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JANUARY 18
28 Do not say to your neighbor, 38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees
“Go, and come back, answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a
And tomorrow I will give it,” sign from You.”
When you have it with you. 39 But He answered and said to them, “An
29 Do not devise evil against evil and adulterous generation seeks after a
your neighbor, sign, and no sign will be given to it except the
For he dwells by you for safety’s sake. sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was
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30 Do not strive with a man three days and three nights in the belly of the
without cause, great fish, so will the Son of Man be three
If he has done you no harm. days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judg-
Matthew 12:22–50
ment with this generation and condemn it, be-
22 Then one was brought to Him who was cause they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The
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healed him, so that the blind and mute man queen of the South will rise up in the judg-
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both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes ment with this generation and condemn it, for
were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son she came from the ends of the earth to hear
of David?” the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater
24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, than Solomon is here.
“This fellow does not cast out demons except 43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man,
by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and
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25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my
them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is house from which I came.’ And when he
brought to desolation, and every city or house comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in
divided against itself will not stand. If Satan order. Then he goes and takes with him
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casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. seven other spirits more wicked than himself,
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How then will his kingdom stand? And if I and they enter and dwell there; and the last
cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do state of that man is worse than the first. So
your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
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be your judges. But if I cast out demons by 46 While He was still talking to the multi-
the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God tudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood
has come upon you. Or how can one enter a outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then
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strong man’s house and plunder his goods, one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your
unless he first binds the strong man? And then brothers are standing outside, seeking to
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he will plunder his house. He who is not with speak with You.”
Me is against Me, and he who does not gather 48 But He answered and said to the one who
with Me scatters abroad. told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My
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31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blas- brothers?” And He stretched out His hand
phemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphe- toward His disciples and said, “Here are My
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my against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. mother and My brothers! For whoever does
32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son the will of My Father in heaven is My brother
of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever and sister and mother.”
speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be
forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to
come.
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit
good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit 12:46 brothers.These are actual siblings (half
brothers) of Jesus. Matthew explicitly con-
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bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of nects them with Mary, indicating that they
vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good were not cousins or Joseph’s sons from a pre-
things? For out of the abundance of the heart vious marriage, as some of the church fathers
the mouth speaks. A good man out of the imagined. They are mentioned in all the
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good treasure of his heart brings forth good Gospels (Mark 3:31; Luke 8:19–21; John 7:3–5).
things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure Matthew and Mark give the names of 4 of
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brings forth evil things. But I say to you that Jesus’ brothers and mention that He had sis-
for every idle word men may speak, they will ters, as well (13:55; Mark 6:3).
give account of it in the day of judgment. For
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by your words you will be justified, and by
your words you will be condemned.”
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