Matthew 12:22-45

Jesus-' Answer to the Verdict of the Jerusalem Scribes, and the Intervention of His Family (Mark 3:20 *, Luke 11:14; Luke 11:29; Luke 12:10; Luke 8:19). For the painful statement in Mark 3:20 f. Mt. (like Lk.) substitutes the healing of a blind and dumb man probably a second (compressed) use of Matthew 9:27 and Matthew 9:32. The word for were amazed is an adaptation of the word for is beside himself in Mk. To Mk.'s account of Satan divided against Satan Mt. adds Matthew 12:27 f., probably from Q, which Lk. also draws on at this point. The verses form an additional line of defenceif your own exorcists are not assisted by Beelzebub, they condemn your condemnation of me. The only alternative is that (they and) I work by the finger (Mt., in view of Matthew 12:31, spirit) of God, His power is besting that of Satan, and His Kingdom is at hand. Or perhaps Matthew 12:27 and Matthew 12:28 are independent of each other, and were already interpolated in Q when Mt. and Lk. used it. Mt. (like Lk.) also adds Matthew 12:30 neutrality towards Jesus is impossible (cf. Luke 2:34 f.). This is a test for men to use upon themselves. For the inverted form of the saying see Mark 9:40 = Luke 9:50 (addressed to disciples about outsiders). In Matthew 12:31 f. Mt. abbreviates and duplicates Mk.'s single statement; Lk. (Luke 12:10) takes Mt.'s second half. Son of man in Matthew 12:32 probably means man. Of the four forms in which we have the saying that in Lk. seems most trustworthy. The contrast is between slandering men and slandering the Spirit of God. Jesus is speaking as a Jew to Jews in language based on OT (Numbers 15:30 f., 1 Samuel 31:3 mg., Isaiah 22:14), and current in His day; He simply means that blasphemy against the Divine Spirit, by whose power He worked, was an infinitely more serious matter than slandering one's fellow-men, bad though that be. Then follow some sayings on the importance of words (cf. Luke 6:43). Matthew 9:33 is a less original form of Matthew 7:16 a, Matthew 7:17 f.* Between fruit and good we should supply will be; similarly between fruit and - corrupt. Matthew 12:34 brings Jesus close to the severity of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7); cf. also James 3:11 f. Not only evil words but idle words, words that are not meant to effect anything, will come up for judgment. Matthew 12:37 was perhaps a current proverb.

Matthew 12:25. Kingdom city house: Mt. alone gives this triad. House in all three evangelists may have its Aramaic meaning of a province or district.

Matthew 12:28. kingdom of God: cf. Matthew 21:31; Matthew 21:43 *. Perhaps Mt. only used his usual kingdom of heaven, where the sense is clearly eschatological.

Matthew 12:29. the strong man: Satan. his goods: the men in his power who are spoiled or carried off by the stronger than the strong.