NAS - Matthew 12:33-50

Words Reveal Character

³³"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.³⁴"You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.³⁵"The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.³⁶"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.³⁷"For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

The Desire for Signs

³⁸Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." ³⁹But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;⁴⁰for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.⁴¹"The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.⁴²"The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³"Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.⁴⁴"Then it says, `I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.⁴⁵"Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."

Changed Relationships

⁴⁶While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. ⁴⁷Someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You." ⁴⁸But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"⁴⁹And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers!⁵⁰"For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."