The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (31 page)

12:3 have you not read:
An insult to the intellectual pride of the Pharisees. Jesus uses the question to humble learned leaders who lack childlike faith (12:5; 19:4; 21:16, 42; 22:31). • Jesus draws on the parallels between 1 Sam 21:1-6 and his own situation. As David's companions were
hungry
(12:1), so were the disciples; as David was heir to the united kingdom of Israel, so Jesus is the son of David. He thus implies that if his disciples are in sin, then David himself would stand guilty—a conclusion nowhere suggested in the OT. This is the first premise of Jesus' response to the Pharisees.
See note on Mt 12:7
. 
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12:5 profane the sabbath:
Levitical priests worked every sabbath, replacing the bread of Presence in the Temple (Lev 24:5-9) and offering sacrifice (Num 28:9-10). Nevertheless, they remained
guiltless
(CCC 582, 2173). 
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12:6 greater than the temple:
The Jerusalem Temple was spectacular because it housed the very presence of God among his people. • God's presence in Jesus, as the divine Son, exceeds that in the Temple (1:23). The earthly sanctuary thus prefigured God's more intimate presence in the world through Christ. The NT elsewhere compares the humanity of Jesus Christ to the wilderness Tabernacle (Jn 1:14) and the Temple (Jn 2:1921) (CCC 590). See chart:
Jesus and the Old Testament.
 
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12:7 I desire mercy:
Quoted from Hos 6:6. Earlier Jesus challenged the Pharisees to study and learn the meaning of this oracle (9:13), and Hosea's words here complete Jesus' apologetic against the Pharisees. His logic proceeds:
(1)
Mercy is more important than Temple regulations (12:3-4);
(2)
the Temple laws themselves take precedence over the Sabbath (12:5);
(3)
therefore, mercy is more important than the Sabbath (CCC 2100). 
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12:9-14
Jesus asserts his Lordship over the Sabbath (12:8). Since the Sabbath was meant for man's good, doing good works on the Sabbath cannot be construed as unlawful. If the Pharisees are willing to save one of their livestock, they should be more willing to see a crippled man relieved of his burden on the same day. In short, the Sabbath forbids servile works, not works of mercy. 
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12:14 took counsel:
The Pharisees' conspiracy marks their complete rejection of Jesus.
See note on Mt 27:1
. 
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12:18-21
A reference to Is 42:1-4. The Father evokes this same passage at Jesus' Baptism (3:17). Note that
servant
(Gk.
pais
) can be translated "son". • Matthew cites Isaiah for three reasons.
(1)
It summarizes his portrait of Christ: Jesus is the Father's
beloved
Son (3:17; 4:3; 11:25-27) and the Servant of the Lord (8:17; 11:5), anointed by the
Spirit
(3:16), who brings God's grace to the
Gentiles
(8:5-13).
(2)
The citation is fulfilled when Jesus withdraws from his enemies and ministers to the lowly (12:20)—he has no regard for public acclaim (12:16, 19).
(3)
It points forward to link Jesus' exorcisms with the power of the Spirit (12:28) (CCC 713). 
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12:23 the Son of David?:
The question reflects the Jewish tradition that King Solomon, the son of David, was empowered by God to exorcize demons (cf. Wis 7:20). Similar abilities were expected of the coming Davidic Messiah. 
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12:24 only by Beelzebul:
The Pharisees' spiritual blindness led them to blasphemy—i.e., they thought Jesus was an agent of Satan's kingdom (CCC 574).
See note on Mt 10:25
. 
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12:25-26
Jesus uses the images of a
kingdom, city,
and
house
as cryptic allusions to the city and Temple of Jerusalem. By Jesus' day, Jerusalem had reached a point of spiritual crisis. Long known as the Holy City, it was now the center of diabolical resistance to Jesus, with its leadership squarely opposed to the kingdom of heaven. Even the Temple was by then "forsaken and desolate" (23:38). The Pharisees' conspiracy (12:14) thus exposes them as unwitting collaborators and representatives of Satan's kingdom. With Jesus' Crucifixion, the power of Satan is finally destroyed—a fact later evidenced by the plundering of his city (Jerusalem) and house (Temple) in
A.D.
70 (12:29) (CCC 550). See notes on
Mt 23:38
and
24:1-25:46
. 
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12:31 blasphemy against the Spirit:
i.e., the sin of attributing to Satan the work of God. It is a mature spiritual hardness that directs sinners away from God's mercy and ends in final impenitence. One who blasphemes the Spirit cannot receive forgiveness when he refuses to repent and seek forgiveness. It is this sin that the Pharisees commit in 12:24 (CCC 1864).
See note on Mk 3:29
. 
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JESUS AND THE OLD TESTAMENT

Matthew frequently quotes OT passages to establish Jesus' credentials as the Messiah. However, Jesus and Matthew often allude to the OT in more subtle ways by drawing comparisons between ancient persons, places, and events and Jesus himself. This form of OT interpretation is called
typology.
A typological reading of the OT is attuned to distinctive "rhymes" in salvation history where God acts in similar (or typical) ways each time he reveals himself and delivers his people. Thus the Father teaches us about himself through the use of things and events long familiar in the minds of his people; in short, he uses old truths to instruct us about new ones. Jesus and Matthew look back on several OT figures and institutions to bring the surpassing glory of Christ and the New Covenant into focus. The great heroes and memories of old bring clarity to the greater person of Christ. The coming of Jesus marks the dramatic climax to the OT story as he fulfills all of the
types
that God prepared throughout the history of salvation.

NEW MOSES

As the supreme lawgiver of the Old Covenant, Moses prefigures Christ, who gives the New Law in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7). Jesus also reenacts experiences from Moses' infancy and the prophet's 40 days of fasting in solitude (Mt 4:2; Ex 34:28). Finally, Moses bears witness to Jesus' greater glory at the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-5), where Jesus is showcased as the prophet-like-Moses (Mt 17:5; Deut 18:15).

NEW DAVID

As Israel's ideal king, David foreshadows the role of Jesus, who assumes his royal throne forever (Mt 1:1; 2:2; Lk 1:32-33). Jesus is greater than David (Mt 22:41-45); his hungry disciples, like David's companions, are permitted to breech the Sabbath (Mt 12:3). As David gave Israel rest from its enemies (2 Sam 7:1), Jesus saves Israel from its sins (Mt 1:21).

NEW TEMPLE

The Jerusalem Temple housed the presence of God in the midst of Israel. Similarly, Jesus comes bearing within himself God's glory in a more profound way; he embodies divine holiness (Mt 1:23; 12:6; Jn 1:14; 2:19-21). It is thus the Temple—God's dwelling among his people—that prepared Israel to accept Christ's Incarnation. His presence is likewise embodied in a new spiritual Temple, the Church (Mt 16:18; 18:20).

NEW ISRAEL

As Israel's Messiah, Jesus reenacts the experience of the Israelites and their Exodus from Egypt (Mt 2:15). He endures a 40-day period of testing in the wilderness, corresponding to Israel's 40 years of testing. Unlike wayward Israel, Jesus prevails over the devil through his obedience and trust in God (Mt 4:1-11). Jesus' disciples are now assigned Israel's vocation to be a light to the world (Mt 5:14; Is 42:6).

NEW SOLOMON

Solomon the "son of David", prefigures Jesus as the royal Son of God (Mt 16:16; 2 Sam 7:14). Like Solomon, he receives gifts from the nations (Mt 2:11; 1 Kings 10:23-25). As the wise Solomon (1 Kings 3:12) built Israel's Temple (2 Sam 7:1214), Jesus is wisdom-in-the-flesh (Mt 11:19; 12:42) and God's designated builder of the new Temple, the Church (Mt 16:18).

NEW JONAH

Jonah was a Hebrew prophet. His experience sleeping on a ship and calming a storm (Jon 1:1-16) anticipates that of Jesus with his disciples (Mt 8:23-27). Jonah's three days in the belly of the great fish foreshadows the death and third-day Resurrection of Jesus (Mt 12:39-41). In addition, the ministry of Jonah to the Ninevites beyond the borders of Israel anticipates the spread of Christ's gospel to all nations (Mt 28:1820). 
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12:36 every careless word:
Spoken insults call down God's judgment (5:21-26). The NT frequently notes that gossip, slandering, and lies are serious sins, inconsistent with holiness and purity of speech (2 Cor 12:20; Eph 4:25-32; Jas 3:1-12). 
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12:41 greater than Jonah:
Jesus' teaching (16:4) and experiences (8:23-27) recall the ministry of the prophet Jonah. • Jonah prefigures Jesus in two ways:
(1)
His three days in the whale foreshadow Jesus' Resurrection on the third day (12:40; 16:21);
(2)
he prefigures Jesus as a prophet to the Gentiles. As Jonah preached to Nineveh in Assyria (Jon 3:2), so Jesus ministers to Gentiles (8:5-13; 15:21-28) and commissions the international spread of the gospel (28:19; Lk 24:4547). See chart:
Jesus and the Old Testament.
 
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12:42 greater than Solomon:
The connections between Jesus and King Solomon are elsewhere more implicit (2:11; 12:23; 16:18). • Solomon was the quintessential wise man and Temple builder of the OT (1 Kings 4:29-34; 5-8). As the son of David and heir to his kingdom, Solomon reigned over all Israel and extended his dominion over other nations (1 Kings 4:20-21). He thus prefigured Christ as the son of David (1:1), the embodiment of wisdom (11:19), the new Temple builder (16:18), and the divine ruler of both the 12 tribes of Israel (19:28) and the nations of the world (28:19). See chart:
Jesus and the Old Testament.
 
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