Chapter 12

At this time, Jesus was walking through the corn-fields on the sabbath day. And his disciples, who were hungry, fell to plucking the ears of corn and eating them.

The Pharisees saw this, and said to him, Look, thy disciples are doing a thing which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath.

Whereupon he said to them, Have you never read of what David did, when he and his followers were hungry?

How he went into the tabernacle, and ate the loaves set out there before God, although neither he nor his followers, nor anyone else except the priests had a right to eat them?

Or again, have you not read in the law that the priests violate the sabbath rest in the temple, and none blames them?

And I tell you there is one standing here who is greater than the temple.

If you had found out what the words mean, It is mercy, not sacrifice, that wins favour with me, you would not have passed judgement on the guiltless.

The Son of Man has even the sabbath at his disposal.

So he went on his way, and afterwards came into their synagogue.

And here there was a man who had one of his hands withered; and they asked Jesus whether it was lawful to do a work of healing on the sabbath, so that they might have a charge to bring against him.

But he answered, Is there a man among you that has a sheep, who would not take hold of it and pull it out, if it should fall into a pit on the sabbath?

And of what value is a sheep compared to a man? There is nothing unlawful, then, in doing a work of mercy on the sabbath day.

And with that he said to the man, Stretch out thy hand; and when he stretched it out, it was restored to him as sound as the other.

Thereupon the Pharisees left the synagogue, and plotted together to make away with him.

Jesus was aware of this, and withdrew from the place; great multitudes followed him, and he healed all their diseases;

but he laid a strict charge on them that they should not make him known.

This he did to fulfil the word spoken by the prophet Isaias,

Behold, my servant, whom I have chosen, my elect, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will lay my spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim judgement among the Gentiles.

He will not protest and cry out; none shall hear his voice in the streets.

He will not snap the staff that is already crushed, or put out the wick that still smoulders, until the time comes when he crowns his judgement with victory.

And the Gentiles will put their trust in his name.

Then they brought to him a man possessed, who was both blind and dumb; whom he cured, giving him both speech and sight.

The multitudes were filled with amazement; Can this, they asked, be no other than the Son of David?

But the Pharisees said, when they heard of it, It is only through the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the devils, that he casts the devils out.

Whereupon Jesus, who knew what was in their thoughts, said to them, No kingdom can be at war with itself without being laid waste; no city or household that is at war with itself can stand firm.

If it is Satan who casts Satan out, then Satan is at war with himself, and how is his kingdom to stand firm?

Again, if it is through Beelzebub that I cast out devils, by what means do your own sons cast them out? It is for these, then, to pronounce judgement on you.

But if, when I cast out devils, I do it through the Spirit of God, then it must be that the kingdom of God has already appeared among you.

How is anyone to gain entrance into the house of a strong man and plunder his goods without first making the strong man his prisoner? Then he can plunder his house at will.

He who is not with me, is against me; he who does not gather his store with me, scatters it abroad.

And now I tell you this; there is pardon for all the other sins and blasphemies of men, but not for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

There is no one who blasphemes against the Son of Man but may find forgiveness; but for him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit there is no forgiveness, either in this world or in the world to come.

Either tell us that the tree is sound and its fruit sound, or that the tree is withered and its fruit withered; the test of the tree is in its fruit.

Brood of vipers, how could you speak to good effect, wicked as you are? It is from the heart’s overflow that the mouth speaks;

a good man utters good words from his store of goodness, the wicked man, from his store of wickedness, can utter nothing but what is evil.

And I say this, that in the day of judgement men will be brought to account for every thoughtless word they have spoken.

Thy words will be matter to acquit, or matter to condemn thee.

Hereupon some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, Master, may we see a sign from thee?

He answered them, The generation that asks for a sign is a wicked and unfaithful generation; the only sign that will be given it is the sign of the prophet Jonas.

Jonas was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-beast, and the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The men of Nineve will rise up with this generation at the day of judgement, and will leave it without excuse; for they did penance when Jonas preached to them, and behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

The queen of the south will rise up with this generation at the day of judgement, and will leave it without excuse; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

The unclean spirit, which has possessed a man and then goes out of him, walks about the desert looking for a resting-place, and finds none;

and it says, I will go back to my own dwelling, from which I came out. And it comes back, to find that dwelling empty, and swept out, and neatly set in order.

Thereupon, it goes away, and brings in seven other spirits more wicked than itself to bear it company, and together they enter in and settle down there; so that the last state of that man is worse than the first. So it shall fare with this wicked generation.

While he was still speaking to the multitude, it chanced that his mother and his brethren were standing without, desiring speech with him.

And someone told him, Here are thy mother and thy brethren standing without, looking for thee.

But he made answer to the man that brought him the news, Who is a mother, who are brethren, to me?

Then he stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, Here are my mother and my brethren!

If anyone does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.