Matthew 11–12

A Question from John the Baptist

11And it happened that when Jesus had finished giving orders to his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and to preach in their towns. ²Now when^* John^a heard in prison the deeds of Christ, he sent word^* by his disciples ³and^* said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” ⁴And Jesus answered and^* said to them, “Go and^* tell John what you hear and see: ⁵the blind receive sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised, and the poor have good news announced to them.^{* 6}And whoever is not offended by me is blessed.”

⁷Now as^* these were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in the houses of kings. ⁹But why did you go out? To see a prophet?^b Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet! ¹⁰It is this man about whom it is written:

‘Behold, I am sending my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way before you.’^c

¹¹Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist. But the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹²But from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is treated violently, and the violent claim^d it. ¹³For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John, ¹⁴and if you are willing to accept it,^* he is Elijah, the one who is going to come. ¹⁵The one who has ears, let him hear!

¹⁶“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another, ¹⁷saying,

‘We played the flute for you and you did not dance;

we sang a lament and you did not mourn.’

¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a man who is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”^e

Woes Pronounced on Unrepentant Towns

²⁰Then he began to reproach the towns in which the majority of his miracles had been done, because they did not repent: ²¹“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²Nevertheless I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and for Sidon on the day of judgment than for you! ²³And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today. ²⁴Nevertheless I tell you that it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!”

A Yoke That Is Easy

²⁵At that time Jesus answered and^* said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to young children.^{f 26}Yes, Father, for to do so was your gracious will.^{g 27}All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom^h the Son wants to reveal him.^{* 28}Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy to carry and my burden is light.”

Plucking Grain on the Sabbath

12At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck off heads of grain and eat them.^{* 2}But when^* the Pharisees saw it,^* they said to him, “Behold, your disciples are doing what it is not permitted to do on the Sabbath!” ³So he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him, ⁴how he entered into the house of God and ate the bread of the presentation, which it was not permitted for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests? ⁵Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the sanctity of the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here! ⁷And if you had known what it means,^a ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand Healed

⁹And going on from there he came into their synagogue. ¹⁰And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand, and they asked him, saying, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath?” in order that they could accuse him. ¹¹But he said to them, “What man will there be among you who will have one sheep and if this one fell into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it^* out? ¹²Then to what degree is a man worth more than a sheep? So then, it is permitted to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand,” and he stretched it^* out, and it was restored as healthy as the other one. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and plotted^b against him in order that they could destroy him.

God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵Now Jesus, when he^* learned of it,^* withdrew from there, and many^c followed him, and he healed them all. ¹⁶And he warned them that they should not reveal his identity,^{d 17}in order that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said,

¹⁸“Behold my servant whom I have chosen,

my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my Spirit on him,

and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry out,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

²⁰A crushed reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not extinguish,

until he brings justice to victory.

²¹And in his name the Gentiles^e will hope.^f

A House Divided Cannot Stand

²²Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to him. And he healed him so that the man who was mute could speak and see. ²³And all the crowds were amazed and began saying, “Perhaps this one is the Son of David!” ²⁴But the Pharisees, when they^* heard it,^* said, “This man does not expel demons except by Beelzebul the ruler of demons!” ²⁵But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶And if Satan expels Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷And if I expel demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons expel them?^* For this reason they will be your judges! ²⁸But if I expel demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you! ²⁹Or how can someone enter into the house of a strong man and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he can thoroughly plunder his house. ³⁰The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. ³¹For this reason I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven! ³²And whoever 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 coming one!

Good Trees and Good Fruit or Bad Trees and Bad Fruit

³³“Either make the tree good and its fruit is good, or make the tree bad and its fruit is bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say good things when you^* are evil? For from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good person from his^g good treasury brings out good things, and the evil person from his^h evil treasury brings out evil things. ³⁶But I tell you that every worthless word that they speak, people will give an account for it on the day of judgment! ³⁷For by your words you will be vindicated, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you!” ³⁹But he answered and^* said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation desires a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah! ⁴⁰For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. ⁴¹The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold, 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 hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something^* greater than Solomon is here!

An Unclean Spirit Returns

⁴³“Now whenever an unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it travels through waterless places searching for rest, and does not find it.^{* 44}Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’ And when it^* arrives it finds the house^* unoccupied and swept and put in order. ⁴⁵Then it goes and brings along with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and^* live there. And the last state of that person becomes worse than the first. So it will be for this evil generation also!”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

⁴⁶Andⁱ while^* he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and brothers were standing there outside, desiring to speak to him. ⁴⁷And someone told him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are standing there outside desiring to speak to you.” ⁴⁸But he answered and^* said to the one who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Behold my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰For…