Matthew Chapter 12 | Best devotional materials, including: introduction, background, main content, Bible reading and prayer video, Scripture, and post-reading prayer to help you gain a deeper understanding of biblical truth.

Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to our One Chapter per day Bible reading time.

By God’s grace, today we will read Matthew chapter 12.
In this chapter, we see how Jesus reveals His authority as Lord of the Sabbath, heals the sick, and teaches what true mercy means. The Pharisees accuse Him of breaking the law, but Jesus shows that compassion and doing good reflect the true heart of God’s law. We also hear His warning against hardened hearts that reject the work of the Holy Spirit, and His teaching that true family are those who do the will of the Father.

This passage reminds us that following Jesus is not about outward rules but about a heart transformed by love, mercy, and obedience to God. Let us listen with reverence and gratitude to God’s Word together.

Matthew Chapter 12 Introduction:

Matthew chapter 12 reveals increasing opposition to Jesus from the Pharisees and religious leaders, showing the growing tension between human tradition and divine truth. Through His words and actions, Jesus teaches that mercy is greater than ritual, that the heart matters more than outward performance, and that true rest is found only in Him. This chapter highlights Jesus as the Lord of the Sabbath, the compassionate healer, and the ultimate judge of the human heart.

Main Content of Matthew Chapter 12

1. Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath (verses 1–14)
The chapter begins with two Sabbath controversies. Jesus’ disciples pluck heads of grain on the Sabbath, and later He heals a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees accuse Him of breaking the law, but Jesus responds that mercy and compassion outweigh ritual observance. He declares, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath,” revealing His divine authority and the true purpose of the Sabbath — to restore life and bring rest.

2. Jesus’ Healing Ministry and God’s Spirit (verses 15–32)
As crowds follow Him, Jesus heals all who come to Him, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy of the Servant who brings justice gently. When He casts out demons, the Pharisees accuse Him of working by Satan’s power. Jesus refutes them, explaining that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, and warns against blaspheming the Holy Spirit — rejecting the clear work of God’s power and grace.

3. The Tree and Its Fruit (verses 33–37)
Jesus teaches that a person’s words reveal the state of the heart: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” He warns that everyone will give an account for their words, urging us to cultivate hearts filled with goodness and truth.

4. The Sign of Jonah (verses 38–45)
When the Pharisees demand a miraculous sign, Jesus points them to the “sign of the prophet Jonah” — His own death, burial, and resurrection. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days, so the Son of Man would be in the heart of the earth. He also warns that unbelief and spiritual emptiness lead to greater bondage if not replaced by faith and obedience.

5. True Family in the Kingdom (verses 46–50)
As Jesus’ mother and brothers come to speak with Him, He declares that those who do the will of His Father are His true family. This moment reveals the spiritual nature of God’s kingdom — belonging to God’s family is not about bloodline but obedience to His will.

Spiritual Significance of Matthew Chapter 12
Matthew 12 calls us to examine our hearts. Do we value mercy over rules? Do we recognize Jesus as Lord of our lives? The chapter reminds us that outward religion without inner transformation leads to blindness, but those who follow the Spirit and do the Father’s will experience true rest and belonging. Jesus invites us to lay down legalism, pride, and unbelief — and to walk in the freedom and rest He offers.

Through Matthew chapter 12, we see that Jesus is not only the healer of bodies but also the restorer of souls. His words pierce through empty religion and reveal the heart of true discipleship. As we read and reflect on this chapter, may we learn to rest in His grace, speak truth from a pure heart, and live as members of God’s true family.

Matthew Chapter 12 YouTube Bible Reading and Prayer Video:

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned them not to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

18 

“Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
    the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

19 

He will not quarrel or cry out;
    no one will hear his voice in the streets.

20 

A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.

21 

    In his name the nations will put their hope.”[b]

Jesus and Beelzebul

22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”