11.10 The quotation is derived from Mal 3.1; see Mt 3.3.
11.11 See Gospel of Thomas 46. Truly I tell you. See note on 5.18. Least in the kingdom. See notes on 5.19; 18.4.
11.12 Has suffered violence, has experienced the suffering and death of John, Jesus, and potentially Jesus’ disciples (see 10.16–23).
11.13 Prophets and the law. See note on 5.17.
11.14 Elijah…to come. See note on 3.4; see also 16.14; 17.10–13.
11.15 Anyone with ears, i.e., to hear deeper meanings (see text note b); see 13.9, 14–16, 43; see also Isa 6.10; Gospel of Thomas 24; 63; 65; 96.
11.16–19 Cf. Lk 7.31–35.
11.16 This generation, a faithless and corrupt one, led by Pharisees; see Introduction; 12.38–45; 16.4; 17.17; 23.29–36; see also Deut 1.35.
11.17 Played the flute…dance, wedding games, i.e., the ministry of Jesus (see 9.15). Wailed…mourn, funeral games, i.e., the ministry of John (see 3.7–12; 9.14).
11.19 Son of Man. See note on 8.20. Eating and drinking. See 9.14–15; cf. John in 3.4. A glutton and a drunkard. Cf. the rebellious son in Deut 21.20. On tax collectors and sinners, see note on 9.10. Jesus seems to be identified with wisdom, although the latter was mythologized as female (see Prov 8–9; Wis 7.22–8.21). Thus her deeds are actually his; see vv. 2, 20–21.
11.20–24 Cf. Lk 10.13–15. The woes derive from Q. See Introduction.
11.20 Deeds. See notes on 11.2;11.19. Repent. See 3.2; 4.17.
11.21 Woe introduces a prophetic oracle of lament or condemnation (see, e.g., Jer 13.27; 48.46; Hos 7.13), here the latter, approximating a curse; see also 18.7; 23.13–36; 26.24; cf. 11.6. Chorazin and Bethsaida were Galilean towns not far from Capernaum; see note on 4.13; 11.23; Jn 1.44. Tyre and Sidon were gentile cities on the Mediterranean coast; see 15.21. Sackcloth, a dark garment of goats’ or camels’ hair (see Gen 37.34; Rev 6.12), and ashes were associated with rites of mourning, fasting, and repentance; see 6.16; Isa 58.5.
11.22 But I tell you. See note on 5.21–48.
11.23 Capernaum. See notes on 4.13; 11.21. Jesus’ words against the city echo Isa 14.13, 15. Hades, Greek equivalent to Hebrew Sheol, realm of the departed dead. Sodom. See notes on 10.15; Tob 13.2.
11.25–27 Cf. Lk 10.21–22.
11.25 Father. See note on 6.9. Lord of heaven and earth. See 5.34–35; 6.10; 28.18; Acts 17.24; note on Tob 7.11–12. Infants, Jesus’ followers; see 21.16 (cf. 21.9); note on 18.6; Gospel of Thomas 4. Will. See 6.10.
11.27 The use of Father and Son without modifiers (see also 24.36) and the theme of mutual knowledge are common in the Gospel of John (see Jn 3.35; 10.14–15; 13.3; 17.25). The Son. See note on 3.17; cf. Gospel of Thomas 61.
11.28–30 Cf. Gospel of Thomas 90.
11.28 Come to me. Personified wisdom speaks similar words in Sir 24.19; 51.23; cf. Mt 11.19. Rest. See Ex 33.14; Ps 95.11; Heb 4.1–11.
11.29 Yoke, a rabbinic metaphor for the difficult but joyous task of obedience to the Torah (see also 23.4; Jer 5.5; Acts 15.10). Humble. See 5.5; 21.5. Rest for your souls. See Jer 6.16; see also Sir 51.23–27.
MATTHEW 12
Plucking Grain on the Sabbath
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” 3He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. 5Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? 6I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
The Man with a Withered Hand
9He left that place and entered their synagogue; 10a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?” so that they might accuse him. 11He said to them, “Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.” 13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
God’s Chosen Servant
15When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowdsa followed him, and he cured all of them, 16and he ordered them not to make him known. 17This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18“Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
20He will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smoldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.
21And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Jesus and Beelzebul
22Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. 23All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” 25He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcistsb cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 29Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. 30Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
A Tree and Its Fruit
33“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. 36I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; 37for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. 41The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! 42The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!
The Return of the Unclean Spirit
&nbs
p; 43“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. 44Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.”
The True Kindred of Jesus
46While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”c 48But to the one who had told him this, Jesusd replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49And 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.”
next chapter
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a Other ancient authorities lack crowds
b Gk sons
c Other ancient authorities lack verse 47
d Gk he
12.1–14 Two stories from Mark show that Jesus, in contrast to the Pharisees, stresses human need over sabbath observance.
12.1–8 Cf. Mk 2.23–28; Lk 6.1–5.
12.1 According to Deut 23.25, it was permissible to pluck heads of grain from a neighbor’s field; see also Lev 19.9–10.
12.2 Pharisees. See note on 3.7. It was not lawful to harvest grain on the sabbath; Ex 20.10; 34.21; cf. Deut 5.14.
12.3 Have you not read, i.e., with understanding; a rebuke, not an inquiry; see also v. 5; 19.4;21.16, 42; 22.31. On Jesus’ literacy, cf. Lk 4.16. What David did. See 1 Sam 21.1–6.
12.4 The bread of the Presence, twelve consecrated loaves set out in the temple and replaced weekly; see Lev 24.5–9.
12.5 Priests…break the sabbath; priests perform duties even on the sabbath; see Num 28.9–10.
12.6 I tell you. See note on 5.18. Something greater than the temple, either Jesus himself or the kingdom of God; see note on 4.17.
12.7 I desire mercy and not sacrifice, Hos 6.6, quoted also in 9.13. Mercy is more important than sacrifices; and sacrifices are more important than sabbath observance (the implication of v. 5); thus, mercy is greater than the sabbath.
12.8 Mark’s sharp sabbath critique is omitted (cf. Mk 2.27). Son of Man. See note on 8.20.
12.9–14 Cf. Mk 3.1–6; Lk 6.6–11.
12.9 Their synagogue, the Pharisees’ see note on 3.7.
12.10 Is it lawful. Later Israelite law allowed breaking the sabbath law in cases of immediate danger to life, but the specifics were debated.
12.11 Cf. Lk 14.5. See Ex 23.5; Deut 22.4 for helping animals. However, if an animal fell into a pit on the sabbath, the sabbath law took precedence. The animal could be fed or, as later rabbis said, devices could be set up to assist it in climbing out, but one should not lift it out; similarly Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Document (CD) 11.13–14.
12.12 How much more. See note on 6.26.
12.13 Stretch out your hand. See note on 8.3; see also 1 Kings 13.1–10.
12.14 Pharisees…conspired. The author omits “with the Herodians” (Mk 3.6); cf. notes on 2.22; 3.7.
12.15–21 Cf. Mk 3.7–12; Lk 6.17–19.
12.15 A summary of Jesus’ healing ministry; see note on 4.23–25.
12.16 See note on 8.4.
12.17–21 The ninth formula quotation (see note on 1.22–23). Isa 42.1–4 is here freely rendered from Hebrew, emphasizing major themes in Matthew.
12.18 My beloved. See 3.17; 17.5.
12.19 Not wrangle. See 26.63; 27.12.
12.20 Not break a bruised reed. See 11.29; 21.5.
12.21 Gentiles will hope. See 28.19.
12.22–32 Cf. Mk 3.22–29; Lk 11.14–23;12.10.
12.22–24 See note on 9.32–34.
12.23 Crowds. See note on 4.25. Son of David. See note on 9.27.
12.24 Beelzebul. See notes on 9.34; 10.25.
12.27 Exorcists. See text note a; cf. “exorcists” and “sons” in Acts 19.13–14. Cf. also 7.22; the author omits Mk 9.38.
12.28 The kingdom of God. See note on 4.17.
12.29 See Isa 49.24; Gospel of Thomas 35. The strong man, Satan, is overcome by one even stronger. Jesus’ exorcisms are seen as evidence of this victory. Tying up (binding), a common way to thwart demons; see 16.19; Rev 20.2.
12.31–32 See Gospel of Thomas 44; Didache 11.7. Blasphemy against the Spirit, i.e., attributing Jesus’ Spirit derived power to Satan (see note on 9.3). Son of Man, Jesus (see note on 8.20).
12.33–37 Cf. Lk 6.43–45. Warnings to the Pharisees; see Gospel of Thomas 45.
12.33 Good, bad. See notes on 3.12; 5.45; 7.17. See Ignatius Ephesians 14.2
12.34 Brood of vipers. See 3.7;23.33. Heart. See note on 5.8. Mouth. See 15.11, 18.
12.36 Every careless word. See 5.21–25.
12.38–42 Cf. Mk 8.11–12; Lk 11.16, 29–32. See Didache 11.7–11.
12.38 Teacher. See note on 8.19.
12.39 An evil and adulterous generation. See note on 11.16; 16.4. Adultery (cf. 5.27–30) was a prophetic metaphor for infidelity to God; see Isa 57.3–13; Hos 3.1. The author provides two interpretations of the sign of the prophet Jonah: Jesus’ death and resurrection (12.40; see Jon 1.17–2.10) and Jesus’ preaching of repentance (12.41; see 3.2; 4.17; also Lk 11.30–32; Jon 3.4–10).
12.40 Three. See note on 1.2–6a.
12.42 The queen of the South, the queen of Sheba; see 1 Kings 10.1–13; 2 Chr 9.1–12. According to Israelite interpretations of 1 Kings 4.29–34, the wisdom of Solomon included magic.
12.43–45 Cf. Lk 11.24–26.
12.43 Unclean spirit, a demon. Waterless regions, favored haunts of demons; see note on 8.32.
12.44 My house, the person within whom the demond wells; see vv. 28–29.
12.45 This evil generation. See notes on 11.16; 12.39. Seven, a favorite number of the author; cf. 15.34, 36, 37; 16.10; 18.21, 22; 22.25, 28; see also seven parables in ch. 13 and seven woes against the Pharisees in ch. 23; see note on 18.21–22.
12.46–50 Cf. Mk 3.31–35; Lk 8.19–21.
12.46 On Jesus’ mother and…brothers, see 1.18–25; 13.55. Outside. In Mark, the setting for this scene is inside Jesus’ house (see 13.1; Mk 3.19).
12.49 Disciples (see note on 5.1)—those who do the will of God (12.50)—are Jesus’ true kin; see 10.34–39; 23.9.
12.50 Whoever. The circle of the twelve disciples is widened. The will of my Father. See note on 6.10.
MATTHEW 13
The Parable of the Sower
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with earsa listen!”
The Purpose of the Parables
10Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secretsb of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ 14With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
‘You will indeed listen, but never understand,
15For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.’
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.c 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat
24He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
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