BIBLE IN TEN

Matthew 12:43

Saturday, 30 August 2025
 
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Matthew 12:43
 
“And when the unclean spirit, it departs from the man, it traverses through waterless spots seeking rest, and it finds not” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of the coming of the queen of the South rising up in judgment and condemning those of Israel in that generation, noting that One greater than Solomon was there. With that complete, a new thought begins with, “And when the unclean spirit, it departs from the man.”
 
There are various ideas about the interpretation of the words of this parable. However, a few clues help direct the analysis. In verse 12:38, the scribes and Pharisees had asked for a sign. Jesus’ response noted that a generation, evil and adulteress, sought a sign. A second clue is that in verse 12:45, He will say that it will also be as “this evil generation.”
 
Therefore, the words apply to those He is speaking to, referring to their inherent evil. Therefore, “the man” is referring to them. He has an unclean spirit. If Jesus were to give a sign to them, oh boy! They would see it and accept the sign as some type of sure proof that He was their Messiah, as if they were free of their evil state.
 
While they are basking in this condition, Jesus says of the unclean spirit that “it traverses through waterless spots.”
 
In these few words are three newly introduced words. The first is dierchomai. It is derived from dia, through, and erchomai, to come or go. Thus, it refers to passing through an area. A single word that suits would be traverse.
 
Next is anudros, it is from hudor water (think of hydrate), which is prefixed by the negative particle a. Thus, it signifies “no water,” or “waterless.” The third is topos, a spot or location. One can immediately see the etymological ancestor of topology, topographic, etc. This unclean spirit is out in arid places “seeking rest.”
 
The obvious meaning is that it had a home in the man. It then left the man and went searching for a new place to settle down. However, men don’t frequent arid places unless they have a purpose for being there. A man with a purpose is not a suitable place for an unclean spirit because the man is focused on his business.
 
But such an unclean spirit needs a person who is not clearly focused. He needs someone whose ears are easily tickled and who is swayed by goofy videos on YouTube that have nothing to do with proper theology. Instead, he wants sensationalism, just like those speaking to Jesus wanted a sign to excite their minds and stimulate their otherwise dull lives. This unclean spirit has looked for a suitable place, “and it finds not.”
 
There are either no bodies at all in the arid places, or those who are there have brought their own water and are satisfied with their pursuits, being actively employed in a life activity that would make them unsuitable to infest. Such was the case with John the Baptist –
 
“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:“Prepare the way of the Lord;Make His paths straight.”’4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.” Matthew 3:1-6
 
Life application: As noted above, unclean spirits revel in those who are not grounded in life’s proper pursuits and activities. When humanity gets out of focus with what has been instilled in it by the Creator, unclean spirits find easy targets to infest and inflict them.
 
This is why larger cities inevitably fill with people who appear absolutely immoral and even demonic. In large cities, people migrate away from hard work and industry and turn towards social programs, easy access to easy lifestyles, attraction to sensationalism, etc.
 
There is an increasing hunger for things that replace the idea of a Creator God who holds man accountable for their actions. It is why cities normally shift towards left-leaning ideology. For example, abortion becomes common because lovers multiply. Because of this, consequences for affairs only get in the way of more affairs.
 
People gravitate towards what is fascinating, miraculous, etc. A magician can set up on the corner of a busy avenue and impress the people with tricks that are unexplainable to the masses. People think they possess special powers and abilities.
 
The newest Nephilim video on YouTube will score a million view, but the sound preacher who carefully explains biblical doctrines may get no views at all. Jesus refused to give a sign because He would have been appealing to the masses’ desire for that which is sensational.
 
Stay away from this type of thinking. Focus on what is right, sound, and proper. Just because something sounds exceptional does not mean it is. The magician’s tricks are always explainable. When they are revealed, people say, “Duh! I see now.” And then, they go looking for another magician to tease their senses.
 
Lord God, help us to think clearly and logically as we view the world around us. Help us to not get caught up in sensationalism and hype, but to pursue a path of hard work, careful and circumspect conduct, and – above all – a close and personal walk with You. Amen.
 

Matthew 12:42

Friday, 29 August 2025
 
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12:42
 
“Queen, south, she will arise in the judgment with this generation and she will sentence it, for she came from the extremities of the land to hear Solomon’s wisdom. And you behold! Solomon’s greater is here” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus referred to the account of Jonah’s preaching and how Nineveh repented at it. He then noted that a greater than Jonah was there with them. He now reiterates this general thought, beginning with, “Queen, south.”
 
The queen of the south is identified in 1 Kings 10:1 –
 
“Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions.”
 
This woman came to discover if the reports of Solomon’s wisdom were true. She was, in essence, a woman in search of discovery greater than silver or gold. Rather, she was looking for wisdom and truth concerning the human condition in relation to their Creator. As such, it says, “concerning the name of the Lord.”
 
One can see her mind asking, “Is Israel’s God the true God?” It reflects the search of those in humanity who truly want to know if the knowledge of the Most High can be ascertained or not. As it says several times in various ways in Scripture –
 
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10
 
Sheba is probably in the area of Saudi Arabia today. This can be discerned from Isaiah 60:6, which refers to other known areas in that general location. This woman traveled from this location specifically to obtain wisdom. It can be deduced from Jesus’ words that she found it because it says that “she will arise in the judgment with this generation and she will sentence it.”
 
It is the same thought as in the previous verse concerning the men of Nineveh. Whereas the men of Nineveh would rise in judgment against those of Israel whom Jesus came to reveal Himself to because they reconsidered at the proclamation of Jonah, this queen would do so, “for she came from the extremities of the land to hear Solomon’s wisdom.”
 
A new word, peras, an extremity, is used. It is from an obsolete derivative of peiro, to pierce. Like the proverbial Starship Enterprise, one can think of a trek piercing the unknown, even until the end of the trek.
 
This woman came from an area lying at the extremity of Israel’s knowledge of the inhabited world to simply hear Solomon’s wisdom in relation to the Lord God of Israel. Understanding this, Jesus finishes with, “And you behold! Solomon’s greater is here.”
 
What is it that Jesus has done, both with the previous verse and this one? He has made an implicit claim to deity. Jesus first spoke of the “proclamation of Jonah” and then that “Jonah’s greater” was there. Here, He refers to “Solomon’s wisdom” and then says that “Solomon’s greater” was there.
 
Jonah’s proclamation was the proclamation of the Lord. Jesus is actually not referring to Jonah the man, but his position as the Lord’s prophet. As it is said in Jonah 1:1, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah.” Of Solomon’s wisdom, it says, “behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you” (1 Kings 3:12).
 
Jesus claims a proclamation greater than that of Jonah. But Jonah’s proclamation was that of the Lord, albeit indirectly. Jesus claims a wisdom greater than Solomon’s, but it was the Lord who gave Solomon that wisdom. The meaning is that Jesus claims to be the Source of wisdom itself. He is the Lord God.
 
The men of Nineveh discerned this. The queen of the south discerned this. However, the men of Israel, representative of that generation, were unable to do so. Thus, those who received and accepted the word and wisdom of the Lord from Nineveh and the south would be there at the judgment of Israel, condemning them for their total lack of discernment.
 
The very people of the Lord, and who possessed the oracles of God, were to be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 22:13) for failing to see who Jesus is.
 
Note: As promised in a previous commentary, after this commentary, the timeline of Jesus’ Passion will be provided. Keep it handy, as it is something people around the world continue to misunderstand to this day.
 
Life application: In both the previous verse and this one, there is no article before the subject. It simply says, “Men, Nineveh” and “Queen, south.” Saying it this way provides emphasis to His statements. But why would Jesus refer to them this way? The answer lies in who His audience is.
 
Jesus is speaking to the scribes and Pharisees of Israel. They have the law. They are the religious elite of the “chosen people.” By making His declarations, He is essentially saying, “The Gentiles immediately and completely perceived what you are unable to discern.”
 
To this day, the people of Israel have the exact same information that the Gentile peoples of the world possess in order to discover if Jesus is God or not. They, however, have rejected that information and refuse to acknowledge their Lord.
 
They are determined to shun Him, rebuild a temple for worship that rejects Him, and attempt to find justification through their own merits by observing a law that only pointed to Him, awaiting His fulfillment of it.
 
The book of Hebrews clearly and unambiguously tells what the penalty for such a crime against Him is –
 
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:26-29
 
Pray for Israel. They need Jesus.
 
Lord God, You have patiently waited for Israel to turn to You for salvation. Many have begun to do so in recent years, but the nation is still fighting against Your truth. We pray that the good news will spread greatly before the rapture comes, and Israel must endure the trial that lies ahead. Amen.
 
TIMELINE OF JESUS’ WEEK OF PASSION
 
Misconceptions -
 
1) Sign of Jonah / Three days and three nights. Matthew 12:40 –
 
a: The sign of Jonah is not the Lord’s time in the belly of the great fish. It is the message He preached and which will be rejected. Jonah cried out, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed.” As is consistent in the Bible, it was a warning, a day for a year. Israel would be destroyed in 40 years.
 
With a cursory look at Jesus’ words in Matthew, the sign seems to be His death and resurrection. But Luke leaves out both the time frame and the entire account of the fish. When he does this, he clears up the context – that the sign of Jonah is his preaching, and what that preaching stated… that destruction was decreed in 40 days. The preaching to the Ninevites was the sign.
 
When Israel disobeyed in the wilderness, they were given a day for a year punishment for every day that the spies were gone. It was 40 days, and thus 40 years of punishment. In Ezekiel chapter 4, he was told to lie on his right side for 40 days, signifying a day for a year of punishment for Judah. He was told to do the same for his left side, but for 390 days. It was a day for a year for the house of Israel. Together, they form the prophetic basis for the return of Israel in 1948.
 
Forty years after Jesus’ words, for a day, Israel was destroyed and carried away into exile. The Romans came in and did what Nineveh was spared of. God’s judgment fell heavily upon them for failing to repent, receive their long-awaited Messiah, and conform to the will of God, which is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
 
b: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40
 
This is an idiomatic expression. It does not mean literally three days and three nights. This is a misunderstanding of the phrase as it relates to Biblical time. It’s important to note that this verse is from Matthew and is directed to the Jewish people, Jesus as King.
 
Hebrew idioms would have been understood and not needed any clarification or verbal amending. To the audience, Matthew was writing that any part of a day is considered to be inclusive of the whole day. It’s no different from the terminology we use today. If I arrive in Florida on a plane at 11:30 pm on 11 April, during a later conversation, I would still say I was in Florida on that day.
 
The biblical pattern of “evening and morning” being a day goes back to the first chapter of the Bible and includes an entire day, regardless of what part of a day one is referring to. If you want to understand the term day and night as an idiomatic expression, simply type “day and night” into your Bible search engine and see how many times, throughout the Bible, the term is used in this way. It goes on and on. Jeremiah does a great job of using it in this way. Study!
 
The same verse, as recorded in Luke, says, “And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, 
 
“This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”  Luke 11:29-32
 
As you can see, Jesus explicitly states that the sign is the preaching of Jonah. In this instance, Luke was not writing only to Jewish people, but predominantly to non-Jewish people – Jesus as the Son of Man. Therefore, the terminology is amended to avoid confusion. This occurs many times in the gospels, and therefore, the addressees (or the background of the writers themselves) need to be identified to understand proper terminology.
 
The same phrase is given in Esther 4:16 –
 
“Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
 
This is then explained in Esther 5:1 –
 
“Now it happened on the third day (b’yom ha’shelishi) that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house.”
 
As you can see, what she said in verse 4:16 is explained as an idiomatic expression in verse 5:1. This same phrase is exactly repeated in the NT 13 times – “On the third day,” not “After the third day.”
 
2) High Sabbath. John 19:31 –
 
“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”
 
The second issue to be resolved is that some scholars claim that John “appears” to place the crucifixion on a different date than the other writers. Because of this, an attempt was made to insert a second type of Passover meal, or a second Sabbath, into the Bible. This supposedly helps the Bible out of an apparent problem.
 
However, no such meal, or Sabbath, is identified in the Bible at any time. Nor is it necessary to make something erroneous like this up. The Bible identifies the timing of the entire Passion Week, dispelling the problem. The terminology for “Preparation Day” used in all four gospel accounts absolutely clears this up and will be noted as we go on.
 
The terminology "high Sabbath" is pointing to the fact that the Sabbath (there is only one Sabbath, Saturday) coincided with the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a "holy convocation" according to Exodus 12:16 and Leviticus 23:7. There are only six times in the Bible that something is called a Shabbath Shabaton, or “Sabbath of complete rest.” Four of them speak of the Seventh Day Sabbath, one concerns the Day of Atonement, and the last speaks of the seventh-year Sabbath rest for the land.
 
Thus, there is no second Sabbath. A holy convocation is not a Sabbath. On a Sabbath, meals could not be prepared. However, Exodus 12:16 says –
 
“On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.” 
 
3) Four days. Exodus 12:3 –
 
“Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.’”
 
This requirement has nothing to do with the Passover at Jesus’ time. Nothing in Scripture can be used to justify what is commonly taught, saying that the Passover lamb was selected each year to test it for defects. The opposite is true. The lamb was selected because it had no defects. Thus, this has nothing to do with Palm Sunday and the subsequent days leading up to Passover. Rather, this animal was selected early to ensure that every household had a lamb before the plague of darkness that fell on Egypt. It is never mandated again. People bought their lambs in Jerusalem from keepers of the flock who had already inspected them. Further, they did it within a day of the Passover.
 
There are four things that occurred at the first Passover that are not required in the annual celebration found in Leviticus 23 –
 
The eating of the lamb in their houses was dispersed through Goshen.
Taking the lamb on the tenth day.
The striking of its blood on the doorposts and lintels of their houses. And,
Eating it in haste.
 
The four-day requirement never occurred again. There is no biblical support for it. People have picked and chosen selected verses, without following through on the study, to come to an incorrect conclusion on this.
 
Chronology of the Events –
 
1) The easiest way to identify the day of Passover from the gospels is by reviewing the term “Preparation Day.” It is in all four gospels, and it exactingly identifies the day of the Passover –
 
Matthew 27:62 – “The next day, the one after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.” This was the day after the crucifixion. Matthew says it is the day “after Preparation Day.” After this is recorded the day after the Sabbath (Matt 28:1, the first day of the week).
 
Mark 15:42 – “It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached...” This is the day of the crucifixion. Mark says, “It was Preparation Day.” Mark 14 ends on the night of Christ’s time in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark 15:1 then identifies that it is “immediately, in the morning,” meaning Preparation Day.
 
Luke 23:54 – “It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.” This is the day of the crucifixion. Luke says, “It was Preparation Day.” Luke 23:56 then says that they rested on the Sabbath, and then He was raised on the day after the Sabbath, Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week (Luke 24:1).
 
John 19:14 – “Now it was Preparation Day of the Passover.” This is the day of the crucifixion. John says, “It was Preparation Day.”
This definitively, and without any chance of coming to any other conclusion, identifies the day as Friday, followed by the Saturday Sabbath. As sad as it is that this is denied by many, it is what the Bible actually teaches.. The four gospels are harmonious in this, and it is… irrefutable. However, the rest of the Passion week identifies this as well.
 
And so, let’s break all this down. Here’s what you need to know:
 
Paul plainly states that the Feast of Firstfruits is a picture of the resurrection:
 
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”  1 Corinthians 15:20
 
The feast of Firstfruits was a Sunday according to Leviticus 23:15 – “From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks.” Note: the Sabbath referred to here is a Saturday. We don’t need to go any further there to know this is correct and that Christ rose on a Sunday.  
 
Here is the math from the gospel accounts. It’s all there in black and white and very easy to look up –
 
**“Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.”  John 12:1 This would have been a Sabbath day (Saturday).
 
**“The next day, the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem.”  John 12:12 This would have been 5 days before the Passover, meaning Sunday (Palm Sunday), as the Passover would have started Thursday night at sundown and run until Friday night at sundown (remember biblical days start at sundown).  
 
The account couldn’t be clearer that the next day after the Passover was a Sabbath. This is indicated several times. As I said, some people have attempted to use the terminology in John (it was a “high day” or a “special Sabbath”) to indicate that it could have been a day other than a Saturday. All special Sabbaths are specified in Leviticus and don’t necessarily fall on Saturdays. However, the term “Sabbath” as used in the other gospel accounts indicates a Saturday. There is nothing to support, anywhere in Scripture, that there were two Sabbaths in a row on this particular week. Further, the special Sabbaths in Leviticus do not apply here. As I said, one is the Day of Atonement, which occurs in the seventh month. The other is a Sabbath for the land every seventh year. Neither applies.
 
In fact, such an analysis does an injustice to the reading of the text. Therefore, the special Sabbath occurred on a regular Sabbath day (Saturday). As I said earlier, it was a great (high) Sabbath because it coincided with the holy convocation, which is the first day of Unleavened Bread.
From this, we can give the entire week’s schedule (refer to the cited verses in your own Bible to familiarize yourself with what’s being said) –
 
Sabbath 6 before // John 12:1 - ...six days before the Passover.  Bethany/Lazarus.
Sunday 5 before // John 12:12 & Mark 11:10 - The next day...  Palm Sunday/Riding the donkey.
Monday 4 before // Mark 11:12 Now on the next day... Jesus cursed the fig tree.
Tuesday 3 before // Mark 11:20 Now in the morning... The withered fig is identified.
Wednesday 2 before // The gospels are silent on what occurred on this day.
Thursday 1 before - Passover starts at Sundown //Mark 14:1 After two days it was the Passover... (this is the first timing mentioned since Mark 11:20, which was Tuesday).
-
Note:  Pay special attention to the fact that in the following accounts, Mark is using Jewish time (sunset to sunset and John is using Roman time – from midnight) –
 
Mark 14:12 - "Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread when they killed the Passover Lamb."  Here, Mark, like Luke, unites the Passover with the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
 
John 13:1 - "Now before the Feast of the Passover..." 
 
Both Mark and John are speaking of the same day – The meal, washing of feet, Gethsemane, etc. 
 
***Christ was crucified during this same 24-hour period, but it was obviously after the final night at Gethsemane and then the illegal trial.  Mark is speaking of this event from sundown, John is speaking of it in Roman time (this is obvious because they use different terminology for the same meal where Judas left to betray the Lord… can’t miss this point and get it right).
 
6 days before – Saturday
5 days before – Sunday
4 days before – Monday
3 days before – Tuesday
2 days before – Wednesday
1 day before – Thursday
The Day – Friday
 
The problem with people believing that John was speaking of a different day (as mentioned above) is that they miss the fact that the terminology for the day is different based on the author. To clear up any misunderstanding here, one needs only to compare the uses of the term “Preparation Day.” Once one does this, there are no discrepancies in the accounts. Go back and review what I said about that earlier. The timeline is set, it is irrefutable, and it is the only biblical option. Anything else inserts unbiblical information into the record.
 
Based on the biblical evidence, 
 
    1) There is no discrepancy between any of the accounts.
    2) Jesus was crucified on a Friday.
    3) Jesus rose on a Sunday.
 
Again, the Bible says 13 times that He was raised “on” the third day.  This is mentioned by Jesus Himself as well as the apostles. Therefore, it must have been Friday that Christ was crucified.
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Finally, please don't believe (as some have claimed) that Christ rode the donkey into Jerusalem on a Saturday instead of a Sunday. This would have been the Sabbath. If He did, He would have violated the law –
  
“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.”  Deuteronomy 5:12-14
 
There is no need to make the assertion that it was a Saturday unless you simply wanted to finagle the dating. There is also no biblical provision for an exemption to the commandment prohibiting working a donkey.

Matthew 12:41

Thursday, 28 August 2025
 
The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. Matthew 12:41
 
“Men, Nineveh, they will arise in the judgment with this generation and they will sentence it, for they reconsidered at the proclamation of Jonah. And you behold! Jonah’s greater is here!” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus noted that just as Jonah was in the belly of the great lunker three days and three nights, He would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. Next, He continues His address to the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Men, Nineveh, they will arise in the judgment with this generation.”
 
The location Nineveh is introduced here. The name Nineveh may be a word of foreign origin, but if connected to Hebrew, its meaning is Offspring’s Habitation. As the Bible is written from a Hebrew perspective, the Hebrew name is what is to be considered.
 
Nineveh is a city that was built at the earliest times of man after the flood. It was noted as being built by Nimrod in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10:11. It is noted in 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jonah, Nahum, and Zephaniah, but the main biblical accounts of Nineveh are recorded in Jonah and Nahum.
 
Jesus is referring to the account in Jonah, saying that the inhabitants of Nineveh will arise to judge the generation of Israel in which He came. And more, He next says, “and they will sentence it.”
 
The verb katakrinó, to judge against, is introduced. In judging against, it means an unfavorable verdict is rendered, leading to condemnation. Condemning or condemnation in the Bible is often associated with eternal punishment. This is not always the case when the word is used.
 
To condemn means expressing disapproval, censuring, sentencing, etc. The context will derive the meaning. In this case, Nineveh will be a part of the judgment and sentencing of Israel’s people at Jesus’ time. The reason is, “for they reconsidered at the proclamation of Jonah.”
 
Another new noun is stated, kérugma. It signifies a proclamation. Preaching is a type of proclamation. Jonah was sent to NinevehJonah to speak a word of the Lord against Nineveh. This was his kérugma, his proclamation –
 
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.’” Jonah 1:1, 2
 
“And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’” Jonah 3:4
 
As noted in the Matthew 12:39 commentary, Jonah’s time in the belly of the lunker is not the sign of Jonah. The sign of Jonah is something Nineveh was aware of. They had no idea that Jonah was in the lunker’s belly. The sign of Jonah is the kérugma, the proclamation, of Jonah.
 
But more, it is specifically what the proclamation stated, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” As noted in the Matthew 12:38 commentary, a sign is something that stands for something else. It may be a miracle or a wonder, but a sign points to another thing, such as “this indicates this.”
 
Jesus clearly states in Luke 11:30-32 that the preaching of Jonah is the sign, just as Jesus’ preaching to the people of Israel is the sign. Jonah preached and promised destruction in forty days. Jesus preached and promised destruction as well.
 
The sign of Jonah is the preaching, which, if rejected, would lead to destruction after forty days. Jesus’ time in Sheol, followed by the resurrection, simply bears witness to the truth of Jesus’ preaching, which was to an already unbelieving people.
 
His words of the kingdom and reconsideration to “this generation” are the ultimate sign to them. Other prophets spoke in the name of the Lord, but Jesus spoke in His own name and under His own authority as the Son, and so He next says, “And you behold! Jonah’s greater is here!”
 
The warning to reconsider or be overthrown turned out to be a day for a year, just as it was in the Old Testament. When Israel disobeyed in the wilderness, they were given a day for a year punishment for every day that the spies were gone. It was forty days, and thus forty years of punishment.
 
In Ezekiel chapter 4, he was told to lie on his right side for forty days, signifying a day for a year of punishment for Judah. He was told to do the same for his left side, but for three hundred and ninety days. It was a day for a year for the house of Israel. Together, they formed the basis of the prophecy concerning the return of Israel in 1948.
 
Forty years after Jesus’ words, a day for a year, Israel’s temple was destroyed, and the people were carried away in exile. The Romans came in and did what Nineveh was spared of. God’s judgment fell heavily upon them for failing to reconsider, receive their long-awaited Messiah, and conform to the will of God, which is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
 
Life application: The sign of Jonah is the preaching of Jonah. The word of God, spoken to Israel in fulfillment of Scripture, and under the full authority of the Messiah who had been promised since the very beginning of man’s time on the planet, was the sign. The resurrection simply proved it.
 
It is the word that conveys this to us. Thus, the word is its own sign to the people of the world. In essence, “I have used My people, Israel, to be a sign to the world as a proof that My word is true and that it is to be understood and accepted as such.”
 
The sign of Israel is a sign that is not yet fully fulfilled. To assume that the church has replaced Israel reflects a fundamental flaw in Christian understanding. It fails to match the reality of what is coming upon the world in the tribulation and millennium.
 
Be sure to have your theology concerning Israel properly aligned with what God is doing in the world. Otherwise, events that lie ahead will leave you surprised and confounded.
 
“Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” Matthew 23:34-36
 
Lord God, thank You for being with us as we engage with Your word. On our own, it is often hard to see what is being conveyed. Add on top of that, innumerable incorrect analyses of what is being said have been loaded upon us. Help us cut to the heart of what You are telling us by reminding us to stay in and study Your word all our days. Amen.

Matthew 12:40

Wednesday, 27 August 2025
 
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:40
 
“For just as Jonah, he was in the lunker’s belly three days and three nights, thus He will be, the Son of Man, in the earth’s heart three days and three nights” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that a “Generation – evil and adulteress – it seeks a sign, and not it will be given it, if not the sign of Jonah the prophet.” He continues with that now, saying, “For just as Jonah, he was in the lunker’s belly.”
 
Two new words are seen. The first is found only here in Scripture, kétos, a huge fish. It is believed to possibly be from chasma, a chasm. That comes from an obsolete word, chao, to gape or yawn. Thus, the idea is that of the gaping mouth of such a fish. The type of fish is not stated here. Some translations say “whale.” That could be correct, even though whales aren’t fish.
 
Some say sea monster, great fish, huge fish, etc. As it is unknown whether it is a fish, whale, or other sea monster, a single word that gets the idea across is lunker, which signifies “an exceptionally large specimen of something, in particular (among anglers) a fish” (Online Dictionary).
 
The next new word is koilia, the belly or womb. It is derived from koilos, hollow. Thus, it signifies a cavity. The context of the sentence will then provide the appropriate sense of what is being referred to. Jesus next says that Jonah was in this lunker’s belly “three days and three nights.”
 
The duration is specific, but its meaning, like many such things in Scripture, must be derived from the surrounding context. That will be considered momentarily. For now, Jesus says, “thus He will be, the Son of Man, in the earth’s heart.”
 
It is a term not found in exactly this manner elsewhere, and so the meaning must be derived from the story of Jonah in relation to the events coming upon Jesus. Any other view will force something not intended into the narrative.
 
Special note: To understand the amazing details of Jonah’s life, it would be unconscionable not to read or watch the Jonah sermons from the Superior Word library. There, the incredible story is opened up and explained in a manner not found anywhere else.
 
Having said that, when Jonah was cast into the sea, a picture of Christ’s death. He was swallowed by the dagah, fish, in Hebrew, or the kétos, fish, in the Greek Septuagint. From there, it says in Jonah 2:3 –
 
“From womb Sheol, I cried,You heard my voice,And you caused to cast me – depth,In heart seas.” Jonah 2:3 (CG)
 
In Greek, the word translated as heart is kardias, the same as that used by Jesus here in Matthew. Likewise, the word translated as womb in the Hebrew text is the same as what Jesus uses here, koilia.
 
In other words, Jonah is speaking in parallelism, a literary device found elsewhere in the book and throughout the Bible. He is equating Sheol (Greek: Hades) and equating it directly to the belly of the fish. That is then set in parallelism to the heart. This is done while citing the essential contents of Jonah 2:3.
 
Jesus is taking the story of Jonah and equating the heart of the seas to His own coming death. As such, He has replaced “heart of the seas,” something the Jews were perfectly familiar with from the story, and equates His coming descent into Hades as the “heart of the earth.” This is the parallelism (Sheol = heart seas/heart earth) from which the intent must be derived. Understanding this, He next says this will be for “three days and three nights.”
 
This is a phrase that, unfortunately, leads to all kinds of misinterpretations and misanalyses of what Jesus went through. The timeline of Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, and resurrection is painfully clear when properly laid out. Jesus was crucified on a Friday, He was in the tomb throughout Saturday, and He arose on Sunday.
 
To confirm this timeline, a complete analysis of it will be attached at the end of the verses referring to Jesus’ words in this account, meaning after Matthew 12:42. Because of Jesus’ words here, however, some dogmatically claim that Jesus had to be in the grave a full three days and three nights. Some go so far as to demand a literal 72 hours.
 
This then leads to unscripturally backing up the crucifixion to Thursday or even Wednesday. But this then leads to many other unjustifiable claims, such as a “second Passover meal,” etc. These things are unscriptural, but must be made up to justify the unjustifiable.
 
The term “three days and three nights” simply speaks of any part of a day and a night. This is seen, for example, in 1 Samuel 30:12. However, it is explicitly noted with the same terminology as Jesus in Esther 4:16, where it says, “neither eat nor drink for three days, night and day.” In Esther 5:1, it reads, “Now it happened on the third day...” Thus, the time frame in Esther, which Jesus uses in Matthew, means three days, up to the third day.
 
Life application: Care needs to be taken to ensure that what is said in one place aligns with what is said in another place. The only source of understanding Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:40 is to be found in the reference that Jesus is using. In the case of the heart of the earth, the reference is explicitly stated in Jonah, where Sheol (Hades) is set in parallel to the heart of the seas. This is an explanation of the belly of the great sea creature.
 
The “three days and three nights” of Jonah 1:17, which Jesus also cites, is to be interpreted from other Old Testament passages, if available. As it is, explicitly so in Esther 4:16 and then interpreted in Esther 5:1, there is a full and justifiable explanation for the meaning of Jesus’ words in Matthew, without fudging or making anything up.
 
Think about our own use of such terminology. If someone leaves late Monday afternoon and comes back early Wednesday morning, he may comfort his wife by saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in three days.” This is a true statement, even from a biblical sense (as seen in Esther), and yet, he will only be gone for as little as maybe 48 hours, or less.
 
Jesus died at approximately 3 pm (Luke 23:44) on Friday afternoon. This would be about three or four hours before the beginning of the Sabbath. That would last until the next evening. From there, it says He rose “very early in the morning” (Luke 24:1), it may have been at 5 am or earlier. This could be a time in the heart of the earth as little as 45 hours. And yet, He is said (again and again in Scripture) to have risen “on the third day.”
 
Be ready to challenge what you believe. Accept what Scripture says regardless of biases or presuppositions. In the end, you will find an answer to every seeming contradiction that you have been taught exists. None do, because this is the word of God!
 
Lord God, thank You for the surety and reliability of Your wonderful word. It is a precious treasure and a delight to consider. Amen.
 

Matthew 12:39

Tuesday, 26 August 2025
 
But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Matthew 12:39
 
“And having answered, He said to them, ‘Generation – evil and adulteress – it seeks a sign, and not it will be given it, if not the sign of Jonah the prophet’” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, some scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus, saying that they wanted to see a sign from Him. In response, Matthew next records, “And having answered, He said to them, ‘Generation – evil and adulteress – it seeks a sign.’”
 
The noun moichalis, an adulteress, is introduced. Almost all translations say adulterous, the adjective form of the word. This is incorrect. It is a feminine noun referring to a female who is unfaithful.
 
As throughout the Old Testament, Jesus equates the relationship of the Lord with His people as a covenant of marriage. A wife was to be respectful, obedient, and faithful to her husband. But Israel had been none of these things. That had not changed in the generation He came to.
 
As for His words, He sees their asking for a sign as an indication of evil, something that an adulteress would seek. The reason for this is that in seeking a sign, there is no faith behind their request. A person of faith does not need a sign. Instead, he will believe based on the surrounding evidence and the surety of the hope he possesses. 
 
That surety should come from past history. They had the Scriptures, which detailed all of Israel’s history as well as prophesying of its coming Messiah. All they had to do was go there to find the fulfillment of innumerable signs given in prophecy.
 
From that springboard, they were to accept what their eyes beheld when they looked to Him. Jesus found this lack of faithful understanding highly displeasing, and so He next says, “and not it will be given it.”
 
The response holds the same weight and tone as what He says in John 5 –
 
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” John 5:39, 40
 
Without directly saying it, Jesus essentially conveys the same thought now. “If you want a sign, go back and search the Scriptures. Compare My ministry to what you see. After that, have faith.” Because of this, He next says to them, “if not the sign of Jonah the prophet.”
 
Here, Jesus tells them just where to go to find a sign confirming He is the Messiah, meaning Scripture. “Go to Jonah and see the sign He gave. Jonah’s words speak of what will come to pass. When they are fulfilled, you will have received your sign.”
 
But what is the sign of Jonah? Spoiler alert: it is not what Jesus will say in the next verse. The coming statement was a confirmation of Jonah’s inescapable call upon him as a prophet. It was a surety that his words were to be spoken as the Lord instructed and that they would come to pass.
 
Life application: Jesus says that no sign but that of the prophet Jonah would be given. As noted in the previous commentary, Mark 8 says that no sign will be given, period. But that was based on the people seeking a “sign from heaven.” The thought is not unlike what Paul says in Romans 10 –
 
“But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”’ (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, ‘“Who will descend into the abyss?”’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach).” Romans 10:6-8
 
The Jews in Mark 8 wanted to bring a sign down from heaven. The Jews in Matthew 12 are looking for something already available. Jesus expects people to use what is available, and which points to Him, to make their decision about Him, meaning Scripture.
 
We do not need a sign from heaven to confirm what we can deduce from the word and accept by faith. What we need to do is evaluate the word, see if it matches what we know about the world around us and our relationship with God, and then accept, by faith, that Jesus is the solution to our dilemma.
 
Don’t be a person looking for a sign every time you need direction in life. Be confident that the Lord has you where He wants you, that He has a good plan and a purpose for you, and that by knowing and adhering to His word, He will direct your steps according to His wisdom.
 
“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:21-24
 
Lord God, forgive us when our faith fails. Help us to be confident that, because of Jesus, we are where we should be as we live out our lives. No matter what our station in life is, You are with us. Someday, we shall be in Your presence and have what we must now only hope for. May this hope be sufficient to carry us through each day. Amen.
 

Matthew 12:38

Monday, 25 August 2025
 
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” Matthew 12:38
 
“Then, they answered, some of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, ‘Teacher, we desire to see a sign from You’” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus noted that from one’s words he will be justified and from one’s words he will be condemned. Now, the direction changes based on the following. Matthew records, “Then, they answered, some of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, ‘Teacher, we desire to see a sign from You.’”
 
The words are similar in content in Matthew 16:4, Mark 8:11, 12, and Luke 11:29-32. Each varies a little, but what seems likely is that this request for a sign is something that was asked of Him more than once.
 
In Mark, it seems contradictory to the other accounts because it says, “Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.” In Matthew and Luke, a sign is promised, but none is in Mark. However, in Mark, the request is for a sign “from heaven,” something not requested in Matthew or Luke. Therefore, it is probable that Jesus was addressing that specifically in Mark.
 
Putting the three accounts side by side and analyzing them, no contradiction arises. There is just different information being conveyed with each account. As for the words here in Matthew, it is some of the scribes and Pharisees who petition Him.
 
In MarkMatthew, only the Pharisees are noted. In Luke, there is no one mentioned first. Rather, Jesus directly addresses the crowds. Whether His address was in response to a petition, as in Matthew and Mark, is unknown.
 
Concerning their petition, they desire to see “a sign.” It is a new word, sémeion, a sign which is normally miraculous in nature. It is derived from the verb, sémainó, to indicate or signify. Unlike a miracle, wonder, etc., a sign is something that stands for something else. It may be a miracle or a wonder, but a sign points to another thing, such as “this indicates this.”
 
On the other hand, a miracle or wonder is its own thing. The purpose of a miracle is determined by why it was given in the first place, such as exalting the Lord, bringing glory to God, etc. In John, specific signs are noted, each having the intended purpose of establishing Jesus as the Messiah.
 
Some translations, such as the KJV, inconsistently translate the word “sign” as “miracle,” “wonder,” etc. They may be these things, but the intent is that it is a sign pointing to something else. This is the same with the word oth, sign, in the Old Testament. For example –
 
“Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs [oth] and seasons, and for days and years.’” Genesis 1:14
 
From there, the Bible will give signs in the heavens to indicate that other things will happen. Thus, the sign points to the event. For example, the star of Bethlehem, though not called a sign, is exactly that. It was a celestial event that pointed to the coming of the Messiah.
 
Life application: The Bible itself is a sign. It is something that is given to point to other things: there is a Creator, there is a problem that exists between God and man, God will send a Redeemer into the world to fix the relationship, God loves His creation, etc. Each of these things is found in the Bible.
 
It is a witness and a testimony to what He has done, is doing, and promises to do. The Bible may be miraculous in how it was received and in the contents it contains, such as future prophecy, but it is a miraculous sign.
 
When you pick it up and read it, consider it as such. God is pointing you to truths about Himself and what He is doing. Someday, Jesus will come again for His church. The Bible testifies to this, and it will be a sign to the people of the world who are left behind that what He did was anticipated by those who trust in Him.
 
Be sure to read your Bible and consider the marvel and wonder that it contains. It is God’s wonderful gift to us, a sign of His love for us.
 
Lord God, help each of us to remember that when we read Your word, we are reading YOUR word. It isn’t just something about You, but it is from You. Therefore, it reflects Your very heart and intent for us as we live before You. May we treat it with respect and carefully consider its sacred contents. Amen.
 

Matthew 12:37

Sunday, 24 August 2025
 
For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:37
 
“For from your words, you will be justified, and from your words, you will be condemned” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus noted that for every inactive utterance spoken by man, it will render a word about it in judgement day. Now to fully establish the thought as a set precept concerning man’s state, He says, “For from your words, you will be justified, and from your words, you will be condemned.”
 
This is a general truth regardless of dispensations. Good trees bear good fruit while bad trees bear bad fruit. Likewise, a person’s words reveal his nature. What a person says will lead to justification or condemnation.
 
This, however, has to be taken in its overall sense. People say things that are not good despite being followers of the Lord. And people who don’t follow the Lord are fully capable of speaking good things.
 
If people were to receive eternal condemnation for saying the wrong thing at times, it’s pretty certain there wouldn’t be any saved people. Peter promised to stick to Jesus no matter what. And yet, even after being told what would happen, he still failed to live by his words.
 
It can’t be that a “bad” person who was capable of saying really good things is going to be justified for all the other bad things he has done. Jesus, therefore, is speaking of the nature of the tree, not every fruit. Good trees with the right fruit can still have bad fruit on them.
 
The overall substance of the tree is what keeps it from getting cut down. During the time of the law, the people were expected to live by the law. When they failed, as David did, they were to acknowledge their failings and do the things necessary according to the law to be restored.
 
This is where faith comes in. A person who lived under the law and kept it meticulously may not have an ounce of faith in the provision of God. He is interested in justifying himself through his works.
 
In this dispensation, the instructions concerning Jesus’ words are even clearer to comprehend because the muddy waters of law observance, which are still fully dependent on faith to be justified, have been removed. Paul tells us about words of justification that are perfectly in line with Jesus’ proclamation –
 
“For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them.’ 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).’ 8 But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” Romans 10:5-13
 
Life application: Words are a reflection of the heart. They may be temporary words that do not reflect the overall character of a person, but rather words spoken out of stress, anxiety, or other pressures. When the moment has passed, the person may say, “I’m so sorry, Lord. I was overwhelmed and just lost it.”
 
Such a statement indicates faith that wrong words were spoken, and the person’s heart was grieved. But more, they indicate faith that the Lord is there and knows our words and actions. If the faith is properly directed, meaning toward God in Christ, there is already forgiveness granted for what was said
 
The words of justification were spoken at some point. From there, he was sealed with the Spirit, and the blood of Christ is sufficient to cover all his sins – past, present, and future. Another person may have just as much faith that there is a God watching over him, but he has called on the wrong god. He has not been justified through his words because he has not called on Jesus for his atonement.
 
The difference comes down to Jesus. Only He can remove sin. Therefore, it is not the conscience that saves. Rather, it is properly directed faith. This is why getting Jesus right is so important. Let us remember to tell others about God’s wonderful provision in the giving of His Son for our sins.
 
“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:18-21
 
Lord God, our hearts get overwhelmed by the things we say and do, knowing that we have not conducted ourselves appropriately in Your presence. David understood this and found comfort in You. Help us to do the same. May You be our place of rest in this world of difficulty, trial, and failure. Jesus has prevailed! May that be our comfort and rest always. Amen.

Matthew 12:36

Saturday, 23 August 2025
 
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. Matthew 12:36
 
“And I say to you that every inactive utterance that if they will speak, men, they will render a word about it in judgment day” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus referred to the things people bring out of what is stored in their hearts, good or bad. Now, He explains a truth concerning that to which His audience was expected to consider and heed, saying, “And I say to you that every inactive utterance that if they will speak, men.”
 
A new word is introduced, argos, inactive. When one is inactive, he idles around doing nothing. As such, he will be unemployed, useless, lazy, etc. The word closely corresponds to the Hebrew word mibta, found only in Numbers 30:6 & 30:8, where a woman makes a rash vow. That word signifies hasty or thoughtless. That is derived from bata, to babble.
 
 Jesus is saying that people speak carelessly, not thinking through the ramifications of their words. However, God hears everything man says, even if it is an idle utterance. But more, not only does He hear them, but He is also accounting our idle utterances to who we are in relation to the totality of our personhood.
 
The thought is general in nature and certainly applies to all humanity at all times, but in this case, Jesus is making a point about the utterances of the Pharisees who spoke carelessly about Jesus without thinking through the logical explanation that He then provided.
 
He could not be casting out Beelzebul by the prince of demons. His explanation thoroughly refuted the notion. Even if they didn’t fully grasp the ramifications of their idle accusation, the Lord heard and was there to render a judgment based on their words, as He next says, “they will render a word about it in judgment day.”
 
The meaning is that they must give an account for what they spoke, meaning even their idle utterances. Understanding this, Jesus will give an overall summary of this thought in the next verse.
 
Life application: For now, even before getting to Jesus’ summary of the overarching thought presented in this discourse between the Pharisees and Him, we should heed the truth stated by Jesus in this verse.
 
It is true that those in Christ are in a different economy than those under the law. Despite this, God doesn’t change. His ears didn’t suddenly turn off when the dispensation of grace came. In other words, everything we say is still known by God and will be set before us by Him when we are brought before Him.
 
Therefore, we should consider our words carefully. In North Korea, children are executed or sent to grueling penal colonies (which may be worse than death) for speaking like South Korean children, repeating lines from their movies, and so forth.
 
Such treatment of citizens has occurred throughout human history. An idle word or thoughtless action has led many to the gallows or firing squad. If this is how we may be treated for carelessly speaking before human leaders, how much more severe will it be for those who carelessly and casually malign the Creator?
 
And yet, it happens innumerable times a day all over the world. People, without thinking through the logic of who God is and what He has done, flippantly ignore the evidence and arrogantly make false proclamations and accusations about Him and His nature. People challenge His word, claiming error or contradiction without considering what it may actually be saying.
 
In doing these things, we diminish His glory in the eyes of others and place ourselves above Him or what He has done. If humanity understood the consequences of its unholy attitudes, we would be more careful and circumspect in what we say and do. But we fail to consider these things, bringing judgment on ourselves.
 
For Christians, our condemnation has been decided at the cross of Christ, but what lies ahead still requires judgment for our words and actions now. Let us consider this and pay heed.
 
Lord God, how often do we say things without thinking through the full scope of what we have uttered? We offend others, we demean those in authority, and we bring dishonor to Your name, even if it was not intentional. Help us to think more clearly and to be careful as we speak, knowing that our words have meaning and may result in unhappy consequences. Amen.
 

Matthew 12:35

Friday, 22 August 2025
 
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. Matthew 12:35
 
“The good man, from the good treasure of the heart, he ejects good, and the evil man, from the evil treasure, he ejects evil” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus called the Pharisees vipers’ offspring, telling them that from the surplus of the heart, the mouth speaks. He next explains the result of that, saying, “The good man, from the good treasure of the heart, he ejects good.”
 
The word ekballo, to cast out or eject, is used. It is more forceful than “bring out,” such as in the NKJV. The meaning then is that the goodness of a good man wells up inside him until the point where goodness simply exudes from him, being ejected under its own pressure.
 
The words here show us that Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:17 are a comparative statement intended to make a point. In responding to being called “Good Teacher,” Jesus said –
 
“Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
 
Jesus was making a comparison of goodness in relation to God. Likewise, Jesus is here making a comparison between people. One is good in relation to others. Because he is, good things will be ejected from him.
 
This is certainly a comparative statement, because even a good person can get frustrated or fed up, and something not so good will come out of his mouth. However, his character in general is one that demonstrates an inherent goodness in relation to others. Likewise, Jesus says, “and the evil man, from the evil treasure, he ejects evil.”
 
This is a person who is comparatively evil. The things that come out of such people, welling up and being ejected into their regular conversation, will be evil. But even such “evil” people can say something nice. Jesus is referring to their general character.
 
To get the sense of such a person, all one needs to do is turn on the TV and watch people arguing from a political standpoint. Those on the left will spew forth invectives, call out for illegal activities to be condoned, rage against goodness while embracing those who do truly wicked things, etc.
 
To them, morality is defined by theft and murder, not hard work and self-sufficiency. Those who pray to God are an offense who must be silenced. Because of their character, evil proceeds from them like a well under pressure. In opening their mouths to speak, the evil gushes forth.
 
Life application: In Luke 6:45, the same words are spoken by Jesus in His sermon to the people, but there are differences –
 
Matthew - “The good man, from the good treasure of the heart, he ejects [ekballo] good, and the evil man, from the evil treasure, he ejects [ekballo] evil.”
 
Luke - “The good man, from the good treasure of his heart, he hauls [propheró] good, and the evil, from the evil hauls [propheró] the evil. For from the heart’s surplus, it speaks – his mouth.”
 
In Matthew, different words concerning the motion of what is in the heart are used. One says to eject while the other uses a word meaning to bear forward. A good single word to get the intent would be to haul. Also, in Matthew, the thought about the heart’s abundance came in the preceding verse, whereas Luke places it afterwards.
 
Other slight variations in the Greek exist as well. So the question may be asked, “Which is the original and which one has an error?” Or the statement may be made, “See, there is a contradiction in the two accounts.”
 
When you are faced with such a question or statement, how will you respond? A suitable explanation is that both can be correct. This could be for various reasons. The first is that it is assumed that Jesus was originally speaking in Aramaic. Different people will write what they heard in Greek in different ways.
 
Likewise, the change in order of what is said may be a part of that translation process. Therefore, such changes would be expected. But what if the person says, “But even the context of what is said is different! One is to the Pharisees and one during a sermon!”
 
Is this a contradiction? Not at all! How many times have you repeated a point that is true in your life? Jesus was preaching and proclaiming. He probably stated the same truth innumerable times that are not recorded, along with those that are.
 
He may have changed the structure of His words, chosen different words, and spoken these things in a multitude of contexts. If the narratives were identical, those who want to tear apart the Bible would (and do!) say that the accounts were simply copies and the events belong to one source. Thus, there are not three different testimonies to Jesus’ work.
 
If they have any differences, the accusation that there are contradictions immediately arises. Don’t let such things bother you. Be prepared to show these people the folly of their thinking. From there, drop the argument. Some people wouldn’t be content if God spoke the word of Scripture personally.
 
Wait... He did!
 
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17
 
Lord God, we trust that You have given us a word that carries Your intent for us to know and understand what You desire for us. Help us to be diligent in reading it and contemplating it all the days of our lives. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Matthew 12:34

Thursday, 21 August 2025
 
Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  Matthew 12:34
 
“Vipers’ offspring! You can, how, speak good – being evil? For from the heart’s surplus, the mouth, it speaks” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of making the tree either good or bad. As it is made, so its fruit will be. Thus, a tree will be known by its fruit. Now, changing the metaphor, He directly addresses the Pharisees, saying, “Vipers’ offspring!”
 
It is also what John the Baptist said to this same group as the people from the surrounding areas came out to be baptized –
 
“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’” Matthew 3:7
 
This is probably a reference to the temptation and fall of man in Genesis 3. Serpents continue to be noted in Scripture after that. One instance is especially highlighted in the account of the time during the wilderness wanderings in Numbers 21. There, the people were bitten by serpents, and many died. In this, the people acknowledged their sins, and a remedy was given by the Lord to heal the people.
 
As such, the main thought of both John and Jesus is probably that of these men being the spawn of Satan, who caused the people to sin, separating them from God. They were the evil offspring of their evil parent, acting in crafty and malevolent ways. Of them, He next says, “You can, how, speak good – being evil?”
 
The analogy of the tree in the previous verse becomes clear here. They were like evil trees that could only speak evil. This is because they were vipers’ offspring. He is uniting the various metaphors into a picture of this group of men standing there, accusing Him. To further explain this, He continues with the words, “For from the heart’s surplus, the heart, the mouth, it speaks.”
 
Here is a new word, perisseuma. It is derived from peri, around. Therefore, it signifies “all around” or “excess” as in “more than anticipated.” These men had wickedness in their hearts that abounded so greatly it welled up out of them in the words they spoke.
 
They could not say anything good about Jesus because they themselves were corrupt and incapable of determining what was good. Thus, they ascribed evil to His actions, projecting their deficiencies upon Him instead of conducting self-reflection to determine if they were not the ones in error.
 
Life application: In Matthew 3, John uses the same metaphors, vipers, fruit, and trees, when referring to the same group of people. The full thought recorded there says –
 
“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’” Matthew 3:7-12
 
Such metaphors are found elsewhere in Scripture. They provide insight into what God wants us to consider while reading His word. Remember, as you read, that God is the One who created these things. That is recorded right on the first page of the Bible.
 
As this is so, and as He is using them in metaphor later in Scripture, He is asking us to consider the inherent nature of these things. Sometimes, such metaphors are explained as to their meaning or intended use.
 
At times, we have to infer what is being said. But in paying heed to what is being conveyed, we will have a fuller and richer sense of what God is telling us. Take time to consider the use of the various literary devices found in Scripture, and there are a lot of them. The content of Scripture will come alive in new ways when you do.
 
Take time to read Jeremiah 24. It is only 10 verses long. There, the Lord uses figs as a metaphor for the people of Israel. As you read, remember that the fig is used to indicate a spiritual connection to God or its lack thereof. That is consistently the case throughout Scripture. So think about that meaning as you read the chapter.
 
In remembering this meaning, the passage will make new sense to you that it may not have previously made. And more, because you are committed to reading your Bible every day, you will come across the fig at other times. When you do, remember its significance and think about why it has been mentioned at a particular time. What a treat it will be for your mind as you say, “Now I understand what God is telling me.”
 
Lord God, what a great, consistent, and beautiful tool of instruction Your word is for us. Wow! Thank You for how You have laid it out to show us a pattern of all of redemptive history, taking us from Eden and returning us to paradise in heaven. We can see how it all fits as we march toward that state of glory! Amen.

Matthew 12:33

Wednesday, 20 August 2025
 
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Matthew 12:33
 
“Either you make the tree good and the fruit of it good, or you make the tree rotten and the fruit of it rotten. For from the fruit, the tree – it is known” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of speaking against the Holy Spirit and that such an offense will not be forgiven in the current age or the coming age. Next, He begins another thought with, “Either you make the tree good and the fruit of it good.”
 
The words are stated as an example of a truth that exists. If what Jesus proposes in metaphor were the case in humans, what He says would be the result. There are various types of trees. Some are good and some are bad. He is not speaking of each individual fruit, but of the type.
 
For example, one can make grafts and produce something good. The nature of the type of fruit is what is referred to. Understanding this, His words are explanatory of what has transpired in their discourse. The Pharisees stated that Jesus cast out demons by Beelzebul.
 
If this were true, then He would be aligned with the devil. However, He refuted this charge by stating that if that were true, Satan would have divided and his kingdom had fallen. So He could not be a bad tree. His fruits (casting out demons) were examples of good fruit. Because of this, their charges against Him were blasphemous. With that understood, He next says, “or you make the tree rotten and the fruit of it rotten.”
 
If Jesus were a bad tree, the fruits He issued forth would be bad. However, the first premise concerning good fruit has already shown that this cannot be the case. He has cast out demons, something they openly acknowledged with the words, “This, not He ejects the demons if not in Beelzebul, prince of the demons.”
 
Despite stating it in the negative, their words substantiate that He, in fact, cast out demons: “He ejects the demons.” As they have asserted this with their own words, and as ejecting demons is a good fruit, guess what? The tree must be a good tree, “For from the fruit, the tree – it is known.”
 
Jesus has taken control of their own words to demonstrate an exacting and undeniable truth. They didn’t say, “He pretends to eject,” as if His works were the works of a charlatan. It was obvious from the things He did that His works were real.
 
Throughout the gospels, the people who are highlighted as having demons cast out, those with afflictions or sicknesses, were known by others as being so afflicted, etc. Some were noted as being born that way, some were seen by the crowds before the healing, some were evidenced in advance to be so afflicted by those challenging Him (such as Matthew 12:9-14), etc.
 
What He did was not in question. What they challenged was the Source of His ability to do it. With His logical explanations, they must either concede what He says or be subject to blasphemy not of Him, but of the Holy Spirit.
 
Life application: When a person claims to heal by the power of Jesus and is later seen to be a false healer, it must be questioned how their actions line up with the logic of Jesus’ words. They are obviously bad trees because their fruits are bad.
 
However, if they are claiming they are fruits from a good source, their claims make a mockery of God and bring shame on the Spirit. Ascribing the work of the Spirit to Satan is shown to be an accusation worth condemnation. How about ascribing false fruits (false miracles) to the power of the Spirit?
 
How much will God tolerate from man before He says, “This line has been crossed?” God knows, we do not. However, for those who make false claims, it seems appropriate to say, “Man, I would not want to be the one standing next to him on judgment day.”
 
One of the best things we can do as followers of Jesus is to be honest in our actions and claims concerning God. We should never ascribe to God something that didn’t happen. False tongues, false healings, false dreams and visions, etc., should never be ascribed to the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
If we had a dream that seemed real to us, it does not mean it was from God. It is best not to make a claim in such a case than to incorrectly claim. If you had an experience you think might have been from God, either keep it to yourself or tell others without trying to make a claim that may not be what you think it was.
 
How often do you hear people say something like, “The Lord showed me to do XX,” or “the Lord gave me insight into XX.” However, the thing later doesn’t pan out or proves to be incorrect. The person claimed it was of the Lord when it wasn’t. It is best to avoid any such rash claims.
 
Lord God, may our actions and words be so honest and reliable that people won’t mind standing next to us on the day we stand before You for judgment. Amen.

Matthew 12:32

Tuesday, 19 August 2025
 
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12:32
 
“And whoever if he should speak a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever, if he should speak against the Holy Spirit, not it will be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in the coming” (CG).
 
In the previous verse, Jesus noted that every sin and blasphemy would be forgiven men, but the “Spirit blasphemy” will not be forgiven men. He now continues and builds upon that thought, saying, “And whoever if he should speak a word against the Son of Man.”
 
Such was to be expected. Here is a Man who lived a poor existence, was from Nazareth, something looked down upon, was the Son of a carpenter, and who probably did these labors Himself, who had argued with the Pharisees about the dietary laws, who had healed on the Sabbath, etc.
 
Everything about Him was not what one would expect of the Messiah, even if He had a group of disciples around Him and His teachings were interesting. It is obvious they were interested in Him and what He was up to because they kept popping up in accounts recorded in the gospels, inspecting Him and His movements.
 
But because He didn’t fit their notions about a Messiah, they spoke against Him and what He did. Eventually, they would rid themselves of Him by having Him crucified. These things were forgivable, as Jesus notes, “it will be forgiven him.”
 
It is certain that being complicit in Jesus’ death was pardonable. This is evident from the appeals of the apostles after the resurrection –
 
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:36
 
This thought is reiterated in Acts 4 when Peter addresses the “rulers of the people and elders of Israel.” Even after their actions against the Son of Man, they could still obtain mercy and forgiveness. However, Jesus continues, saying, “But whoever, if he should speak against the Holy Spirit, not it will be forgiven him.”
 
The words “speak against” are to be taken as parallel in meaning to the “Spirit blasphemy” of the previous verse. It is the point that is highlighted for these people to understand the consequences of such words. Mark provides additional understanding of what Jesus is referring to with the words, “because they said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’”
 
The men accusing Jesus were ascribing the work of the Spirit to an unclean Spirit. Jesus logically defended why this could not be the case and that He must, in fact, be casting out demons by the Spirit of God. This is the issue. With that now understood, those who understood the Source of His power would have to concede the argument and accept the authority of the Spirit in Christ’s works.
 
To continue in such accusations would be to speak against the Holy Spirit. At what point God determined this threshold had been met, such a person’s fate was determined. There would be no forgiveness “neither in this age, nor in the coming.”
 
The point of the Levitical sacrifices was to obtain forgiveness for transgressions under the law. There are instances where it is noted that forgiveness would not be granted to people under the law. One example is found in the sons of Eli in 1 Samuel 3. Another is found in Isaiah 22:12-14.
 
In both cases, there was a complete abandonment of God. The Spirit was spoken against as if being ineffectual in the lives of these people through their words and actions. In the coming age, which appears to be referring to the age after Christ’s resurrection, it is the Spirit who seals a person for salvation.
 
This “age” cannot be speaking of the state after death. One’s life determines one’s state before God. It cannot be speaking of the final age where all saved humanity will be glorified. The eternal state of man will be set at that time. To limit it to the millennium is too narrow a focus for the intent of Jesus’ words. Therefore, the age He refers to would be the time after the law is fulfilled and abolished.
 
To reject the calling of the Spirit upon one’s life is a life action that can be equated to speaking against the Spirit. To deny Christ and His power to save, a power evidenced and validated by the resurrection, is to deny the only hope one has of being saved. There can be no forgiveness for this.
 
Only God can restore man to Himself. To deny this is to deny what God in Christ has done. To do so can be equated to saying Christ had an unclean spirit. Otherwise, it would be obvious that the narrative concerning Him is true. If it is true, it would mean God had ordained Him to be the Author of salvation.
 
Life application: The door to forgiveness and salvation in Christ remains open until one’s final breath. After that, man must face judgment. Some people will never hear the message and will die apart from God. Some will hear and not believe for whatever reason. However, they may at some point believe and be saved.
 
Others will hear the message and never accept it. The Spirit cannot work in the life of such a person. There can be no forgiveness for such a denial of what God has done. Jesus is the necessary key to understanding the words of this verse.
 
His resurrection is the proof of the Spirit of God’s power to save all men –
 
“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Romans 1:1-4
 
“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:9-11
 
Lord God, help us to be about the business of sharing the good news concerning forgiveness through the shed blood of Christ. May You guide us as we talk to others so that our words will be effectual in leading them to a right understanding of what You have done. Yes, Lord, help us in this. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.