Matthew 12:38-50

38 One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.”

39 But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

41 The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent. 42 The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.

43 When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. 45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.”

46 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 47 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.”

48 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”

Comments

Let’s focus on this teaching about the person delivered from demonic influence. We might be inclined to think that such an event would mark a great cure in such a person’s life (and really, we are all in need of such deliverance to some degree), but Jesus claims it is only the beginning of the healing process, more precisely it is the opportunity for life transformation. A brief space and time are created where the absence of spiritual evil may be replaced with spiritual good. The demonic tenet has been evicted so that the Holy Spirit home owner may move in. But the Holy Spirit moving in is not automatic or guaranteed. A person may still stand outside, aloof, at arm’s length from being Jesus’ disciple. In that case, the former tenet will come back around and find his former dwelling vacant. As Jesus’ mother and brothers show in this passage knowing Jesus really well is no guarantee of discipleship, no guarantee that the Spirit of Jesus has taken up residence in one’s life. Don’t be satisfied with being on the outside, press in and sit at Jesus’ feet and let him fill your life with his presence. What does it mean in practical terms to sit at Jesus’ feet? First and foremost it means to give regular time to his teachings – reading the Gospels is a primary way become and remain his disciple. Which is what this Red Letter Year is all about.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Matthew 12:15-37

15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, 16 but he warned them not to reveal who he was.

17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: 18 “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. 20 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. 21 And his name will be the hope of all the world.”

22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

30 Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. 31 So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

33 A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Comments

The Isaiah quote in today’s reading is very important. It stands as a mid-Gospel summary of everything Matthew has covered so far. Notice the secrecy theme that was so important in Mark reappears here, both in the Isaiah quote and in Jesus warning to his followers. This looks nearly opposite from our present culture’s obsession with self-promotion. Many churches give a lot of attention to branding, packaging, hyping, and creating a cult of personality around the senior pastor. Some churches (especially successful multi-sites) are very good at this and offer training, advice, and materials to help other churches follow suit. But that is not the approach Jesus took. It might be that the way we approach things like this don’t matter, as long as we’re focused on a good result. Or it might be that the way we go about things determines the result we will get, our good intentions notwithstanding.

That last part of today’s passage speaks to this question of approach and results. The results tell you the validity of the approach taken. This might seem to confirm the legitimacy of churches and ministries that attract lots of people, but crowds alone do not tell the tale. The fruit Jesus refers to here is not Sunday morning attendance. The fruit here is the very same fruit Jesus displayed: casting out demons, healing people, promoting justice and holiness. These are the marks of the kingdom of God. They don’t always package well or lend themselves to quick turnarounds for another church service, but they are the fruit of revival and revival beats successful marketing any day.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.