Verse by Verse

43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.

44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

My commentaries pretty much take one of two views of this passage. Gaebelein is typical of those who think “this wicked generation” refers to Israel in general and that the fulfillment of the Lord’s words will occur during the Tribulation.

Generation is certainly to be understood in the sense of race. The unclean spirit is idolatry. It had left the nation, and even now the nation is swept from that evil spirit and unoccupied, and boasts of reform. It will not be so forever. The unclean spirit will return and bring seven others with him and take possession of that house again, and the last condition, the end, becomes worse than the beginning. The return of the unclean spirit with its seven companions will take place during the great tribulation. — Gaebelein, pages 256-257.

Pentecost agrees that idolatry is the issue, but thinks the Lord’s words referred to the generation of Israel that was around when the Lord was on earth. I lean toward this view, because the true Israel will be saved during the tribulation, but I’m not certain.

As compared with the other nations of the world, Israel was like a house from which the demon of idolatry had gone out with all his attendants — really the “Beel-Zibbul” whom they dreaded. And then the house had been swept of all the foulness and uncleanness of idolatry, and garnished with all manner of Pharisaic adornments. Yet all this while the house was left empty; God was not there; the Stronger One, Who alone could have resisted the Strong One, held not rule in it. And so the demon returned to it again, to find the house whence he had come out, swept and garnished indeed — but also empty and defenseless. The folly of Israel lay in this, that they thought of only one demon — him of idolatry — Beel-Zibbul, with all his foulness. That was all very repulsive, and they had carefully removed it. But they knew that demons were only manifestations of demoniac power, and that there was a kingdom of evil. So this house, swept of the foulness of heathenism and adorned with all the self-righteousness of Pharisaism, but empty of God, would only become a more suitable and more secure habitation of Satan; because, from its cleanness and beauty, his presence and rule there as an evil spirit would not be suspected. So, to continue the illustrative language of Christ, he came back “with seven other spirits more wicked than himself” — pride, self-righteousness, unbelief, and the like, the number seven being general — and thus the last state — Israel without the foulness of gross idolatry and garnished with all the adornments of Pharisaic devotion to the study and practice of the Law — was really worse than had been the first with all its open repulsiveness. — Pentecost, pages 209-210.

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

adulterous (v.29) — unfaithful (to God)

great fish (v.40) = lit. “great sea monster” — In Jonah 1:17, the creature is referred to as a “great fish.”

Queen of the South (v.42) — Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10)

They were not really prepared to receive a sign. If they had been, the casting out of the demons was in itself sufficient to have proved His cooperation with the Spirit of God, as He had declared. Thus when a sufficient sign had been given they had refused it by attempting to account for it in the most terrible way. Yet these men, already hardened against convincing signs, asked for one; and the asking was satirical, the asking of men who were not prepared to accept as sufficient any sign He could give, because of their personal hatred of Him. That is exactly what He meant when He declared in words of the sternest, “Ye generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Their use of the word “Teacher” was in itself an insult, as they refused to accept Him or His teaching. — Morgan, page 133

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While refusing a sign He promised a sign; and thus in the presence of their malicious hostility foretold the new opportunity which would be created for them by the carrying out to completeness of His divine work in the world. His purpose was that of saving and redeeming. Therefore He refused the sign they asked, which would have had no effect; and promised them the only sign that could by any means arrest and constrain them, that namely of His own resurrection from the dead after their malice had encompassed that death. The giving of that sign would afford them a new and final opportunity.

They knew how Jonah had been a sign to Nineveh in its sin by virtue of the fact that he had appeared in the city a preacher of Jehovah, after he had been cast out to death. That is the only possible solution of the words of the King here, for in that is the only parallel between Jonah and Jesus. — Morgan, page 134

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Thus less enlightened people [Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba] had obeyed less enlightening preaching and teaching; and in that fact the patent condemnation of those to whom He spoke, and who were to receive His final sign was declared. — Morgan, page 135

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Say that you know the tree is corrupt because its fruit is corrupt; or dare to say that the tree is good, because its fruit is good. There is in these words the touch of a great pity, of a great desire to help these men. He appealed to them not to attribute good fruit to a corrupt tree. That is what they were doing. They said that the good result, of a man freed from demon possession, was wrought by Satan. He appealed to them to be consistent; to believe on Him for the very works’ sake.

Then finally He uttered the most awe-inspiring words of all; “Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?” The severity of that consists in His evident pity for them. It seems as if even the hopeful spirit of Christ was almost hopeless about these men. He said, How can ye speak a true thing? How can ye say the tree is good because its fruit is good? How can you tell the truth? You are the offspring of vipers; you are morally degenerate; you have lost your moral discrimination. — Morgan, page 132.

In short, Christ was pointing out the evilness of their accusation that His good miracles were done in the power of Satan.

In contrast, since they acted in the power of Satan, nothing they produced could possibly be good.

The idle words the Lord referred to were their words about Him. Their words indicated that they rejected Christ and attributed His power to Satan. For those words, they would be judged. From this point on, Christ’s words and actions demonstrate that He considered the nation of Israel to have rejected Him.

31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

There are several interpretations of these verses. Some commentaries attempt to apply the passage to people today and say the sin against the Holy Spirit is not trusting Christ for salvation. Walvoord takes a view very like this:

There has been much misunderstanding about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Here it is properly defined as attributing to Satan what is accomplished by the power of God. Such a sin is not unpardonable in itself, but rather because it rejects the person and work of the Holy Spirit, without whom repentance and restoration are impossible. As far as it applies today, it is not the thought that one seeking pardon will not find it, but rather that one who rejects the Holy Spirit will not seek pardon.  — Walvoord, page 89

That seems like semantic juggling to me. Gaebelien takes another view:

They had blasphemed the Spirit, spoken injuriously about Him, in saying that Beelzebub, the prince of demons, was present with Christ and not the Holy Spirit. This they did maliciously. And this and nothing else is the sin of which our Lord here speaks. The sin is to charge the Lord with doing His miracles through Satanic power and not through the Holy Spirit. We do believe, therefore, that this sin could only be committed as long as our Lord Jesus Christ was in the earth and that it was committed by the Pharisees with their blasphemies. — Gaebelein, page 250.

Morgan takes the stand that the Lord’s words weren’t a sentence, but a warning.

Pentecost takes yet another view.

Christ was warning that generation in Israel that if they rejected the Father’s testimony and the Spirit’s testimony to His person and His work, there was to be no further evidence that could be given. Their sins would stand unforgiven and result in temporal judgment on that generation. That judgment ultimately fell in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed. This sin, then, was not viewed as the sin of an individual but rather as the sin of the nation, and this sin brought that whole generation under divine judgment. — Pentecost, page 207.

What I’ve heard, from Stam, I think (although I can’t put my hands on it right now) is this: The generation of Israel on the earth at that time had already rejected God the Father in the Old Testament, law period which was coming to a close. They had just rejected God the Son by attributing His miracles to Satan. They would get a chance to accept the testimony of God the Spirit — as evidenced by Christ’s miracles, but ultimately at Pentecost. If they rejected the Spirit, there was no hope left because they would have rejected the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

If this is the true meaning, the Lord’s words function as a warning along the lines of “Be careful. You just swung and missed and now have strike two against you and the next pitch is on the way.”

So, this sin could only be committed by that generation, the only one that existed during the Old Testament law period, the period of Christ’s ministry on earth, and the Holy Spirit’s ministry at Pentecost.

22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.

23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

Is not this … ? (v.23) — Their question was phrased to expect a negative reply.

Son of David (v.23) — They knew of the promised Messiah by this title.

The people were beginning to wonder if Jesus was who He said He was (v.23). The Pharisees (most likely) responded as they did because of fear that they were losing their influence (v.24).

The question arose not because of insufficient evidence but rather because the Pharisees had rejected Christ. Having been taught that they were sheep who should follow the shepherds, they could not conceive of accepting Christ apart from the approval of the Pharisees. Therefore, a conflict arose in their minds over the evidence that Christ presented and the response of the Pharisees to that evidence. They professed a willingness to accept Christ if the Pharisees approved but felt they must reject Him since the Pharisees disapproved. The Pharisees quickly presented their explanation of the miracle that had so convinced the multitude. “It is only by Beelzubub …” — Pentecost, page 205.

Beelzebub (v.24) — see notes on Matthew 10:25

Jesus knew their thoughts (v.25) — This had to be disconcerting.

Jesus revealed in His answer, first, the folly of their suggestion; secondly, the inconsistency thereof; thirdly, the willful rebellion that induced it; fourthly, the blindness which caused it; and, finally, their complicity with Satan as the secret of it. So that commencing by denying His own complicity with Satan logically, and in such a way that they could not reply, He ended by inferentially charging upon them complicity with Satan. — Morgan, page 129.

your sons (v.27) — Jewish exorcists? (Acts 19:13)

Some in Israel could cast out demons, and Israel deemed them to be God’s gifts to the nation. Even the Pharisees acknowledged this manifestation of God’s power and thanked Him for the gift of the exorcists. Christ’s argument was that since the Pharisees recognized the ability to drive out demons as coming from God, they should not charge Him with being demon-possessed when He drove out demons. The implication of Christ’s words was that if He cast out demons by Satan’s power, He could not be offering the prophesied kingdom of God to them. “But,” He said, “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Since Christ did cast out demons by God’s power, it must be concluded that His offer of the kingdom was genuine and He was its bonafide King. — Pentecost, page 206

has come upon you (v.28) = lit. “has come upon you unawares”

The strong man (v.29) is Satan, but the Lord, stronger than Satan, had bound him and has the power to enter his domain and take away his prey. When then is He who bound the enemy? Perhaps His voice rested here. Perhaps He waited for an answer. “Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God” would have been in order here.

And stronger still He speaks. “He that is not with Me is against Me, and he that gathers not with Me scatters.” He demands decision. Half-heartedness does not satisfy Him and in face of such open-faced accusations and blasphemies would be impossible. it was an appeal to decide. — Gaebelein, page 248.

15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.

16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known,

17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

18 “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.

19 He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.

20 A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory;

9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.

10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.

11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?

12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.

14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

This account also appears in Mark 3:1-6 and Luke 6:6-10. Luke 6:6 indicates that this took place on a different Sabbath than the events of Matthew 12:1-8.

There is nothing in the Old Testament law against healing on the Sabbath, but the Pharisees considered healing to be work.

He had read their evil thoughts, and by His answer He had shown that He anticipated the question they now put to Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Awful motive, which stands alongside of the question, showing the depths of Satan “that they might accuse Him.” The question also discloses the fact that they believed in His healing power. — Gaebelein, page 241.

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Here is a small matter needing careful attention. He did not say, If a man see a sheep; but if he have one. He said, If your sheep fall into the pit you rescue it, and you rescue it because it is yours. “How much then is a man of more value than a sheep?” You own sheep and care for them and rescue them.

Now the Son of Man is claiming not the Sabbath, but the man. Now the Son of Man is not only saying that He is Lord of the Sabbath, but that He is Owner of the man. That man belongs to Me. I am here to rescue him, and to set him free from the limitation of the evil that is in the world. You know full well, you men that criticize, that you would violate the Sabbath and be guiltless in saving your sheep, because it is yours. Understand, for evermore, that the supreme work of the Sabbath is that of reaching man and saving him. — Morgan, page 127

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The Pharisees responded in several ways.

First, they were furious with Christ (Luke 6:11). They were infuriated because Christ had publicly humiliated them by His devastating arguments and had shown how untenable their whole tradition was.

Second, they began to plot His death (Matthew 12:14). They wanted to kill the One who rejected their traditions.

Third, they entered into an alliance with the Herodians, who were their enemies, and they solicited their support in attempts to kill Jesus (Mark 3:6). They were determined that He must die.

The Sabbath controversy, then, marked an important development. The opposition of the Pharisees was no longer veiled but open. They were determined to put Him to death and were soliciting help from other parties in the nation to accomplish their goal. — Pentecost, page 168.

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:

4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?

6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.

7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

This account is also found in Mark 2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-5.

at that time (v.1) — right after the Lord’s loving invitation in Matthew 11:28-30

through the grainfields (v.1) — A person was allowed to walk through another person’s grain field and take by hand enough to feed himself (Deuteronomy 28:25)

Sabbath (v.1) — sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. The Sabbath was a token of God’s covenant with Israel (Ezekiel 20:12-20), so God has dominion over it. It is also a witness to God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:14-15) and to His creation (Exodus 20:10-11).

not lawful (v.2) — Exodus 20:10, but taken to a ridiculous extreme by the Pharisees

read what David did (v.3) —1 Samuel 21:1-6

The reason why David was blameless in eating the showbread was the same as that which made the Sabbath-labor of the priests lawful. The Sabbath-Law was not one merely of rest, but of rest for worship. The service of the Lord was the object in view. The priests worked on the Sabbath, because this service was the object of the Sabbath; and David was allowed to eat of the showbread, not because there was danger to his life from starvation, but because he pleaded that he was in the service of the Lord, and needed this provision. The disciples, when following the Lord, were similarly in the service of the Lord; ministering to Him was more than ministering in the Temple, for He was greater than the Temple. If the Pharisees had believed this, they would not have questioned their conduct, nor in so doing have themselves infringed that higher Law which enjoined mercy, not sacrifice. — Pentecost, page 165

only for the priests (v.4) — Leviticus 24:5-9

priests in the temple (v.5) — Numbers 28:9

Work necessary for the service and worship of God was justifiable. This was the principle to which Jesus appealed and in so doing, incidentally made a claim for Himself of superiority to the Temple and therefore to the Sabbath, since the Temple service superseded the Sabbath. — Pentecost, page 166.

greater than the temple (v.6) — God Himself

I desire mercy and not sacrifice (v.7) — Hosea 6:6. See notes on Matthew 9:13.

Verse 8 is a clear declaration by Jesus Christ of His deity.

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

answered (v.25) — a Hebrew way to say “began speaking” or “continues speaking” — in response to His rejection in verses 16-24

rest for your souls (v.29) — Jeremiah 6:16

easy (v.30) = good, kind

My burden (v.30) — in contrast with that of the Pharisees (Matthew 23:4)

The Pharisees considered themselves to be wise and learned because they were students of the Scriptures. They deemed themselves to be rightly related to God. They rejected Christ’s words to them. Christ said the Father had revealed the truths that He had preached to those, who like little children, accepted His word and put their faith in Him (Matthew 11:25). No man can know the Father except through the Son. Christ had come to reveal the Father (John 1:18). If men will not accept His revelation, there can be no knowledge of the Father. So Jesus declared, “No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27). It is evident that Jesus would reveal the Father to any who accepted His word. 

In contrast to the burdensome yoke of the Pharisees, those who took Christ’s yoke and learned of Him would find that submission to Him was easy and that the burden He imposed was light. This was true because of the nature of the One to whom they were joining themselves and of whom they were learning, for He was gentle and humble, or submissive. And He who experienced peace from trusting God imparted that peace to those who trusted Him. — Pentecost, pages 201, 201.

20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:

21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

These words are also found in Luke 10:13-16

Chorazin (v21) — an hour’s walk north of Capernaum — today a ruin

Bethsaida (v.21) — on the west side of the Sea of Galilee three miles southeast of Chorazin — today a very small village

Tyre and Sidon (v.21) — on the Mediterranean north of Palestine, Phoenician (Gentile) cities noted for wickedness and long destroyed — Gentiles would have been more receptive to the Lord’s message than the Jews of Chorazin and Bethsaida had been.

Capernaum, who are exalted unto heaven (v.23) — because the Lord chose it as His home and did more miracles there than anywhere else — today a ruin

The region where these three towns were located was referred to in Matthew 4:12-16: And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The term “Galilee of the Gentiles” is a reproach because that whole district had become influenced by Gentile thinking.