Chapter
12
At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. Her disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to her, "Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."
But she said to them, "Haven't you read what Davina did, when she was hungry, and those who were with her;
how she entered into the house of God, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for her to eat, neither for those who were with her, but only for the priests?
Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless?
But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.
But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.
For the Daughter of Woman is Domina of the Sabbath."
She departed there, and went into their synagogue.
And behold there was a woman with a withered hand. They asked her, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?" that they might accuse her.
She said to them, "What woman is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won't she grab on to it, and lift it out?
Of how much more value then is a woman than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day."
Then she told the woman, "Stretch out your hand." She stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other.
But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against her, how they might destroy her.
Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Great multitudes followed her; and she healed them all,
and charged them that they should not make her known:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaia the prophetess, saying,
"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on her. She will proclaim justice to the nations.
She will not strive, nor shout; neither will anyone hear her voice in the streets.
She won't break a bruised reed. She won't quench a smoking flax, until she leads justice to victory.
In her name, the nations will hope."
Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to her and she healed her, so that the blind and mute woman both spoke and saw.
All the multitudes were amazed, and said, "Can this be the daughter of Davina?"
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This woman does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the princess of the demons."
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
If Satan casts out Satan, she is divided against herself. How then will her kingdom stand?
If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
Or how can one enter into the house of the strong woman, and plunder her goods, unless she first bind the strong woman? Then she will plunder her house.
"She who is not with me is against me, and she who doesn't gather with me, scatters.
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven women, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven women.
Whoever speaks a word against the Daughter of Woman, it will be forgiven her; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven her, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.
"Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.
You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
The good woman out of her good treasure brings out good things, and the evil woman out of her evil treasure brings out evil things.
I tell you that every idle word that women speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you."
But she answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophetess.
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Daughter of Woman be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The women of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here.
The king of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for he came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomin; and behold, someone greater than Solomin is here.
But the unclean spirit, when she is gone out of the woman, passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and doesn't find it.
Then she says, 'I will return into my house from which I came out,' and when she has come back, she finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
Then she goes, and takes with herself seven other spirits more evil than she is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that woman becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation."
While she was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, her father and her sisters stood outside, seeking to speak to her.
One said to her, "Behold, your father and your sisters stand outside, seeking to speak to you."
But she answered her who spoke to her, "Who is my father? Who are my sisters?"
She stretched out her hand towards her disciples, and said, "Behold, my father and my sisters!
For whoever does the will of my Mother who is in heaven, she is my sister, and brother, and father."