Matthew 12 tells of how the Pharisees criticized Jesus because his disciples were hungry and picked corn on the sabbath. Jesus retorted that David and his men had eaten “consecrated bread” when they were hungry… “and one greater than the temple was now here… and the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath”. Similar tensions arose about the sabbath when Jesus healed a man with a shrivelled hand on the sabbath… because it is lawful to do good on a sabbath… so the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus”. So Jesus went elsewhere and healed all their sick “warning them not to tell who he was, which was to fulfil Isaiah 42:1-4: “He is my chosen servant… in whom I delight… I will put my Spirit on him… a bruised reed he will not break… in his name the nations will put their hope”. Then they brought Jesus a man who was blind, dumb and demon-possessed and Jesus healed him. The Pharisees again reacted saying he had done this with the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Jesus reacted saying demons against demons doesn’t work, but he drives out demons by the Spirit of God! Jesus then said: “He that is not with me is against me… and every sin can be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit…. a bad tree produces bad fruit… you brood of vipers… you who are evil can’t do anything good… but on the day of judgement every careless word will be judged”. Then the Pharisees asked for another sign and Jesus refused them calling them an “adulterous nation”. He says that the only sign they will receive will be the Jonah sign and as Jonah was in the fish’s belly for 3 days so Jesus would spend 3 days in the tomb before rising again. Then Jesus was told that his mother and brothers were outside waiting to speak to him. Jesus reacted asking: “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?… whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother”.
