Your Words Matter-Matthew 12

What do you mean by what you say…when you say, “I believe in God, Jesus or the Bible”? …or when you say “God” or “I’m a Christian”? If you can’t explain what you mean, how do you know if you truly believe in God, Jesus or the Bible? “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This faulty statement may be an excuse to use words carelessly. But words matter to God, and they should matter to you, for Jesus says sternly, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty (idle, careless) word they have spoken” (Mt 12:36).

Working on the Sabbath. Jesus says he gives rest to those heavily burdened (Mt 11:28). He’s then involved in a controversy about the Sabbath, the day set aside for rest. “At that time,” Jesus and his disciples “went through the grainfields on the sabbath” (Mt 12:1a). His hungry disciples pluck and eat heads of grain (Mt 12:1b). The Pharisees challenge Jesus, “at that time,” the time of the Sabbath, the time of rest, the disciples are at work (Mt 12:2).

Sabbath is a gift to make time holy. We naturally side with the disciples as the “good guys” when reading the NT. So their “work” on the Sabbath must be justified. But it’s important to not criticize the Pharisees as the “bad guys.” Sabbath, we know from Genesis, is rooted in the very character of God’s creation. Sabbath is a gift, the gift of time given to sanctify time. God’s invitation to Israel to participate in his rest is a gift to the world so that the world may know we are created in time for time.

Live in God‘s time. God commands Israel to keep the Sabbath in order to “remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day” (Dt 5:15). There is a political witness to keeping the Sabbath. In exile, deprived of land and temple, God reminds Israel that it has been given the Sabbath as “a sign between me and [them], so that [they] may know that I the LORD” sanctify them (Eze 20:21). So Sabbath was God orienting Israel to resist those who would force Israel to live in a different time.

Haven‘t you read your Bible? The Pharisees’ concern that Jesus’ disciples are working may seem legalistic. Given the polemical context it was rigorist, but crucial issues were at stake. Jesus honors the Pharisees’ challenge by responding with arguments that they’d recognize. Jesus often asks the crowds, “Have you not heard?” but he asks the Pharisees, “Have you not read?” (Mt 12:3) He appeals to their strength as students of the scripture, directing them to David asking the priests to give his hungry men bread reserved for those consecrated by abstinence to serve at the altar (1 Sam 21:1–7). David argues that his men share a common consecration and that they rightly should be fed with the bread set aside for those dedicated to the Lord (Mt 12:3-4). In like manner, Jesus argues that his disciples can pluck heads of grain because, like David’s men, they are consecrated by their loyalty to him, the new David. Next, Jesus directs the Pharisees’ attention to the necessity of priests working on the Sabbath to offer the sacrifice (Mt 12:5) required by Num 28:9–10. Jesus appeals to texts that he and the Pharisees regard as authoritative.

Jesus challenges the status of the temple (Mt 12:6), and makes the astounding claim that “the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath” (Mt 12:8). Time will be reconfigured by Jesus’s resurrection, making the seventh day the climax of the new creation begun by Jesus’s conception. Jesus’ argument and his use of the scriptures tell the Pharisees that they’re in the presence of one whose very existence is a challenge to their world. Jesus claims to be the one who refigures the time of creation, thus becoming the key for how scripture is to be read. Matthew’s gospel is the exemplification of Jesus’ life and work as the hermeneutical key for reading Israel’s scripture. It’s hard not to feel some sympathy for the Pharisees, whose world is being turned upside down. 2,000 years later we’re still trying to receive Jesus’ radical transformation of our world and lives.

Mercy, not sacrifice, should be at the center of Israel’s worship (Mt 12:7; Hos 6:6). This is tested as Jesus enters a synagogue and finds a man with a withered hand (Mt 12:9). “They” ask him if it is lawful to cure on the Sabbath (Mt 12:10). They heard him say that mercy not sacrifice is the mark of Sabbath observance. If mercy is required, they ask if it is lawful to cure on the Sabbath. Again Jesus offers an argument, this time using common sense. If one is allowed on the Sabbath to rescue a sheep that fell into a pit (Mt 12:11), how much more important is the care of a human being (Mt 12:12)? He then asks the man with the withered hand to reveal his hidden hand, and Jesus heals his hand (Mt 12:13).

The Pharisees conspire to kill Jesus (Mt 12:14)—becomes a major theme. Aware of this, Jesus doesn’t fight them and departs (Mt 12:15a), not seeking further confrontation. But he doesn’t stop what he’s been sent to do. He doesn’t defend himself in a manner that mimics the conspiracy of the Pharisees. Jesus’ only weapon against the violence of the lie is the truth that he has been given and that he is. The crowds continue to follow him; all who need to be cured, he cures (Mt 12:15b). Yet, he orders them not to make himself known in order to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa 42:1–4) regarding the one who will proclaim justice to the Gentiles (Mt 12:19–21).

Prophet, priest and king. The Pharisees rightly sense that Jesus came to fulfill the offices at the heart of Israel’s life: the prophet, priest, and king of Israel. Yet his fulfillment forces Israel to reconsider what kind of Messiah he is, for here is the king who refuses to rule by force, the priest who will be sacrificed, and the prophet who does not “wrangle or cry aloud” (Mt 12:19). His fulfillment of these offices means that hope is brought to the Gentiles, making justice possible (Mt 12:20-21). The great enemy of justice is cynicism and despair, but Jesus brings hope because he is the eschatological sign that our lives have been given purpose through this new creation.

Accused of being a chief demon. Try as he might to avoid controversy, Jesus is drawn back into a dispute with the Pharisees because he heals a blind and mute demoniac (Mt 12:22). The crowds speculate that one who can heal one so possessed must be the son of David (Mt 12:23). But the Pharisees seize this opportunity to conspire against him, saying that only “Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons,” can cast out demons (Mt 12:24). They don’t say what they’re thinking for they hope to make this part of the conspiracy against him, but Jesus knows his enemy well (Mt 12:25a) and responds to their silent accusations.

The kingdom of God has come. Jesus says that no kingdom, even that of Satan, can stand divided against itself (Mt 12:25-26). The Pharisees also have exorcists who cast out demons; if they don’t disavow their own exorcists, they cannot condemn Jesus’ exorcisms (Mt 12:27a). If the Pharisees condemn Jesus for casting out demons, they’d have to apply the same to the work of their exorcists (Mt 12:27b). Jesus argues that if they acknowledge that he has cast out demons, they must also acknowledge that Jesus is able to cast out demons only because he does so through the Spirit (Mt 12:28a). Thus, the Pharisees should recognize that the kingdom of God is clearly obviously present (Mt 12:28b).

Bind the strongman (Mt 12:29) is how Jesus argues as the way to fight Satan. Jesus has bound the strongman, Satan, by his willing subjection to Satan in Satan’s stronghold. He faced Satan in the wilderness and was subjected to the worst that Satan could do, and yet he prevailed. He has taken the mighty captive by refusing Satan’s terms of battle (Isa 49:24–25). Satan’s house has been plundered through the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot have it both ways: we cannot serve God and mammon (Mt 6:24). We cannot fight Satan while at the same time employ Satan’s understanding of the way things are.

To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is a sin that cannot be forgiven (Mt 12:31) because forgiveness doesn’t simply mean that our sins are not held against us. Forgiveness names an alternative community to the rule of Satan. Such community is present in this age as well as in the age to come (Mt 12:32). To be forgiven is to be gathered to Jesus. Not to be forgiven is to be scattered and lost in a world of the lost (Mt 12:30). Blasphemy is the denial, the refusal, to participate in the new world begun by the repentance made possible by the power bestowed by the Spirit on this man, Jesus.

Misusing words. It matters what we say and don’t say. Jesus accuses those who accuse him of blasphemy, of exorcising Satan in the name of Satan, of saying one thing and being another. Good and evil trees will be known by the fruit they bear (Mt 12:33). But discerning the fruit is difficult because vipers become good at saying what they’re not, thus making it difficult to distinguish good from evil. This will not be the case on the day of judgment when all will be held accountable for every careless word uttered.

Words play a crucial role in all Jesus does and teaches. He taught us to discipline our speech when we’re angry (Mt 5:22–26); he forbids oaths (Mt 5:33–37); he exposes empty prayers (Mt 6:7); he condemns hypocritical speech of judgment (Mt 7:4–5); he denounces false confessions of faith (Mt 7:21–22); and he disdains the use of words that clearly are meant to deny who he is (12:2).[3] The misuse of words he attributes to “our treasury.” We speak falsely because of what we fear losing as well as because of what we think we must protect. Moreover, what we fear to lose and what we desire to protect is too often hidden even from ourselves.

The “care” of words should be one of the essential tasks of the church. One of the offices for the care of words is called theology. Theology is the discipline charged to help those who would speak after Christ, say no more or no less than is required to witness to the truth he is. Truthful language can go dead, because all language requires constant care. That’s why the church can’t live without careful speech, which often takes the form of prayer, in particular, the prayers of monks, who have honed their prayers through the centuries by singing the Psalms.

The mystery of God frustrates us, enticing Christians–especially theologians–to explain what cannot be explained, particularly since we live at a time in which the status of the church and the church’s beliefs are questioned. Too often, the intelligent and wise think that the problematic character of the language of faith requires that they use their intellectual power to shore up what the church believes.

The scribes and Pharisees desperately desire a sign (Mt 12:38). They have no doubt heard that Jesus has healed the blind, made the lame walk, cleansed lepers, restored hearing to the deaf, raised the dead, brought good news to the poor, but they still desire a sign. Later they ask Jesus to show them “a sign from heaven” (Mt 16:1). Jesus asks much of those who would follow him, and it doesn’t seem unreasonable to be given some assurance. Yet, we must remember, the devil asked Jesus for signs in the desert.

Jesus answers with scripture–Jonah (Mt 12:39) to those asking for a sign. Just as Jonah spent three days and nights in the belly of the sea monster, so, Jesus says, the Son of Man will spend “three days and three nights . . . in the heart of the earth” (Mt 12:40). Even the resurrection, however, will be an insufficient sign for those who seek to confirm what they already know. Just as the Queen of the South came to Solomon because of his wisdom, so those whom Israel had not expected will be drawn to the sign of Jonah, which will be even greater than Solomon’s wisdom (Mt 12:42).

You could get worse. Jonah anticipates Jesus’ death and resurrection, but even resurrection does not guarantee our ability to rid ourselves of unclean spirits. Jesus has exorcised demons, but it seems that they leave only to seek a resting place somewhere else (Mt 12:43). Too often the demons return to their original home and multiply, so that the person in whom they dwell is even worse off than they were originally (Mt 12:44-45a). Jesus suggests that this is what will happen to this generation to which he has come (Mt 12:45b). His mission to call Israel to repent can result in their being even more resistant than they are now to the work of the Spirit. A “little faith” may be sufficient to give the devil that all he needs to capture our souls. These remarks about the unclean spirits are obscure and enigmatic.

Jesus‘ mother and brothers were standing outside in order to speak with him while Jesus was still speaking to the crowds (Mt 12:46). This is reported to Jesus (Mt 12:47), but he points to his disciples and claims that they are now his mother and brothers (Mt 12:48-49). Those who do the will of the Father are his brothers, sisters, and mother (Mt 12:50). Jesus has already challenged loyalty to family through the calling of the disciples (Mt 4:18–22), his refusal to let the one desiring to be a disciple return to bury his father (Mt 8:21–22), and his prediction that in the coming persecutions brother will deny brother and fathers will rise up against their children and children will put their parents to death (Mt 10:21, 35–37). If there was any doubt that Jesus meant what he said, his identification of his true family as the disciples makes clear that his challenge to the family is radical.

Being a new community and family is what a disciple of Jesus is. We are all children, but now a community has been established in which we are all called to be parents, brothers, and sisters to and for one another. In such a community it is impossible for an “unwanted child” to be born, for the biological family has been transformed in service to the church. What’s at stake is not the family, but rather those who do the will of the Father. For Jesus to take such a critical attitude toward the family could not help but put him in tension with the people of Israel. As a faithful son of Israel, Jesus was expected to marry and have a child. Yet Jesus remains single. His singleness is a sign that God’s kingdom will not grow biologically, but by witness and conversion. Through such growth Christians will discover sisters and brothers we did not know we had. Such is the wonder and the threat of the kingdom brought in Christ.

Reference:

1. Hauerwas, Stanley. Matthew. Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI, 2006.  MATTHEW 11–12 “Are You the One to Come?”
2. Hauerwas, Stanley. Cross-Shattered Christ. Meditations on the Seven Last Words. Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI, 2004.
3. Hauerwas, Stanley; Willimon, William. Where Resident Aliens Live. Exercises for Christian Practice. Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 1996.

“My gift is my song And this one’s for you

I hope you don’t mind That I put down in words How wonderful life is while you’re in the world.” Bernie Taupin, Elton John.

“Talk in everlasting wordsAnd dedicate them all to meAnd I will give you all my lifeI’m here if you should call to me You think that I don’t even meanA single word I say It’s only words, and words are all I haveTo take your heart away.” Bee Gees.

Abraham Heschel observes: “There are two aspects to the Sabbath, as there are two aspects to the world. The Sabbath is meaningful to man and is meaningful to God. It stands in a relation to both, and is a sign of the covenant entered into by both. What is the sign? God has sanctified the day, and man must again and again sanctify the day, illumine the day with the light of his soul. The Sabbath is holy by the grace of God, and is still in need of all the holiness which man may lend to it. The Sabbath is meaningful to God, for without it there would be no holiness in our world of time.” (Heschel 1951, 53–54)

The news of the Emancipation Proclamation did not reach Texas until 6/19/1865, after the Civil War had ended and 2.5 years after the proclamation was issued. From that moment, African Americans in Texas regarded June 19 as a holiday, and many would travel to Galveston, where the news was first given by Union Major General Gordon Granger. Whites were resistant to this practice, but African Americans simply refused to show up for work on that day. Whites continued to work if they could, but they often were not able to work because they were dependent on African American labor.

Juneteenth, as it was called by African Americans and whites alike, became a day in which both remembered freedom from slavery. So the Sabbath was for Israel, both in exile and under foreign rule.

Reticence. In a context in which I fear Christians have lived for some time, the reticence of the gospels frustrates us. We want them to say more than they can say. We use intellectual tools, historical research, to explain what Matthew must have really meant when he presents Jesus’ exchange with the Pharisees concerning Beelzebul. It’s assumed that if we know more about what people at Jesus’ time understood by the devil we’ll be better able to understand what Jesus means when he says that Satan cannot cast out Satan. Much can be learned from such studies, and they’re not to be ignored. But this commentary tries to respect Matthew’s reticence, which I believe to be a necessary discipline to train us to read the gospel when we have been stripped of treasures we thought we could not live without. To read the gospel without our reading challenging our power or our wealth as Christians is no easy task. I cannot pretend that this commentary is anything more than a beginning.   It’s unclear what kind of sign would satisfy the scribes and Pharisees—and us. Once a professor of philosophy supposedly said he would believe in God if the heavens opened and a magnificent figure appeared, declaring, in a very loud voice, “I am God.” But that is exactly the kind of evidence that would make it impossible to follow Jesus, for the Father cannot be part of the metaphysical furniture of the universe and be found in this man. Denys Turner argues that because we cannot know the quid est of God, it is possible to say that the one and same person is both human and divine. Only if God is unknowable to us, Turner explains, is the Chalcedonian doctrine of Christ possible, for “if Christ is truly “the image of the invisible God” . . . , then equally this same Christ is our access precisely to that invisibility itself; if Christ is, in some sort, a résumé of all the created order, that book in which some knowledge of the author can be read, then equally it is in Christ that the unknowable mystery of that author is most deeply intensified. In Christ, therefore, are united and intensified to their maximal degree both all that can be said about God and the incomprehensibility of that speech, its failure. In Christ we learn how to speak of God; but in Christ we discover that speech to be broken open into brilliant failure—a knowing-unknowing, a “brilliant darkness.” (Turner 2004, 59)

It’d be a mistake to use Jesus’ account of what happens to the demons who have been exorcised to develop a theory of the demonic. The demons, to be sure, are parasitic. They require a home they cannot establish. Jesus is not asking us to reflect on the ontological status of evil, but rather he is again reminding us that we cannot try to at once serve God and mammon. Whoever is not for me is against me. And that includes his own family.