January 9th Bible Study Companion

Matthew 12, Mark 3, Luke 6

Matthew 12

      Matthew 12:1-8  This is Matthew’s version of the incident we read from Mark 2:23-28. However, Matthew adds a few different points to the story. In addition to the reference to David, Matthew adds Jesus’ reference to what the Priests do on the Sabbath. And according to Sabbath Laws, the priests actually break the Law on every Sabbath. Why would they be exempt and others not? Well, I understand that they were serving the people and serving God, not serving a long list of rules and regulations. But apparently the Pharisees didn’t see it that way. Again this is a clear sign that the religious leaders in Jesus’ time had exalted the Law above the people; as if righteousness and blamelessness could be found in the Law. Not so, says Jesus, as He quotes from Hosea 6:6. What God desires most is a heart devoted to Him, not empty ritualistic devotion to a set of rules and regulations.

      Matthew 12:9-14  Doesn’t it seem a bit ironic that a man with a withered hand was in church that day? Okay, so maybe he was a regular attender, but considering that the Pharisees were looking for a way to trap Jesus (see Matthew 12:10), it sure seems that this whole thing was a set-up. If that’s true, then Jesus demonstrates an incredible amount of grace to this man. Neglecting His own safety, Jesus heals knowing that it would get Him in hot water with the Pharisees. And once again the Pharisees make with the whole regulation argument. These people just don’t get it. The Sabbath was made so Man might find rest and refreshment, not so that man might have a list of rules and regulations to follow. 

      Matthew 12:15-21  It’s strange how often people miss this side of Jesus. The Messiah’s life would be identified by compassion (neither break a battered reed nor put out a smoldering wick). And this is exactly what we see in Jesus. People were more important than rules, regulations, and customs. His primary interest was in the individual standing before Him. And Jesus would do whatever it took to keep that person from turning away from God. Jesus would not turn a woman away from Love Feast simply because she wore no head covering. He would simply be glad she was there.

      Matthew 12:22-24  Apparently there were some Jews who were able to cast out demons in Jesus’ time. Although it involved extensive pleading and persuading, it apparently worked. And it seems that it involved a large group of people as well (compare the group of exorcists in Acts 19:13). Noticeably different is the way Jesus accomplished this same feat; with a simple command. “Leave”, is all Jesus would often say, and the demon would leave. Sadly, the demons understood who Jesus was better than the Pharisees.

      Matthew 12:25-29  Jesus points out how silly their statement truly is. Satan would not work against himself. And in defense of His authority, Jesus points out that He is the stronger man. He is the One who has the authority to storm the strong-holds of Satan as conqueror. And if these Pharisees had really been guided by the Spirit of God, they would have recognized this. They would have reacted just like the rest of the crowd (Matthew 12:23). But by their reaction they indicate just who was controlling them.

      Matthew 12:30-37  In context, speaking against the Spirit means that these Pharisees were rejecting and denying the presence of God’s Spirit in what just happened. They denied His convicting power. Jesus says that He could forgive them for not fully comprehending that the divine nature of God was residing in flesh and blood, but no righteous person should be able to ignore the manifestation of God’s power and authority in this world, especially over the forces of darkness. But because they could not or would not, they would find no forgiveness; not from Jesus while He walked the earth and not from Jesus when He stood before them as judge. Now, some biblical scholars believe that this section only applied to the religious leaders at the time Jesus walked the earth; that this scolding by Jesus does not apply to us today. These scholars feel that Jesus needs to be present in order for this to be reproduced today. Jesus would need to be present and performing miracles such as this one, and then we would have to either believe or deny that the Spirit of God was working through Him. Perhaps that is true, but I still believe that you or I can fall into the same trap. If we attest to science or technology that which belongs to the Spirit, it seems we are guilty of the same sin. And quite honestly, you can tell if someone is a believer (a good tree) when they give God credit for a miracle. And those who point to something else are certainly not believers at all (a bad tree). And will a non-believer find forgiveness on the Day of Judgment?

      Matthew 12:38  Um, didn’t Jesus just do that? Didn’t He just prove to the crowds that He was indeed the Messiah? Where have these people been the past few months?

      Matthew 12:39-42  It’s interesting how Jesus validates the story of Jonah and the Great Fish. For those who label Jonah’s story as nothing more than a fable, then Jesus must not really know what He’s talking about. He compares the sign of Jonah to the same sign He will give in about three years. You have to wonder what was wrong with these people. The people of Nineveh repented when an ordinary man preached, and the Queen of Sheba apparently embraced God when she heard an ordinary man teach.  But these men would not believe when God showed up. They wouldn’t believe through what He said and they wouldn’t believe by what He did. And the saddest part of all is that these were the religious leaders; the learned men and the biblical scholars. One has to wonder what was keeping them from seeing and hearing and believing.

      Matthew 12:43-45  The important part of this warning is cleanliness and order. A person cleans up their life, but does not fill their life with anything else. Such were these religious leaders. They followed the Law but their hearts were empty. In other words, Jesus is warning us to make sure our life is filled with something, not just cleaned up and straightened up. It does me no good to simply remove sin from my life; to straighten up my act. I must fill my heart, mind, and soul with faithfulness to Christ. There is no reformation apart from Christ.

      Matthew 12:46-50  Mary and Jesus’ half-brothers (born to Mary after Jesus was born – see John 7:5), must have wanted special favors. We’re not sure. But it seems they were trying to align themselves with Jesus simply through family ties. Not so, says Jesus.  One cannot be born into His Kingdom. To be one of His disciples, a person needs to surrender to God’s will. This is a point Paul will make in his letter to the Roman Christians (Romans 9:7-8).

Mark 3

      Mark 3:1-6  In Mark’s version of this story, Jesus is the One who asks the question.  Matthew records that it was the Pharisees (compare Matthew 12:10).  I like Mark’s version a little better.  It shows a confrontational side to Jesus.  “Is this a day to save life or to destroy it”, He says.  That’s a very pointed question.  Which is more important; a stain on the carpet or a person’s eternal soul?

      Mark 3:7-12  This section, according to Mark’s gospel, coincides with what is recorded in Matthew 12:15.  Jesus has earned Himself a large crowd of followers (not believers).  They are mesmerized by the Man.  His signs and wonders have thrilled them.  His popularity is soaring (probably why His brothers wanted to be part of the “in” crowd).  But that will soon fall away.  Also notice here that the demons knew exactly who Jesus was and is.  I wonder why some of the people did not.

      Mark 3:13-19  From the great crowd of followers, Jesus appoints twelve as Apostles.  These are the men He will send out with authority.  They were commissioned to do Christ’s work in His name.  This commissioning made them different than disciples.  A disciple is one who is taught.  An apostle is one who is sent with authority.  In this instance, they are sent in Christ’s authority.

      Mark 3:20-21  This was Jesus’ family, not His circle of friends.  They came to take Him away.  Did they think that He was out of His mind, or were they merely trying to care for His health?  It’s difficult to say. 

Luke 6

      Luke 6:1-5  This section repeats what was discussed in Matthew 12:1-8 and Mark 2:23-28.

      Luke 6:6-11  Luke points out that it was the right hand that was withered, an observation missing from Matthew and Mark.  Like Mark, Luke here indicates that it was Jesus who asked the question, not the Pharisees (see Matthew 12:10).  The fact that Luke indicates it was the right hand gives me the impression that he either interviewed the man who was healed or spoke with someone who knew him.

      Luke 6:12-16  The list of the Apostles is given here.  In Matthew and Mark’s listing, as well as here in Luke, the list begins with Peter and ends with Judas Iscariot.  When comparing this list with the names given in John 1:45, Bartholomew must be Nathaniel, and Thaddaeus (see Mark 3:18) must be Judas, son of James

      Luke 6:17-19  To fully understand how these events unfolded, we need to compare Luke’s account with Matthew’s.  Jesus went up to the Mountain to pray all night, He called twelve to be His Apostles, He went down the mountain to meet with the people, and then He went back up the mountain to teach.  Matthew omits some of the details and so does Luke.  But combined, we get a fuller view of things.  The message to the people is similar (as compared to Matthew).  It begins with the Beatitudes, and concludes with the same parables.  However, you’ll notice that Luke omits many of the clarifications Jesus makes about Jewish Law.  And considering his Gentile audience, this would make sense.

      Luke 6:20-23  In contrast to the wisdom of the world, Jesus says that blessedness is not found in the materiel pleasures and desires one might possess, but in an emotional and a spiritual connection with God.  Actually, this echoes teachings found in the Old Testament (Compare Psalms 32:1-2; 34:8; 40:4; 84:12; 112:1).  Consider the absurdity in what Jesus claims: Blessed are you who are poor … blessed are you who hunger now … blessed are you who weep now, and blessed are you when men hate you.  Conventional wisdom would scoff at those claims.  But Jesus reminds us that our blessedness is not found because of the situation, but within the presence of God within the situation.  Tomorrow, during our reading from Matthew 5, we will take a closer look at each promised blessing.

      Luke 6:24-26  Those disciples who had given up everything to follow Jesus were contrasted with those who refused to give up anything to follow Jesus, including social standing, wealth, and peace of mind.  Those who seek to find blessedness in the things of this life and the things in this world will find emptiness and vanity.  These people are simply chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

      Luke 6:27-35  Jesus calls His listeners to demonstrate the unique characteristics of God in the way they interact with one another.  He says:

1.    Love your enemies.

2.    Do good to those who hate you.

3.    Bless those who curse you.

4.    Pray for those who mistreat you.

5.    Do not retaliate.

6.    Give freely.

7.    Treat others the way you want to be treated.

This is not a list of ways a Christian is to respond to others, this is a list of attitudes and behaviors a Christian is to demonstrate toward others.  As a Christian, we are not called to react toward others in a Christ-like manner; we are called to act Christ-like toward others regardless of the way they react to us.  A Christian is called to be proactive in their love toward others, not reactive to the way they are treated.  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, not “Do to others as they have done to you”.  When a Christian demonstrates this characteristic, they are demonstrating the very heart of God (Luke 6:35).

      Luke 6:36-38  This is a powerful lesson from Jesus.  He reminds us that our actions and attitudes toward others will often be reflected back toward us.

1.    Mercy will lead to mercy

2.    Judgment will lead to judgment

3.    Condemnation will lead to condemnation

4.    Pardon will lead to pardon

5.    Giving will lead to giving

You will always harvest what you plant (Galatians 6:7).

      Luke 6:39-42  So often people use this illustration as an example of Christ’s teaching about judgment.  They claim that Jesus taught us to not pass judgment about the speck in someone’s eye because we have a log in our own.  But that’s not what He is trying to teach.  Jesus does not teach that it is wrong to see sin in another person’s life.  What He is teaching here is that in order to help someone deal with their sin, I will need to first deal with mine.  As a matter of fact, when I deal with my own sin, I am actually called to help someone deal with their own.  When I see in someone else a sin that used to be present in me, I am better equipped to help lead them away from that sin.  So when people quote this parable to you as Jesus’ example of not passing judgment, you can simply point out to them that you are following Christ’s teaching found in Luke 6:42.  “I’ve dealt with the log in my own eye, and I simply want to help you deal with the speck in yours”.

      Luke 6:43-45  Jesus says that the words we speak will judge us (what you say flows from your heart).  Paul builds upon this (Ephesians 4:29), and so does James (James 3:10).  You can be sure that the person who criticizes and slanders others in front of you will not hesitate to do the same about you in front of others.  That’s because there is divisiveness, criticism, and slander in their heart.  Be wary of those who pull you aside to share a slanderous observation about another person.  They are spreading poison, and if you are not careful it may one day affect you.

      Luke 6:46-49  Notice that a storm raged against both individuals.  Jesus didn’t promise that to heed His words would spare a person from trials and hardships.  But He did promise that hearing and listening to His words would become the foundation a person needs to endure; to remain steadfast and immovable no matter what might come our way.  And don’t we see this to be true?  There is a marked difference between the funeral of a person who had a Christian family and the person who had a godless family.  The difference is like night and day.