Chapter 12

   About that time Jesus passed on the Sabbath through the wheatfields; and His disciples became hungry, and began to gather ears of wheat and eat them.  

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   But the Pharisees saw it and said to Him, 'Look! your disciples are doing what the Law forbids them to do on the Sabbath.'  

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   'Have you never read,' He replied, 'what David did when he and his men were hungry?  

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   how he entered the House of God and ate the Presented Loaves, which it was not lawful for him or his men to eat, nor for any except the priests?  

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   And have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath without incurring guilt?  

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   But I tell you that there is here that which is greater than the Temple.  

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   And if you knew what this means, 'It is mercy I desire, not sacrifice', you would not have condemned those who are without guilt.  

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   For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.'  

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   Departing thence He went to their synagogue,  

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   where there was a man with a shrivelled arm. And they questioned Him, 'Is it right to cure people on the Sabbath?' Their intention was to bring a charge against Him.  

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   'Which of you is there,' He replied, 'who, if he has but a single sheep and it falls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  

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   Is not a man, however, far superior to a sheep? Therefore it is right to do good on the Sabbath.'  

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   Then He said to the man, 'Stretch out your arm.' And he stretched it out, and it was restored quite sound like the other.  

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   But the Pharisees after leaving the synagogue consulted together against Him, how they might destroy Him.  

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   Aware of this, Jesus departed elsewhere; and a great number of people followed Him, all of whom He cured.  

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   But He gave them strict injunctions not to blaze abroad His doings,  

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   that those words of the Prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled,  

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   'This is My servant whom I have chosen, My dearly loved One in whom My soul takes pleasure. I will put My spirit upon Him, and He will announce justice to the nations.  

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   He will not wrangle or raise His voice, nor will His voice be heard in the broadways.  

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   A crushed reed He will not utterly break, nor will He quench the still smouldering wick, until He has led on Justice to victory.  

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   And on His name shall the nations rest their hopes.'  

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   At that time a demoniac was brought to Him, blind and dumb; and He cured him, so that the dumb man could speak and see.  

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   And the crowds of people were all filled with amazement and said, 'Can this be the Son of David?'  

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   The Pharisees heard it and said, 'This man only expels demons by the power of Baal-zebul, the Prince of demons.'  

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   Knowing their thoughts He said to them, 'Every kingdom in which civil war has raged suffers desolation; and every city or house in which there is internal strife will be brought low.  

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   And if Satan is expelling Satan, he has begun to make war on himself: how therefore shall his kingdom last?  

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   And if it is by Baal-zebul's power that I expel the demons, by whose power do your disciples expel them? They therefore shall be your judges.  

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   But if it is by the power of the Spirit of God that I expel the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of God has come upon you.  

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   Again, how can any one enter the house of a strong man and carry off his goods, unless first of all he masters and secures the strong man: then he will ransack his house.  

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   'The man who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.  

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   This is why I tell you that men may find forgiveness for every other sin and impious word, but that for impious speaking against the Holy Spirit they shall find no forgiveness.  

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   And whoever shall speak against the Son of Man may obtain forgiveness; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, neither in this nor in the coming age shall he obtain forgiveness.'  

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   'Either grant the tree to be wholesome and its fruit wholesome, or the tree poisonous and its fruit poisonous; for the tree is known by its fruit.  

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   O vipers' brood, how can you speak what is good when you are evil? For it is from the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks.  

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   A good man from his good store produces good things, and a bad man from his bad store produces bad things.  

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   But I tell you that for every careless word that men shall speak they will be held accountable on the day of Judgement.  

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   For each of you by his words shall be justified, or by his words shall be condemned.'  

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   Then He was accosted by some of the Scribes and of the Pharisees who said, 'Teacher, we wish to see a sign given by you.'  

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   'Wicked and faithless generation!' He replied, 'they clamour for a sign, but none shall be given to them except the sign of the Prophet Jonah.  

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   For just as Jonah was three days in the sea-monster's belly, so will the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth.  

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   There will stand up men of Nineveh at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and mark! there is One greater than Jonah here.  

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   The Queen of the south will awake at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and mark! there is One greater than Solomon here.  

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   'No sooner however has the foul spirit gone out of the man, then he roams about in places where there is no water, seeking rest but finding none.  

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   Then he says, 'I will return to my house that I left;' and he comes and finds it unoccupied, swept clean, and in good order.  

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   Then he goes and brings back with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they come in and dwell there; and in the end that man's condition becomes worse than it was at first. So will it be also with the present wicked generation.'  

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   While He was still addressing the people His mother and His brothers were standing on the edge of the crowd desiring to speak to Him.  

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   So some one told Him, 'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and desire to speak to you.'  

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   'Who is my mother?' He said to the man; 'and who are my brothers?'  

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   And pointing to His disciples He added, 'See here are my mother and my brothers.  

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   To obey my Father who is in Heaven--that is to be my brother and my sister and my mother.'  

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