fruit only comes from a tree that has gone bad and is infected by sin.

Verse 35: Those who are good have good things stored in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil.

Jesus is not teaching the Jews anything new here. Their own Torah taught against saying things that could be hurtful and harmful: “Do not go around spreading slander among your people, but also don’t stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake; I am ADONAI.”² It is an intrinsic part of many of sayings in their books of wisdom: “How blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked;”³ “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable in your presence, ADONAI, my Rock and Redeemer.”⁴ Also: “If you want a long life to see good things happen, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceiving talk”.⁵

Even in their own teachings we find: “For disaster follows a disaster, and wound a wound, and tribulation more tribulation, and bad news after bad news, and illness on top of illness, and all bad consequences such as these, one with the other: illness and regurgitation, snow and frost, fever and chills, famine and death, sword and captivity, and all kinds of calamities and pains.’ And all these shall come on an evil generation, which transgresses on the earth: their works are uncleanness and fornication, and pollution and abominations.”⁶ This may be the origin of what we call today, “When it rains it pours.”

Jewish Rabbis taught often on this subject. For instance, one Rabbi asked: “What is the meaning of these words: What will be done to you, and what more can be done to you, you deceitful tongue.”⁷ The same Rabbi then answers his own question: “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the tongue: All members of the human body are standing up, you are lying down; all members of the human body are outside, you are guarded inside; not only that but I surrounded you with two walls, one of bone and one of flesh. One who bears evil tales almost denies the foundation of faith as it is said: Who have said: Our tongue will we make mighty; our lips are with us; who is lord over us?”⁸

The venerable preacher Chrysostom renders it in these words: “When wickedness is overflowing within, its words will pour out of one’s mouth. So when you hear someone speaking wicked words, do not suppose that the wickedness inside is no more than the words being used, but take for granted that the fountain from which it flows is deep and wide. For that which is spoken outwardly only a portion of the superabundance that lies within.”⁹ Or as we would say today, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. So Jesus was teaching something they were familiar with. Therefore, His conclusion was also part of their belief system.

Verse 36: I tell you that everyone will have to answer for all the careless things they have said. This will all happen on the day they stand before the judges.

What Jesus says here at the end helps frame the context of what He said just prior. It addresses the problem of people being sued for defamation. One well-known Rabbi shares the standard procedure in the process of determining guilt or innocence if libel has been committed: “The wording must either be: ‘The defendant is hereby acquitted, or the defendant is hereby found guilty. Otherwise, the verdict would appear to have been concocted. Therefore, the verdict must be framed this way: ‘After a decision by the judges, he was found innocent or not liable’.”¹⁰ The point here is when someone is brought to court for slander and denigration, the court must listen to both sides of the story. Afterward, their findings must be announced with clarity.

We can liken this to a person convicted by the Holy Spirit who stands at the altar to confess their sins and their need for forgiveness and salvation. They don’t reason with God or present evidence on their behalf as to why forgiveness should be given without their having to testify under oath. God knows all and sees all. So only a complete and honest confession will open the door to grace and mercy. The same thing that happened to Ananias and Sapphira when they lied to the Holy Spirit will happen on Judgment Day to those who lied their way out of recognizing their need for salvation while on earth.

Jewish scholars indicate that this procedure is designed to protect the truth more than it is the avoidance of gossip on who is telling the truth. But the Jews also saw this as a foreshadowing of the judgment yet to come. In their messianic writings we read: “When a man falls asleep, his soul leaves him and, ascending on high, gives the account of his deeds and acts and words.”¹¹ Also, another Rabbi taught: “Every deed, act or word a man speaks or does, the soul has to give an account of it.”¹² So not only is our Lord warning them of the libelous things they were saying about Him that could be taken to court but that eventually it will be judged by the Holy One on high.

Jerome gives his views on the day when everyone will give an account of what they have said or done while here on earth. He writes: “This, too, goes with what was said before, and the meaning is that on the day of judgment each person must render an account of his or her words. If an idle word which by no means edifies the listeners is not without harm to the speaker, how much more will you Pharisees, who criticize the works of the Holy Spirit and say that I cast out devils by Beelzebub the prince of devils, have to render an account of your criticism? An idle word is what is spoken without benefit to the speaker and the listener. We overlook serious things and utter frivolous things and tell old wives’ tales. One who acts like a buffoon and makes mouths drop with boisterous laughter and who utters disgraceful things—that person shall be held to account, not for an idle word but a slanderous word.”¹³

Behind this warning by our Lord to those who leave unconfessed evil thoughts and intentions in their hearts and minds, is the fact that either one confesses them in this world while forgiveness and reconciliation with God are available, or they must face God on Judgment Day when no such forgiveness will be offered. The same goes for those bad things people about one another. It is best to recognize guilt and ask for forgiveness early on, instead of waiting and letting the anger fester until it ends in tragedy.

I remember in 1967 the Beatles released a song titled: “All We Need is Love.”  Even today you hear Pastors in churches, people on television, and even songs on the radio that talk about having more love.  But the problem is not about needing more love, it’s the fact that most people don’t even use the love they already have.  Why ask for more when you don’t use what you’ve already got?  Here’s the secret.  The more you use the love you have, the more love you’ll have to use.  You see, love grows only when it’s active. So before you ask for more, make sure you need more. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

While serving as a missionary in Europe, I arrived in Colmar France for an evangelistic crusade with little money in my pocket, my brakes having gone out and screeching loudly each time I used them, and my gas tank gauge almost on empty. I had just left a US Servicemen’s convention in Germany where the Spirit directed me to give the money I had in my wallet. But I was ready for God to do great things because I had asked our guest speaker at the Servicemen’s Convention, T. L. Lowrey, to pray for me when he got back to the USA. He told me he would be conducting a crusade in Dalton, Georgia and on the first night he would have special prayer for our revival.

The opening service was good but I didn’t see the openness to the Gospel I’d hoped for. Each night we had good singing and fellowship, but no one raised their hand to be born again. After a few nights of not seeing anyone come forward, I made a vow to God that I would go on a fast until someone came forward for salvation. A few days later, later as the pastor and I walked through the local city park to pass out fliers, inviting people to the meetings, people were courteous and accepted our fliers, but made no further inquiries.

Just as we were about to exit the park, we heard a young female voice hollering something in French. The pastor and I stopped and turned around to see a young lady running toward us with her hands waving in the air. When she got to where we were standing, somewhat out of breath she asked the pastor, are you preachers? The pastor nodded, and pointing toward me said, “We both are.” She began to cry as she poured out her story. Earlier in the week, she ran away from home. She was disillusioned by life and didn’t know where to turn for help. She had been living in the forest just above the town for several days. Even though she wasn’t a born again Christian, earlier that day she knelt beside a log and asked God to come to her aid. When she finished, she said a voice spoke to her, and told her to go down to the park and she would find two ministers there who could help her. At first, she hesitated, because she’d never heard a voice like that before. Finally, she decided to find out. Therefore, as she entered the park just as we were leaving, her heart told her we were the two ministers the voice spoke about. So, right there in the park we prayed with her to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

That night the church was full, and the pastor told the story of the young girl. After the sermon, when I gave the invitation a number of people came forward to be born again. After prayer we asked them to give a testimony of what brought them there and what it meant to be forgiven. One lady told how that for months she was so desperate to get closer to God, to know Him better. She was a telephone operator in a business, and earlier that day she accidentally overheard a conversation in which one person told the other about an evangelist who was in town. At first she didn’t know what to do, but her hunger for God was so great she called the person back and asked where the church was located. Needless to say, not only did a revival break out, not only were people saved, filled with the Spirit and slain in the Spirit, but I was able to eat again with joy. I always believed in the promise Jesus made before His ascension that signs and wonders would accompany those who go out in His name, but after this experience it taught me that the list of those signs and wonders is a lot longer than the one Mark gives us in his gospel.

Later I received a letter from Dr. T. L. Lowery asking how the meetings went. I joyfully shared with him what God did through the Spirit during those ten days. Each time I saw him after that we both would smile in gratefulness to the Lord for answering prayer. It certainly instilled in my heart more faith in the words of the Lord Jesus when He said, “Truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”¹

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWELVE

Part IV

Verse 31: So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sinful thing they do and for every bad thing they say against God. But anyone who curses the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Early church preacher Chrysostom gives us an exposition on how this saying of Jesus may have been understood by His Jewish audience. He writes: “What is Jesus saying at this point? He is saying, ‘You have spoken many things against me. You have called me a deceiver and an adversary of God. These things I forgive you upon your repentance. There will be no penalty exacted. But blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven, not even to those who repent.’ But how could this be right? For even this was forgiven upon repentance. Many at least of those who said these words believed afterward, and all was forgiven them. What is it then that Christ was implying? That this sin is above all things inexcusable. Why so? Because they might have been ignorant of Jesus and who he might be, but of the Spirit they could not be ignorant due to their own previous experience. For the prophets had spoken by the Spirit. The Old Testament as a whole had an exalted understanding of the Holy Spirit. What he says, then, is this: ‘So be it—you may be offended at me, because of the humanity I have assumed. But you cannot say the same of the Holy Spirit. You cannot claim not to know the Spirit. Therefore your blasphemy has no excuse, and you will suffer the consequences both here and hereafter.’”¹

In case they did not get the point, Jesus reiterates it again:

Verse 32: You can even speak against the Son of Man and be forgiven. But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven—not now or in the future.

The Jewish concept of blasphemy was tied to an incident in the Old Testament. It involved saying evil or profane things about God. So the essence of such blasphemy consisted of the irreverent purpose in using the words, and did not necessarily include the performance of any desecrating act. The Jewish law is based on the case of a blasphemer whose mother was an Israelite and his father was an Egyptian who made the exodus out of Egypt with the children of Israel.² He used God’s name YHWH – which is pronounced, “Yud-Heh-Wav-Heh” or Yahweh) as a curse word, so he was sentenced to be taken outside the camp and everyone who heard him do this was to lay their hands on his head as a sign of their witness, and then all the congregation should stone him. The judgment in his case was formulated in such a way as to become law.³ So it was not only the way he used God’s name, but the intent for which he used it.

Jewish Rabbis have also interpreted this blasphemy punishment in light of the Ten Commandments. They taught: “Come and hear: Rabbi Judah said: For everything from ‘Thou shalt not take [the name of the Lord thy God in vain]’⁴ and down to repentance procures atonement, for everything from ‘Thou shalt take’ and up to penitence procures suspension [of punishment] and the Day of Atonement procures atonement.”⁵ One Jewish commentator likened blasphemy to boring a hole in what was heretofore an unsealed chest, thereby making what was once untouchable now accessible. In other words, by denying a single element of our faith in God, a person totally abandons that faith to speculation and ridicule.⁶

So when Jesus spoke of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, it may have been quite easy for His Jewish listeners to equate this with taking the name of the Lord God in vain. But when it came to the Holy Spirit, Christ had a new revelation. The implications and allusions in this section are numerous. However, we must not forget what Christ is unapologetic about and leave these verses in that context. The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub. Jesus in turn tells them that it is rather by the power of the Holy Spirit. So it is throughout the entire text, as well as in this pertinent part of His dissertation that this warning is given.

Consequently, it is quite clear that blaspheme against the Holy Spirit can be verbal and written, though not restricted just to these forms of communication. As we have mentioned, the Greek word for “blasphemy” here is rendered as “slander,” and “abusive language,” and elsewhere in throughout N.T. It basically means, for one to knowingly accuse the Holy Spirit of doing things that are counter to all that God and Christ stand for and hold sacred. The reason it is unforgivable, is not necessarily because it is so vile and evil, but because it makes it impossible for the Holy Spirit to convince and convict. To put it another way, if you are offered the only medicine that can cure your terminal illness and you reject and demean it, your chances of being cured and recover are destroyed. The same with the Holy Spirit and your opportunity to believe, receive, and be saved.

However, Jesus says that this type of spiritual suicide does not apply to His relationship with the unbeliever. We can understand this now, because after our Lord was arrested, tried, and nailed on the cross, fewer worse things could have been said about Him. Yet, in His own words He said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” The Jews themselves taught about forgivable and unforgivable sins. Their own rabbis said: “All Israel [even those who were executed by the court for their transgressions] have a portion in the World to Come, for it is written: ‘Your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I be glorified.’⁷ But the following have no portion in the World to Come: He who says that resurrection is not a Torah doctrine, the Torah is not from Heaven, and anyone who denigrates Torah and Torah scholars.”⁸

Other Rabbis later commented on this teaching about the resurrection, and asked: “Why such severity? — A Tanna taught: Since he denied the resurrection of the dead, therefore he shall not share in that resurrection, for in all the measures of punishment or reward taken by the Holy One, blessed be He, the Divine act befits the human deed”.⁹ In other words, all punishment fits the crime. As a matter of fact, one Rabbi shared what had been passed on to him: “There are six things, the fruit of which man eats in this world, while the principal remains for him for the world to come, viz.: Hospitality to wayfarers, visiting the sick, meditation in prayer, early attendance at the house of study, rearing one’s sons to the study of the Torah, and judging one’s neighbor in the scale of merit”.¹⁰ Also, Rabbi Nathan speaks about the value of studying God’s Word. He says: “There is not a single precept in the Torah, even the lightest, whose reward is not enjoyed in this world; and as to its reward in the future world I know not how great it is”.¹¹

Taking all this together, we can see why speaking rudely and disparagingly against who the Holy Spirit is and what He came in the world to do after our Lord’s ascension is so critical. No one can come to the Father unless the Holy Spirit draws them to Christ and Christ becomes the door for them to enter through into eternal fellowship with the Father. In one of his sermons, Augustine speaks about perfect love as the gift of the Holy Spirit, by which sins are cast out, and the people of God gathered together in unity. The unclean spirit of man struggles against this gift. Toward the end Augustine says: “This refusal to repent has absolutely no forgiveness, neither in this age nor in the age to come, because repentance obtains forgiveness in this world in preparation for the next.”¹² In other words, forgiveness of sins is to open the door to eternal life, but if the Divine Agent sent by God to facilitate such forgiveness is pushed away, denied, or even cursed at, then forgiveness is impossible.

There is an interesting Jewish story connected with this teaching that you may find interesting, that speaks of what we might call today “personal evangelism,” but under circumstances we may frown on if the context were repeated today. It goes as follows:

Once a man, who was very scrupulous about taking care of his coat upon which were sewn 613 threads that symbolized the 613 commandments in the Torah, heard of a certain harlot in one of the towns by the sea who accepted four hundred gold denarii for her hire. He sent her four hundred gold denarii and appointed a day to be with her. When the day arrived he came and waited at her door, and her maid came and told her, ‘That man who sent you four hundred gold denarii is here and waiting at the door;’ to which she replied ‘Let him come in.’ When he came in she prepared for him seven beds, six of silver and one of gold [arranged in the form of stairs]; and between each bed there were steps of silver, but the last were of gold. She then went up to the top bed and lay down upon it naked. He too went up after her in his desire to sit naked with her, when all of a sudden the four fringes of his garment struck him across the face; whereupon he slipped and ended up sitting on the ground. She also slipped off and sat upon the ground and said, ‘I swear upon Rome that I will not leave you alone until you tell me what blemish you saw in me. ‘I swear by the Temple, he replied, ‘never have I seen a woman as beautiful as you are; but there is one precept which the Lord our God has commanded us, with regard to it the expression ‘I am the Lord your God,¹³ is written twice signifying, I am He who will exact punishment in the future, and I am He who will give reward in the future. Now a precept struck me in the face as four witnesses testifying against me.’ She said, ‘I will not leave you until you tell me your name, the name of your town, the name of your teacher, the name of your school in which you study the Torah.’ He wrote all this down and handed it to her. There upon she went out and divided her estate into three parts; one third for government taxes, one third to be distributed among the poor, and one third she took with her in her hand; the bed clothes, however, she retained. She then came to the House of Study of Rabbi Hiyya, and said to him, ‘Master, give me instructions on how I can become a proselyte’ [meaning she was a Gentile]. ‘My daughter’, he replied; ‘perhaps you have set your eyes on one of the disciples?’ She there upon took out the script and handed it to him. ‘Go’, said he ‘and enjoy your acquisition.’ Those very bed-clothes which she had spread for him for an illicit purpose she now spread out for him lawfully as his wife. This is the reward of the precept in this world; and as for its reward in the future world I know not how great it will be.¹⁴

In this story the Jews were given an illustration of how the truth of God’s word will go with them, even into the quagmire of sin to remind them both of what is right and of God’s love. I’m sure that Jesus statement about forgivable and unforgivable sins did not leave His listeners shaking their heads, since it was already part of their theology. But how it applied to Him and the new covenant necessitated that the Master draw a further illustration for them.

Verse 33: If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good, it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces.

On the surface, this statement by Jesus is not all that profound or unusual, but it was not intended to be. He was painting a simple target for the next dart He was about to throw so they could see that it would hit in the middle of the bull’s eye. If they were willing to accept what conventional wisdom in the nature of growing an orchard, why could they then not accept His divine wisdom in the nature of man? Even though the product may be different, the principle is the same.

Early church preacher Chrysostom sees another application in what Jesus says here. He expounds: “Truly the distinction between trees is shown by their fruit. It is not that the fruit is known by the tree, for one need only to examine the fruit alone to find what kind of tree it is. But what if it is argued that the tree is inconsistent with the fruit? Nonetheless the fruit is what makes the tree known. His implication: It would be more consistent if you either found fault with my deeds or praised them, so that I could meet these charges openly. But having no fault to find with my works, the fruit, you pass the opposite judgment upon the tree, me. You call me a demoniac, which, as anyone can see, is self-evidently reckless. For a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.”¹⁵

In this case, our Lord’s words must be taken in the sense that the tree itself is not bad, it’s just that it was allowed to become bad and that is proven by the fruit it produces. In other words, all humans are born in innocence, but it is how they are raised and nurtured that will be evidenced by the fruit they bear. If people were born either good or bad, as we noticed in an earlier reference, then salvation would be of no value. Adam and Eve were created in innocence and purity, but they became bad through the work of the serpent. He is still at it today on every descendant of Adam that is born into this world.

Theologian Augustine gives us another interpretation to consider. He says: “Jesus is referring to those who think they are able, yet they are incapable of speaking good things or doing good works. This the Lord Jesus says they cannot do. For a person must first be changed in order for his works to be changed. But if a person remains in an evil state, that one cannot do good works. If he abides in what is good, he will not be found producing evil works.”¹⁶

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWELVE

Part III (Con’t)

Verse 26: So if Satan forces out his own demons, then he is fighting against himself, so how can his kingdom ever survive?

The venerable Augustine of Hippo preached a sermon on this and stated: “So let the Pharisees choose what they want. If Satan could not cast out Satan, they could find nothing to say against the Lord. But if Satan can cast out Satan, let them look out for themselves all the more and let them abandon his kingdom because it cannot stand divided against itself.”¹ In other words, if they insist on the idea that Satan is foolish enough to go around casting out his own demons, then they should quickly exit his kingdom because it’s about to fall. They did not know that it would not be long before this same Jesus would raise His hands in victory over Satan.

The same message applies to those today who have rejected the opportunity to become part of the kingdom of God, because they enjoy serving the devil. Satan’s kingdom will soon be destroyed, never to rise again, because: “The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever…Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”²

And Early Church preacher Chrysostom offered this in one of his sermons: “Notice, Jesus did not say ‘demons,’ implying that there was a great deal of harmony in them toward each other. Rather, He said hierarchically, ‘If Satan casts out Satan, he is then divided against himself.’ But if he is divided, he is becoming weaker and being ruined. And if he is ruined, how can he cast out another? Do you see how great is the joke of the accusation, how great the folly, the inconsistency? It is not plausible that one would be said to stand by that which was likely to cause one to fall.”³

So Jesus uses this statement for His listeners to concentrate on the obvious factors of what happens when people who supposedly are part of a unified body begin to disagree with one another and fight against each other. Chrysostom points out: “Wars abroad are not as ruinous as civil wars at home. As with civil wars, so wars happen inside the body. In all things it is the same, but in this case Jesus takes his illustration from the public sphere, for what is more powerful on earth than a kingdom? Nothing. But nevertheless it perishes if divided against itself. And what would you say of a city, similarly, if it were to break down by its own weight? What great blame would fall on those who carry the burden of its affairs! And what of a family? Whether it is a small matter or a great one, it perishes when it revolts against itself. Furthermore, if I am possessed by a demon and through it cast out demons, there is dissent and strife between demons, and they rise up against one another. And if they rise up against one another, their strength is destroyed.”⁴ In this way, Jesus was pointing out the ridiculousness of accusing the devil of using Him to cast out one of his own demons.

Verse 27: You say that I use the power of Satan to force out demons. If that is true, then what power do your people use when they force out demons? You see! Your own people prove that you are wrong.

Now Jesus turns the table on His critics. Some scholars see a resemblance between the comparison of how He cast out demons and how some of the Jews were doing it, with the contest between Moses and Aaron and the magicians of Egypt.⁵ As such, their reasoning went against their own writings. We read in one of their texts where it tells how one demon named Ornias, saw the prince of demons and questioned him: “Who are you? The demon replied: ‘I am Beelzebub, the prince of the demons. And all the chief demons have their seats close to me. And it is I who make manifest the appearance of each demon.’” Then the writer of this vision says: “And he promised to bring all the unclean spirits to me in bonds. And I again glorified the God of heaven and earth, as I do always give thanks to Him.”⁶ Although this spurious work ascribed to King Solomon has no date, it contains traditional content that is extremely ancient in Jewish folklore.

So what are they going to do? If they believe that Jesus was exorcising demons by the power of Satan and they were unwilling to accept His claim as having such power from His heavenly Father, then they should look at their own exorcisms in the same light. In other words, they too were using the devil’s power to cast out demons. In the same vein, no doubt all those listening to Jesus had heard the story of a demon, named “ben Temalion,” being cast out of the Emperor’s daughter in Rome by a Rabbi.⁷ So how would they feel if that was attributed to the power of Beelzebub? Would that not contradict their charges against Jesus?

Another episode came up later in Ephesus when the Seven sons of Sceva tried to give the apostle Paul some competition.⁸ One early Church Father had to contend with this as well in his day. He relates how he was not shaken in his faith by those counterfeits which the devil is said to have performed among the Greeks; just as some were wrought by the Magi in Egypt, and others by the false prophets in Elijah’s days.⁹ Jesus wanted to leave no doubt where His power and authority came from, so He informs His distractors of the following:

Verses 28-29: I use the power of God’s Spirit to force out demons, and this shows that God’s kingdom has come to you. Think about this, whoever wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things must first tie him up. Then they can steal the things from his house.

This is not a parable our Lord is using, it is common logic. I’m glad that instead of Matthew saying that Jesus heard what they were saying, he pointed out that Jesus knew what they were thinking. That is something we must always keep in mind when we talk to God. The Psalmist confessed to this truth: “LORD, you know what I want to say, even before the words leave my mouth.”¹⁰ God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Nothing can hide its deceit as well as the human mind. It can be a chronic problem, and no one really understands it. But I am the LORD, and I can look into a person’s heart. I can search a person’s mind and respond to what is really on their minds.”¹¹

In His brilliance, our Lord touches on the very thing the Pharisees and other religious leaders were trying to do. They wanted to cause a division in the kingdom Jesus came to establish, as well as to get His disciples fighting among themselves. He applies it to their ironic statement that evil powers were being evicted by an evil power, and asks if their efforts at exorcism was also done by using Satan’s power. And then the Master lands another knockout blow. Since He was doing all these miracles by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, then whatever power He was driving out must be weaker than the power He was using.

As a matter of fact, one of the earliest scholars and Christian theologians named Origen, who was born and spent the first half of his career in Alexandria, Egypt, wrote a work to a 2^nd century Greek philosopher and staunch opponent of Christianity, named Celsus, about the Jewish exorcisms of demons: “It is certain, however, that the Jews trace their genealogy back to the three fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And the names of these individuals possess such efficacy, when united with the name of God, that not only do those belonging to the nation employ in their prayers to God, and in the exorcising of demons, the words, “God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob.”¹² Also, “Moreover, the phrases, ‘the God of Israel,’ and ‘the God of the Hebrews,’ and ‘the God who drowned in the Red Sea the king of Egypt and the Egyptians,’ are formulas frequently employed against demons and certain wicked powers.”¹³

So what Jesus said about the Jews casting out demons is proven to still be practiced by the 3^rd Century AD when Origen wrote this rebuke. It was so hard for these Jewish intellectuals to accept the changes that Jesus taught were needed in order to conform to God’s new covenant of grace that would rule in His kingdom. Jesus was on course to change their formula for water baptism, exorcising demons, healing the sick, and preaching righteousness and salvation. It was hard for them to accept. But I’m sure our Lord’s closing remarks were really hard for them to digest. He made it clear that either they were with Him or they were against Him. And since He was sent by God, then this was equal to being against God as well.

Verse 30: Whoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me.

This was the same challenge Joshua gave the people of Israel, “Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.”¹⁴ Then the Master launches into a sermon on the danger of speaking against God’s Spirit and what it would cost them if they did not change.

Early church theologian Chromatius gives us his interpretation of what Jesus is saying here. He writes: “By this Jesus meant that His work is one thing and the devil’s work another. For the devil is the enemy of human well-being. It is proper for the devil to scatter by destruction and for Christ to gather to salvation. Hence it is clear that one who is against the Lord cannot be with the Lord. Therefore, although the Lord seems to be repudiating those Pharisees who, unwilling to gather with Christ, have remained the Lord’s enemies and adversaries, He also speaks of all heretics and schismatics. Drawing impious conclusions against the church or the Lord by way of unorthodox teachings or schismatic beliefs, they aim to tear asunder and ravage the incorrupt body of the church and the unity of peace and faith. They are oblivious to Solomon’s words: ‘He who splits a log is endangered by it.”¹⁵”¹⁶

It is quite obvious that many will equate Chromatius’ use of the term “church” to mean the Roman Catholic church. However, this was early in the church history and for him there was only one church, even though it had archdiocese in both the east and the west. So it would be inappropriate to take his words as relevant to the whole body of Christ, no matter what branch of the Early Church.

Verse 31: So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sinful thing they do and for every bad thing they say against God. But anyone who curses the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

This is one of the toughest sayings of Jesus to explain, even though it seems simple on the surface. The astute British theologian John Gill gives his interpretation:

By this is meant: not every ignorant denial of, and opposition to His deity and personality; nor all resistance of Him in the external ministry of the word; nor every sin that is knowingly and willfully committed; but it is a despiteful usage of the Spirit of grace, and opposing, contradicting, and denying the operations wrought, or doctrines revealed by Him, against a man’s own light and conscience, out of willful and obstinate malice, on purpose to lessen the glory of God, and gratify his own lusts: such was the sin of the Scribes and Pharisees; who, though they knew the miracles of Christ were wrought by the Spirit of God, yet maliciously and obstinately imputed them to the devil, with a view to obscure the glory of Christ, and indulge their own wicked passions and resentments against Him; which sin was unpardonable at that present time, as well as under that dispensation then to come, when the Spirit of God was poured down in a more plenteous manner.¹⁷

Any step in grasping the meaning of Jesus’ words is to begin with the word, “blaspheme.” This is a transliteration from the Greek “blasphēmia” which means: “to slander, detract, speech injurious to another’s good name; impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty.” Jesus uses this word later in Matthew.¹⁸ But since Jesus was speaking Aramaic, we need to look at the Hebrew word for additional understanding. We find it used in Isaiah, and the Hebrew word is “gadaph,” which means: “to revile (use abusive language against) men and God.”¹⁹

We also find it first used in the Torah: “But an individual who does something wrong intentionally, whether a citizen or a foreigner, is blaspheming Adonai. That person will be cut off from his people.”²⁰ Then Isaiah’s prophecy against Sennacherib the king of Assyria employs this word again: “Whom have you blasphemed and reviled? Against whom made loud your voice, and haughtily raised your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!”²¹ And the final usage of the word reads thus: “Therefore, human being, speak to the house of Isra’el; tell them that Adonai Elohim says, ‘Moreover, your ancestors blasphemed me by breaking faith with me in still another way.”²²

From these examples we can see that blasphemy involves speaking against God in such a way that it separates God and the speaker to the point of irreconcilability. In summary, there were two ways to blaspheme: 1) willfully continuing to deny the Gospel when the Holy Spirit has made clear to you that it is true, or 2) attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to the Adversary (Satan); in the present context.²³ Seeing that the Holy Spirit is the only agent authorized by God to go out and get those souls whom He chooses, and bring them to Christ for redemption and salvation, once a person rejects and reviles the Holy Spirit there is no other way to reach God in order to receive forgiveness. It’s like someone drowning who continues to push away the life-vest thrown to them.

The problem with the priests, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees and others is that they were stuck in the mud of man’s interpretation of what God said in His Word. Since they couldn’t speak directly to God, they took the words of those who said they could. So when God Himself came to them in the form of His Son, instead of rejoicing that now they could speak with God directly, they chose to stick with man’s words. The same case exists today. There are many who say they are followers of Christ, yet they do not speak to Him directly. They go through others. And when confronted with God’s Word to the contrary, they chose the words of men instead. This is serious, especially when you take the words of Jesus Himself who said: “If you are not for me, you are against me.”

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWELVE

Part III

Verse 24: When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man is using the power of Beelzebub, the devil’s prince of evil spirits to force demons out of people.”

The healing of the man with the withered hand resulted in the people’s faith growing in Jesus as the Anointed One. But for others it was just another incident in their futile effort to classify Him as a fraud rather than a genuine Messiah. They were thereby risking the same end as what we find in Ezekiel.¹ This incident here is not a repeat of what we previously read in Chapter 9:32. In the former incident the demon-possessed were not blind. However, the outright dismissal of the miracle by the Pharisees was the same.

On this occasion Christ felt the necessity to give an exposition on the subject. One thing the devil cannot do is expel his own demons, anymore than he can save himself. Unfortunately, while we know of no civil war going on in the kingdom of darkness which threatens the devil’s authority and dominion over evil, there has been occasional wars in the kingdom of light here on earth where Christ’s authority and dominion over sin and righteousness have been challenged.

What Jesus said would happen to the devil’s kingdom should there be fighting amongst themselves, is true for heaven’s kingdom as well. As the old saying goes about wisdom: “What is good for the goose is good for the gander.” And why shouldn’t the people believe that Jesus was the Anointed One. Did not Isaiah say, “The deaf will hear the words in the book. The blind will see through the darkness and fog. The Lord will make poor people happy. The poorest people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel?”²

Having just been embarrassed by our Lord, you would think that the Pharisees might reconsider and start examining the Scriptures to prove that He was the Messiah instead of looking for ways to disprove His claims. But their hearts were like that of Pharaoh. Even after all the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron in God’s name, he still would not believe. Look at all the good Jesus was doing! Look at all the people He helped and gave hope to! Look at the lives He changed through healing! Why wouldn’t they open their hearts to the light standing before them. Just like Pharaoh, the door to their hearts was too rusty from long periods of non-use and neglect.

So again they turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the wonders that Jesus is doing to glorify His Father in heaven. So they reach for the same lame explanation they used before about His using the power of the evil one to do His miracles.³ But despite of their stubbornness, they could not deny the miracle that just took place. So their effort here was to deprive our Lord of any recognition that He had such power. To do that, they naturally turned to attributing it to works of magic, which were often attributed to the power of Beelzebub. We find in Jewish writings that this denouncement of Jesus continued long after our Lord ascended into heaven.

One Jewish rumor that found its way into print comes from what one Rabbi was telling everyone: “Now, did not Ben Stada perform magic in this manner?” They said to them, 'Just because of one fool should we make all intelligent folk liable?”⁴ Later, another Rabbi asked: “Did not Jesus (using the code name Ben Stada) bring witchcraft up from Egypt by means of marks on his flesh? He was a fool, answered they. and you cannot offer as evidence what you gather from fools.”⁵ In an earlier edition of the Talmud we find this exchange: “Was he then the son of Stada the adulterer? surely he was the son of Pandira the virgin - Said Rabbi Hisda: The husband was Stada, the paramour was Pandira. But the husband was Pappos ben Judah? — His mother was Stada, an adultress. But his mother was Miriam the hairdresser? — It is as we say in Pumbeditha: 'This one has been unfaithful to her husband'.”⁶ When looking at all this jabber, it is clear these Rabbis made a self-fulfilling prophecy when they said, “You cannot present evidence gathered from fools.”

While their words are surely cryptic, it was the argument that Mary had been intimate with an adulterer and Joseph tried to cover it up with his story of an angel telling him that the child was the result of the Holy Spirit. But it shows how critics continued trying to destroy any evidence that might support Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. Would it not be noteworthy to stop and contemplate at this point that the critics and skeptics who argued that the story of Jesus was just an allegory, or at best an hyperbole about someone who pretended to be the Messiah, would continue to discuss and debate such nonsense years and years after He disappeared into the sky? Once you prove something is wrong, you don't keep on arguing over it.

Also, their choice of Beelzebub was not that unusual. One Jewish commentator stated: “Solomon, having departed from the words of the Law in the pride of his heart, was dethroned by Ashmodai, king of the demons.”⁷ In fact, in the Chaldean paraphrase of this scripture it reads: “When King Solomon was sitting upon the throne of his kingdom, his heart became elated with riches, and he transgressed the word of God; and he gathered many horses and chariots and riders, and he amassed much gold and silver, and he married wives from foreign nations. Whereupon the anger of the Lord was kindled against him, and He sent to him Ashmodai, the king of the demons, and he drove him from the throne of his kingdom.”⁸ Ashmodai (also Asmodeus) was the Greek name of a prince of demons. Jews believed that Beelzebub, also a prince, united the demonic kingdom and became the crown prince under Lucifer. As a matter of fact, a classification system was developed based on the Seven Deadly Sins that listed Ashmodai as the demon of lust.⁹

The recognition of demonic power by the Jews was legendary. One Rabbi claimed to have spoken to them: “Rabbi Joseph said: 'The demon Joseph told me that Ashmedai the king of the demons is appointed over all those who drink in pairs,’ and a king is not designated a harmful spirit since it is beneath his dignity to cause harm. Others explain it in the opposite sense: On the contrary, a king is quick-tempered and does whatever he wishes, for a king can break through a wall to make a pathway for himself and none can keep him from doing so.”¹⁰ This may explain why the Jews were willing to attribute the good deeds of Jesus to Beelzebub, since, although they were demonically inspired, they caused no harm. They also believed that there were three hundred kinds of demons, and they were divided into males and females.¹¹

Jews also referred to “the God of this world” as being the one who poisons all within and was the one who came to tempt Adam and Eve. They gave his name as, “Samael,”¹² which means “God's Poison.” They also call him the “angel of darkness, the great transgressor.”¹³ In a story by German Jews he is referred to as: “Fürst des Feindes” or “Prince of Enemies.”¹⁴ Also, Rabbis call him, “Prince of Gehenna.” Meaning, he was the demon prince in charge of this burning dump who voraciously demanded multitudes of victims.¹⁵ And Jewish messianic writers called him the angel “Duma,” the ruler of hell.¹⁶ I mentioned all of these because Jesus was fully aware of their belief in the hierarchy of demonic power under Satan's rule. We see this in His ensuing answer.

At this point we can clearly see a principle used and a method applied by those in Jesus's day, and continuing until this day, and that is to try and hide one's own disbelief and unwillingness to accept reality and truth by offering a distraction, and claiming that the person involved is not really doing what they say they are doing by the method they claim to be using. We often hear this argument by those who attempt to prove that magicians and mentalists are not really using magic – which does not exist, but are employing deception. Since many of Jesus' critics accused Him of being a magician, we can see why they took this path in their opposition to His miracles.

Verse 25: Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking. So He said to them, 'Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. And every city or family that is divided against itself will not survive.”

Out of this there comes one clear concept about the kingdom of Satan: although he and all his demons are wicked, evil and destructive, they don't fight each other. Unfortunately, we can't say the same about man's version of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. The demonic kingdom is one of cooperation and harmony in carrying out their evil mission. Therefore, it makes no sense for the devil to approve the casting out one of his own demonic princes who is doing a good job. This does not mean that Jesus was agreeing that this man had a demon who caused blindness and muteness, He was only pointing out that when confronted with such an illness even if it was caused by demonic power, Satan would not cure the man by getting rid of the demonic cause. Therefore, since Jesus did cure him, it was obvious that the devil did not have enough power to resist.

To point out His facts, Jesus parallels the inward workings of the kingdom of Satan in contrast with those of human kingdoms, where citizens have issues with their magistrates and as a result one tries to ousts the other. Likewise in large families, where the heads of different branches quarrel, fight and argue with each others so as to divide and conquer and thus become the matriarch or patriarch of the family. This the Jews were very familiar with. Even the schools founded by leading Rabbis tried to supplant one another in the minds of the people by claiming one as superior over the others. We see this illustrated in a vignette recorded in Jewish literature:

It happened with these four elders: Rabban¹⁷ Gamaliel, Rabbi Jehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, and Rabbi Aqiba, who went to the interior cities of Rome, in one of which there lived a friend of theirs, a philosopher – Rabbi Jehoshua asked Rabban Gamaliel if he would like to go and see their friend the philosopher, and he answered he would not. On the next morning, however, he asked him again, and he said he would. They then went, and Rabbi Jehoshua knocked at the door of the philosopher, and at once the philosopher concluded that this knock was in the manner of a wise man. When he knocked again, the philosopher arose and washed his face, hands, and feet. When he knocked the third time, the philosopher opened the door, and saw that the sages of Israel were coming from both sides of the street; namely, Rabban Gamaliel in the center, Rabbi Jehoshua and Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah to his right, and Rabbi Aqiba to his left, and the philosopher was somewhat puzzled as to the manner in which to greet them. He said to himself: “Whom of the sages shall I greet first? If I greet Rabbi Gamaliel first, I might thereby offend the other sages; and if I should address my greeting to all of them (without naming the one in charge), I will offend Rabban Gamaliel.” He therefore concluded to address them this way: “Peace to you, sages of Israel, and to Rabbi Gamaliel first”.¹⁸

On the other hand, an early church Bishop around 350 AD saw another factor here that would certainly connect these Jewish opponents of Jesus that came from their own history. He writes: “The Lord declared that a kingdom or city or house divided against itself could not stand. This was said in reference to the kingdom that the Jews themselves occupied under the rule of Jeroboam, the servant of Solomon, which was judged as abandoned before being divided. The Jews would lose entirely the city of Jerusalem, to which Samaria had been hostile. They would lose the dwelling place of God’s temple against which golden calves and the house of idols had been erected. He showed them that they ought rather to follow that kingdom that cannot be divided—that is, the heavenly and eternal one. The spiritual city of Jerusalem always remains fixed and immovable. No hostile power ever has been or will be able to overcome the true house of God. That house which is protected by the Son of God is quite safe.”¹⁹

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWELVE

Part II (Con’t)

As far as the sudden departure of Jesus is concerned, Early Church theologian, Origen, has some interesting thoughts on this as well. He writes: “Jesus withdraws, not fearing their judgment but to dispel evil. And, lest anyone should suppose that it was through fear that He had withdrawn, Jesus healed everyone, displaying His almighty power. But, as one who does what is fitting, without pride, He sent them away, telling them not to publicize this.”¹ This is a clear example of our Lord’s foreknowledge because He knew that the only physical battle He was ever going to fight would begin with His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

So until then, Jesus only wanted to go where those who believed would follow, and those who hung around just to protest what Jesus was saying and doing would not consider it worth their effort to go along. This way He would be able to teach those who were interested without these unnecessary interruptions that may also put doubt in their minds.

Bishop Hilary believes Jesus had another reason for ordering silence about the healings. He writes: “He ordered those whom He healed to be silent. Was it silence about the healing that He ordered? Not at all. For the salvation that was given to each one was its own testimony. But by ordering it to be kept secret Jesus also shunned boasting about Himself. It was better that knowledge of Him remains in Himself. So He admonished them to remain silent about Him. The observance of silence springs from that about which one must keep silent.”² It may not have been so much the boasting about Jesus as the One who healed them that bothered our Lord, but that such boasting would lead to His finding it harder and harder to carry out His ministry based on faith in the power of God, rather than based on His personality.

For Matthew, he finds the answer in the words in Isaiah. Chrysostom gives us this as part of his explanation: “For so great was the accuracy of the prophets that they did not omit even these little matters. But they foretold His travels, changes of place and the intent with which He would act, that we might learn that they spoke by the Spirit. If human secrets cannot be easily discerned, how much more difficult it is to discern Christ’s purpose, except when the Spirit reveals it to us.”⁵

One Rabbi, who was well-known for his interpretation scriptures related to the Messiah, said this: “Many Jewish commentators agree that this passage [in Isaiah] refers to the Messiah. One Targum paraphrases it: ‘Behold my Servant, the Messiah, I will draw Him near, my chosen one in whom I am pleased to put my Word.”⁶ In fact, another Targum renders it this way: “Behold, my servant, the Messiah, whom I bring, my chosen in whom one delights: as for my Word, I will put my Holy Spirit upon Him; He shall reveal my judgments unto the nations”.⁷ But some Jewish commentators disagree.

For instance, the venerable Rabbi Rashi says: “My chosen one: Israel is called ‘My chosen one’ in some manuscripts. ‘His chosen one’ in Psalm 135:4. For the Eternal chose Jacob for Himself. Scripture states also: ‘For the sake of My servant Jacob and Israel My chosen one.”⁸”⁹ This is in harmony with Jewish Wisdom Literature where it reads: “The salvation of the Lord is upon Israel his servant forever.”¹⁰ Also, “See, O Lord, and raise up for them their king, the son of David, at the time which you chose, O God, to rule over Israel your servant.”¹¹ However, they have a hard time aligning Jacob’s (Israel’s) life and exploits with the words of this endorsement.

When comparing the original Hebrew of Isaiah with the Greek from which we get the English version here,¹² we find differences simply because of language translation. But there is no doubt that this is the part of Isaiah that Matthew was quoting. As a matter of fact, the earliest translation from Hebrew into Greek by Jewish translators reads this way: “Jacob is my servant, I will help him: Israel is my chosen, my soul has accepted him.”¹³ In one of the earliest translations from the Aramaic version in the 2^nd century AD we have: “Behold, I have relied on My servant and in your heart My soul is fulfilled,”¹⁴ Then in the Jewish paraphrase of Isaiah the first line reads: “Behold, my servant, the Messiah, whom I bring, my chosen in whom one delights.”¹⁵ In the standard Jewish version we find: “This is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one, in whom I delight.”¹⁶ And in a Jewish version of today, this line is rendered: “Here is my servant, whom I support, my chosen one, in whom I take pleasure.”¹⁷

When it comes to being heard by the crowds, one Early Church bishop finds what he feels may be the answer in the line: “nor will anyone hear His voice in the street.” Says Apollinaris: “Those who teach in the streets do this, not for the sake of helping anyone but out of egotism and to deceive the gullible. The result of this is that everyone views them with suspicion and they fail to reach the goal of their teaching. Thus the Savior taught us these lessons not only by word. His way of life also taught us not to scream nor to show off but to lead a public life in respect to virtuous actions. For a talkative disposition would be most harmful for us. It is the opposite that is most useful and beneficial.”¹⁸

Then another early church leader adds this to the same thought: “Jesus did not eagerly contend with the folly of the rulers, nor did He scream and provoke them to anger against Himself. Rather, with gentleness Jesus withdrew slowly so that He might not, in confuting them, cause them to be destroyed while they were still weak in soul like ‘a bruised reed’ or like ‘smoking flax,’ that is, very close to being snuffed out. He bore with them patiently, so as not to reduce them to utter oblivion on account of their weakness, until He had fulfilled the purpose of His dispensation,that is, to bring judgment to a full end. By this dispensation all the nations would come to believe.”¹⁹

But this was meant for that particular time and season in history. Jesus knew that the day would come when His name would be on the lips of billions of believers around the world; that they would attribute all such miracles of healing to Him and perform many of them through the power of the Spirit in His name. So all along the Son of God saw far into the future, and sometimes the things He did and things He said were somewhat confusing to His audience in those days of long ago.

So there can be no doubt that Matthew had the same impression that this belonged to the Messiah who he identified as Jesus of Nazareth. So let’s look at what Isaiah said about people not seeing the Messiah run in fear nor hear Him screaming and hollering on a street corner for people to listen to Him in order to gain attention, honor, applause or notoriety. Either the Ethiopian version is corrupt or the English translation inaccurate by reading: “No man shall hear His voice in the synagogues” because His voice was often heard there.

Then we have: He will not be violent or destructive, forcing people to believe under duress. This is clearly seen in the metaphor of the reed and lamp. The crushed reed represents people who are broken in spirit because things have not turned out the way they had hoped when He said He was the Messiah, and the flickering flame represents those who have almost given up hope, perhaps after He was crucified and not seen for three days. That is because He knows that after He rises from death their spirits and hopes will be revived.

Matthew and the followers of Jesus were not fooled by the Pharisees rejection of Jesus as God’s Son and the long expected Messiah. They had seen Him respond to such criticism before. As one 19^th Century commentator put it, these words of Isaiah about the Messiah were …amply fulfilled in the gentle, lowly, condescending and beneficent nature of Christ’s miracles and personal ministry, His perseverance in the midst of opposition, without engaging in contentious disputation, and His kind and tender dealing with weak and tempted believers.²⁰

So the Pharisees and other religious leaders were in a quandary. The more they confronted Him the more they were embarrassed by His words and authority over nature, sin and death. Unfortunately, they chose to belittle Him rather than believe Him. And as antagonists, since they could not silence Him with words, they were forced to use weapons. However, there was more for His distractors to learn, so by the will of the Father and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the right occasions transpired.

Verse 22: Then some people brought a man to Jesus. This man was blind and could not talk, because it was believed he had a demon inside him. Jesus healed the man, and he could talk and see.

From this description given here it appears that the man was born with serious birth defects. As a matter of fact, one Jewish Rabbi mentions one man who could neither hear nor speak as being so in his mother’s womb.²¹ In the case given here, the man was both blind and mute, but apparently could hear. It is noteworthy that Jesus did not speak to a demon or say “come out.” Therefore, we might conclude the statement: “he had a demon,” was the general perception of the people or a conclusion drawn by Matthew. In any case, whatever Jesus did, the man was instantly healed.

The anonymous author of the incomplete work on Matthew had this comment: “When Jesus left the synagogue … then the whole world was offered to Him in one man. He was a blind, mute man who neither saw nor spoke. Symbolically he neither recognized his Maker nor gave thanks to Him. What was visibly done in the case of one man therefore could be understood to have significance for everyone. For really, if the Lord had not bypassed Judea, all the Gentiles would still be blind and mute in the power of the devil.”²²

Verse 23: All the people were stunned at what Jesus did. They said, “Maybe He is the promised Son of David!”

This amazement may not only have to do with what they saw, but that this man named Jesus of Nazareth did it! One Jewish Rabbi recalls this story: “One should not presume that their Messianic king can work miracles and wonders, bring about new phenomena in the world, resurrect the dead, or perform other similar deeds. This is definitely not true. Proof of this can be seen in from the fact that Rabbi Akiva, one of the greater Sages of the Mishnah, was one of the supporters of King Bar Kozibah and would describe him as the Messianic king. He and all the Sages of his generation considered him to be the Messianic king until he was killed because of his sins. Once he was killed, they realized that he was not the Messiah. The Sages had failed to ask him for any signs or wonders.”²³

What this Rabbi is saying is that for some people they are ready to accept a man claiming to be the Messiah without any miracle working powers, as did Rabbi Akiva. So we can see that Jesus was ready to remove all doubt as to who He really was. But it also seems to have sparked such disbelief in the Pharisees that saw it, they tried to cover their unbelief with a concocted alibi that put the burden on Jesus, not on them.

The same anonymous writer mentioned above, goes on to give this commentary: “How precise Matthew was in saying ‘they were stunned,’ because they did not yet know who Jesus was. No one can really judge another’s work unless one understands the character of the one who is performing the work. For example, if a student of some master teacher creates a great work, we marvel because the student who was appointed such a task by him could accomplish it. But if the master teacher himself has done it, we are not very amazed. For what is the great accomplishment, that a highly trained master created a great work? So whatever deeds God has done, does not mean that is all He can do. For that reason, when the Son of God does a miracle, we should not be astonished. Do you want to know why they did not recognize Him and so were astounded? Hear what they say: ‘Can this be the Son of David?’ If they had recognized Him rightly, they would not have merely said, “This is the Son of David.” They would have said, “This is truly the Son of God.”²⁴

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWELVE

Part II

Verse 11: Jesus asked them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a ditch on the Sabbath, will you not grab hold of that sheep and help it out of the ditch?”

It isn’t that Jesus didn’t know the answer, but that He wanted to force them to acknowledge the obvious. A Greek philosopher once remarked: “Necessity is the true creator, it is the mother of invention.”¹ Jesus was using the same philosophy by pointing out that although the Jews knew about the Sabbath restrictions, sometimes intellectual necessity would overrule their religious objection.

Jesus, as well as the Pharisees, no doubt already knew what verbal tradition said on this subject as laid out by their Rabbis: “The following rules apply when an animal falls into a cistern or into a water conduit from which it cannot climb out on its own: If one can supply it with its needs while it is there, one should do so until Saturday night. If not, one may bring cushions and blankets and place them beneath it. If this enables the animal to climb, there is no difficulty…Regardless of the circumstances, it is forbidden to lift the animal up by one’s hands.”²

However, Jewish scholars tell us that by the time Jesus came there are authorities who were more lenient and maintained that even the prohibition of lifting the animal out of the cistern or hole is waved because of the animal’s suffering. He goes on to say: “Then later authorities ruled that one may rely on this lenient decision in a situation where a great loss will be incurred. Moreover, they add that all agree that one may instruct a Gentile to lift the animal from the cistern.”³ The look on the faces of the Pharisees and their lack of retort told Jesus that the Pharisees got the point of His question, so now He makes His point by answering.

Verse 12: Surely a human is more important than a sheep. So it is only right to do good for them on the Sabbath.

This certainly concurred with what the Rabbis spoke of for centuries. It was taught that when the possibility of danger to human life existed, the laws of the Sabbath were suspended. When a person fell ill, it was stated clearly: “One may warm water for a sick person on the Sabbath, both for the purpose of giving him a drink or of refreshing him, and not only for one Sabbath did they rule thus, but also for the following one. Nor do we say: Let us wait, because perchance he will get well, but we warm the water for him immediately, because the possibility of danger to human life renders inoperative the laws of the Sabbath.”⁴

You would think that over the centuries with millions of people turning to Jesus as their Messiah and Savior, critics would not be as harsh or closed minded. But that has not been the case in many areas. One polemic writer in the Middle Ages had many reasons to find fault with Jesus reasoning that is exhibited in the previous twelve verses. He says: “What sort of answer is this that Jesus gave the Pharisees? If David behaved improperly, this does not give them the right to pluck those ears of corn on the Sabbath. Furthermore, if priests perform services in the Temple both on weekdays and on the Sabbath as they are commanded to do, how does this permit Jesus’ disciples to desecrate the Sabbath by plucking ears of corn? As for His statement, ‘I wish mercy and not sacrifice,’ i.e., that He does not want any sacrifices, how does this square with His command to the leper whom He cured to bring a sacrifice in accordance with the commandment given to all lepers in the Torah which was revealed of old? And as for His statement, ‘What man is there among you that has one sheep etc.,’ this is a lie. All people know that Jews are not permitted to lift any animals on the Sabbath either from a well or from a ditch. Why, then, did He answer the way He did? By saying this He was actually permitting work on the Sabbath.”⁵ Apparently this critic forgot that Jesus was pointing out the inconsistencies on the part of the Jews, not on the part of His own disciples. In other words, He was telling them to clean up their act before they found fault with what He was doing.

There was this well-known Jewish story that went around concerning one of their most revered Rabbis: “It was reported about Hillel the Elder that every day he used to work and earn a small sum, half of which he would give to the guard at the synagogue, the other half being spent for his food and for that of his family. One day he found no employment, and the guard at the synagogue would not permit him to enter. So he climbed up and sat in the open window to hear the words of the living God from the mouth of those teaching that day. They say, that day was the eve of Sabbath in the winter solstice and snow fell down while he sat there. When dawn came, one of the teachers said to the other, every day this house is light and today it is dark, is it perhaps a cloudy day. They looked up and saw the figure of a man in the window opening. They went up and found Hillel covered by three feet of snow. They took him down, bathed and anointed him and placed him next to the fire and said: This man deserves that the Sabbath be profaned on his behalf.”⁶ So the Master had taken a cue from His critics who were trying to set Him up for a fall, and turned it around so that now it was their turn to decide if it was proper to heal on the Sabbath.

Verse 13: Then Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it became well again just like his other hand.

With a change of venue from the open fields to the confines of the synagogue. By doing so, our Lord had been given an opportunity to show that He was without doubt the Jewish Messiah everyone was waiting for. Medical science tells us that when a hand is immobile for an extended period of time the muscles begin to lose mass and power. These symptoms are indicative of hand atrophy. The condition is common when a fracture of the hand or wrist requires casting. Joint problems, such as arthritis, in which normal movements become painful can also bring about hand atrophy. That this man with the withered hand suddenly appearing out of nowhere shows that Jesus was obviously aware of the trickery planned by His opponents. So as soon as they asked their baited question about the lawfulness of healing on the Sabbath, Jesus had a loaded answer for them. As we also see, Jesus thwarted their efforts to accuse Him of working on the Sabbath by speaking to the man, not touching him.

This is what we call today, argumentum ad hominem. They had been pointing at Jesus, and now it was His turn to point at them. His point is quite simple. He was comparing His potential healing of this man on the Sabbath with what they would do if they found an animal in stress. No more than they would leave that sheep that had fallen into a hole where it could not extract itself, neither would He leave this man with the withered hand to spend the rest of his life handicapped. This was in the spirit of the law which did not contain any Sabbath restrictions.⁷ It was the humane thing to do. So if they could accept that, why couldn’t they accept the healing of this man. As the Pharisees stood there dumbfounded, Jesus healed the man without even touching him. So He did not defile the Sabbath after all, because they would be hard pressed calling that “work.” And if they did, they’d have to count it as the work of God, and they were not about to accuse God of breaking the Sabbath. As the healed man left the Pharisees huddled together in order to find some way to save face. We don’t know what they said, but Matthew apparently found out that it was a vow to kill this prophet from Galilee in order to solidify their religious authority.

Verse 14: So the Pharisees left and made plans to kill Jesus.

This shows clearly the close-mindedness and hypocrisy of the Pharisees in rejecting the truth of Jesus’ ministry. Today there are many Pharisaical people in this world who are equally defensive when it comes to having their traditional Christian ideas and customs challenged. You hear it over and over again in their objections: “We’ve never done it that way before,” or “It wasn’t done that way when I was young.” In this case, it wasn’t what any man had done but what God did through His Son.

Early Church father Jerome had this to say about what happened here. He writes: “Envy is responsible for the fact that they set a trap for our Lord. What had He done to incite the Pharisees to kill Him? Certainly it was because the man had stretched out his hand. Who of the Pharisees did not stretch out his hand on the sabbath day when he was carrying food, when he was offering a drinking cup or performing the other actions that are necessary for nourishment? So if stretching forth one’s hand and lifting up food or drink on the sabbath are not offenses, why should they make this accusation? They themselves are found guilty of doing the same, especially since that stone-cutter⁸ had not carried anything like food or drinking cups like they had but had only stretched out his hand at the order of our Lord.”⁹

And Chrysostom offers this in one of his sermons: “By this Jesus makes clear that deluded souls are not even persuaded by miracles. And He shows how His disciples also had been wrongly blamed by them without cause. Note how fierce His detractors have suddenly grown, and this happens especially when they see others benefiting from His ministry! When they see someone delivered either from disease or iniquity, then that immediately alerts them to find more fault. According to this pattern they repeatedly demeaned Him, as when He was about to save the prostitute, and again when He was eating with publicans, and now again, when they saw the withered hand restored. Note carefully how He does not cease in His tender care for the infirm yet softens the envy of His adversaries. Hence ‘great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all; and He charged those that were healed that they should not tell anyone.’ But the multitudes seemed more ready to admire Him and trail after Him than to change their decadent ways.”¹⁰

Verse 15-21: Jesus knew what the Pharisees were planning. So He left that place, and many people followed Him and He healed all who were sick. But then He warned them not to tell others who He was. This was to give full meaning to what Isaiah the prophet said when he spoke for God:

‘Behold my servant
whom I have selected,
My chosen one
with whom my soul is pleased;
I will put my Spirit upon Him,
and He declare justice to the nations.
He will not fear nor will He run
nor will anyone hear His voice in the street.
A crushed reed He will not break
and a flickering flame He will not quench
Until He establishes justice forever,
and in His name the Gentiles hope.”¹¹

No matter what the Pharisees thought, Matthew comes to his own conclusion about what just happened. To him this was another case of a prophecy being fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus to show who He really was. But he did not pick out just some prophetic word that fit his mind or the occasion, but one found in Isaiah that many astute Jewish scholars believed pointed to the Messiah.¹²

I once saw this brainteaser: “What do these words have in common: polish, job, herb?” I knew that one was a liquid, another work, and the third a plant. But other than that they didn’t seem to have any relationship.

Sometimes things in our lives that appear to have no meaning other than what is common to our understanding, can end up altering our whole life with just one modification. For instance, the word “love” is most often understood as: “having the feeling of affection for something or someone.” But in the Bible, love is best defined as: “giving your all for God and others.” Likewise with “hope.” To most it means: “keep wishing for something you’ve been promised.” But in the Bible it is described as: “taking possession of something promised even if you don’t see it yet.” And the word “faith” is most often taken as a synonym for “belief or believing.” But in Scripture it is used to define consistency, steadfastness, and assurance.

So what about polish, job and herb. Well, if you write them this way: Polish – it is an ethnicity; Job – a book in the Bible; and Herb is a man’s name. So look at what words in your life can have a whole different meaning when they go from being common to being proper. Then you’ll notice the difference between man’s word and God’s Word. – Robert R. Seyda

I sat in a Pentecostal Servicemen’s convention in Kaiserslautern, Germany listening to the speaker share about the harvest for souls being so ripe, and the need for more workers in the vineyard. He used the verse in Psalm 142:4 that said: “I look to my right and observe— no one is concerned about me. There is nowhere I can go for refuge, and no one cares for my soul.”
As they passed the offering plate, the Spirit spoke to my spirit and told me to give all I had in my wallet. At first, I was baffled because I planned to be in France for evangelistic work the next day. However, as the plate got closer the voice got stronger, so I quickly pulled out my wallet and emptied it into the plate.
The next day I left for France with an empty wallet. I had filled up the gas tank in my VW the previous morning, so I was praying I’d have enough gas to get there. I didn’t stop to eat because I had no money. Just as I neared the border my brakes screeched as I tried to slow down, telling me my brake pads were worn out. I didn’t want the border guards to hear it so I used my transmission and emergency brake to stop.
As I arrived at the pastor’s house, I looked down at an empty gas tank as I screeched to a halt with worn out brakes. I shared my situation with the pastor who graciously advanced me money to get the brakes fixed. When the revival was over, he gave me a love offering, minus the money for the brakes. It was just enough to fill the gas tank once again.
As I neared the city in Germany for my next revival, my fuel gauge had dropped to below empty. I started praying, Lord help me make it, please help me make it, since my VW got 10 km to a liter and I had 20 km to go. As I pulled into a parking spot near the church my engine died, my gas tank was completely empty. The pastor met me at the door, but I said nothing about my situation.
The next morning as I opened the door to my room, I found a letter attached to the door. I opened the letter. It was from a serviceman stationed in Germany and it went like this: “My wife and I were praying and asking God where we might send our tithes to help the ministry. I saw a copy of the Servicemen’s On Guard Magazine laying on the kitchen table, and in it I saw an article written by you. Right away, the Holy Spirit said, send it to him. However, I didn’t know where you lived so I sent it to the magazine address. I hope you get it.”
When I opened the envelope, there was a check for the exact amount of money I put in the offering plate two weeks earlier. Right then and there my trust and faith in God rose to staggering heights. After that, I never doubted God to meet my needs for preaching the Gospel. You don’t need much faith, just big enough of a seed to be planted, and you will see things you could never see without it. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda