15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows. 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say he hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, and a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. 20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto the, 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 unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. 23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. Christ after sending forth his disciples, goes himself on the same errand of mercy; and in answering the message sent to him by two of John's disciples, says, tell him what ye hear and see, the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them: what greater evidence can we look for, and yet how many refuse now, as then, to believe in Christ, and never avail themselves of his power, or attach any meaning to the awful denunciation, "that it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, in the day of judgment, than for them," VERSES 25-30. 25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. 26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. The wise and the prudent must become babes, and then shall these things no longer be hidden from them, and after labouring for that which has not profited, and laden with the weight of their sins, they will rejoice in the invitation so freely offered to all, to take Christ's yoke, and learn of him, who is so meek a teacher, and find rest to their souls: for his yoke is easy and his burden light. CHAPTER 12. AT that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn ; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. VERSES 1-21. 9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore is is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. 15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence, and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; 16 And charged them that they should not make him known: D 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias 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 shalishew judgment to the Gentiles 19 He shall not strive, nor cry ; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. The Pharisees were ever substituting the letter for the spirit of God's commandments; they claimed the strict observation of the sabbath, but neither saw nor understood its purport. The christian sabbath may be said doubly to have been made for man, as commemorative of the completion of his redemption, by the rising of Christ from the dead, to rest for ever after his finished work; and for man to rest in him, from all his own works. It seems our Lord and his disciples were on their way to the synagogue, when thus charged with this breach of the sabbath. In the synagogue was a man with a withered hand, an example to be followed in not allowing our habitual infirmities to keep us from public worship, and bringing to our minds the promise Where two or three are met together, there am I in the midst of them." There were also present, some of the same spirit as those in the corn-fields; they asked, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath day? that they might accuse him. How beautiful the answer of our Lord, though it failed to convince their cavilling minds, or the healing of the sufferer to open their eyes to his divinity. Jesus withdraws himself from such, they let their day of grace pass away, whilst multitudes followed him and were healed. VERSES 22-37. 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, We have another instance of those who could not come, being brought to Jesus, one both blind and dumb; all the people were amazed at the cure, but the Pharisees made it the occasion of their greatest sin, by attributing the work to the prince of the devils. This was indeed an unpardonable sin, a self condemnation; no good work can be done by the evil spirit, no evil work by the Holy Spirit; and when the human heart can be guilty of such perversity as these Pharisees, it cuts itself off from the only remedy provided for our sinful nature, the being born again of the Spirit. While any one continues to blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, he cannot indeed be forgiven. VERSES 38-45. 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 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 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. If we require, like the scribes, greater signs as to who Christ really was, we must expect the same denial they met with, and the same condemnation to await us, for we shall become worse instead of better for any knowledge we may have had of Christ, than those who never heard his name. What a beautiful conclusion to this chapter in the last verses, after so much that is so solemn, so awful, "This is the will of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." We cannot, till this first command is obeyed, fulfil any of the rest, though many strive to be righteous without this foundation; we cannot have the relation of brother or sister, or mother, unless united to Christ by faith; Lord let us daily remember this! |