MattheW 12:1 | 1553 have been raid ing it . 13 For all the Proph ets and the Law proph e sied un til John . 14 And if you are will ing to ac cept it , he is the Eli jah who was to come . 15 Who ev er has ears , let them hear .
16
“ To what can I com pare this gen er a tion ? They are like chil dren sit ting in the mar ket plac es and call ing out to oth ers :
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 nei ther eat ing nor drink ing , and they say , ‘ He has a de mon .’ 19 The Son of Man came eat ing and drink ing , and they say , ‘ Here is a glutton and a drunk ard , a friend of tax col lec tors and sin ners .’ But wis dom is proved right by her deeds .”
Woe on Unrepentant Towns
11:21-23pp — Lk 10:13-15
20
Then Jesus be gan to de nounce the towns in which most of his mir a cles had been per formed , be cause they did not re pent . 21 “ Woe to you , Chora zin ! Woe to you , Beth sa i da ! For if the mir a cles that were per formed in you had been per formed in Tyre and Si don , they would have re pent ed long ago in sack cloth and ash es . 22 But I tell you , it will be more bear able for Tyre and Si don on the day of judg ment than for you . 23 And you , Ca per na um , will you be lift ed to the heavens ? No , you will go down to Hades . a For if the mir a cles that were performed in you had been per formed in Sod om , it would have re mained to this day . 24 But I tell you that it will be more bear able for Sod om on the day of judg ment than for you .”
The Father Revealed in the Son
11:25-27pp — Lk 10:21,22
25
At that time Jesus said , “ I praise you , Fa ther , Lord of heav en and earth , be cause you have hid den these things from the wise and learned , and re vealed them to lit tle chil dren . 26 Yes , Fa ther , for this is what you were pleased to do .
27
“ All things have been com mit ted to me by my Fa ther . No one knows the Son ex cept the Fa ther , and no one knows the Fa ther ex cept the Son and those to whom the Son choos es to re veal him .
28
“ Come to me , all you who are wea ry and burdened , and I will give you rest . 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me , for I am gen tle and hum ble in heart , and you will find rest for your souls . 30 For my yoke is easy and my bur den is light .”
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
12:1-8pp — Mk 2:23-28 ; Lk 6:1-5 12:9-14pp — Mk 3:1-6 ; Lk 6:6-11
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sab bath . His dis ci ples were
12 hun gry and be gan to pick some heads of grain
a
23 That is , the realm of the dead
11:14 he is the Elijah The prophet Malachi had foretold the coming of a messenger — Elijah — who would prepare the way of the Messiah ( Mal 3:1 ; 4:5 ); consequently , some Jews expected the return of Elijah himself ( e . g ., Jn 1:25 ). However , Jesus explains here that Malachi ’ s prophecy was fulfilled by John the Baptist , who ministered in the spirit and power of Elijah ( Lk 1:17 , compare Mt 16:14 ). 11:17 We played the pipe for you In this illustration , children play music and sing , but their friends do not play along . Jesus makes the point that the Jews rejected John ’ s message of judgment ( expressed by not eating and drinking ) and Jesus ’ message of joy and hope ( expressed by eating and drinking ) because John and Jesus did not fit their expectations of Elijah and the Messiah ( compare note on 11:14 ). 11:18 neither eating nor drinking A reference to John ’ s ascetic lifestyle . 11:19 wisdom is proved right by her deeds See note on Lk 7:35 .
11:20 – 24 Continuing the themes of vv . 16 – 19 , Jesus pronounces woes on those who failed to heed his preaching .
11:21 Chorazin A town near Capernaum . Bethsaida A town near Capernaum . Tyre and Sidon Powerful Gentile city-states in Phoenicia , northwest of Israel on the Mediterranean coast . 11:23 Capernaum Jesus ’ base of ministry . Most of his miracles are performed in the region of Chorazin , Bethsaida and Capernaum . Hades The realm of the dead . Compare note on Mt 16:18 . Sodom The destruction of Sodom is described in Ge 19:1 – 29 . See note on Mt 10:15 .
11:25 – 30 After criticizing the unbelieving Jews , Jesus thanks the Father for his believing disciples ( v . 25 ). He contrasts the burdensome teaching of the Pharisees by telling his disciples that his burden is light ( v . 30 ), inviting them to full discipleship ( vv . 28 – 29 ).
11:27 All things In light of v . 25 , this could refer to all knowledge . It also could indicate complete authority , the totality of existence or everything needed to carry out the ministry of Jesus ( compare 28:18 ; Da 7:14 ). 11:29 Take my yoke upon you Yokes were heavy , wooden crossbars used to connect two oxen together for more efficient plowing . Here , Jesus ’ yoke represents his teaching . Allegiance to him and his kingdom results in a sense of peace — it is not laborious , like keeping the requirements of the Jewish leaders of the time , but instead is joyful . 11:30 my burden is light In contrast to the burdens imposed by Israel ’ s religious leaders ( compare Mt 23:4 ).
12:1 – 8 Jesus asserts his authority over the Sabbath in an encounter with the Pharisees . He cites two examples to demonstrate that people ’ s needs outweigh the observance of Sabbath law .
12:1 the Sabbath The traditional day of rest for the Jewish people as prescribed by the law ( Ex 20:8 – 11 ; 34:21 ).