Verse by Verse

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.

16 “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions,

17 and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

The illustration is taken from children playing with the real things of life, with joy and sorrow, and idling their time away. John appeared among them and they were dissatisfied with him. He was too strict, too severe; they cared not for him, and because he would not sit down and eat and drink with them they said, he has a demon. Then the Lord came. Truth and mercy were revealed through Him. He sat down with the tax-gatherers and sinners and mingled with them, eating and drinking. Divine mercy towards the fallen and outcast was most blessedly shown — the spotless One in touch with the defiled and lost, calling sinners to repentance. But they had no understanding for this, no heart for that wonderful grace. He was in their eyes but a man, for they said: “Behold a man — eating and drinking.” They put Him on the same level with the wine drinking company. Neither mourning nor rejoicing suited them. — Gaebelein, page 227.

children (v.19) — some manuscripts have “works” — in either case, it means that the wisdom of Jesus’ and John’s message is proved by the results — those who did believe.

7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

10 For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’

11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.

15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 

The quote in verse 10 is from Malachi 3:1. Also see Isaiah 40:3 — The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

born of woman (v.11)  — born naturally

He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (v.11) — The only way to understand it is to take it in close connection with all the rest of the defense of Jesus. Our Lord meant to say, You have seen this man who naturally is greatest among men; asking a question in perplexity. Yes, there are things he cannot know, there are methods that he cannot understand, and presently the least soul brought into the Kingdom will have greater light than this man, with all his natural endowments, has had in the past. Presently the little child who comes into My Kingdom by the mystery of My mercy, might, and passion, will have more light than John, until he also comes to understand the sweetness and mercy and majesty by coming into this Kingdom of power.  — Morgan, page 114.

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The Pharisees and scribes who stand here before our Lord are the violent who take the Kingdom of the Heavens by force and seize on it. Our Lord says: “From the days of John until now.” The forerunner, John, was violently rejected by the Pharisees. This foreshadowed the rejection of the King, the rejection of the preaching of the Kingdom and the Kingdom itself. In this seizing upon the Kingdom, rejecting it, the Kingdom of the Heavens suffered violence. It was rejected by force and now is postponed till He comes again. If they had received John the Baptist he would have been Elijah. But he was rejected, they would not have it so. They did violence to what the King had come to bring. Another Elijah will come once more, and then no violence can keep back the coming of the Kingdom of the Heavens. — Gaebelein, pages 225-226.

the prophets and the law prophesied until John (v.13) — John was the last of the Old Testament prophets

he is Elijah (v.14) — Malachi 4:5-6. See also Matthew 17:10-13 and Luke 1:17.

This is a tough passage, and I’m not at all sure I have a complete handle on it. Here are the unsettled issues:

1. He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (v.11) — I copied Morgan’s take on this because it works in context better than the others I read, although I’m not totally convinced. One commentary says that the “least” refers to Christ because He was younger than John, but that doesn’t make sense to me, at least not for that reason. Perhaps Jesus was teaching that anyone who will be in the Kingdom when it comes will have greater understanding than John did at that time

2. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (v.12) — Some commentaries say that “suffers violence” means “vigorously proclaimed and laid hold of with energy.” In that view, it is those who accept the Kingdom message who are fighting to get into the Kingdom. This seems to be a stretch to me. I’m more inclined to think it refers to opposition to the Kingdom, the view taken by Gaebelein above. This makes sense in light of what the Lord says starting in verse 16.

3. He is Elijah (v.14) — The Lord clearly ties John with Malachi’s prophecy about Elijah. Yet in John 1:21, John the Baptist denies that he is Elijah. In Luke 1:17, the angel tells Zacharias that his son, John the Baptist “will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah …” In Matthew 11:14, the Lord says John the Baptist is Elijah IF the Jews are willing to believe it.

Pentecost, in Things to Come (page 313) writes, “Inasmuch as John could not have fulfilled the prophecies because Israel rejected the offered kingdom, it does not seem possible to assert that the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6 has been fulfilled. The fact that John could have fulfilled it, even though he was not personally Elijah, seems to indicate that Elijah need not come personally to fulfill the prophecies. During the period preceding the second advent, and prior to the outpouring of judgments upon the earth, there will be a ministry by one in the spirit and power of Elijah, which will fulfill this prophecy.

I think that makes sense.

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples

3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:

5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

This event also appears in Luke 7:18-35.

John in prison (v.2) — also mentioned in Matthew 4:12; 14:3-12. This was probably the fortress of Machaerus, Herod’s royal house, on the Dead Sea.

he sent (v.2) — John was probably in need of reassurance, although it is also possible that he sent his disciples so they could witness the truth.

John had declared, according to Matthew 3:10, “The axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” He had also predicted that Christ would baptize with fire (v.11) and that He would “gather His wheat into the garner,” but would “burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (v.12). John, languishing in prison, did not sense any divine deliverance from a wicked world. Instead of God triumphing, it seemed that Herod, in spite of his wickedness, was still in power.

Accordingly, John needed reassurance and clarification. In the background was the Jewish interpretation of the Old Testament prophecies, which offered the puzzle of a suffering Messiah who would also be a glorious ruler (cf. 1 Peter 1:10-12). While John should not be represented as questioning the validity of the revelation that came to him, that Jesus was indeed the Messiah who would save Israel from their sins, the question had been raised in his mind whether he should look for still another to bring the judgment of God upon a wicked world, and fulfill the predictions of the glorious reign of the Messiah. — Walvoord, pages 79-80.

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John must have wondered if Jesus were the King of Israel why did He not set up His Kingdom and deliver His fore-runner from prison? He had no doubt as to His being a prophet, for only a prophet could answer the question of verse 3. The Divine answer referred him to Isaiah 35:5-6 and 61:1. These were the particular miracles, and this the particular preaching, which should accredit His Person. His claim was not that He worked miracles, but that He worked certain predicted miracles, and preached in a certain predicted manner. — Williams, page 707.

the Coming One (v.3) — the Messiah — Psalm 40:7; 118:26. The term was used by John in Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16; John 1:27.

blind see (v.5) — a reference to the prophecy in Isaiah 35:5-6

poor have the gospel preached to them (v.5) — Isaiah 61:1-2

This was a quotation from the great prophecy of Isaiah, and from that portion of it which He had already read in the synagogue as He entered upon this very work that was causing John perplexity (Isaiah 61:1-2). When Jesus read that in the synagogue at His induction, He did not read the whole statement, but stopped before the last clause, “the day of vengeance of our God,” ending with the words, “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” — Morgan, page 112.

blessed (v.6) — those who weren’t offended that He wasn’t acting the way people expected the Messiah to act — in judgment

38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

take his cross (v.38) — referring to the judicial custom by which the condemned person carried his cross to the place of execution. This is the first mention of “cross” in the New Testament. It occurs at the end of the passage in which Jesus warned the apostles of the persecution they faced.

The cross in the life of Jesus was the test of His obedience to God. The cross in the life of Christ was what the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was to Adam in the garden. An individual’s cross is the revealed will of God for him. At this juncture, God’s will was that people should receive Christ’s words and believe His person. Such was the test to determine whether one was acceptable or unacceptable to God. — Pentecost, page 196

in the name of a prophet (v.41) = as a prophet. Those who weren’t prophets would receive a prophet’s reward for supporting a prophet and his ministry.

little ones (v.42) — those doing ministry of even the littlest, simplest sort

One who received a righteous person and counted that one to be righteous would receive the same reward that the righteous person received from God. Christ was saying that when the Twelve preached in a community, there would be those who counted them as God’s prophets and as righteous. Such persons would accept the message as from God and turn in faith to the One whom they were introducing, and those persons would be rewarded in the kingdom. Nothing done in God’s name is ever forgotten by God (Matthew 10:42). Whatever the hearers of the Twelve did in Christ’s name would be a basis for reward. Thus rewards would go to all who received their ministry and consequently received them. With these instructions the Twelve were now sent out to proclaim the good news throughout Galilee that the kingdom was near. — Pentecost, page 196.

32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;

36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’

37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

confesses Me (v.32) — acknowledges that he believes in and follows the Lord

denies Me (v.33) — tense indicates a habitual, ongoing action

In their ministry [the apostles] were under the care of their Father, who knew their every need. Because of their inestimable worth to Him, they were assured of His protection (vs.29-31). Christ gave these men a promise: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven (v.32). These men were sent out as His representatives to proclaim His message. They were identifying themselves with His person and word. Their obedience to Him was a sign of faith that assured them they would be accepted by the Father. On the other hand, those who disowned Him, as the Pharisees [and Judas] were intent on doing, would be disowned before the Father by the very One whom they disowned (v.33).

Since Christ was the Prince of Peace and had come to speak peace to the nation, the question might be raised as to why the religious authorities did not accept Him. Christ explained this in the words that follow. He said He had not come to bring peace but a sword. He had come to bring about a division. He would separate those who were bound to each other by the strongest of natural ties (v.35). It is Jesus Christ Himself who divides. People are divided by their attitude toward Him. Christ was using a Jewish idiom when He referred to loving father or mother (v.37). To love involved more than emotions. It involved subjection and obedience. Christ was demanding the unquestioned submission and obedience of those who would be accepted into His Kingdom. One who puts loved ones before Christ and submits to them instead of submitting to Christ is not worthy of Christ or to be in His Kingdom. — Pentecost, pages 195-196.

There are applications that can be made for us from this chapter, but it’s important to remember that the directions are specifically for the twelve apostles as they go into the nation to preach the kingdom gospel.