Matt.12.26 - And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
Matt.12.27 - And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
Matt.12.28 - But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [before you expected it].
Matt.12.29 - Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Matt.12.30 - He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Matt.12.31 - Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
Matt.12.32 - And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Matt.12.33 - Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Matt.12.34 - O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Matt.12.35 - A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Matt.12.36 - But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Matt.12.37 - For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Matt.12.38 - Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
Matt.12.39 - But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Matt.12.40 - For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matt.12.41 - The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Matt.12.42 - The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
Matt.12.43 - When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Matt.12.44 - Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Matt.12.45 - Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
Matt.12.46 - While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
Matt.12.47 - Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
Matt.12.48 - But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
Matt.12.49 - And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
Matt.12.50 - For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.



Jesus rebukes their accusation with three arguments. First, why would Satan be divided against himself? Second, couldn't their accusation also go against any Pharisees who casts out a demon? Third, the Pharisees have missed the most important thing: The fact that Jesus casts out demons by the power of God's Spirit means the kingdom of God has come upon them (Matthew 12:25–28).

As the Messiah, Jesus had bound Satan in order to rescue citizens for God's kingdom. He is working against the prince of demons, not for him. Those who are not with Jesus are against Him. This is the passage where Jesus mentions blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In literal terms, this means seeing Christ perform a miracle and attributing that power to Satan. That act, itself, cannot be committed by anyone today. In a broader sense, those who persistently reject God are committing their own version of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Such absolute rebellion against God will not be forgiven (Matthew 12:29–32)

"Harsh" is a mild way to describe the condemnation Jesus applies to these Pharisees. They produce bad spiritual "fruit" for the same reason corrupt trees make inedible crops. He calls them a brood of vipers, pointing out that the words they say reveal the true nature of their hearts. This principle applies, in general, to all people as well: what we think and feel is the origin of what we say and do. Jesus warns everyone listening that they will be held accountable on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken (Matthew 12:33–37).

Some of the scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign. Of course, He has very recently performed miracles (Matthew 12:9–13, 22). By demanding yet another piece of evidence, these skeptics prove they are insincere. Those committed to disbelief will often claim that they need "just one more" proof or confirmation, which is a lie. In that spirit, Jesus replies that this is the attitude of an evil and spiritually unfaithful generation. The only sign He promises them to see is the sign of Jonah, who was in the belly of the huge fish for three days (Jonah 1:17). The Son of Man will also be in the heart of the earth for three days. This is another reference to His upcoming death, burial, and resurrection (Matthew 12:38–40).

At the end time judgment, the men of Nineveh who repented at Jonah's preaching (Jonah 3:6–9) will condemn the generation of unrepentant and unbelieving Israelites who saw Christ in person. Even those pagan, deeply wicked people were willing to submit to God's message. Likewise, the queen of the South, who traveled far to hear Solomon's wisdom (2 Chronicles 9:1) will condemn them, too, for ignoring the wisdom of the Messiah right in front of them (Matthew 12:41–42).

Jesus warns "this evil generation" of Israelites that, because of their unbelief and lack of repentance, they will be like a person possessed by eight evil demons after first being freed from one. He compares the situation to a "house"—a person—being freed of a demon and cleaned, only for the demon to return and find the "house" very much open to possession. So, the demon re-enters and brings along seven more, even more evil spirits. Christ may have come to fight against Satan in that generation of Israel, but if they reject Him, they'll be worse off afterwards than they were before (Matthew 12:43–45).

Finally, Jesus responds to news that His mother Mary and brothers want to talk to Him. Mark includes the fact that His half-siblings and mother are concerned about his mind (Mark 3:21). While He does not dismiss their presence, Jesus expands the idea of a true "family" in His response. He declares that His disciples and all who do the will of His Father in heaven are His brother and sister and mother (Matthew 12:31–35).

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