Matthew 12:22-32
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
22 (A)Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute. He cured the mute person so that he could speak and see. 23 [a](B)All the crowd was astounded, and said, “Could this perhaps be the Son of David?” 24 [b](C)But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons.” 25 (D)But he knew what they were thinking and said to them,[c] “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and no town or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people[d] drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 [e](E)But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 [f]How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. 30 [g](F)Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 (G)Therefore, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit[h] will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 12:23 See note on Mt 9:27.
- 12:24 See note on Mt 10:25.
- 12:25–26 Jesus’ first response to the Pharisees’ charge is that if it were true, Satan would be destroying his own kingdom.
- 12:27 Besides pointing out the absurdity of the charge, Jesus asks how the work of Jewish exorcists (your own people) is to be interpreted. Are they, too, to be charged with collusion with Beelzebul? For an example of Jewish exorcism see Josephus, Antiquities 8:42–49.
- 12:28 The Q parallel (Lk 11:20) speaks of the “finger” rather than of the “spirit” of God. While the difference is probably due to Matthew’s editing, he retains the kingdom of God rather than changing it to his usual “kingdom of heaven.” Has come upon you: see Mt 4:17.
- 12:29 A short parable illustrates what Jesus is doing. The strong man is Satan, whom Jesus has tied up and whose house he is plundering. Jewish expectation was that Satan would be chained up in the last days (Rev 20:2); Jesus’ exorcisms indicate that those days have begun.
- 12:30 This saying, already attached to the preceding verses in Q (see Lk 11:23), warns that there can be no neutrality where Jesus is concerned. Its pertinence in a context where Jesus is addressing not the neutral but the bitterly opposed is not clear. The accusation of scattering, however, does fit the situation. Jesus is the shepherd of God’s people (Mt 2:6), his mission is to the lost sheep of Israel (Mt 15:24); the Pharisees, who oppose him, are guilty of scattering the sheep.
- 12:31 Blasphemy against the Spirit: the sin of attributing to Satan (Mt 12:24) what is the work of the Spirit of God (Mt 12:28).
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