Matt.12.1 - At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Matt.12.2 - But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
Matt.12.3 - But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Matt.12.4 - How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Matt.12.5 - Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Matt.12.6 - But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Matt.12.7 - But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Matt.12.8 - For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Matt.12.9 - And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
Matt.12.10 - And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
Matt.12.11 - And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
Matt.12.12 - How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
Matt.12.13 - Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
Matt.12.14 - Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
Matt.12.15 - But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
Matt.12.16 - And charged them that they should not make him known:
Matt.12.17 - That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Matt.12.18 - Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Matt.12.19 - He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
Matt.12.20 - A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
Matt.12.21 - And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
Matt.12.22 - Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
Matt.12.23 - And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
Matt.12.24 - But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
Matt.12.25 - And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

What does Matthew chapter 12 mean?
Matthew 12 follows Jesus' teachings in chapter 11, where He mourned over how people in those cities rejected Him. Here, He once again comes into conflict with local religious leaders. These mostly involve the ultra-legalistic, tradition-minded Pharisees. By this point in Jesus' ministry, they had begun to amplify their attacks, accusations, and attempts to trap Jesus into saying or doing something they could use against Him.

Jesus and His disciples are walking through a field of grain on the Sabbath, apparently on their way to the synagogue. The hungry disciples pluck heads of grain and eat them as they go along. While the eating of the grain is permissible according to Old Testament law, it violates the Pharisees' traditional rules about what counts as "work" on a Sabbath day. They confront Jesus, accusing His disciples of violating the fourth commandment (Matthew 12:1–2).

In response, Christ poses a series of questions. These show that the Pharisees' manmade standard for "working" on the Sabbath is faulty. Therefore, their accusation is empty. God's laws are meant to be followed, but they are also meant to be understood. Just as God's laws mean more than avoiding only physical sins (Matthew 5:27–28), they are also not meant to prevent men from doing good when the situation requires it. Going even further, Jesus declares Himself Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:3–.

Afterwards, but on the same day, Jesus and His disciples enter the synagogue. The Pharisees have set Jesus up. A man with a withered hand is present, and they ask Jesus if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus again emphasizes mercy and insists it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. He heals the man. Rather than learning and repenting, the Pharisees deepen their conspiracy to destroy Jesus (Matthew 12:9–14).

Jesus temporarily withdraws, though the crowds keep following Him. Matthew references a passage from Isaiah about Israel and applies it to Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 12:15–21).

A demon-oppressed man is brought to Jesus. Because of the demon, the man cannot speak or see. Jesus heals him, and the man dramatically begins to do both. Those in the crowd ask if maybe Jesus is the Son of David, meaning the Messiah. This is exactly the response those miracles are intended to provoke. Proving their absolute hardness of spirit, the Pharisees immediately say Jesus only casts out demons by the power of Satan (Matthew 12:22–24).

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