Gospel Matthew study

³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” ³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:38-42)

Here we see that several scribes and Pharisees asked the Lord Jesus to show them a sign. The sign mentioned here is said to be sign from heaven in parallel passage. The Lord Jesus had just performed a miracle, healing the sick and driving out demons, he healed a demon-possessed blind and mute man. These scribes and Pharisees must have known about other miracles performed by the Lord Jesus, but they did not believe that he is the Messiah and wanted the Lord Jesus to perform a sign from heaven. The Lord Jesus knew that no matter what miracles he would perform, they would not believe, so he said: “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, no sign will be given except the sign of prophet Jonah.” In the Old Testament, God asked the prophet Jonah to preach a message of repentance to Nineveh, Jonah disobeyed God, later he stayed in the belly of the big fish for three days and three nights. The Lord Jesus said: The Son of Man will also be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. Here the Son of Man is Himself. He Himself would be crucified on the cross. He would be in the earth for three days and three nights and be resurrected three days later. Jonah later obeyed God and preached the message of repentance to the people of Nineveh, and they repented. The Lord Jesus said that in the future judgment, the people of Nineveh will condemn this generation. The people of this generation saw many miracles the Lord Jesus performed, but they did not repent. The Lord Jesus continued to say: In the day of judgment, the Queen of the South will rise up to condemn this generation, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. The Queen of the South here refers to the ancient Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1). She heard that God gave Solomon a lot of wisdom, and she came to Jerusalem from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. The Lord Jesus said that He is greater than Jonah and Solomon because He is the Christ，the Messiah. People should listen to him more because he has the word of eternal life.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊

³¹ And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. ³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  (Matthew 12:31-37)

In the previous passage, the Lord Jesus cast out a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute and healed him, but the Pharisees said that he was demon-possessed and he cast out demons by  the prince of demons, then the Lord Jesus said: every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. The Lord Jesus continued to say that a good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit. Here the tree represents man, and the fruit represents man’s words and deeds. Here the Lord Jesus said that the Pharisees were evil people who could not speak good words. The Lord Jesus continued to say: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. To know a person, see what he says and do. By a man’s words and deeds, you know what kind of person he is. Here the Lord Jesus wants us not to say empty words, and everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. (Proverbs 17:27)
The Proverbs tells us to control our tongue, to speak words with restraint, and he who speaks words with restraint has knowledge.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😊

⁹ Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, ¹⁰ and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” ¹¹ He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. ¹⁵ Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. ¹⁶ He warned them not to tell others about him. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁸ “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him,  and he will proclaim justice to the nations. ¹⁹ He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. ²⁰ A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. ²¹In his name the nations will put their hope.” (Matthew 12:9-21)

One Sabbath day, the Lord Jesus was in a synagogue, and a man asked Him if it was okay to heal on the Sabbath, intending to accuse him. The Lord Jesus said that it was okay to do good on the Sabbath. There was a man there who had a shriveled hand, and the Lord Jesus healed him. The Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus, later many people followed the Lord, and He healed all the sick among them and told them not to spread His name.
⁴⁴ “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵ Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. (Mark 1:44-45)
The Gospel of Mark tells us that a leper who was healed by the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus told him not to tell anyone, the man went out and spread the news, this  affected the Lord’s work and prevented the Lord Jesus from entering the city openly. The Lord Jesus lived a hidden life, sometimes leaving the crowd to be alone with the Father, he did not make noises in the streets. Just as the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament prophesied. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, what does it mean? This refers to His mercy on the weak, like this man with a shriveled hand, he was a weak person, like a bruised reed, and the Lord had mercy on him and healed him.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊

¹At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” ³ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. ⁵ Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? ⁶ I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-8)

Here we see that on the Sabbath, the Lord Jesus and his disciples passed by the grainfields. The disciples were hungry, so they picked some heads of grain and ate them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to the Lord Jesus: “Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” The Lord Jesus quoted the Old Testament. When David and his followers were hungry, they entered the temple of God, since there was no other bread, the priest gave them consecrated bread to eat.
⁸ This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. ⁹ It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord.” (Leviticus 24:8-9)
According to the above scriptures, only priests could eat the consecrated bread.
The Lord Jesus continued to talk about the priests serving God in the temple on the Sabbath and not violating the Sabbath.
The Lord Jesus continued: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
God is a merciful God. The Lord Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. He also wants us to be merciful to others. If we show mercy to others, we will receive God’s mercy. The Pharisees only paid attention to the rules of the law and had no mercy on others. They had no relationship with God and treated the innocent as guilty. The Lord Jesus said that He is greater than the temple and He is the Lord of the Sabbath. He established the Sabbath.
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27)
The Lord Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man so that he could have rest and have rest in the Lord, man was not made for the Sabbath, man was not bound by the Sabbath so that he cannot do anything. The Pharisees only focused on keeping the Sabbath, but did not know the Lord of the Sabbath, and even wanted to put him to death.
I hope that more people will come to the Lord, know the Lord, and have an intimate relationship with the Lord. 🙏😊

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. ²⁷ “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30)

Here the Lord Jesus thanks Heavenly Father for hiding these things from the wise and learned and revealing them to babes. These things refer to the spiritual things which the Lord Jesus revealed to the babes.
²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Luke 10:23-24)
The parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke tells us that the Lord Jesus allowed his disciples to see and hear things that many prophets and kings in the old testament could not see or hear.
Anyone who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him. (John 14:21)
Here the Lord Jesus says that He will reveal to those who keep His commandments, those who love Him.
Then the Lord Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to come to Him and find rest. In ancient times, a yoke was placed on the necks of two animals to work together in the field. To take the Lord’s yoke is to be union with Him and work together with Him. The Lord’s yoke is easy and the Lord’s burden is light, we learn from the Lord, for he is gentle and humble in heart, we can wait before the Lord and find rest in Him. The first thing we should do every morning when we get up is to be quiet before the Lord, read the Bible and pray, get strength and guidance from the Lord to do daily work . After a day’s work, we should also wait before Him, rest in Him.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊

²⁰ Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ²¹ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²² But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ²⁴ But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” would have endured to this day. 24 But I say to you: He who is to be judged It will be easier for Sodom than it is for you!” (Matthew 11:20-24)

Last time we talked about the Lord Jesus saying that people in this generation did not respond to the gospel. Here we talk about the Lord Jesus performing many miracles in Chorazin and Bethsaida, but people did not repent. Chorazin and Bethsaida were near the north shore of the sea of Galilee in Israel, and Tire and Sidon are now in Lebanon. The Lord Jesus came to preach the gospel to the Israelites first and performed many miracles in Chorazin and Bethsaida, but the people did not repent.
When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. (Mark 3:8)
Here it says that many people came to the Lord from the Gentile city Tire and Sidon after hearing the many miracles Jesus performed, and they turned to Him and repented.
Capernaum was also a city in Israel, and Sodom was a city mentioned in the Old Testament that was destroyed by God because of its great sinfulness. Here the Lord Jesus said that if the miracles He performed in Capernaum were performed in Sodom, they would have repented and would not have been destroyed. In the future day of judgment, it will be easier for Sodom than for Capernaum. I hope that more people will be open to the gospel, repent and turn to the Lord and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The message that the Lord Jesus preached at the beginning was that repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵ Whoever has ears, let them hear. ¹⁶ “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ¹⁷ “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” (Matthew 11:11-19)