NOTES for Mat 12:22-50
22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. |
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? |
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. |
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: |
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? |
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. |
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. |
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. |
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. |
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. |
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. |
33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. |
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. |
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. |
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. |
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. |
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. |
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: |
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. |
41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. |
42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. |
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. |
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. |
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. |
46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. |
47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. |
48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? |
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! |
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. |
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Has the Kingdom of God reached us? In the Gospel the Lord connects the coming of the Kingdom, on the one hand, with victory over the forces of evil, over Satan, and on the other hand, with the action of the Holy Spirit in people's lives. For it is by the Spirit that He casts out demons and heals diseases, and in denying this fact the Lord points to the danger of unforgivable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. So the Kingdom of God not only awaits us beyond the grave, but is also realized here on earth, wherever people give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to act through them. The actions of the Spirit can be very diverse (1 Cor chs. 12-13), but the chief one is love. Therefore, to reach the Kingdom, little is required of us: first, complete trust in and openness to God, allowing His Spirit to act in our life; and second, attentiveness to His actions, allowing us not to quench His life in us, but on the contrary, to respond to it with thanksgiving.
Readings for 4 September 2025
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