Mat 12:22-45 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Matt 12:22-45: 12:22-45 The Messiah was rejected by the Pharisees, the teachers of religious law, and his own generation.

Summary for Matt 12:22-45: 12:22-45 ^a The Messiah was rejected by the Pharisees, the teachers of religious law, and his own generation.
12:23 ^b Amazement was a common response to Jesus’ miracles (Mark 2:12 ^c; 6:51 ^d; Luke 2:47 ^e; 8:56 ^f; 24:22 ^g).

• Could it be: The question expected a negative answer: Jesus did not fit their expectations for the Messiah, but his miracles did prompt the question.
12:24 ^h Satan: Greek Beelzeboul; see study note on 10:25.
12:26 ⁱ Jesus argued, in essence, “If I cast out demons under the influence of Satan, then Satan is dividing his camp, which obviously would be a foolish thing for Satan to do.”
12:27 ^j what about your own exorcists (literally your sons): Jesus forced them to think consistently. If demons are cast out under Satan’s influence, then their disciples were equally guilty (see Acts 19:13-16 ^k).
12:28 ^l The Pharisees were being confronted with and were rejecting the Kingdom of God itself (see Luke 17:20-21 ^m; 1 Jn 3:8 ⁿ). Jesus’ miracles brought the power of the Kingdom into the present reality; its ultimate consummation awaits Christ’s second coming.
12:29 ^o This parable forced the Pharisees to answer a simple question: Can anyone cast out demons without first binding Satan’s powers and thus opposing him (see Isa 49:24-26 ^p; 53:12 ^q)?

• tie him up: Jesus overcame Satan first at his temptation (Matt 4:1-11 ^r), then throughout his ministry (see Luke 10:17-20 ^s), and ultimately on the cross (see Col 2:14-15 ^t).
12:31 ^u In the face of the Pharisees’ accusations of Satanic influence, Jesus had just argued that he, the Messiah, cast out demons through the power of the Holy Spirit. In this context, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can only mean attributing the ministry and exorcisms of Jesus to Satan’s power.
12:32 ^v One may stumble over Jesus’ mysterious revelation of himself as Son of Man and be forgiven, but one cannot be forgiven for attributing the work of the Spirit to Satan. The present-day analogy is the outright rejection of the conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning Christ—that is, the ultimate rejection of the Good News by an unbeliever (cp. Heb 6:4-6 ^w; 1 Jn 5:16-21 ^x).
Summary for Matt 12:33-37: 12:33-37 ^y Jesus got to the heart of the matter: The Pharisees did not accept him or the divine origin of his ministry because they were wicked (see 7:15-27 ^z).
Summary for Matt 12:36-37: 12:36-37 ^aa The idle word, in this context, was the accusation that Jesus had demonic inspiration.

• What one says will acquit or condemn; one’s words reflect the true condition of the heart.
12:38 ^ab a miraculous sign to prove: A popular expectation of the Messiah, probably fueled by biblical accounts about Moses (Exod 4:1-9 ^ac; see also Isa 7:11 ^ad, 14 ^ae; 38:7-8 ^af), was that the Messiah would display spectacular miracles on command (see Matt 16:1-4 ^ag; Luke 23:8 ^ah; John 2:18 ^ai; 4:48 ^aj; 6:30 ^ak; 7:31 ^al; 9:16 ^am; 11:47 ^an; 1 Cor 1:22 ^ao).
Summary for Matt 12:39-40: 12:39-40 ^ap To demand a sign demonstrates a lack of faith.

• The sign of the prophet Jonah consisted of Jonah’s “resurrection” from the large fish after three days and three nights as well as his preaching (12:41 ^aq; Luke 11:32 ^ar); it was analogous to Jesus’ burial and resurrection and his preaching. Jesus was drawing a parallel between Jonah’s experience and what he himself would experience. He was not predicting an exact chronology of his death and resurrection.

• Heart of the earth is a euphemism for the grave.
Summary for Matt 12:41-42: 12:41-42 ^as someone greater: Jesus is greater than the Temple (12:6 ^at), a prophet (Jonah), and a king (Solomon); therefore, rejection of him entails greater judgment on this “evil, adulterous generation” (12:39 ^au).
12:42 ^av The queen of Sheba: See 1 Kgs 10:1-13 ^aw.
Summary for Matt 12:43-45: 12:43-45 ^ax The Messiah came in victory over demonic powers, but instead of repenting, the nation as a whole rejected the Messiah. Just as an exorcised demon will return if the house is not properly prepared against it, so judgment would come to this evil generation for rejecting the Messiah. 12:43 ^ay Demons were thought to prefer the arid desert (see Rev 18:2 ^az; cp. Isa 13:21 ^ba; 34:14 ^bb).