Took counsel against him ( ‘ ). An imitation of the Latin concilium capere and found in papyri of the second century A.D. (Deissmann, Bible Studies, p. 238.) This incident marks a crisis in the hatred of the Pharisees toward Jesus. They bolted out of the synagogue and actually conspired with their hated rivals, the Herodians, how to put Jesus to death (Mark 3:6; Matt 12:14; Luke 6:11). By “destroy” () they meant “kill.”

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

1) “Then the Pharisees went out,” (ekselthontes de hoi Pharisaioi) “Then the Pharisees upon going out,” and away from the synagogue where they had come with their evil designs to entrap Him, with what they thought were loaded questions, Mat 12:10.

2) “And held a council against him,” (sumboulion elabon kata autou) “Took to themselves counsel (or entered into collusion) against him,” against Jesus, with a view to liquidate or murder Him, Joh 5:16; Joh 5:18.

3) “How they might destroy him.” (hopos auton apolesosin) “So that they might destroy him,” wipe Him out, or put Him away, as prophesied Psa 2:2; they charged Him with blasphemy, because He claimed to be the Son of God, Joh 10:22; They and their kind of Jews eventually did kill Him, 1Th 2:14-15. Prior to this they had contented themselves in finding fault and criticizing the Lord; But now, having sinned against more light, and hardened their own hearts, they proceeded to lay a plot to slay the Lord, and would not now be content until their wicked plot was carried out. They sought, not merely to get rid of Jesus, but how they might do it, without disturbing the masses, or letting them know what they had plotted to do, Luk 6:11; Mr 3:6. They also enlisted the political party of Herodians to aid and abet them in their wicked goal, Mat 22:15-16.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

Mat 12:14

. Then the Pharisees took counsel. How obstinate is the rage which drives the wicked to oppose God! Even after having been convinced, they pour out their venom more and more. It is truly monstrous and shocking, that the most distinguished teachers of the Law, who were entrusted with the government of the Church, are engaged, like robbers, in contriving murder. But this must happen, whenever the malice of men reaches such a height, that they wish to destroy every thing that is opposed to their fancy, even though it may be from God.

The circumstance of Christ’s making his escape by flight must not be ascribed to fear; for he did not become more courageous by the lapse of time, but was endued with the same fortitude of the Spirit at the time when he fled, as when, at a later period, he voluntarily presented himself to die. And this was a part of that emptying of himself which Paul mentions, (Phi 2:7,) that when he could easily have protected his life by a miracle, he chose rather to submit to our weakness by taking flight. The only reason why he delayed to die was, that the seasonable time, which had been appointed by the Father, was not yet come, (Joh 7:30.) And yet it is manifest, that he was preserved by heavenly power rather than by flight; for it would not have been difficult for his enemies to find out the place to which he had retired, and so far was he from shrouding himself in darkness, that he carried a great company along with him, and rendered that place illustrious by his miracles. He withdrew from their presence for the sole purpose of not aggravating their rage.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

CRITICAL NOTES

Mat. 12:18. Judgment.The idea embodied in the prediction is that it would be the aim of the Messiah, as universal Judge, to put all things to rights among all nations. The judicial function is one of the most important elements in the office of a monarch. It is in virtue of it that differences between man and man are adjusted, while the rights of all the members of the community are vindicated, so that harmony and co-operation may be secured.(Morison).

Mat. 12:20. Till He send forth judgment unto victory.The idea is that the Messiah shall persevere in His own quiet, gentle, meek, unostentatious, unobstreperous way, healing heart after heart, and adjusting difference after difference, until He shall succeed in getting His gracious arbitrative action thrust in victoriously upon all the injustices and unrighteousnesses, that alienate man from man, and men from God (ibid.).

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Mat. 12:14-21

Avoiding strife.The friction with the Pharisees, of which we have just read so much, could have only one end. To be so baffled, so eclipsed, so silenced by one like Jesus, in the presence of those for whose praise they lived (Mat. 23:5-7), must arouse deadly anger at last. So, accordingly, we find expressly stated in Mat. 12:14. The Evangelist proceeds to tell us, first, how the Saviour replied to this move; and secondly how His manner of doing so had been predicted of old. We shall find a striking picture in the first of these accounts, and a striking prophecy in the second.

I. A striking picture.A picture, first, of very great power. What a sense of power was left behind by that which we read of Him last. Though filled with madness (as said of them in Luk. 6:11, on the same or on an exceedingly similar occasion) all that His enemies can do now is to go out and begin conspiring against Him (Mat. 12:14). Such an attempt is, in itself, an acknowledgment of His power. It is only the powers that be that are ever plotted against! Also now, when away from them (Mat. 12:15), and with multitudes of the sick about Him instead, how manifest again is His power. He heals them all, it is said (Mat. 12:15). Nothing whatever in the way of sickness can contend against Him. The only limit is as to making known (Mat. 12:16) what He has done. A picture, secondly, of corresponding forbearance and meekness. Forbearance in refraining from meeting the known hostility of His enemies by any counter move of like kind. All we are told of Him is that He first perceived it, and then got out of its way (Mat. 12:15). Forbearance, also, in not wishing that anything done by Him should bring Him into conflict with them (Mat. 12:16). What He does, in short, is, so far, to beat a retreat; and to take special care, in doing so, that even the mercy shown by Him should not interfere with that object. Anything, just now, rather than enter on strife! A picture, lastly, of wonderful pity and love. Of wonderful pity because of the miracles of pity which we see wrought by His hands. Of more wonderful pity because of the circumstances in which that pity is shown. Even when He is perfectly aware that His enemies are seeking His lifeeven when He is, as it were, beating a retreat from their malignity, even in these chilling circumstancesHe is a glowing centre of love.

II. A striking prophecy.According to the Evangelist a far older pencil than his had drawn the same portrait as he. A certain passage from the prophet Isaiah which he now proceeds to quote, had long ago described, in all essential particulars, what has been described by him now. This he seems to point out to us in four principal ways. Has he, e.g. now presented Jesus to us as the chosen of God, even as one who could say of Himself as in Mat. 11:27? Did not Isaiah also speak, as quoted here (Mat. 12:18), of Gods chosen ServantGods best beloved ServantGods specially sanctified Servant? Has the Evangelist also just drawn our special attention to the power of the Saviour? Has not Isaiah also here, twice over, connected Him he speaks of with the administration of judgment? (Mat. 12:18; Mat. 12:20). And what is judgment with all its accompanimentsits sword and its robes; its throne and its barbut an assertion of power? Has the Evangelist, again, given us here a special presentment of the forbearance and meekness of Christ? How closely, again, correspond to this those words of the prophet, He shall not cry nor strive, neither shall His voice be heard in the streets (Mat. 12:19). Finally, has the Evangelist here especially dwelt on the tenderness of His love? How admirably, once more, does the language of the prophet describe the same thing! Never was there beforenever has there been sincea more gracious description! A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench. In other words, to the most afflicted, to the most infirm, shall it be His to give the most of His love. So much so, that the very farthest off, when they hear it, shall believe in His name. In that name shall the Gentileseven the Gentilestrust.

In this same thought, also, seems the one application of the whole of this passage. The whole passage is pre-eminently a lesson in trust. It is so, because:

1. Of the characteristics it combines.This power which has such complete power over itself; this courage which is not afraid, where need be, to retreat; this love of truth which loves peace as much; this dignity which can stoop to the lowest; this tenderness of love which is most at home with those who need it most and deserve it leastis a constellation of excellences to be trusted by us, if anything is! To be trusted by all of us, for it meets the case of us all!

2. Of the evidences it combines.This incidental illustration of these various excellences does not stand by itself. We have seen something of it before (Mat. 9:10-13). We shall see more of it hereafter (Mat. 14:13). What we are to notice specially here is that it formed a definite part of the whole purpose of the kingdom. This was the kind of High Priest that became us (Heb. 7:26). This, therefore, the kind of High Priest whom God sent into the world.

HOMILIES ON THE VERSES

Mat. 12:15. Christs retirement from His enemies.A solemn sign,

I. Not of fear or weakness.

II. But of power, of wisdom, of compassion and of judgmentLange.

Plotting and persevering.

I. Pharisees plotting the destruction of Jesus.
II. Christ persevering in works of beneficence and salvation.

III. One district suffers but another gains by the secret council of the wicked.J. G. Gray.

Mat. 12:18-20. The gentle Servant of Jehovah.The Elect Servant is the Messiah, and Jesus is that Christ. Mark how He served:

I. Unostentatiously.All through His ministry Jesus avoided a mere glare of publicity, and in Galilee actually charged some whom He had healed not to make Him known. He knew that to attract a gaping multitude of followers would do very little to promote the spiritual ends of His ministry, if, indeed, it might not rather tend to hinder them. So little did He think of a big crowd that, when He saw it gathering under the influence of curiosity, or a desire for temporal advantage, He often said or did something to disperse the people, or to escape from them. Evidently He regarded it as a better use of His time and strength to attach to Himself a smaller number of disciples, so training them and imbuing them with His spirit, as to fit them to plead His cause, and plant His gospel after He had returned to His Father. It is not to be inferred, that preachers of the gospel are not to speak in the open air, or in chief places of concourse. Timidity and fastidiousness have no right to claim sanction from the unostentatiousness of Jesus. There is need of courage and enterprise; only one must not court personal notoriety, or glory in numbers. Ministry is weak when at any point it falls out of harmony with that of the Chosen Servant. One may draw a crowd, and yet gain very few disciples for the Lord.

II. Tenderly.True, that the ministry of Jesus had a searching power, like that of a refiners fire. It was even scathing and terrible to hypocrites and vainglorious pedants of the law; but it was full of gentleness to the people, and had special consideration for the weary and heavy-laden. So the common people heard Him gladly, and mourners sought Him, and little children were not afraid to come at His call. As, after rigorous winter the breath of spring is doubly sweet, so after the hard prescriptions of the unfeeling scribes and Pharisees, the healing ministry of Jesus of Nazareth was felt, at least by some, to be doubly welcome. Meekness must not be confounded with feebleness, or gentleness with indecision. We know the kind of softness and quietness which belongs to persons of a timid nature, and of weak convictions, who are reluctant to look closely into serious questions, or to assume any resolute attitude involving responsibility. A gentleness which is born of fear or selfishness is not after Christ, for His was the kindness of a magnanimous spirit, the patience of a mind that saw clearly the insufficiency of man and the boundless love of God. Therefore His endurance of the contradiction of sinners, and His sweet encouragement of the timorous who sought His help. Therefore the light in His countenance, the grace in His lips, the meekness in His bearing, the compassion in His mien, which drew men out of themselves, to tell their wants to Him, and cast their cares upon Him.D. Eraser, D.D.

Mat. 12:18-21. A lovely portrait in an unlovely frame.Observe the spirit in which our Lord meets the repeated attacks of which the record is given in this chapter. There are four in close succession. The first is the charge of Sabbath-breaking made against the disciples, because they rubbed a few ears of corn in their hands as they passed through the fields on the Sabbath day; and following it, the entangling question put to the Master in the synagogue. Then there is the accusation founded on the healing of the blind and dumb demoniac (Mat. 12:24). The third attack is the hypocritical application, Master, we would see a sign from Thee (Mat. 12:38), the word Master being evidently used in mockery, and the request for a sign a scornful way of suggesting that all the signs He was giving were worth nothing. These three attacks were made by the Pharisees, and were most irritating and vexatious, each in its own way. The first was annoying on account of its pettiness, the second because of its bitter malice, while the third was a studied insult; and yet, galling as these repeated attacks must have been, we may well suppose that the keenest wound of all to the gentle spirit of the Son of man would be the last, inflicted by the members of His own family, who seemed at this time as unsympathetic and unbelieving as the Pharisees themselves; for the untimely interruption recorded at the close of the chapter was intended, as we learn from the account in the second Gospel, to put Him under restraint as a madman. This last interruption, in which even His mother joined, must have been gall and wormwood to that tender heart. How does He bear Himself through these storms of calumny and insult? He bears Himself so that out of this dark chapter of His history there comes to us one of the loveliest portraits of Him to be found anywhere. It had been sketched by one of the old masters as an ideal portrait, and is now at last matched in real life. Behold, My servant whom I have chosen, etc. (Mat. 12:18-21). What gentleness and tenderness, yet what strength and majesty!for, though He strives not, nor lifts up His voice in angry altercation, while He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, He will nevertheless declare judgment and secure victory, and make His name such a power in the earth, that the Gentiles shall hope in Him and the world go after Him. We can fancy the glow on the Evangelists face as He pauses in the midst of the sad record of these cruel assaults, to look at, and show to us that lovely portrait of the Son of man. And is it not all the lovelier that it shines out from such a background?J. M. Gibson, D.D.

Mat. 12:20. Smoking flax.Smoking flax may mean that which has fire smouldering among its fibres, which may yet break out into a flame. But probably we ought to prefer the marginal reading, a dimly burning wick shall He not quench (Isa. 42:3).

I. It suggests the faint beginnings of penitence and faith, and newness of life.The wick is not trimmed, or does not draw sufficiently from the reservoir of oil, and therefore does not yield a steady flame.

II. Or it may illustrate some degree of spiritual declension, the lamp that once was bright now needing to be trimmed with care, and fed with fresh oil. The Lord Jesus does not disdain every disciple who is not a burning and shining light. He is willing to recognise and to foster what is defective and dim. He knows how to bring good results out of confused and hesitating beginnings. He does it by gentleness; and it cannot be done any otherwise. A strong wind will blow out a lamp which a gentle current of air will brighten. Violence has the fatal power of extinction. Severity irritates into defiance, or crushes into despondency; but kindliness can evolve happy results from unsatisfactory rudiments, and love is the supreme secret of success in Christ and all Christlike men.D. Fraser, D.D.

Bruised reed and smoking flax.President Davies says: The imagery of the bruised reed may be derived from the practice of the ancient shepherds, who were wont to amuse themselves with the music of a pipe of reed or straw; and when it was bruised they broke it, or threw it away as useless. But the bruised reed shall not be broken by this Divine Shepherd of souls. By way of securing the practical applications of this view of our Saviours relations to His people, we will consider:

I. Christs ways with bruised reeds, or humbled sinners.

1. Bruised reeds seem very fitly to represent such. The reed itself may properly stand for the sinner. It is so straight, so upright, and to all appearance so firm and strong; and yet it is one of the weakest things that grow. The storm will bend, and bruise, and spoil it. In mockery of the kingly claims of Jesus, they put a helpless reed, instead of a sceptre, into His hands, taunting thus the weakness both of His kingdom, and of Himself as King. There is much appearance of confidence and strength in the sinner, at least while life goes smoothly and easily with him. He would not wish you to take up the idea that he is only a reed. But let God but try his strength by buffeting him with some fierce storms, and you will soon see that poor reed bruised and bent, and hanging low. There is no strength in such reeds for the days of trouble that come round to every man, to try of what sort he is. Now it is Gods wise and gracious way of dealing to bruise such reeds.
2. How is He wont to deal with bruised reeds, humbled sinners? He does not break. Bruise He may, but break He never does, and never will.

II. Christs ways with smoking flax, or feeble believers.

1. Perhaps the best explanation of this metaphor is that flax was used in the East for the wicks of oil lamps; and these wicks, unless well-cut and constantly trimmed, would give but a flickering and smoky light. And this may effectively illustrate the feeble, struggling, often fainting Christian, whose life is a smoke rather than a fire; a spark rather than a flame; a glimmer rather than a glow; a name rather than a living reality and power.
2. How does Christ deal with such? He does not quench. Let Bunyans Interpreter show us the fire in the wall, on which the souls enemy is pouring the water-floods, but whose flames still rise high. There is a secret. Look behind! One stands there, like unto the Son of man, pouring in the oil of His grace, that makes the flames leap, and the fire glow.Weekly Pulpit.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

(14) Held a council against him.If, as seems probable, these Pharisees included those who had come from Jerusalem, the deliberation was of more importance in its bearing on our Lords future work than if it had been a mere meeting of the local members of the party. It is significant that St. Mark adds (Mar. 3:6) that they called the Herodians into their counsels. These latter have not yet been mentioned in the Gospel history, but they had probably been irritated by the marked reference to them and their habits of life in the contrast which our Lord drew between them and the Baptist. (Comp. Note on Mat. 11:8.)

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

14. Then the Pharisees went out They were determined not to admit the defence which they could not confute, and were bent upon using the act to charge our Lord’s miracles to a diabolical source.

Held a council Mark says that the Pharisees at this council called in the aid of the Herodians. These were the partisans of Herod, who maintained the rightfulness of the Roman dominion over Judea, and the propriety of introducing Greek and Roman customs among the Jews. Thus did these sticklers for the law of Moses unite with its bold political subverters in order to accomplish their designs against Jesus. Little sincere surely could have been their burning zeal for that Sabbath and the law at the moment they were plotting thus with the overthrowers of both.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘But the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.’

But the Pharisees were furious. Jesus was flouting their regulations, and not only so, but He had held them up to ridicule. Furthermore they recognised in His bold action confirmation of His claim to be Lord of the Sabbath. And so they entered into discussions as to how He could be destroyed. We are told in Mark that their discussions included courtiers from Herod’s court. This had to be done officially and properly so that the crowds would not be aroused. But Matthew does not bring that in. He wants concentration to be on the opposition of the Pharisees, which he sees as slowly building up (compare Mat 12:24). As always he leaves out any details not in line with what he wants to say.

There is nothing unlikely in infuriated men discussing how Jesus could be got rid of, especially men who considered that all that they believed in was at stake. It does not take long for men to work themselves up into a fury, especially men who believe that they are right. Anyone who thinks that it could not have happened so quickly just does not know men. Their problem of course lay in doing it legitimately. They could find no way in which to bring it about, without harming themselves, which was why, humanly speaking, Jesus still lived.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

‘For many are called, but few chosen.’

The parable then ends with a maxim. Many are called to respond to the King’s invitation, but only comparatively few are ‘chosen’, that is, are His elect (compare Mat 24:31), that is, are those who are fully responsive to Him because of His effective call (Joh 6:44).

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The Enmity of the Pharisees and Christ’s Answer.

v. 14. Then the Pharisees went out and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Overawed for the moment, and unable to formulate an answer, their envy and malice soon leads them from finding fault to plotting against the Lord’s life. They came together and conferred with one another with the express object of finding ways and means to put Him to death. So far can hypocrisy debase a person that the most outrageous uncharitableness and lack of mercy, even deadly hatred and enmity, are covered over with pious customs and a sanctimonious behavior.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Mat 12:14. How they might destroy him This is the first time that mention is made of a design onour Saviour’s life. It is natural to think that the historian would acquaint us of their concurring in the design, before he would speak of their consulting about the means. See Campbell.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

“Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. (15) But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; (16) And charged them that they should not make him known: (17) That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, (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 show judgment to the Gentiles. (19) He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. (20) A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. (21) And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.”

It is striking to observe that those very scrupulous persons who professed so high a regard for the Lord’s day, yet scrupled not to consult on that day, how they might destroy the Lord of life and glory.– Reader! did you ever notice any of the Pharisees of the present hour, (for they are the same in all ages). Oh! what vast regard they would have you suppose they have for the morality of the Gospel! But the Lord Jesus, who reads under this covering the heart of such men, tells us that notwithstanding all this, they should receive the greater damnation. Mat 23:14 . Now observe this was not for any immoralities, or for the neglect of prayers, and the like; for they were rigid to an excess in duties as they called them. But it was for setting up a righteousness of their own, against the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beware ye (saith Jesus) of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy: Luk 12:1 .

But. let us turn from the disgusting views of such characters, to contemplate the beautiful picture the Prophet Esaias hath drawn of Jesus, and which the Evangelist copies in this scripture from the original, See Isa 42:1-4 . The Prophet introduceth Jehovah the Father as calling upon the Church to behold him; and as commending his person, in his gracious office as the Church’s husband, and the Mediator, and as One in whom his soul delighteth. Nothing can be more blessed than what God the Father saith of him. And when his redeemed can answer to God the Father’s approbation of him, as his servant; in their approbation of him as their surety, head, and Saviour, the subject is blessed indeed, I will put my spirit in him, saith Jehovah. I will put my soul and body in his Almighty hands, saith the poor awakened simmer. He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles, saith God. He hath shewn both judgment and mercy to me, saith the poor Gentile, whom grace hath recovered from sin and destruction. He shall be a meek, a tender hearted Savior, saith the Father, so that even the bruised reed he shall not break, and the smoking flax of his people’s weaknesses, he shall not quench, Jesus is all this and more, saith the poor sinner; for he hath remembered me in my low estate, for his merely endureth forever! Oh! the unknown, the unnumbered mercies in the bowels of Jesus, which he bears to all his redeemed; and by which he manifests his grace to them, otherwise than he doth to the world. Joh 14:21-22 .

I detain the Reader for the moment, just to observe on the word judgment, in this passage, that though in the first view of it, there might be thought somewhat harsh in it, but it is not so. Bringing forth judgment to the Gentiles, and unto victory, implies, that Jesus will complete the work of his free grace for his redeemed, in a way of judgment so wise, and excellent, that it shall commend his administration for the deed, while everything of tenderness shall mark his features of character; so that the bruised reed and the smoking flax, which are in his way, he will not tread upon nor injure.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

Ver. 14. How they might destroy him ] All envy is bloody. Men wish him out of the world whom they cannot abide; and would rather the sun should be extinguished than their candle obscured. David dared never trust Saul’s protestations, because he knew him to be an envious person. Nero put Traseas to death for no other cause but for that it was not expedient for Nero that so worthy a man as he should live by him.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

14. ] This is the first mention of counsel being taken by the Pharisees ( and Herodians , Mark, as above) to put our Lord to death.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Mat 12:14 . : overawed for the moment, the Pharisaic witnesses of the miracle soon recovered themselves, and went out of the synagogue with hostile intent. , consulted together = . , against Him. Hitherto they had been content with finding fault; now it is come to plotting against His life a tribute to His power. , etc.: this clause indicates generally the object of their plotting, viz. , that it concerned the life of the obnoxious one. They consulted not how to compass the end, but simply agreed together that it was an end to be steadily kept in view. The murderous will has come to birth, the way will follow in due course. Such is the evil fruit of Sabbath controversies.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

Then = But.

held a council. Occurs only in Mat 22:15; Mat 27:1, Mat 27:7; Mat 28:12. Mar 3:6; Mar 15:1.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

14.] This is the first mention of counsel being taken by the Pharisees (and Herodians, Mark, as above) to put our Lord to death.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Chapter 25

Our Mediator Jehovahs Servant

Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; And charged them that they should not make him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 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. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

(Mat 12:14-21)

In the first part of this chapter our Lord Jesus demonstrated his eternal deity and his great dignity as God, both by declaring himself to be Lord even of the sabbath and by healing the man with a withered hand. In the passage now before us the Holy Spirit shows us our Saviors great humiliation as Jehovahs Servant, while at the same time demonstrating him to be himself Jehovah God and our great Savior. Matthew Henry wrote in his introduction to this paragraph

As in the midst of Christs greatest humiliations there were proofs of his dignity, so in the midst of his greatest honors, he gave proofs of his humility; and when the mighty works he did gave him an opportunity of making a figure (a name for himself), yet he made it appear that he emptied himself, and made himself of no reputation.

The Bond-slave

When the Lord God began to give his judgments (civil statutes) to Israel, by which he typified and portrayed redemption, grace, and salvation by Christ,[1] the very first civil statute given to Israel was a blessed picture of redemption and grace by Christ in the law of the bond-slave (Exo 21:1-6).

[1] Ever remember, the law of God, these civil statutes, ceremonial rites, and all the commandments were messianic. They were given to Israel alone and applied to Israel alone. The law of the Old Testament has absolutely nothing to do with Gentiles. It was never given to Gentiles. The law was messianic. It pointed to Christ, who is the fulfillment and the end of the law.

Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. f he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.

The Servant spoken of in this passage of Scripture, by type and picture, is the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became the Servant of God, that he might redeem and save sinners chosen of God from the foundation of the world (Mat 1:21). The text is not talking about men who became the servants of men among the ancient Israelites. Those men were but pictures of another man, the Man Christ Jesus. How blessed it is to see and know Christ in this relationship! The eye of faith sees the Servant and rejoices in all his work.

Though he is himself God Almighty, one with the Father and the Spirit in the Holy Trinity, in order to save us from our sins the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, voluntarily became the servant of God and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, to do the will of God. In the passage before us God the Holy Spirit calls for us to behold our great Savior in his mediatorial office as Jehovahs Servant as he was described by the prophet Isaiah in Isa 42:1-4.

The Pharisees Council

This passage opens with the Pharisees holding a council. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him (Mat 12:14). Religious councils throughout history have almost always proved to be council against him. The Spirit of God here calls our attention to the hatred of these religious hypocrites toward Christ because it is something that never changes.

These men pretended to have great reverence for the law and, particularly, for the sabbath day. Yet, they seem to have had no reluctance in gathering a religious council for the purpose of finding a way to murder One who lived among them in perfect righteousness, doing good to others. They had no qualms about pursuing a plot to murder the Lord of Glory on the sabbath day! Pharisees are always the same. They want everyone to admire their righteousness, piety, devotion, and spirituality. But they are unmasked by him who reads their hearts. He tells us that they shall receive the greater damnation (Mat 23:14). And, it should be observed, their greater damnation is not because they behave in an outwardly reprehensible way, but because they, going about to establish their own righteousness, refuse to submit themselves to the righteousness of Christ (Rom 9:31 to Rom 10:4). And all who pretend that they are righteous are hypocrites. Therefore, our Savior warns us, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy (Luk 12:1).

Self-righteousness is but a religious covering by which men attempt to hide their hatred of God. The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject unto the law of God, neither indeed can be (Romans 8). The heart of man is not natural or indifferent toward God. All natural men, all unregenerate people, at the core of their beings, in their hearts hate God! When the Lord Jesus both claimed to be Lord even of the sabbath day and proved his power as God by miraculously healing the man with a withered hand, the Jews, the religious leaders of the day, were so enraged against him that they sought to destroy him. No Charge could be brought against his character. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. No charge could be leveled against his doctrine. He proved his teachings by the Scriptures, irrefutably. But it mattered not how perfectly he lived or how perfectly he taught. He was hated by those people who claimed most loudly that they loved God!

J. C. Ryle wrote, This is human nature appearing in its true colors! The unconverted heart hates God! This is the reason why Gods servants have been persecuted and martyred throughout the centuries. It must never surprise us when we meet with the same treatment that our Savior received in this world. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you (1Jn 3:13). It is not our weaknesses, infirmities and faults, and our obedience that stir up the wrath of reprobate men, but our doctrine, the gospel of Christ (Joh 3:19-20; Gal 5:11).

All Healed

But when Jesus knew it (Mat 12:14) Here is another of the many, very casual assertions of our Saviors divinity that are scattered throughout the gospel narratives. Matthew makes no attempt to prove what needed no proof to those who know and worship Christ. Knowing that he who redeemed us is God over all, we recognize and rejoice in our Saviors divine omniscience. The omniscient God knew what the Pharisees were up to; and when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence.

Our Lord did not flee from the Jews and the synagogue in fear, but because his hour was not yet come. The time had not yet come when he must suffer and die as our Substitute. He had other work yet to do to glorify his Father. Therefore, he rightly and wisely left the synagogue. As he left, great multitudes followed him. Though some believe not, others will. The Pharisees and religious leaders in the synagogue hated him; but great multitudes followed him.

And he healed them all. What a gracious word this is! As it was in Bethsaida, so it was here. When the multitudes followed him, he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing (Luk 9:11). Our Master came not to contend with carping religionists who (in their own opinion) needed nothing from him, but to bestow mercy upon needy souls. Happy is the preacher who, following the Masters example, has learned to ignore carping critics and refuses to be deterred from the Masters business, even momentarily, by them.

Our Master came to heal needy souls. While he was here in the flesh, he received all who came to him with bodily ailments, and he healed them all. And he has not changed. Great multitudes followed him from all parts of the country. And not one of those who followed him, even in this physical, carnal sense, lacked anything. When the multitudes were hungry, he fed them. If they were diseased, he healed them. If they were possessed by devils, he cast them out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Jesus Christ is merciful, gracious, and kind. Our Saviors mercy is coupled with omnipotence. All who follow him find all they need in him. His promise is, Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.

Yes, this mighty, gracious, saving God-man still receives sinners and heals all who come to him. Because the Lord Jesus Christ, Jehovahs Righteous Servant, has fully obeyed his Fathers will in putting away our sins by the sacrifice of himself, because he was made sin for us, because he bore our sins in his own body on the tree, because he paid all the debt for our sins and put them away completely and forever, he now assures sinners everywhere of this glorious truth by the gospel. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (Joh 6:37-40).

Come to Christ, no matter who you are, no matter how vile your transgressions are, and he promises that he will receive you, just as you are, and that he will never cast you out, that he will give you eternal life, that you shall never perish. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Mat 11:28-30).

And charged them that they should not make him known (Mat 12:16). The Son of God never courted the praises of men. He sought only to do the will of God. What a sermon that is! To him, Spurgeon asserted, popularity became a hindrance. Our Savior deliberately made himself of no reputation (Php 2:5-8). He had no desire for the approval and applause of men, but only for the glory of God.

Scripture Fulfilled

This deliberate act of humiliation was that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet (Mat 12:17). The prophecy to which Matthew refers is found in Isa 42:1-4. Here the Spirit of God gives us an undeniable evidence of inspiration and the infallibility of Holy Scripture (2Ti 3:16-17; 2Pe 1:20-21). In all that our Lord Jesus performed on this earth as our Substitute, from his incarnation to his ascension, was in perfect accord with the prophesies of the Old Testament. When he finished his work, the Scripture was fulfilled (Mar 15:28).

Pastor Henry Mahan has often said, The Old Testament Scriptures tailor a garment that will fit only one man, and that man is the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are 38 of the Old Testament prophecies relating to the Messiah which were fulfilled by our Lord Jesus Christ, and can never be fulfilled by anyone else. To anyone, except those who are willfully ignorant, these are indisputable proofs that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ of God.

1.The Womans Seed – (Gen 3:15; Gal 4:4; Rev 12:5; Luk 2:7).

2.Abrahams Seed – (Gen 18:18; Gen 12:3; Act 3:25; Mat 1:1; Luk 3:34; Gal 3:16).

3.Isaacs Seed – (Gen 17:19; Mat 1:2; Isa. 3:34).

4.Jacobs Seed – (Num 24:17; Gen 28:14; Luk 3:34; Mat 1:2).

5.From The Tribe of Judah – (Gen 49:10; Luk 3:33; Mat 1:2; Rev 5:5).

6.Heir to Davids Throne – (Isa 9:7; Isa 11:1-5; 2Sa 7:13; Mat 1:1; Mat 1:6; Act 2:29-36).

7.Born in Bethlehem – (Mic 5:2; Mat 2:1; Luk 2:4-7).

8.Time of His Birth – (Dan 9:25; Luk 2:1-7).

9.Born of A Virgin – (Isa 7:14; Mat 1:18; Luk 1:26-35).

10.Massacre of Children – (Jer 31:15; Mat 2:16-18).

11.Flight to Egypt – (Hos 11:1; Mat 2:14-15).

12.Galilean Ministry – (Isa 9:12; Mat 4:12-16).

13.A Prophet Like Moses – (Deu 18:15; Joh 1:45; Joh 6:14; Act 3:19-26).

14.A Priest Like Melchizedek – (Psa 110:4; Heb 5:5-6; Heb 6:20; Heb 7:15-17).

15.The Kings Triumphal Entry – (Isa 62:11; Zec 9:9; Joh 12:12-14; Mat 21:1-11).

16.Rejection by Men – (Psa 2:2; Isa 53:3; Joh 1:11; Joh 5:43; Luk 4:29; Luk 17:25; Luk 23:18).

17.Personal Character – (Isa 11:2-4; Luk 2:52; Luk 4:18).

18.Betrayal by A Friend – (Psa 41:9; Mar 14:10).

19.Sold for Thirty Pieces of Silver – (Zec 11:12-13; Mat 26:15).

20.Money Returned and Potters Field Bought – (Zec 11:13; Mat 27:6-7).

21.Judas Office Taken by Another – (Psa 109:7-8; Act 1:16-20).

22.False Witnesses – (Psa 27:12; Psa 35:11; Mat 26:60-61).

23.Silence When Accused – (Isa 53:7; Psa 38:13-14; Mat 26:62-63; Mat 27:12-14).

24.Smitten and Spat Upon – (Isa 50:6; Mar 14:65).

25.Hated Without a Cause – (Psa 69:4; Psa 109:3-5; Joh 15:23-25).

26.Vicarious Sufferings – (Isa 53:4-6; Isa 53:12; Mat 8:16-17; Rom 4:25; 1Co 15:3).

27.Crucified with Sinners – (Isa 53:12; Mat 27:38; Luk 23:33).

28.Pierced Hands and Feet – (Psa 22:16; Joh 20:27).

29.Mocked of Men – (Psa 22:6-8; Mat 27:39-40).

30.Gall and Vinegar to Drink – (Psa 69:21; Joh 19:29).

31.Heard Prophetic Words Repeated in Mockery (Psa 22:8; Mat 27:43).

32.Intercession for Enemies – (Psa 109:4; Luk 23:34).

33.Pierced Side – (Zec 12:10; Joh 19:34).

34.Lots Cast for His Coat – (Psa 22:18; Mar 15:24).

35.Not a Bone Broken – (Psa 34:20; Exo 12:46; Joh 19:33).

36.Buried with The Rich – (Isa 53:9; Mat 27:57-60).

37.His Resurrection – (Psa 16:10; Mat 28:9; Luk 24:36-38).

38.His Ascension – (Psa 68:18; Luk 24:50-51).

John Trapp wrote, The Old Testament is the New Testament foretold. The New Testament is The Old Testament fulfilled.

Jehovahs Servant

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. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust (Mat 12:18-21).

Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ and he is Jehovahs Servant. Be sure you understand that this text, and all others relating to our Redeemer being the Servant of God, relate only to his humility and to his office capacity as our covenant Surety, Mediator, and Substitute. As such he was chosen by God the Father. He is beloved of God (Joh 10:16-18; Eph 1:6). He is well-pleasing to him. He was equipped for his work by God, who said, I will put my Spirit upon him. He came to reveal the righteousness of God (the gospel) to the world, the Gentiles. He shall send judgment to the Gentiles. Our Redeemers servitude was a matter of voluntary submission (Mat 12:19 – Isa 50:5-7). And the Lord God says, He shall not fail. (Isa 42:4).

Matthew was inspired to translate that as a declaration of the certain salvation of Gods elect throughout the world. He will send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. Our Lord Jesus came into this world as Jehovahs righteous servant for the purpose of saving his people from their sins, and to do so in a way that would make it manifest that he who is our God is a just God and a Savior (Isa 45:20). And he did what he came to do. He brought in everlasting righteousness, and brought righteousness to victory in the accomplishment of our redemption by the sacrifice of himself (Col 2:14-15). And, now, upon the ground of his finished work, he gives life and faith to all Gods elect among the nations of the world by omnipotent mercy and free grace (Mat 12:21; Rom 11:26)

A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench. What sweet, consoling, encouraging words those are to poor, weak sinners! Mighty and great as our Savior is, He despiseth not any (Job 36:5). Even those in whom grace is ever so weak, faith is ever so small, and repentance is ever so feeble, he is mighty to save! Commenting on these words, J. C. Ryle wrote, There is life in the infant as truly as in the grown-up man. There is fire in a spark as truly as in a burning flame. The least degree of grace is an everlasting possession. It comes down from heaven. It is precious in our Lords eyes. It shall never be over thrown.

The bruised reed and the smoking flax have reference to young converts, newly awakened souls. Like a bruised reed, the newborn soul is bruised, broken, contrite, and tender in his soul because he is made to know his sin and vileness before God. Such souls, the Lord Jesus will never destroy. He binds up their broken hearts and heals their wounded spirits. The newborn soul is also compared to smoking flax. The wick in an old oil lantern, when it is first lit, smokes and appears ready to go out, because it has little fire. So the newborn soul often has but little light and knowledge, but little faith and confidence and much darkness; but our tender Savior will never quench the smoking flax. He will give it more oil, and fire, and light by the abiding influence and grace of his Holy Spirit, till he sends forth judgment into victory. The Apostle Paul says the very same thing in Php 1:6. He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

What sweet assurances of grace we have in the this call of our God. Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. God the Father here calls for us to behold his darling Son, commending him to us in his gracious office and work as the God-man Mediator and his faithful Servant, in whom his soul delights. Nothing can be more blessed than that which God the Father says of him here, when his redeemed are enabled by his grace to look upon the Lord Jesus with the same delight, trusting him as our Savior whom the Father trusted as his Servant.

The Lord God said, I will put my spirit in him. The believing sinner says, I will put my whole life into his omnipotent hands of grace. The Lord God says, This is my Servant, whom I have chosen, my Beloved, in whom my soul is well-pleased. The heaven born soul, looking on him says, This is my Savior, who has chosen me, and he whom I have chosen, my Beloved, in whom my soul is well-pleased. The God of Glory says, He shall show judgment to the Gentiles. And we who are called from among the Gentiles rejoice to declare, He has shown both judgment and mercy to me and has recovered me from sin and destruction. He has sent forth judgment to victory for my soul; and in his name I trust!

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

Our King in the Majesty of his Peacefulness

Mat 12:14. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

The synagogue was too hot for the Pharisees, and so they went out. Utterly routed, they retire from public gaze, hating the man who had so completely baffled them. They could not silence him, and so they would slay him. Those who begin with seeking to accuse the Lord soon come to seeking to destroy him. It was not easy to touch one who lived so much in the esteem of the people, and so they consulted together as to the safest method of procedure. Their killing of Jesus was indeed the result of malice aforethought, for they deliberately planned their cruel deed. Men at this hour still take counsel “against him.” “Why and wherefore? Let their own consciences answer, if they have any. The present cool, calculating attacks of sceptics upon the gospel have a special degree of crime in them.

Mat 12:15-16. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; and charged them that they should not make him known.

Their secret counsels were all discerned by his omniscience: Jesus knew it. Ho acted accordingly. He came not to contend with cavillers, and therefore he withdrew himself from the scene of their perpetual disputations. But he could not get alone; the crowd flocked after him, and his love could not refuse to bless them with healing. He did not want to create an excitement, and so, when the people gathered in multitudes, he commanded them not to advertise his presence. To him popularity became a hindrance in his work, and he shunned it. In this avoidance of notoriety he fulfilled an ancient prophecy.

We are under no charge to conceal his gracious wonders, and therefore we would joyfully enlarge upon that glorious record, “He healed them all.” What an encouragement to sin-sick souls to trust in him!

Mat 12:17-19. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon Mm, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

It is in Isa 42:1-4 that we read words which are quoted in their full sense, if not literally, by the Evangelist. The Servant of God, elect, beloved, and delightsome to the Lord, clothed with the Spirit of God, would come forth, and reveal the Lord’s mind to the nations; but it would not be with tumult and turmoil, noise and clamour.

To avoid contention and ostentation, our Lord quieted those whom he had healed, or at least charged them not to make him known. Our Lord did not aim at raising himself in the esteem of the multitude by successfully contending with the Pharisees; for his method was of another sort. The names given to the Saviour here are exceedingly precious, and worthy of our careful meditation, and especially so in connection with the passage in Isaiah. Jesus is the chosen of Jehovah, ordained to be his servant, beloved in that capacity, and well pleasing to his Father. The power of this beloved Servant of God would lie in the divine Spirit, in the doctrine which he would teach, and in the law which he would proclaim; his whole life being a judging and condemnation of sin before the eyes of all men. Not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord, and the force of truth, would he prevail. The wrath of man in hot controversy, the frenzy of wild rhetoric, the torrent of popular declamation; all these he left to mere pretenders: he disdained such weapons in establishing his Kingdom. Certain of his followers have taken an opposite course, and are much enamoured of clamorous and blatant methods: in this they will yet find that they are not well pleasing to the Lord.

Mat 12:20. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

He left the bruised reed of Pharisaic pretence to prove its own impotence, it was not at that time worth his while to break it; and the smoking flax of a nominal religiousness he passed by, and left all dealing with it till another day, when the hour should come to end its offensiveness. He will in the end victoriously judge those hypocrites who were useless as bruised reeds, and offensive as smoking flax; but he would not do this during his first mission to men. He is in no haste to destroy every petty opposition.

This I take to be the exact sense of the words in this connection; but as the passage is popularly received, it is equally true, and much richer in consolation. The feeblest are not disdained by our Lord Jesus, though apparently useless as a bruised reed, or even actually offensive as a smoking flax. He is gentle, and exercises no harsh severity. He bears and forbears with those who are unlovely in his eyes. He longs to bind up the broken reed, and fan the smoking flax into flaming life. Oh, that poor sinners would remember this, and trust him!

Mat 12:21. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Because he is so kind, the despised Gentile dogs shall come and crouch at his feet and love him as their Master. He shall be the hope of those who were left as hopeless. Our Lord’s desire for quiet, and his avoiding antagonism, thus proved him to be the Messiah of the prophets. Shall we not more and more trust in the Anointed of the Lord? Yes, Gentiles as we are, we do trust in his name. In us is this prophecy fulfilled. Yet how unlikely it seemed that Gentiles would do so when Israel refused him.

Fuente: Spurgeon’s The Gospel of the Kingdom

went: Mat 27:1, Mar 3:6, Luk 6:11, Joh 5:18, Joh 10:39, Joh 11:53, Joh 11:57

held a council: or, took counsel

Reciprocal: Dan 6:7 – have consulted Mat 10:23 – when Mat 16:1 – Pharisees Mat 22:34 – they Joh 7:19 – Why

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

THE GENTLENESS OF CHRIST

Then the Pharisees went out till He send forth judgment unto victory.

Mat 12:14-20

There are numbers of people who want far less words of reproof than words of sympathy and tenderness.

What shall we learn from such a text as this?

I. Where there is life there is hope.First, it implies that wherever there is so much as a spark of life left in the conscience, there is always the possibility of an entire conversion to God. I am not speaking of what is easy, nor what is common; I am speaking of what is possible. If you could know the stories and histories of those who have been rescued from our streets and enter the shelter of godly homes, you would know it was because the faint feeble recollections of better days has been reached and recalled, and they have come back with tears of sorrow to the God they had forsaken.

II. The possibility of death-bed repentance.It throws great light upon a death-bed repentance. Not to encourage us to trifle with our best interests upon the possibility of our being in possession of our faculties then; but rather than deny possibilities of salvation we believe in the possibility of a death-bed repentance.

III. No limits can be set.It throws some light upon a subject that has been a good deal discussed of late years, and that is, Can a criminal sentenced to die for the crime of murder, and given three weeks grace, possibly in those three weeks find himself acceptable to God? We say, if we believe in the virtue of Christs blood, and in the power of the Holy Ghost, we can set no limits; and wherever there is a lingering remainder of grace, or at least a lingering contrition, there must be the hope of perfect repentance and ultimate sanctity.

IV. Lost without hope.A sinner out of hope is lost. Many and many a suicide is the suicide of despair; if hope is taken from men and women it is the last thing left to us, and there is nothing more perilous nor repressive, in certain crises of mental feeling, than harsh words.

Dean Pigou.

Illustrations

(1) Such is the nature of the blood of Christ, and such is the power of the Holy Ghost, that we can quite believe if our sins were like scarlet they may be made as white as snow. Why do we say scarlet, and not green, or yellow, or blue? Because the Tyrian die of scarlet is that which you cannot erase from what is dyed; you may dip it over and over again in the vat, you simply destroy the face, you cannot extricate the crimson; and therefore in order to describe the extent of the virtue of the healing blood of Christ, they used that expression in the Bible.

(2) An artist was once asked, Where did you get your models for your beautiful angels in your frescoes? I picked up a poor little girl out of the streets of Florence, he said, with rags and disordered hair and unwashed face, but I saw underneath all these the possibility of saintliness and she was my model for my saints and my angels.

Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary

2:14

The Pharisees displayed the very depths of wickedness in wanting to destroy Jesus. They could not deny the good done to the afflicted man, neither could they answer the reasoning that Jesus put to them, so the next resort was to destroy him. Council is from SUMBOULION and does not mean the sanhedrin, but a meeting especially called in the form of a consultation.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Mat 12:14. Then the Pharisees took counsel against him. Held a council is almost too strong; it was scarcely a formal meeting of the local tribunal, although the consultation was attended by its members. Mark says that the Herodians (or court party) joined in the plot. Some suppose that this was occasioned by the refusal of Jesus to see Herod (Luk 9:9), but that probably occurred after this time. The hostility to John would make them ready to oppose our Lord, and open to the suggestion of the Pharisees, who were filled with madness (Luk 6:11).

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Mat 12:14-15. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him They were so incensed at the affront which they imagined they had received, in our Lords neglecting their censure, and intimating his knowledge of the evil purposes of their hearts, (Luk 6:8,) that they were no longer able to bear the place, and therefore withdrew. Luke says, They were filled with madness, and communed with one another what they might do to Jesus; or, as Matthew and Mark express it, how they might destroy him. Being as little able to find fault with the miracle, as they had been to answer the argument by which Jesus justified his performing it on the sabbath day, they were filled with such diabolical rage, that they acted like downright madmen. They could not but be sensible of the greatness of the miracle, and, perhaps, were convinced of the truth of his mission who had performed it; but their wrath, on account of his having violated their precepts concerning the sabbath, and their other evil passions, pushed them on to such a pitch of extravagance, that they went away and joined counsel with their inveterate enemies, the Herodians, or Sadducees, (Mar 3:6,) in order to have him taken out of the way; for they found it was not in their power otherwise to keep the people from being impressed with his doctrine and miracles. This, it must be observed, is the first time that mention is made of a design on our Saviours life. Thus, while the eyes of distressed multitudes were turned to Christ as their only physician and most valuable friend, the eyes of these Pharisees were continually upon him for evil: and they beheld his miracles, not for their own conviction, but that they might, if possible, turn them into the means of his destruction. So ineffectual are the most obvious and demonstrative arguments, till divine grace conquer mens natural aversion to the Redeemers kingdom, and captivate their hearts to the obedience of the faith! To have reviled and dishonoured Christ, and to have endeavoured to prevent the success of his ministry, would have been a daring crime: but these desperate wretches conspire against his life; and, different as their principles and interests were, form a transient friendship, to be cemented by his blood. Blessed Jesus! well mightest thou say, Many good works have I shown you, and for which of them would you murder me? Doddridge. But, when Jesus knew it Or rather, Jesus, knowing it, withdrew himself from thence, in order that nothing might hinder him from fulfilling his ministry. It appears from Mark 3. that he retired into Galilee, where he preached and wrought miracles as privately as possible, that he might avoid giving offence. His fame, however, was now so great that vast multitudes gathered round him there, among whom were many who, having seen or heard of the miracle on the infirm man at Bethesda, (John 5.,) and on the withered hand in the synagogue, followed him from Jerusalem and Judea. And he healed them all That is, all that had need of healing. By this it appears, that it was not mere curiosity that drew together this immense multitude. Many, no doubt, were moved by that principle, but others came to him to be healed of their infirmities and diseases, and others again to hear and be instructed by his divine discourses.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

THE STRAY SHEEP

Mat 12:14. What seems to you? If there may be to any man a hundred sheep, and one of them may stray away, does he not, leaving the ninety and nine, going into the mountains, seek the lost one? And if it may be that he find it, truly, I say unto you, That he rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine which went not astray. So it is not the will, in the presence of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones may be lost. Throughout this memorable discourse, delivered by our Savior at Capernaum and really, so far as the record goes, His valedictory sermon, before He left home for the last time, bidding adieu to Galilee, where He spent about two and a half years of His ministry, preaching, healing, casting out demons, and establishing His disciples in the doctrines of the kingdom, before He goes away to Jerusalem, Judea, and Perea, to preach the remaining six months of His earthly ministry, and lay down His life for a guilty world He still keeps those infants, both natural and spiritual, prominent before His audience. One of the popes said, Give me the first seven years, and I will give you all the balance, feeling assured that, in that short time, he could so write the dogmata of the Catholic Church on the mind of the child, they could never be obliterated. Such is the wonderful redemption of Christ that He actually saves all in their infancy, committing to us, along with the guardian angels, the noble and stupendous work of keeping them saved. O how the universal Church needs awakening on this momentous interest! You see from the illustration that by prayer, instruction, discipline, and vigilance, we are to keep a standing army of saints and angels around the little ones all the time. Then, in case that one out of a hundred should wander away, we are to go through storms and tempests, thorns and briers, deserts and forests, plain and mountain, craggy steeps, frightful precipices, and yawning chasms, till we rescue the lost.

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

12:14 {3} Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

(3) How far and in what aspect we may give place to the unbridled rage of the wicked.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

The Pharisees would not have put someone to death simply because he broke one of their traditional laws. They wanted to kill Jesus because they understood Him to be making messianic claims that they rejected. "Counseled together" (NASB) or "plotted" (NIV, Gr. sumboulion elabon) means the Pharisees had reached a definite decision.

"The phrase means to come to a conclusion, rather than to deliberate whether or not." [Note: Plummer, p. 175.]

This verse takes the official rejection of Messiah farther than it has gone before in Matthew. It is "the culminating point of the opposition of the Jewish religious authorities." [Note: M’Neile, p. 171.]

"Given this narrative comment, the reader knows that the leaders’ repudiation of Jesus has now become irreversible." [Note: Kingsbury, Matthew as . . ., p. 73.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)