Matthew 13:10-23 - Parable of the sower

13:1-9

“The same day”, the same day as the dispute over the Sabbath, the same day as he has been accused of using demonic power. Jesus got into a boat and spoke to the people. Speaking from a boat on the lake would allow his voice to carry better. Despite the Pharisees the people still wanted to hear Jesus. He spoke to them in parables and told them the now famous parable of the sower. The key point for them was “whoever has ears, let them hear”. If God enables us to believe and understand what Jesus says we must make the most of it.

13:10-17

The disciple wondered why he didn't use a more direct form of teaching. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9,10. When Matthew used Isaiah to explain what Jesus was doing he was following the method that Jesus used. The religious leaders would never understand because their hearts had become calloused. He finishes by telling the disciples that they are blessed because they could see and hear. It is a truly blessed thing to be able to understand the words of Jesus. 

13:18,19

Jesus now explains to the disciples what the parable of the sower meant. So in order to have ears that hear and eyes that see we need Jesus, it is not dependent upon our own abilities. So when people hear but do not understand Satan comes and snatches the message away. They discard the message. Note that it was “sown in their hearts”, the message needs to go deeper, it need some response from us.

13:20-23

Some receive the message with joy. So outwardly there seems to be a great response, but in reality there is no depth, the message has not taken root. So when trouble or persecution comes they fade away. The third group are those who do hear the word and it does take root, but gets crowded out by the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. These things choke the word, and so it is unfruitful. All this seems pretty miserable, but then there is the seed that falls on good soil. These are people who hear the message and do understand it. Such people produce abundant fruit. 

We can look at this parable as a tale of what happens to the word, or we have all seen the range of responses that Jesus talks about. Or we can look at it in terms of the nature of the person hearing the word, and making sure that we seek to understand things properly and deeply, not at a shallow level, and that we are wary of things crowding out the word of God.

Matthew 12:33-50 - The heart ofthe matter

12:33-37

The Pharisees were concerned with externals, Jesus cared about the heart of the matter. The Pharisees, along with every other human, were fundamentally sinful, that is our basic problem, and unless that root issue is addressed nothing good can come from us. The mouth reflects the nature of the heart. Today we may be able to hide the matter, to fool some people, but there will come a day of judgement when all will have to give an account, and all will be clear.

12:38-45

The Pharisees demanded a sign, this may seem rather odd, surely Jesus has done enough signs! But they wanted “proof” that He was indeed the one Moses had spoken about. Jesus condemns them, calling them “a wicked and adulterous generation”. He then foretells his resurrection. This generation would be condemned by the men of Nineveh (the people Jonah was sent to). They repented at Jonah’s preaching, but the Pharisees were utterly unresponsive. The Queen of the South would condemn them as well, for she listened to Solomon’s wisdom. The Pharisees were proud of themselves, of how “righteous” they were, but they failed to listen to the Son of God.

Jesus then speaks about the impure Spirit, perhaps he is foretelling the AD70 destruction of Jerusalem. Whatever the case, the Pharisees did not realise what a perilous state they were in.

12:46-50

Jesus’ family were little better, they thought he was mad. Jesus then states that it is  obedience to His Father that is the most important thing.

Matthew 12:25-32 - Speaking against the Holy Spirit

12:22-24

A demon-possessed man was then brought to Jesus, the man was blind and mute, Jesus healed him and the people were amazed. They wondered if he was the Son of David, i.e. the promised Messiah. The Pharisees had a different agenda, they were not interested in the man being healed, so they claimed that it was only by the power of the prince of demons that Jesus could drive out demons.

12:25-29

Jesus knew their thoughts and pointed out the logical nonsense in their claims. Why would Satan drive out Satan? The religious leaders also claimed to be able to drive out demons, by what power did they manage it? Jesus did drive out demons, and it meant the kingdom of God was near. Moreover it made perfect sense, for to “plunder his house”, i.e. to set people free the strong man has to be bound up first.

12:30-32

The religious leaders were treading on very dangerous ground. For they were blaspheming against the Holy Spirit and would not be forgiven.The “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” is one of the most difficult phrases because Jesus says it is the unforgivable sin. So let’s try and take a careful look at the matter. What is the context? What has Jesus just been talking about? The context is the work of the Spirit being attributed to Satan. We should also note that this is not a casual attribution, it is the underlying presupposition of the Pharisees approach, not simply making a mistake. Now, what happens if we deliberately and firmly attribute the work of God as being the work of Satan? We will deny Christ, for the primary work of the Holy Spirit is to bear witness to Jesus. It has often been said that if we are worried that we might have committed the unforgivable sin then that is a sign that we haven’t, for it indicates that there is still some sensitivity in our hearts, we have not been hardened to the point of no hope.

Jesus now says that speaking against the Son of Man (i.e. speaking against Himself) can be forgiven, but speaking against the Holy Spirit will not. He even makes the point stronger by saying there will be no forgiveness in this life nor the next. Why is speaking against the Holy Spirit so important? Maybe it is something like this. When someone is presented with Jesus, or we hear some teaching about Jesus, we may reject it or react against it just out of the dullness or blindness of our minds. “Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. When the Holy Spirit works in our lives He opens our minds to the truth of God, so if we reject that we are deliberately and knowingly rejecting the truth. So in the one case we sin out of ignorance (it is still sin), in the other we sin knowing and seeing the truth.

Matthew 12:15-21 - God's chosen servant

12:15-21

Jesus knew that they were out to get him, so he withdrew. Jesus was not afraid of conflict, but neither was He reckless. The crowds followed Him, and He healed all of them. He also warned them not to tell others about HIm. Matthew then quotes from Isaiah 42:1-4 to explain what was happening. Matthew sees Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and so the OT helps to illuminate and explain what Jesus did. First Jesus was God’s chosen servant, and God delights in Him, even if the religious leaders of the day did not. He was anointed with God’s Spirit,and He proclaimed justice to the nations. Ultimately His mission was not to Israel alone, although it started in Israel. He would not be  a loud brawler (not a Trump-like figure!) He would treat the injured gently, He would bring justice through victory. The nations would put their hope in Him. It is significant how much of Isaiag that Matthew quotes.

Matthew 12:1-14 - Sabbath Controversies

12:1-14

The Sabbath was the focus of many of the disputes between Jesus and the Pharisees. That the Sabbath was important is beyond doubt, it features in the ten commandments, and figures in several prophetic announcements.However the Pharisees had completely missed the point and had surrounded it with a myriad of regulations. Jesus understood the Law better than they did. The disciples were picking ears of grain from the edge of fields, now this was allowed under the Law, but they were doing this on the Sabbath, which was what offended the Pharisees, or gave them an excuse to get Jesus, or so they thought. So they tell Jesus that His disciples are breaking the Law. Jesus points them to the incident in Samuel when David and his companions ate the consecrated bed. The Pharisees were oblivious to what was really happening, they did not realise that the Messiah was here. Their general approach to the Law was also completely wrong, mercy, not sacrifice, was the pivotal point, and mercy was not the Pharisee’s strong point. Jesus also declares that he was Lord of the Sabbath.

A second incident arises almost immediately. Jesus came across a man with a shrivelled hand, the Pharisees saw another chance to “get” Jesus. But again Jesus points to the Law, it was explicitly stated that a sheep could be rescued on the Sabbath, so it was definitely right to rescue a man, It was lawful to do good on the Sabbath. So Jesus healed the man. The Pharisees responded in typical manner by plotting to kill Jesus.

Matthew 11:16-30 - God's choice

11:16-19

Jesus then gives judgement on the people. The people are obtuse, they complained about John because he was so austere, saying he had a demon, then they complained about Jesus eating and drinking, saying he was a “glutton and a drunkard”, and “a friend of tax collectors and sinners”. We should be glad that He was a friend of tax collectors and sinners, because then he might be a friend of ours. “Wisdom is proved right by her deeds”, the results will show that Jesus is right.

11:20-24

It wasn't just that the people were wrong, there is now judgement on  chorazin and Bethsaida. If Tyre and Sidon (area named in the prophets) had seen the miracles they would have repented. Some people can poo-poo miracles, but in the gospels they are seen as a legitimate proof of the reality of Jesus, they are seen as a reason that we should believe. Capernaum is also rebuked, being told they are worse than Sodom.

11:25-30

The religious leaders and Pharisees had a high opinion of themselves, but the gospel has been revealed to “the little children” i.e. to the humble and those considered to be of little account. We should expect the rejected to receive the gospel, because God chooses to reveal it to them. Jesus makes claims about himself, He is the only way to the Father. Then He calls  the weary and burdened, He will give us rest. The religious types laid burdens on people, Jesus gives us rest for our souls.

Matthew 11:7-15 - Listen!

11:7-15

Jesus then speaks to the crowds. People can be fickle, and they need to realise what they are thinking , why they are thinking it, and to get their ideas sorted out. Why were they interested in John? Was it to see a reed swayed by the wind, i.e. someone with no convictions of their own (like so many politicians). Was it to see a rich man? Or was it to see a prophet? They did recognise that John was somehow or other speaking God’s word. Jesus tells them that John was more than a prophet, he was fulfilling the words of Malachi 3:1. But John was great, but was only the messenger, what and who he was pointing to was what really mattered. The people needed to decide their own attitude to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.The miracles and the healings showed that the kingdom was advancing forcibly. Jesus identifies John with Elijah who was spoken of in Malachi. These days were crucial and people needed to listen.