May 27th, 2023

This Sunday is the Day of Pentecost. And the rest of the church year is basically the Sundays after Pentecost. You might see this Sunday as a type of midpoint in the church year. And as we have been going through the Gospel according to Matthew as it is laid out from beginning to end, we are not yet at the midpoint of this entire gospel account (and his big move toward the cross and his tomb), but we have seen some ‘secondary’ midpoints within the chapters (which also point to that cross and the empty tomb), and we are certainly very close to the midpoint of looking at the third of the five sermons within this gospel account.

We are about to approach the third sermon of this gospel account. Between the second and third sermon there are basically three times that the word ‘then’ comes up, and then some significant action follows. The first one was given in the last section of the text and dealt with some unrepentant people. And Jesus has some harsh words for them. In the text that follows, there are two more times that the word comes up. It is interesting that, with this first ‘then’, Jesus does a miracle that some misinterpret as showing that he is in league with Satan, but Jesus points out how illogical that accusation is. And with the second ‘then’, some leaders ask him for a sign, and Jesus points them to his death and resurrection—with a great amount of similarity to the prophet Jonah. The ramifications of that cross and empty tomb are already becoming somewhat clear.

It is also interesting that, at the first non-sermon section, there was an interruption that pointed to Jesus’ resurrection (by a miracle of raising someone back to life; see Matthew 9:18ff). And there is also an interruption in the text below, and this one leads to a different type of ‘resurrection’, that of being in a new family, one with God as Father and Jesus as a brother. This is certainly another miracle, although it is certainly very hidden.

Here is a somewhat-literal translation of that next section [Matthew 12:22-50]:

Then he was brought to him, a demon-possessed man, blind and mute, and he healed him, so as the mute to speak and to see. And they were beside themselves, all the crowds, and they said, “This is not the Son of David, is it?”

Now the Pharisees, hearing, said, “This man does not throw out the demons except in the Beelzebub, ruler of the demons.”

Now, knowing the thoughts of them, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself not it will stand. And if the Satan, the Satan, he throws out, against himself he was divided. Therefore, how will it stand, the kingdom of him? And if I, in Beelzebub, I throw out the demons, the sons of you, in what do they throw out?”

“On account of this, they, judges, they shall be of you. Now if in Spirit of God I myself throw out the demons, then it came upon you, the kingdom of the God. Or how he can, anyone, to enter into the house of the strong man and the vessels of him to seize, if not, first, he binds the strong man? And then the house of him he will plunder. The one not being with me, against me he is, and the one not gathering with me, he scatters.”

“On account of this I am saying to you, all sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to the men, now the of-the-Spirit blasphemy, not it will be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of the Man, it will be forgiven to him; now whoever speaks against the Spirit, the Holy, not it will be forgiven to him, neither in this, the age, nor in the coming. Either make the tree good and the fruit of it good, or make the tree corrupt and the fruit of it corrupt; for out of the fruit, the tree is known. Offspring of vipers, how can you, good things, to speak, evil being? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man, out of the good treasure, he throws out good things, and the evil man, out of the evil treasure, he throws out evil things.”

“Now I am saying to you that every word, idle, which they will speak, the men, they will render concerning it a word in a day of judgment; for from the words of you, you will be justified, and from the words of you, you will be condemned.”

Then they answered him, some of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Teacher, we wish, from you, a sign to see.”

Now he, answering, said to them, “A generation, evil and adulterous, a sign it seeks, and a sign not will be given to it, except the sign of Jonah, the prophet. For as he was, Jonah, in the belly of the sea monster three days and three nights, so he will be, the Son of the Man, in the heart of the earth, three days and three nights. Men, Ninevites, will stand up in the judgment with the generation, this, and they will condemn it, because they repented into the proclamation of Jonah, and, behold, a greater thing of Jonah, here. A queen of the south will be raised in the judgment with the generation, this, and they will condemn it, because she came out of the limits of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and, behold, a great thing of Solomon, here.”

“Now when the unclean spirit goes out from the man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and not he finds. Then he says, ‘Into the house of me I will return from where I came out.’ And, coming, he finds, standing empty, having been swept and having been furnished. Then he goes and he takes with himself, seven other spirits, more evil of himself, and entering, he dwells there. And it becomes, the last things of the man, that, worse of the first. Thus it will be also, the generation, this, the evil.”

Still he, speaking to the crowds, behold, the mother and the brothers of him stood outside, seeking to him to speak. Now he said, someone, to him, “Behold, the mother of you and the brothers of you, outside, they are standing, seeking to you to speak.”
​
Now he, answering, said to the saying to him, “Who is the mother of me, and who are the brothers of me?” And stretching out the hand of him upon the disciples of him, he said, “Behold, the mother of me and the brothers of me. For whoever does the will of the Father of me, in the heavens, he, of me, brother and sister and mother, he is.”