Matthew 12:19   This verse can easily be misunderstood. Jesus did indeed speak in the streets. He did indeed cry out to be heard in the places where he chose to speak of the gospel concerning himself. So, if this be the case, why is it said here that he did not do these things?   The…

Matthew 12:18   Please keep on thing in mind here. Jesus, God’s Son, is not God’s Son because he is the chosen one. He is the chosen one because he is God’s Son. In this case, the ‘chosen’ idea does not mean that there were many possibilities, and that Jesus was simply the one who was…

Matthew 12:17   One of the greatest validations of the New Testament is its use of the Old Testament. No document in the history of the world goes together more perfectly than God’s Word. It works together seamlessly. The human authors of the New Testament would never have dreamed of leaving out any possible reference to the Old…

Matthew 12:16   Though we will see in the coming verses the biblical reason for Jesus’ not wanting people to make him known, think of the practical implications. How often is he proclaimed by those who know little of him? Many times we find that people will claim Christ, and yet have much less of an…

Matthew 12:15   A couple of things stand out to us in this verse. First, Jesus knew his time. He knew exactly what the Father had planned. He moved just when and where he needed to. Secondly, in the Old Testament we do not see this vast number of people being healed. The miracles then were…

Matthew 12:14   The Pharisees and other Jewish leaders had a hard time trying to do what they wanted under Roman rule. Thus, they often conspired against Christ without much success. This helps us understand two things. First, most of what went on the night before Jesus crucifixion was illegal. Second, it is obvious that the…

Matthew 12:13   There can be no doubt that Jesus here did something that nobody else could do, and yet the Pharisees ignored it. The devil could not restore the joints and rebuild the fingers of this man as Jesus did here so easily. Many may claim to heal another, but this sort of healing you…

Matthew 12:12   Though some today in our mixed-up world would try to deny it, Jesus valued human life over that of animals. If the Jews were expected to value the life of their animals, saving them from harm on the Sabbath, how much more should they care for other people? Jesus always used very convincing…

Matthew 12:11   Jesus knew not only the laws of the Old Testament, but also the traditions of the Jewish leaders. As he did when he went to the temple at age twelve, he asked questions that they had a hard time answering. The Jewish leaders themselves would put their animals over the Sabbath. They felt…

Matthew 12:10   The Jewish leaders were always trying to trip Jesus up with their questions. The sad thing is that they thought they really had something with this one. There were traditions that said you could not heal any but he most urgent physical need on the Sabbath. In other words, since this man’s life…