11:4 tell John. He sent John’s disciples back as eyewitnesses of many miracles. Evidently He performed these miracles in their presence just so that they could report back to John that they had personally seen proof that He was indeed the Messiah (cf. Is. 29:18, 19; 35:5–10). Note, however, that he offered no further explanation to John, knowing exactly how strong John’s faith was (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13).
11:10 Quoted from Mal. 3:1.
11:11 least…is greater than he. John was greater than the OT prophets because he actually saw with his eyes and personally participated in the fulfillment of what they only prophesied (vv. 10, 13; cf. 1 Pet. 1:10, 11). But all believers after the cross are greater still, because they participate in the full understanding and experience of something John merely foresaw in shadowy form—the actual atoning work of Christ.
11:12 the kingdom of heaven suffers violence. From the time he began his preaching ministry, John the Baptist evoked a strong reaction. Having been imprisoned already, John ultimately fell victim to Herod’s savagery. But the kingdom can never be subdued or opposed by human violence. Notice that where Matthew says, “the violent take it by force,” Luke has, “everyone is pressing into it” (Luke 16:16). So the sense of this verse may be rendered this way: “The kingdom presses ahead relentlessly, and only the relentless press their way into it.” Thus again Christ is magnifying the difficulty of entering the kingdom (see notes on 7:13, 14).
11:14 he is Elijah. I.e., he is the fulfillment of Mal. 4:5, 6 (see 17:12, 13). The Jews were aware that Elijah had not died (cf. 2 Kin. 2:11). This does not suggest that John was Elijah returned. In fact, John himself denied that he was Elijah (John 1:21); yet he came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). If they had believed, John would have been the fulfillment of the Elijah prophecies. See notes on Mark 9:13; Rev. 11:5, 6.
11:16 like children. See note on Luke 7:32.
11:19 eating and drinking. See note on Luke 7:34.
11:21 Woe to you, Chorazin!…Bethsaida! Both were cities very close to Capernaum, near the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Tyre…Sidon. Phoenician cities on the shore of the Mediterranean. The prophecy about the destruction of Tyre and Sidon in Ezek. 26–28 was fulfilled in precise detail.
11:22, 24 more tolerable. This indicates that there will be degrees of punishment in hell for the ungodly (see notes on 10:15; Mark 6:11; Luke 12:47, 48; Heb. 10:29).
11:23 Capernaum…exalted…brought down. Capernaum, chosen by Jesus to be His headquarters, faced an even greater condemnation. Curiously, there is no record that the people of that city ever mocked or ridiculed Jesus, ran Him out of town, or threatened His life. Yet the sin of that city—indifference to Christ—was worse than Sodom’s gross wickedness (cf. 10:15).
11:25 wise and prudent…babes. There is sarcasm in these words as the Jewish leaders are ironically identified as wise and prudent and the followers of Christ as the infants (cf. 18:3–10)—yet God has revealed to those followers the truth of the Messiah and His gospel. Cf. 13:10–17.
11:26 it seemed good in Your sight. Cf. Luke 10:21, 22. This is a powerful affirmation of the sovereignty of God over all the affairs of men; and in the verse that follows, Christ claimed that the task of executing the divine will had been committed to Him—a claim that would be utterly blasphemous if Jesus were anything less than sovereign God Himself.
11:28–30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden. There is an echo of the first beatitude (5:3) in this passage. Note that this is an open invitation to all who hear—but phrased in such a way that the only ones who will respond to the invitation are those who are burdened by their own spiritual bankruptcy and the weight of trying to save themselves by keeping the law. The stubbornness of humanity’s sinful rebellion is such that without a sovereignly-bestowed spiritual awakening, all sinners refuse to acknowledge the depth of their spiritual poverty. That is why, as Jesus says in v. 27, our salvation is the sovereign work of God. But the truth of divine election in v. 27 is not incompatible with the free offer to all in vv. 28–30.
11:29 you will find rest. I.e., from the endless, fruitless effort to save oneself by the works of the law (cf. Heb. 4:1–3, 6, 9–11). This speaks of a permanent respite in the grace of God which is apart from works (v. 30).
Matthew 12
12:2 not lawful to do on the Sabbath. Actually, no law prohibited the plucking of grain in order to eat on the Sabbath. Gleaning handfuls of grain from a neighbor’s field to satisfy one’s immediate hunger was explicitly permitted (Deut. 23:25). What was prohibited was labor for the sake of profit. Thus a farmer could not harvest for profit on the Sabbath, but an individual could glean enough grain to eat.
12:3 He said. Jesus’ answer in vv. 3–8 points out that the Sabbath laws do not restrict deeds of necessity (vv. 3, 4); service to God (vv. 5, 6); or acts of mercy (vv. 7, 8). He reaffirmed that the Sabbath was made for man’s benefit and God’s glory. It was never intended to be a yoke of bondage to the people of God (Mark 2:27). See note on Luke 6:9.
12:4 the showbread. The consecrated bread of the Presence, 12 loaves baked fresh each Sabbath, which was usually eaten by the priests only (Lev. 24:5–9). God was not offended by David’s act, done to satisfy a legitimate need when his men were weak with hunger (1 Sam. 21:4–6). See notes on Mark 2:26; Luke 6:3.
12:5 profane the Sabbath, and are blameless. I.e., the priests have to do their work on the Sabbath, proving that some aspects of the Sabbath restrictions are not inviolable moral absolutes, but rather precepts pertaining to the ceremonial features of the law.
12:6 greater than the temple. This was a straightforward claim of deity. The Lord Jesus was God incarnate—God dwelling in human flesh—far superior to a building which God merely visited.
12:7 mercy and not sacrifice. Quoted from Hos. 6:6. See note on 9:13.
12:8 the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Christ has the prerogative to rule over not only their man-made sabbatarian rules, but also over the Sabbath itself—which was designed for worshiping God. Again, this was an inescapable claim of deity—and as such it prompted the Pharisees’ violent outrage (v. 14).
12:10 Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? Jewish tradition prohibited the practice of medicine on the Sabbath, except in life-threatening situations. But no actual law in the OT forbade the giving of medicine, healing, or any other acts of mercy on the Sabbath. It is always lawful to do good.
12:15 healed them all. See note on 9:35. In all of OT history there was never a time or a person who exhibited such extensive healing power. Physical healings were very rare in the OT. Christ chose to display His deity by healing, raising the dead, and liberating people from demons. That not only showed the Messiah’s power over the physical and spiritual realms, but also demonstrated the compassion of God toward those affected by sin. See note on John 11:35.
12:16 warned them not to make Him known. See note on 8:4. Here Christ seems concerned about the potential zealotry of those who would try to press Him into the conquering-hero mold that the rabbinical experts had made out of messianic prophecy (see note on v. 18).
12:18 Behold! My Servant. Verses 18–21 are quoted from Is. 42:1–4, to demonstrate that (contrary to the typical first-century rabbinical expectations) the Messiah would not arrive with political agendas, military campaigns, and great fanfare, but with gentleness and meekness—declaring righteousness even “to the Gentiles.”
12:19 not quarrel nor cry out. The Messiah would not try to stir up a revolution or force His way into power.
12:20 bruised reed…smoking flax. The reed was used by shepherds to fashion a small musical instrument. Once cracked or worn, it was useless. A smoldering wick was also useless for giving light. These represent people who are deemed useless by the world. Christ’s work was to restore and rekindle such people, not to “break” them or “quench” them. This speaks of His tender compassion toward the lowliest of the lost. He came not to gather the strong for a revolution, but to show mercy to the weak. Cf. 1 Cor. 1:26�
�29.
12:23 Son of David. See note on 1:1.
12:24 Beelzebub. See note on 10:25. After all the displays of Jesus’ deity, the Pharisees declared that He was from Satan—exactly opposite the truth, and they knew it (see note on v. 31; cf. 9:34; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15).
12:28 kingdom of God has come. That was precisely true. The King was in their midst, displaying His sovereign power. He showed it by demonstrating His ability to bind Satan and his demons (v. 29).
12:31 the blasphemy against the Spirit. The sin He was confronting was the Pharisees’ deliberate rejection of that which they knew to be of God (cf. John 11:48; Acts 4:16). They could not deny the reality of what the Holy Spirit had done through Him, so they attributed to Satan a work that they knew was of God (v. 24; Mark 3:22).
12:32 it will be forgiven him. Someone never exposed to Christ’s divine power and presence might reject Him in ignorance and be forgiven—assuming the unbelief gives way to genuine repentance. Even a Pharisee such as Saul of Tarsus could be forgiven for speaking “against the Son of Man” or persecuting His followers—because his unbelief stemmed from ignorance (1 Tim. 1:13). But those who know His claims are true and reject Him anyway sin “against the Holy Spirit”—because it is the Holy Spirit who testifies of Christ and makes His truth known to us (John 15:26; 16:14, 15). No forgiveness was possible for these Pharisees who witnessed His miracles firsthand, knew the truth of His claims, and still blasphemed the Holy Spirit—because they had already rejected the fullest possible revelation. See notes on Heb. 6:4–6; 10:29.
12:36 every idle word. The most seemingly insignificant sin—even a slip of the tongue—carries the full potential of all hell’s evil (cf. James 3:6). No infraction against God’s holiness is therefore a trifling thing, and each person will ultimately give account of every such indiscretion. There is no truer indication of a bad tree than the bad fruit of speech (vv. 33, 35). The poisonous snakes were known by their poisonous mouths revealing evil hearts (v. 34; cf. Luke 6:45). Every person is judged by his words, because they reveal the state of his heart.
12:38 we want to see a sign from You. They were hoping for a sign of astronomical proportions (Luke 11:16). Instead, he gives them a “sign” from Scripture. See notes on 16:1; 21:21.
12:39 An evil and adulterous generation. This speaks of spiritual adultery—unfaithfulness to God (cf. Jer. 5:7, 8).
12:40 three days and three nights. Quoted from Jon. 1:17. This sort of expression was a common way of underscoring the prophetic significance of a period of time. An expression like “forty days and forty nights” (see note on 4:2) may in some cases simply refer to a period of time longer than a month. “Three days and three nights” was an emphatic way of saying “three days,” and by Jewish reckoning this would be an apt way of expressing a period of time that includes parts of 3 days. Thus, if Christ was crucified on a Friday, and His resurrection occurred on the first day of the week, by Hebrew reckoning this would qualify as 3 days and 3 nights. All sorts of elaborate schemes have been devised to suggest that Christ might have died on a Wednesday or Thursday, just to accommodate the extreme literal meaning of these words. But the original meaning would not have required that sort of wooden interpretation. See note on Luke 13:32.
12:41 men of Nineveh…repented. See Jon. 3:5–10. The revival in Nineveh under Jonah’s preaching was one of the most extraordinary spiritual revivals the world has ever seen. Some have suggested that the repentance of the Ninevites stopped short of saving faith, because the city reverted within one generation to its old pagan ways (cf. Nah. 3:7, 8). From Jesus’ words here, however, it is clear that the revival under Jonah represented authentic saving conversions. Only eternity will reveal how many souls from that one generation were swept into the kingdom as a result of the revival.
12:42 queen of the South. See 1 Kin. 10:1–13. The queen of Sheba came to see Solomon’s glory (see note on 6:29) and in the process encountered the glory of Solomon’s God (1 Kin. 10:9).
12:45 the last state of that man is worse than the first. The problem is that the evil spirit found the house “empty” (v. 44). This is the description of someone who attempts moral reform without ever being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Reform apart from regeneration is never effective and eventually reverts back to pre-reform behavior.
12:46 brothers. These are actual siblings (half-brothers) of Jesus. Matthew explicitly connects them with Mary, indicating that they were not cousins or Joseph’s sons from a previous marriage, as some of the church fathers imagined. They are mentioned in all the gospels (Mark 3:31; Luke 8:19–21; John 7:3–5). Matthew and Mark give the names of 4 of Jesus’ brothers, and mention that He had sisters as well (13:55; Mark 6:3).
12:48, 49 He was not repudiating His earthly family (cf. John 19:26, 27). Rather, He was emphasizing the supremacy and eternality of spiritual relationships (cf. 10:37). After all, even His own family needed Him as Savior (cf. John 7:5).
12:50 does the will of My Father. This is not salvation by works. Doing the will of God is the evidence of salvation by grace. See notes on 7:21–27.
Matthew 13
13:1–52 This is the third of 5 discourses featured in Matthew (see Introduction: Historical and Theological Themes).
13:3 parables. Parables were a common form of teaching in Judaism. The Gr. term for “parable” appears 45 times in the LXX. A parable is a long analogy, often cast in the form of a story. Before this point in His ministry, Jesus had employed many graphic analogies (cf. 5:13–16), but their meaning was fairly clear in the context of His teaching. Parables required more explanation (cf. v. 36) and Jesus employed them to obscure the truth from unbelievers while making it clearer to His disciples (vv. 11, 12). For the remainder of His Galilean ministry, He did not speak to the multitudes except in parables (v. 34). Jesus’ veiling the truth from unbelievers this way was both an act of judgment and an act of mercy. It was “judgment” because it kept them in the darkness that they loved (cf. John 3:19), but it was “mercy” because they had already rejected the light, so any exposure to more truth would only increase their condemnation. See note on v. 13.
13:4 wayside. The fields were bordered by paths beaten hard by foot traffic and baking sun.
13:5 stony places. Very shallow soil atop a layer of bedrock. From the top it looks fertile, but there is no depth to sustain a root system or reach water (v. 21).
13:7 thorns. Weeds, the roots of which were still in the ground after plowing had been done.
13:11 it has been given to you. Here Jesus clearly affirms that the ability to comprehend spiritual truth is a gracious gift of God, sovereignly bestowed on the elect (v. 11). The reprobate ones, on the other hand, are passed over. They reap the natural consequence of their own unbelief and rebellion—spiritual blindness (v. 13). the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. “Mysteries” are those truths which have been hidden from all ages in the past and revealed in the NT. See notes on 1 Cor. 2:7; 4:1; Eph. 3:4, 5. Many specific doctrines of the NT are identified as “mysteries” (e.g., Rom. 11:25; 1 Cor. 15:51; Eph. 5:32; 6:19; Col. 1:26, 27; 2 Thess. 2:7; 1 Tim. 3:9, 16).
13:13 because seeing they do not see. Here Matthew seems to suggest that their own unbelief is the cause of their spiritual blindness. Luke 8:10, however, emphasizes God’s initiative in obscuring the truth from these unbelievers (“to the rest it is given in parables, [so] that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand’”—cf. Is. 6:9). Both things are true, of course. Yet we are not to think that God blinds them because He somehow delights in their destruction (cf. Ezek. 33:11; see note on 23:37). This judicial blinding may be viewed as an act of mercy, lest their condemnation be increased (see note on v. 3).
13:14, 15 Quoted from Is. 6:9, 10 (see notes there).
13:17 many…desired to see. Cf. John 8:56; 1 Pet. 1:9–12.
13:19 word of the kingdom. The message of how to enter God’s kingdom, the sphere of salvation, i.e., the gospel (cf. “word of reconciliation” in 2 Cor. 5:19). wicked one. Sata
n. Cf. 1 John 5:19. The gospel never penetrates these souls, so it disappears from the surface of their understanding—seen as the enemy snatching it away.
13:20 stony places. Some people make an emotional, superficial commitment to salvation in Christ, but it is not real. They remain interested only until there is a sacrificial price to pay, and then abandon Christ. See note on 1 John 2:19.
13:22 who received seed among the thorns. These make superficial commitments without a true repentance. They can’t break with the love of money and the world (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15–17; see notes on 19:16–21).
13:23 the good ground. As there were 3 soils with no fruit, thus no salvation, there are 3 kinds of good soil with fruit. Not all believers are equally fruitful, but all are fruitful (cf. 7:16; John 15:8).
13:25 tares. Probably darnel, a type of weed that can hardly be distinguished from wheat until the head matures. In an agricultural setting, sowing darnel in someone else’s wheat field was a way for enemies to destroy someone’s livelihood catastrophically. It pictures Satan’s efforts to deceive the church by mingling his children with God’s, in some cases making it impossible for believers to discern the true from the false. The parable is explained in vv. 36–43.
13:32 a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. Palestinian mustard plants are large shrubs, sometimes up to 15 ft. high—certainly large enough for birds to lodge in. This is undoubtedly a reference to several OT passages, including Ezek. 17:23; 31:6; Dan. 4:21—passages which prophesied the inclusion of Gentiles in the kingdom.
13:33 The kingdom of heaven is like leaven. Here the kingdom is pictured as yeast, multiplying quietly and permeating all that it contacts. The lesson is the same as the parable of the mustard seed. Some interpreters suggest that since leaven is nearly always a symbol of evil in Scripture (see note on Mark 8:15) it must carry that connotation here as well. They make the leaven some evil influence inside the kingdom. But that twists Jesus actual words and violates the context, in which Jesus is repeatedly describing that kingdom itself as the pervading influence.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 462