Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Matthew
Book: Matthew
Chapter: 12
Overview:
Jesus defends his disciples for plucking
Corn On the
Sabbath
Day.
(1-8) Jesus heals a
Man with a withered
Hand On the
Sabbath.
(9-13) The malice of the
Pharisees.
(14-21) Jesus heals
a demoniac.
(22-30) Blasphemy of the
Pharisees.
(31,32) Evil
words proceed from an evil
Heart.
(33-37) The
Scribes and
Pharisees reproved for seeking a sign.
(38-45) The disciples of
Christ are his nearest relations.
(46-50)
1-8 Being in the
Corn-fields, the disciples began to pluck the
ears of
Corn: the
Law of
God allowed it, De 23:25. This was
slender provision for
Christ and his disciples; but they were
content with it. The
Pharisees did not quarrel with them for
taking another
Man's
Corn, but for doing it
On the
Sabbath Day.
Christ came to free his followers, not only from the corruptions
of the
Pharisees, but from their unscriptural rules, and
justified what they did. The greatest shall not have their lusts
indulged, but the meanest shall have their wants considered.
Those labours are lawful
On the
Sabbath Day which are necessary,
and
Sabbath Rest is to forward, not to hinder
Sabbath Worship.
Needful provision for health and
Food is to be made; but when
servants are kept at home, and families become a scene of hurry
and confusion
On the
Lord's Day, to furnish a
Feast for
visitors, or for indulgence, the case is very different. Such
things as these, and many others common among professors, are to
be blamed. The resting
On the
Sabbath was ordained for
Man's
good, De 5:14.
No Law must be understood
So as to contradict
its own
End. And as
Christ is the
Lord of the
Sabbath, it is fit
the
Day and the work of it should be dedicated to him.
9-13 Christ shows that
Works of
Mercy are lawful and proper to
be done
On the
Lord's Day. There are more ways of doing
Well
upon
Sabbath days, than
By the duties of
Worship: attending the
sick, relieving the
Poor, helping those who need speedy relief,
teaching the young to care for their souls; these are doing
good: and these must be done from
Love and
Charity, with
Humility and self-denial, and shall be accepted, Ge 4:7. This,
like other cures which
Christ wrought, had a spiritual meaning.
By nature our hands are withered, and we are unable of ourselves
to do any thing that is good.
Christ only,
By the power of his
Grace, cures us; he heals the withered
Hand By putting
Life into
the dead soul,
Works in us both to will and to do: for, with the
command, there is a promise of
Grace given
By the
Word.
14-21 The
Pharisees took counsel to find some accusation, that
Jesus might be condemned to
Death. Aware of their design, as his
time was not come, he retired from that place.
Face does not
more exactly answer to
Face in water, than the character of
Christ drawn
By the
Prophet, to his temper and conduct as
described
By the evangelists. Let us with cheerful confidence
commit our souls to
So kind and
Faithful a Friend. Far from
breaking, he will strengthen the bruised
Reed; far from
quenching the smoking
Flax, or wick nearly out, he will rather
blow it up into a flame. Let us lay aside contentious and angry
debates; let us receive one another as
Christ receives us. And
while encouraged
By the gracious kindness of our
Lord, we should
pray that his
Spirit may
Rest upon us, and make us able to copy
his
Example.
22-30 A soul under
Satan's power, and led
Captive By him, is
Blind in the things of
God, and
Dumb at the
Throne of
Grace;
sees nothing, and says nothing to the purpose.
Satan blinds the
eyes
By unbelief, and seals up the lips from
Prayer. The more
people magnified
Christ, the more desirous the
Pharisees were to
vilify him. It was evident that if
Satan aided
Jesus in casting
out devils, the kingdom of
Hell was divided against itself; how
then could it stand! And if they said that
Jesus cast out devils
By the
Prince of the devils, they could not prove that their
children cast them out
By any other power. There are two great
interests in the world; and when unclean spirits are cast out
By
the Holy
Spirit, in the
Conversion of sinners to a
Life of
Faith
and obedience, the
Kingdom of God is come unto us. All who do
not aid or rejoice in such a change are against
Christ.
31,32 Here is a gracious
Assurance of the
Pardon of all
Sin
upon
Gospel terms.
Christ herein has set an
Example to the sons
of men, to be ready to forgive words spoken against them. But
humble and conscientious believers, at times are tempted to
think they have committed the unpardonable
Sin, while those who
have come the nearest to it, seldom have any fear about it. We
may be sure that those who indeed repent and believe the
Gospel,
have not committed this
Sin, or any other of the same kind; for
Repentance and
Faith are the special
Gifts of
God, which he
would not bestow
On any
Man, if he were determined never to
Pardon him; and those who fear they have committed this
Sin,
give a good sign that they have not. The trembling, contrite
sinner, has the
Witness in himself that this is not his case.
33-37 Men's language discovers what country they are of,
likewise what manner of
Spirit they are of. The
Heart is the
Fountain, words are the streams. A troubled
Fountain, and a
corrupt
Spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams.
Nothing but the
Salt of
Grace, cast into the
Spring, will heal
the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt
communication. An evil
Man has an evil treasure in his
Heart,
and out of it brings forth evil things. Lusts and corruptions,
dwelling and reigning in the
Heart, are an evil treasure, out of
which the sinner brings forth bad words and actions, to
dishonour
God, and hurt others. Let us keep constant watch over
ourselves, that we may speak words agreeable to the
Christian
character.
38-45 Though
Christ is always ready to hear and answer holy
desires and prayers, yet those who ask amiss, ask and have not.
Signs were granted to those who desired them to confirm their
Faith, as
Abraham and
Gideon; but denied to those who demanded
them to excuse their unbelief. The
Resurrection of Christ from
the dead
By his own power, called here the sign of the
Prophet
Jonah, was the great proof of
Christ's being the
Messiah. As
Jonah was three days and three nights in the
Whale, and then
came out again alive, thus
Christ would be
So long in the
Grave,
and then rise again. The Ninevites would shame the Jews for not
repenting; the
Queen of
Sheba, for not believing in
Christ. And
we have
No such cares to hinder us, we come not to
Christ upon
such uncertainties. This
Parable represents the case of the
Jewish
Church and nation. It is also applicable to all those who
hear the
Word of God, and are in part reformed, but not truly
converted. The unclean
Spirit leaves for a time, but when he
returns, he finds
Christ is not there to shut him out; the
Heart
is swept
By outward reformation, but garnished
By preparation to
comply with evil suggestions, and the
Man becomes a more decided
enemy of the
Truth. Every
Heart is the residence of unclean
spirits, except those which are temples of the
Holy Ghost,
By
Faith in
Christ.
46-50 Christ's preaching was
Plain, easy, and familiar, and
suited to his hearers. His mother and brethren stood without,
desiring to speak with him, when they should have been standing
within, desiring to hear him. Frequently, those who are nearest
to the means of knowledge and
Grace are most negligent. We are
apt to neglect that which we think we may have any
Day,
forgetting that to-morrow is not ours. We often meet with
hindrances in our work from friends about us, and are taken off
By care for the things of this
Life, from the concerns of our
souls.
Christ was
So intent
On his work, that
No natural or
other duty took him from it. Not that, under pretence of
religion, we may be disrespectful to parents, or unkind to
relations; but the lesser duty must stand
By, while the greater
is done. Let us cease from men, and cleave to
Christ; let us
look upon every
Christian, in whatever condition of
Life, as the
Brother, sister, or mother of the
Lord of
Glory; let us
Love,
respect, and be kind to them, for his sake, and after his
Example.